What Are You Worth?
What is it about the service trades that drives people to take pride in their poverty? Why do so many contractors think they're nobler than their peers...
The Names the Game
Selecting the right name for your company is a crucial element in the future success of your company. Unfortunately, many budding entrepreneurs are especially...
Make Your Trucks Mobile Billboards, Not Bulletin Boards
Many service providers treat their trucks like mobile bulletin boards, not billboards. They clutter them up with an excess of decals, phone numbers, manufacturer...
Bigger Billboards Mean Better Visibility
Some service companies are demons about keeping costs down. While theres a lot to be said for running lean, efficient operations, there are times when...
If You've Got A Weak Name, You Need A Great Slogan
What do you do if youve been dealt with an oatmeal name (i.e., bland and meaningless), but feel that its too expensive or risky to change it? Well, when...
When Clutter Makes Dollars, it Makes Sense
If there is one spot on the truck where clutter makes sense, its the back of the truck. Yet, the clutter should be reasoned, focused. The objective is...
Hire A Professional Graphic Artist It's Money Well Spent
Unless you have a real flair, youre better off hiring a professional graphic artist to design your logo. Its money well spent. When Paul Robinson, a Dallas...
The Service Agreement Subscription
One of the strongest customer retention programs is a service agreement. Essentially, the customer pays a subscription and receives benefits all out of...
Service Agreement Customers Are Special, Treat Them That Way
When a customer enrolls in your service agreement program, they are making a commitment to you. You should make some commitments back to them. You should...
Don't Envy, Emulate: A Lesson From Russell, Kansas
Russell, Kansas claims less than 5,000 people. It's not a big town. Yet, it's one of those obscure places that every now and then gives birth to someone...
What We Can Learn from The Impoverished Craftsman
A contractor wrote to me in an email, I have never been able to figure out some guys. They think that being underpaid, undervalued and in debt is some...
The Problem With Flat Rate Pricing
There are many advantages to using a price book. Its faster and easier for technicians to figure up the total cost of the job. It presents total pricing,...
Grow Your Business Geometrically, For Free
What do Beanie Babies, pet rocks, Pokemon, and Harry Potter have in common? Theyre fads. Almost overnight, it seemed, they became Stores sold out as soon...
Fifty Observations About the Art of Service
m not sure what prompted me to write this list or why I stopped at 50. These are presented in the order I jotted them down, so theres a randomness (it...
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart from the Service Roundtable, Part 10 The Final Installment, Topics Beginning With the Letters "T" through "Z"
Talking About the Competition I used to tell customers if they chose a company that was dishonest or did shoddy work because I didn't want them to get...
How to Ensure a Return on Community Donations
Do you find yourself confronted with a variety of community groups and organizations asking for donations? Its a problem for any business. You want to...
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart from the Service Roundtable, Part 9 Topics Beginning With the Letter "S"
Sales Appointments There are three lead requirements... #1. A need or interest #2. An ability to pay or finance (easy to develop with the finance programs...
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart from the Service Roundtable, Part 8
It's time contractors wake up and budget as a line item on the PL. Quit working for wages and start running a retail business. We have a ways to go yet...
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart from the Service Roundtable, Part 5
Tom McCart, the first salesperson to sell $1 million of residential replacement sales in the HVAC industry, left a rich legacy of advice for contractors....
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart From The Service Roundtable, Part 7
New Construction Talk to all your general contractors about an "upgrade program" for the homebuyers. Reward the general contractor for each upgrade client...
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart from the Service Roundtable, Part 6 Topics Beginning With the Letters 'K' Through 'M'
Knocking on Doors I wanted to keep this a SECRET! The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm. Use it for knocking on doors meeting...
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart from the Service Roundtable, Part 3: The "C"s
Tom McCart, the first salesperson to sell $1 million of residential replacement sales in the HVAC industry, left a rich legacy of advice for contractors....
The Power of Positive Pricing
What is positive pricing? Positive pricing is understanding your true costs and charges, pricing economics, and consumer psychology. It is setting some...
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart From The Service Roundtable, Part 4
Tom McCart, the first salesperson to sell $1 million of residential replacement sales in the HVAC industry, left a rich legacy of advice for contractors....
From A to Z: The Best of Tom McCart From the Service Roundtable, Part 1
Tom McCarts life was full of firsts. He was the first salesperson to sell $1 million of residential replacement sales in the HVAC industry. His accomplishment...
