Matt Michel
Managing Price Complaints, Part 1
We’re heading into the busy season where contractors make snap decisions on repairs because they’re hot and will do anything to get cool. After consumers cool off, they have time to stew about the work performed. ...
Do We Need Licensing
Do we need licensing? What an absurd thought! Of course we absolutely need licensing. Everyone knows contractors should be licensed. Well, everyone but the 17 states that lack it. ...
10 Ways (Plus One) You Can Seize the Summer
It’s about to be Christmas for HVAC contractors. With every uptick of outdoor ambient temperatures, contractor attitudes improve until… Until it’s too hot… Until there are too many calls to handle… Until everyone is overworked, overheated, and overly irritable. ...
Are You Making This Advertising Mistake?
In the Dallas area, an air conditioning contractor likes to poke fun at a competitor with his radio ads. Well, “poke fun” is probably inaccurate. The ads are profoundly negative. As such, they hurt both companies and the industry as a whole....
What the Kid in the Gym Can Teach Your Technicians and Salespeople
Some of the greatest business lessons are taught at the strangest times and places. This one comes from a kid in the local gym. ...
The Season of Stings: Ten Tips to Stay Out of Trouble
Get ready. Your local news station is already frothing at the mouth, just thinking about the potential to make your company look bad during a sting of air conditioning contractors....
HVAC's Tower of Babylon
Proprietary systems reduce contractor options to use universal parts and third-party accessories, limiting flexibility and reducing choices....
One Simple Step to Boost Your Marketing Effectiveness
You just found out you’ve got a free weekend at a hot deer lease. Hunting it alone is no fun. There’s no one to help you drag out a deer if you get one. There’s no one to drink with at night. You want to bring a friend, but figure you’ll have to persuade the spousal unit. Can you come up with a generic argument why wives should let their husbands hunt? Sure....
Two Dozen Business Books Every Contractor Should Read, Part I
Mark Matteson says, “A year from now, you’ll be the person you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” He’s right. So what are the books you should read?...
The Moral Imperative of Profit
If you’ve been paying any attention to politics lately, it seems like the nation has slid into the pages of a George Orwell or Ayn Rand novel. Capitalism is under attack from demagogues on all sides of the ideological spectrum. ...
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. ...
Fifty Three Contractor Resolutions for 2012
It's 2012. The Mayans say it will be the end of the world. I say it will be the start of your best year yet, but don't take my word for it. Take action. Make a list of resolutions for the coming year to ensure it's better than the last, if not better than the one that will follow. Here are some key resolutions to consider: ...
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. ...
December Marketing Tactics
With every retailer in the country screaming non-stop at the buying public, this month is one of the most challenging for marketers. This just means you have to be more creative. There are three rules for successful marketing this month....
The ‘Best-of’ Matt Michel
The following is a collection of articles that the legendary Matt Michel has written for the Hotmail newsletter over the past few years. Matt gives a different perspective on how to deal with everyday customer or business issues and delivers helpful information in an entertaining format. ...
She's Baaaack… The Return of Big Yellow
For years, Contractor was a business partner with Big Yellow. At first, it was a good relationship. Contractor paid Big Yellow a little cash and she brought Contractor business. Everyone was happy, but it would not last. ...
Embarrassed by the Brand
Recently, Albert Mohler, the president of a Baptist seminary declared yoga to be inconsistent with Christianity. According to an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the guy wrote that Christian yoga practitioners "must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga."...
Preparing a Marketing Calendar
A one-size-fits-all marketing calendar can work for some industries. HVAC’s not one of them. Because ours is a seasonal industry and seasonal start times vary around the country, each contractor should prepare his or her own marketing calendar. Here’s how to do it....
Six Ways to Tap Into the Positive Power of Groups
If you have school age children, you probably worry about peer pressure. You know it can be a constructive or destructive force, so you try to involve your children in activities and groups that reinforce positive traits and bring out the best in your kids. What about you? ...
10 Steps To Get the Economy Booming
L ately, every day seems to bring new depressing economic report. What gives? The recession officially ended in June 2009. We’re two years into an expansion. Why doesn’t it feel like one? Why won’t the economy get rolling? In a word, it’s Washington. Fortunately, what Washington screws up, Washington can fix. Here are 10 steps to get the economy booming. ...
She’s Baaaack… The Return of Big Yellow
For years, Contractor was a business partner with Big Yellow. At first, it was a good relationship. Contractor paid Big Yellow a little cash and she brought Contractor business. Everyone was happy, but it would not last....
Should You Attend HVAC Comfortech 2011?
With most of the country locked in a glorious, continual heat wave, air conditioning contractors are enjoying record sales. It’s easy to make money in triple digit temperatures. A bigger question is, how do you make money in the off-season and during mild weather? ...
Are We Headed for a Double Dip?
The news has been pretty grim lately. Unemployment’s back up. Housing is heading down. The Federal Reserve is out of arrows. The debt rating services appear poised to downgrade the government’s credit rating. ...
Are Odors Hurting Your Repeat Business?
No doubt about it, the pest control technician reeked. I could smell the cigarette smoke half way across the room, and I have a weak sense of smell. I'm reasonably sure he chain smoked whenever he was behind the wheel, with the A/C on and the windows closed. The smell made it hard to be in the same room. I can't imagine it was good for repeat business....
Do You Own a Business, Job, or Is This Just a Hobby?
If your business can't function without you, it's not a business. It's a job. ...
