P1. Power of Google
P1. XG Install Announcement
P2.-P5. Featured Franchise
P5. GSC Shop Announcement
P6. Field Support for California
The Power of Google Ratings
In today’s digital landscape, your online reputation is more critical than ever before. Google ratings serve as a powerful metric that directly influences consumer behavior and business credibility. Whether you run a small local business or a large corporation, managing your Google ratings professionally can be the key to maintaining a strong brand image, attracting new customers, and fostering long-term success.
Google ratings are one of the first things potential customers look at when they search for a business. A high rating can instill trust, encourage engagement, and ultimately drive sales. According to research, nearly 90% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase decision, and 57% of consumers will only engage with a business that has four or more stars.
Professional management of your Google accounts is extremely important. Low ratings and poor responses will deter potential customers quickly. By actively managing your account, Google’s algorithm automatically makes you more visible in searches which in turn boosts your business. The way your company responds to negative reviews let’s clients know that you are striving to be better and are willing to fix mistakes.
Here are a few tips to help you manage your Google Account Professionally:
• Encourage Reviews: Politely ask satisfied customers to leave positive reviews.
• Respond Promptly: Address all reviews both positive and negative promptly and professionally.
• Stay Authentic: Avoid fake reviews or misleading tactics, as they can lead to penalties from Google.
• Monitor Feedback: Use tools to track and analyze customer sentiment over time.
• Improve Based on Feedback: Use constructive criticism to enhance products and services.
Urgent: Wiring Issue with XG LiquidCooled Units
We have identified an issue with the wiring setup on new XG liquid-cooled units. Below is a firsthand account from installer Bryce Alkire, who encountered this problem during installation:
After installing an XG32 unit, Bryce discovered a transfer issue, specifically with transferring to Standby mode. To resolve it, he had to adjust the wiring connections as follows:
• Wire 194 should be connected to the 183A label
• Wire 23 should be connected to the 178 label
Bryce has encountered this issue four times, and we have reported it to Generac. Please inform your installation crews so they are prepared to make the necessary corrections. Refer to the attached picture for visual guidance.
Featured Franchise:
Generator Supercenter of Corpus Christi
The March 2025 Featured Franchise is more than just a business, it’s a family. This month, we celebrate the DeShazo family, proud owners of three franchises along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Robert and Wanda DeShazo’s story begins in Houston, TX. They both worked in the corporate world while raising their sons, Trey and Will. The DeShazo family lived in Magnolia Texas, not far from Generator Supercenter headquarters in Tomball. Robert worked in the deregulated electricity business for some of the largest electricity generators and retailers in the world as far back as the Enron days, and Wanda worked for both family-owned and publicly traded food distributors. When Generator Supercenter of Corpus Christi took off like a rocket in 2020, they were both able to leave their corporate jobs. Their previous experience in business gave them both valuable skills, and they were blessed to have great friends and neighbors who own what is now a large HVAC contracting and service business in Houston. These lifelong friends have been a profound influence on their family, growing up together for over 18 years and sharing countless life experiences. As Wanda and Robert listened to stories and watched their friend’s business grow, they often thought about how different the corporate world was from owning your own
“Whatseemslikeonlya short sixyearsorsoago,wejoined the Generator Supercenter family and began a journey that would change all of our lives together and forever.” Robert DeShazo
business and, whether they knew it at the time or not, they were watching for opportunities to explore. Robert and Wanda had lived the ups and downs of successful careers helping create long term value for shareholders, but not necessarily for their family outside of the usual 401k and real estate. It was time to build something more.
The DeShazo’s interest in Generator Supercenter cameat just therighttime.Their youngest son, Will, was 22, and everything fell into place. Robert, Wanda, andWill, along withRickyMitchell nowthe leader of GSC Victoria worked together to build Generator Supercenter of Corpus Christi into a thriving success. That success soon fueled expansion, leading to Generator Supercenter of the Valley, led by their eldest son, Trey, and Generator Supercenter of Victoria, under Ricky’s leadership. Today,theystandasthedominantandonlyPremier Generac dealers south of Houston aside from their friendlyneighbors at Generator Supercenter of San Antonio, located just west of Houston. Please read on to learn more about their GSC Journey.
