Rob "Doc" Falke
Air Filters vs. Fans
As air filters continue to increase in efficiency, one opposite reaction often overlooked is the decrease in system efficiency that they may cause. ...
Air Balancing as a Verification Tool
Testing and balancing has been the specified method of verification of commercial HVAC system performance for over 50 years. ...
Charlie "Tec Daddy" Greer
Training Your Appointment Seller
You’ve decided to enhance your business by adding an appointment seller to your team, and you’ve hired someone who is an award-winning telephone sales professional. This person already knows how to talk on the phone. Therefore, the training should less than one day...
How to Interview an Appointment Seller
When you’re seeking an appointment seller for your business and have identified some promising candidates, conduct their first interview over the telephone. These individuals must sound absolutely fantastic in order to get an in-person interview....
Dominic Guarino
Four Unique Challenges and Opportunities for 2012
As you wrap up 2011 and look towards 2012, it's appropriate to pause and think about not only what challenges lie ahead, but also the opportunities these challenges can bring. ...
Implementation: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Let's first take a look at some of the traits of unsuccessful implementers, then the successful ones....
Guest Editorial
Tune Into a Great Publicity Tactic
When contractors think about a public relations campaign or other ways to generate publicity for their businesses, they often envision a television appearance, a newspaper or magazine article and photo, or a No. 1 Google ranking. But there's one major publicity vehicle that many neglect completely, although they probably hear it almost every day: radio. ...
The Refrigerant Reclaim Challenge
The HVACR industry will soon encounter one of its greatest challenges since the passing of the Clean Air Act. On January 1st, 2010, a new era will begin as the industry finds itself scrambling to comply with sweeping new regulations, policies and procedures that are the result of the HCFC phase out. ...
Steve Howard
ZONING - It's a Formula for Success
by Steve Howard For years, smart HVAC contractors have been using variable speed indoor equipment to provide their customers with better comfort. Besides...
Let Customers Sell Themselves on Comfort
by Steve Howard Approximately 80% of today's consumers are willing to pay more money to be more comfortable. However, until they discover what true comfort...
Adams Hudson
You Can't Hit a Target You Can't See
Ever dumped money on direct mail letters that got absolutely no response? Or perhaps you got a response, but from the wrong prospects… you know, the “price-shoppers” or those unable to finance who still find time to waste your time while “just checking around.” ...
Mega Marketing: 2008 Victims & Victors
Back when I was growing up – which is weird, since I’m not grown up yet – astrology was just catching on. Signs of the Zodiac, the Age of Aquarius, and predictions by ladies with too much eye makeup were everywhere. ...
Earl King
Networking: A Viable Lead Source?
. During the last few years, being earthbound, I have discovered what most sales people already knew: networking can pay huge dividends if properly implemented. ...
Sales Training for Success
Involuntary terminations of service sales personnel are far too common and far too expensive. A failing salesperson usually (and unfortunately) hangs around for close to a year before the relationship is severed. The employer not only loses the salary paid, but also employment taxes, car allowances, administrative costs, training costs, and other incidentals....
John Lloyd
That "Two Way Street" Revisited
A subject that has often come up in discussions and is worth re-visiting, especially in todays market, is that old two-way street known as Loyalty Avenue....
Something Worth Nothing Usually Costs Nothing
Theres been talk recently about providing free estimates. Should HVAC contractors charge for estimates to recover our basic costs like time and fuel?...
Tom McCart
The Sales Call: Are You Really Prepared?
by Tom McCart How do most sales people prepare themselves for an upcoming sales interview with a residential replacement prospect? I ask this question...
Are you running a business or do you have a job?
by Tom McCart How Do You Measure Up? Whenever I visit a new contractor customer, I get asked this question: Tom, how do I compare with the other contractors...
Matt Michel
New Marketing and New Products for a New Year
It’s a new year. What are you going to do different in 2012 to get better results than 2011? After all, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got. ...
EPA Rules Will Create Opportunities For HVAC Contractors
The EPA will release new standards today that govern power plant emissions. The merit, necessity, or timing of the standards is moot. They will be issued and they will curtail significant amounts of coal based electricity generation. ...
Mike Murphy
13 SEER is here
How will the new 13 SEER mandate affect the value chain in the HVAC industry? Contracting Business convened a panel consisting of a manufacturer, wholesaler,...
Award Is Its Own Success
by Mike Murphy, editor-in-chief Now that the electoral college has chosen our presidential leader and (prediction: October 22, 2004) ketchup will soon...
Joe Pulizzi
Your HVAC Preventive Maintenance Sales Strategy Should Include Social Media
How do HVAC preventive maintenance plans fit into your overall sales strategy? They should be a priority, a service that you market aggressively. ...
Nine Effective Tips to Getting Your Blog Posts Read
Do you have a blog for your HVAC business? If so, how much time do you spend writing your blog post titles? Are they something of an afterthought, a hurried, last-minute part of your online content marketing? ...
Ron Rajecki
Another "Oeil Noir" for the HVAC Industry
My sources inform me oeil noir is French for "black eye", and, in any language, that's what the HVAC industry has received once again....
Techs Can Be Bright Spot in a Gloomy World
My fellow staffers would be happy to tell you that Im the grouch of the staff. Im the cynic, the pessimist, the hell-in-a-handbasket guy. The only good...
Mike Weil
Out With The Old and In With The New
As the book closes on 2011, we all can once again sit back and sigh, perhaps with collective relief. You see, 2011 is the second or third year of the U.S. economic recovery, depending on who you read, and there looks to be no end soon to the stalemate we seem to be in....
We Have Met the Enemy, and He Is Us
There’s an interesting conversation I’ve been following on The Service Roundtable (www.serviceroundtable.com) that addresses how business owners deal with customer and employee issues. Many of the participants were taking somewhat of an adversarial tone, creating what appeared to be an “us or them” approach to problem solving....
