The HVAC Performance Bridge
Hooray! It’s budget season. If you’re like most contractors, you’re working on next year’s budget right now. You’ve probably pulled your last three years’ sales numbers for review. You’re making educated assumptions about what your market will look like in 2010, based on the best information you can gather and how that information will affect your financial performance. You’re probably estimating which product lines will grow and which ones will shrink. This is all really critical to the health and success of your business next year, but it’s only as good as what I call the “HVAC Performance Bridge.”...
The Examined Life
“Hola!” “Hola. ¿Qué tal?” “Bien. ¿ y tu?” “Bien.” Paul and I were sixteen years old and had taken highschool Spanish for a year. We called each other every night on the phone and spoke to each other in our new language. More than anything we wanted to test our skill with a real Spanish speaking person, but we did not know any. Then we got the idea to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant. For two boys who had never dined out without their parents, this was a big adventure. We were so motivated that when we made reservations, we asked to be seated with a waiter who could not speak English. ...
How Cool Are You?
My sons recently started talking about being cool, and I recalled my own teenage years and the need to be cool. That driving desire dictated the clothes I wore, the music I listened to, and what subjects I became conversant in. Yet despite all my motivation and effort, it remained elusive. ...
People Judge You By Your Tangibles
The only way to judge the quality of a service is to consume it. Services aren’t like physical products. You can’t read the packaging on the box of a service. You can’t pick up a service to see how heavy it is or what it’s made of. You can’t kick it, taste it, touch it, or smell it. That leaves consumers with tangible clues about what they might expect....
Thrown into to Driver's Seat
On June 29, 1863, a 23-year old First Lieutenant received an unexpected promotion. The freckle faced, strawberry blonde, who graduated at the bottom of his class at West Point, was elevated directly to the rank of Brigadier General in the Union Army. He completely skipped over the traditional ranks in between of Captain, Major, and Colonel. As you can imagine such a promotion was met with skepticism, dismay, and envy by his former peers and superiors, especially at a time when the South was winning against the North during the American Civil War. ...
Questions From the Field: Why Are My Customers More Demanding?
Thanks to all of the contractors who have sent questions to me. In this issue, I’m going to address one concern that came up in email after email – how to deliver superior service in a profitable way. It’s an issue that we should all be thinking about, and to their credit, the most progressive mechanical contractors focus on it every single day. But times change, attitudes shift, your customers think about you differently – a lot of times, you can’t figure out why. So here are some thoughts around the most popular question I received so far:...
High Flyer Encourages at Nexstar Super Meeting
Flying at 600 mph used to be routine for John Foley, former lead solo pilot with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Now, Foley gives business owners tips on accelerating the success of their organizations, and maintaining their positions as market leaders. ...
How to Create a Community Information Guide
From time to time, everyone needs community information numbers and websites. These include everything from the contact information for the county tax collector, to the phone number and/or website for tennis court reservations, to the website of the community theater. Make it easy for newcomers and established residents to find this information and you can create a low cost, handy reference for area homeowners. Of course, the reference includes your phone number and website, prominently displayed....
Pack Mentality
When my son was two years old, we got a Samoyed puppy, and for the next 18 months they were the best of friends. Then the dog changed. Suddenly she started growling at my son and biting him. At first I thought that maybe he was pulling her tail or something else that was irritating her, but that wasn’t it....
Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Questions at HVAC Comfortech 2009
Last week we presented 'Websites That Work' at the 2009 HVAC Comfortech in Nashville. Lots of contractors came, wanting to know how they could make their websites more profitable and customer-focused. There were a few questions that were asked repeatedly in each of the sessions, so I’d like to take the opportunity to share our answers to your most pressing issues....
For The Love of The Trade
For The Love of the Game is a terrific baseball movie. Somehow, screenwriter Dana Stevens and director Sam Raimi managed to turn Michael Shaara’s novel into a guy movie that’s also a chick flick. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also a marketing and management seminar. Following are 14 business lessons from For The Love of the Game....
Leadership vs. Power
King George III asked Benjamin West, his American painter, what George Washington would do if he prevailed in the Revolutionary War. West replied, “He will return to his farm.” The British monarch incredulously said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” On December 23, 1783 Washington did just that and retired to Mount Vernon – despite the encouragement of many to stay in power. Despite the willingness of Americans to crown him king. Thirteen years later, he would do it once again....
Questions From the Field
Many good trainers and instructors have done a tremendous job in the past ten to twelve years educating service technicians about how they can bring a higher level of communication and salesmanship to their work. There is no doubt in my mind that today’s service technician is infinitely better prepared to handle more of the non-technical issues they face every day because of the excellent training that has been made available across the industry....
Expect Personal Attention from Your Rep
A project manager doesn't just decide to show up after an installation has been completed, and expect everything has been done correctly. He or she manages the project on a regular basis. As a business owner, you should expect the same from your insurance representative....
Protect Your Business with the Right Business Insurance
You may have said at one time: Insurance companies are all the same. I just want the one with the lowest price. Have you ever used that reasoning when...
Media Relations Tips
DO: Get used to rejection. Don't take it personally. The same goes for unanswered emails. Be a trusted resource for the reporter. If you offer to be an...
ON THE AIR How to Obtain Favorable Media Coverage
If you want your HVAC company to become better known in the community, your outreach to the local media must have drawing power. Your message, or story, must entice newspaper readers, radio listeners, and TV viewers to take interest, and seek you out for your HVAC expertise. ...
Staying Afloat in a Sinking Economy
In very different geographical regions, two hydronics contractors shared with Contracting Business how their business is helping them prosper in a lean economy. ...
PHCC Offers New Online Business Management Training
In September, Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) and the PHCC Educational Foundation will begin offering an online business management training...
PHCC Course Cover Project Management From A to Z
Twenty-six plumbing, heating, and cooling business owners, project managers, and estimators from across the country recently participated in the PHCC Educational Foundation’s Essentials of PHC Project Management course at the National Conference Center in Lansdowne, VA....
York Business Day at Comfortech Covers Business Management
Johnson Controls York brand of heating and air conditioning products offered early arrivals to ComforTech 2006 a free training program on Mapping Your...
Honeywell Offers PRO Business Management Services
Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions, Minneapolis, MN, has launched ContractorPRO[TM] Services, a program aimed at strengthening all elements of...