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Q. How did you initially hear about Generator Supercenter, and when did you know you wanted to be part of the Generator Supercenter family? In addition to passing by Houston headquarters most days on our way to and from our corporate America jobs and seeing the giant brightly lit sign advertising for franchising, a close friend of Wanda’s sister Karen happened to have grown up with The Metcalf Brothers and we talked about theopportunityquite abit. Aftermore thanalittle discussion within the family I walked in and met DougDixon, andtheprocess was offtotheraces. As to when we knew we wanted to be part of the Generator Supercenterfamily, it allfittogetherfor each of us differently, but I think it came down to seeinghowlogicalthebusiness modelisover the short, medium, and long term combined with knowing that this was the opportunity to own our own business that we had been looking for.
Q. What management skills do you find most necessary for operating a successful GSC?
• Enough marketing experience to be dangerous and the wisdom to know when to leave it to the Thinkbright and Southern Fried experts
• A willingness to get out of the way of operations that are the responsibility of your team members to execute
• The ability to follow the program and to know when to reach out to others for advice.
• Awareness of the effects of every process and price on the bottom line.
Q. What is one important thing you make sure is done every day to ensure success at GSC of Corpus Christi?
ALWAYS BE SELLING - We never stop looking for new ways to get customers into the top of the marketing funnel while making sure to keep reaching out to the prospects you paid to acquire until they pass away or tell you to go away. We still regularly close deals with prospects we first met many years ago.
Q. Please explain some of the biggest obstacles you faced getting your Franchises up and running. How did you overcome them?
Whenwefirststartedin2019inCorpus Christi, the biggest hurdle was making sure that potential customers knew we were present in their markets and that we are the best there is at what we do. We blew out the marketing budget and made as bigasplashaswecould. Inadditiontoaggressive marketing, Will and Ricky did great work that customers learned about from their friends who recommended their friends and so on. We very aggressivelypricematched,butnotnecessarilyon purpose because we based our pricing on the market price in Houston where there is far more competition than in our area, but the result was even better than getting our name out there, because it drove out the competition.
Getting the first one off the ground was by far the hardest, but all three markets are different. We feel like we are still battling Chuck in a Truck in the RioGrandeValley,atleastfromourwayofthinking big, even though we are the largest dealer in the market by a long shot. Trey is actively working Continued
with Thinkbright to combat ole Chuck and reporting Chuck to authorities when he does the illegal stuff that Chuck always does.
Victoria has been different than the other two in that there are limited places to purchase advertising and the geographical footprint is sandwiched between Houston and Corpus Christi. This seems to have reduced the number of opportunities toget infront of customers at places like home shows, but over time, Rickys’ Victoria team has built a strong reputation for quality work and service that has led to strong results now year after year.
Q. Your family runs not 1, but 3 successful Generator Supercenters. What advice would you give to a Franchisee who is considering being a Multi-Unit owner?
The first one is the hardest: be sure to leverage your economies of scale and ability to carry truckloads of inventory that can be easily shared across your organization. A side benefit we found is that one market can be awash in sales when others are not, but of course, the most fun is when all are hot at the same time.
Q. Do you have any “words of wisdom,” tips, or lessons learned you can share to help Franchisees who are still getting started?
• Remember “nothing moves until someone sells something”.
• Followthefranchiseprogram. Theprogram has been developed and refined through years of good (and bad) experiences, so paying for a climb up the learning curve that someone already went over the top of is exactly the opposite of the rationale for joining the franchise system.
• When your team asks how to approach any problem or process ask them “What do they do in Houston?” and then reach out to Houston and / or a neighboring franchisee to find out and save yourself lots of wheel re-invention time.
