Social Media – Can it Work for My Business?
We have been hearing a lot of talk about social media. Some say you don’t need it, some say you can’t live without it, and yet others say it’s just a fad. What the heck is social media anyway? Do you need social media? Can it work for your business? What can it do for you? If you had the opportunity to put up a billboard along a road that had the potential for over 500 million drivers a day to see it, would you do it? If you could only reach 250 drivers every day, would you do it? ...
Don't Overload Medium Duty Trucks
While it seems harmless to continue to load materials into a truck if it appears to have enough space, the capacity is often not what it seems. ...
Tools of the Trade
Each month, Contracting Business picks a leading contractor and takes a look at the products, tools, and services that he or she has chosen to help make their company successful....
Business Coaches Provide Playbook for Success
A business coach can help you become better organized, and develop a winning company culture....
Build a Partnership that Works
Who you choose to be your business partner should be given as much consideration as what products and services you're going to offer, and what markets you're going to enter....
Positioning is King
How you position your business determines where it lives in the hearts and minds of your customers. Is positioning king? You be the judge. I am fond of saying marketing is all about perception. Positioning is the process of creating a perception for a business or product in the minds of your target customers. People don’t know what to believe about your business until you show them what’s important for them to believe and that ties back to how you position your business. ...
Why Contractors Fail at Social Media
It’s hard to not notice the headlines. “Small business leverages social media to win customers.” “Twitter saves business from brink of bankruptcy.” These are the stories that make the papers. What you don’t see is that most businesses, and most HVAC contractors, are struggling to make social media work for their businesses and customers. ...
'Performance Reviews' from the Market
As small business owners, your own “review” doesn’t come from a single person; it comes from the market in which you’ve chosen to compete. As you receive input from your market’s review of you and your business, what do you see? ...
How to Build a Winning Team
Your people are your company’s most important asset, so how do you ensure that you’re hiring the right people? By carefully recruiting and screening. ...
Instead of Serving it Cold...Don't Serve it At All
On a summer day in 1973, my 12 year old sister was riding her horse on the quiet streets near our house. There was a little more traffic than usual as two cars came toward her from opposite directions. Cindy rode onto the well-tended lawn of a stately two-story house to get out of the way. While she waited, her horse relieved himself. She then rode on, unknowing that her steed had left a pile of manure on the emerald zoysia grass....
Breaking Through the Clutter
Do you want to learn how to get your message heard by your audience so you don’t waste your advertising money? In this article, we will discuss ideas on how to break through the clutter to make sure your audience hears your message. One of the little ironies about advertising is you will be become tired of your ad long before your audience does. ...
How Blogging Can Grow Your HVACR Business
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the idea of “A blog.” I’m sure you’ve heard this term before, but just in case you haven’t, here’s a little definition: Blog comes from the term web log, and it’s really just a website or part of a website. A blog is an easy, effective way to get regular, informational content on your website. Period....
Bundled Services Might Just Save Your Company
These are trying economic times. New construction is sparse, and proactive, preventive HVAC system maintenance is not often viewed as a necessity. During this time, a plan for sustainability is a must for commercial HVAC service companies. ...
Making the Most out of Manufacturer’s Dollars
Do you want to supercharge your marketing efforts? Do you know how to do more with less? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to multiply the money you have and then use it to stretch your advertising budget? How would like to invest $1 and get $2 or $3 for every $1 invested? You can, if you take advantage of manufacturer and distributor advertising dollars....
How to Increase Consumer Awareness and Cut through the Clutter Using PR
The key to seeing your release in print is to make it news worthy. Does it have impact; is it a major announcement that affects the community or the company? Is it an unusual occurrence, a major milestone like 25 years in business, or a $1 million contract? Is it controversial or does it concern a major conflict? Have you just settled a labor dispute? Is the main person in the story widely known in the community, and, is the story of local interest?...
Steps to Successful Retrocommissioning
Retrocommissioning — the process of ensuring that all the mechanical systems in an existing building perform optimally, based on the contract documents, design intent, and the owner's operational needs — can be used for a number of different purposes. ...
Public Relations: How to Use it Effectively
You may have heard the term public relations, or PR; you may even know that many of the “stars” have publicists that control their PR. It has been said that any PR is good PR, but what exactly is PR and how can you use it to your advantage? The University of Phoenix textbook “The Practice of Public Relations” defines PR as the practice of doing the right thing – of performing and communicating the substance of that performance. I don’t really like that definition, it’s too academic. ...
Are You THE Best or PETE Best?
Are you old enough to remember the Beatles? John, Paul, George, and Ringo? I do. From the time they took the Big Apple by storm at Shea Stadium in 1964, they soared to the top of the charts and stayed there for the next seven years. They came to Seattle to play in 1966, and my older brother and sister both went to the show. I was only nine, but I wanted to go, too. My mother very wisely said no. I was so disappointed. ...
HVACR Future Hinges on Recruiting and Training
'Find, recruit, and train' must be the mission of every HVACR company. Coastal Mechanical Services, LLC has designed a program that provides a hedge against alarming labor trends....
Keeping Cool Under the Heat
The series of heat waves sweeping across the country this summer have been a welcome source of business activity for HVAC contractors reeling from successive regulatory blows, mild summers, and the nation’s economic malaise. Yet, the heat not only stresses compressors, it stresses customers, employees, and company owners. Losing your cool under the summer’s stress rarely works well for anyone but is especially detrimental if you’re the boss (i.e., the role model in your company). Here’s 11 ways to keep cool under the heat....
Join Women in HVACR at Their 7th Annual Conference
Join the Women in HVACR at their 7th Annual Conference, held in conjunction with Comfortech and HVACR Week, September 22nd at the Baltimore Convention Center. ...
The Value of Performance Benchmarks
If you’re not matching your business performance to a higher standard, your business can stagnate and never reach its full potential. Here’s a look at how leading contractors use benchmarking in their residential and commercial HVAC businesses. ...
Technology Tools & Tips
Many great ideas exist to make your business life easier, and help you do more with less. David Heimer, CEO of The Service Roundtable, offers six tips that will improve efficiency, image, and sales. ...
Commercial HVAC: Mega or Niche — Nothing
In Between Will Do
The one-dimensional contractor faces a difficult road ahead. The path to greater diversification will take you to a land of new business opportunities....
On My Honor
With the morning mist still on the Hudson River, and the sun just kissing the cliff tops of the New Jersey Palisade, Aaron Burr, Vice President of the United States shot and killed former Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Political opponents for years, the duelists faced each other after Burr sent these words to Hamilton: “Political opposition can never absolve gentlemen from the necessity of a rigid adherence to the laws of honor.”...