• It is about the monitors: Install drives monitor sales, monitor sales drive service, and service drives profit.
Q. What do GSC of Corpus Christi, The Valley and Victoria do differently that might be helpful for other franchises to incorporate into their operations?
Not sure if others are doing this, but in addition to making sure every member of our team knows that they have an opportunity to earn a commission by selling something, we implemented a service recommendation program Techniciansatacustomerhomefollow the normal maintenance process AND make recommendations to the customer in person ( if the customer is present). Technicians also record the suggestions provided in the service form so that the inside sales team can reach out to the customer (and continue to do so until sold) to sell the recommended offering for surge protectors, battery replacement, extended warranties,five-andten-yearmaintenances,valve adjustments etc. To make this work, we simplified the commission structure for the technicians and the inside sales teams to incentivize both so that everyone benefits from the “alwaysbeselling” culture we are cultivating. The bottom-line impact has been enormous.
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Q. Your team was just recognized for embodying the Generator Supercenter Mission Statement. This led to Generator Supercenter of Corpus Christi receiving the esteemed Mission Statement Award for 2024. Can you share some insights into how your team will continue to uphold the GSC Mission Statement this year?
We view the Generator Supercenter Mission Statement as a roadmap for the plans and actions that we deliver day in and day out to support our Vision of achieving and maintaining dominance in our markets for home standby generator installation, monitoring, and service. Just like plans and actions, we break down execution of our plans into manageable individual components and will do so with the Mission statement as follows:
1. To Joyfully provide comfort and peace of mind for our customers.
Wewillexpandandcontinuetoprovidethehighest qualityworkmanship, materials, service, andexpert recommendations for our new and existing customers so that they know the investment they made through us will perform as and when promised.
2. To be an outstanding partner to our suppliers.
We will continue to be a growth engine for our equipment and component suppliers and for our strategic marketing partners by deploying their specific expertise and supporting their team members and businesses as we all work together to reach our goals.
3. To change the lives of our team members by giving direction, respect and the opportunity for financial growth
We will continue to promote from within our organization, provide coaching, training and opportunity for financial growth so that our team members enjoy their work and achievement commensurate with their dedication to doing so.
4. To think and act in alignment with our Creator.
We will continue to respect our customers, neighbors and communities by delivering quality services and conducting every interaction as we would for our closest friends and family.
GSC SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Generator Supercenter Shop has been going through an extensive update and it will be ready to roll out very soon.
The new shop boasts new clothing brands, exciting, expanded color options and limited time promtional items. You will see the new 20 Year Anniversary logo available on many of the clothing options. We will send out an email blast when the site goes live.
Field Managers Provide Critical Support During California Wildfires
The California wildfires severely impacted the Los Angeles area in January and February of this year. While wildfires typically occur in more remote regions, these fires encroached upon residential areas, prompting local power companies to implement preventive power shutoffs to reduce the risk of further outbreaks.
Generator Supercenter of Inland Empire, owned by Blanca and Julian Lujan, experienced an overwhelming surge in customer inquiries as residents sought backup power solutions. To support them in managing the high volume of phone calls and home consultations, additional team members were dispatched from Houston.
Nate Fern, Jeremy Blank, and several sales professionals quickly traveled to California to assist. With a background in sales at Generator Supercenter, Nate, along with his colleagues, focused on training new team members and attending in-home meetings with customers. Meanwhile, Jeremy worked with the office staff, assessing business operations to help enhance efficiency, and strengthen marketing efforts. He also provided hands-on support wherever needed
Following the initial response effort, most of the Corporate team returned home, but Jason Stoops remained in California to continue training new sales employees. He accompanied them on sales visits to further instill Best Practices and even participated in an installation to ensure a seamless transition.
Generator Supercenter of Inland Empire continues to build a strong and capable team, and we are pleased to report that all employees and their families remained safe throughout the disaster, with no loss of life or property.
