Staying Positive in a Negative World, part 10
36. Write It Down. A contractor I know said he came across an old goal he had written down before he started his business. The goal was to be the highest paid employee at his company and worth every penny. He said he achieved this goal and now was trying to figure out the best way to craft a similar goal for his business. Though his company is profitable, the profitability is recent. The contractor wonders if the lack of a goal has impeded his success. It probably has....
From The Ground Up, Part 2: Early Trials, Tribulations...and Successes
Air Genie has been open for business for 16 months. The part of the county in which I am located has had the highest foreclosure rate and the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. most of those 16 months. ...
How to Measure Real Duct Leakage
If a plumber installs a leaky piping system, they’re in trouble. Houses explode from gas pipe leaks and ceilings cave in from leaking water pipes. However, when we install pipe and ducts for air, we get away with leakage all the time. The question isn’t if duct systems leak, but how much do they leak? Wouldn’t it be great to really know the answer?...
How to Stay Positive in a Negative World, Part 9
31. Practice Like You Play. Every athlete has heard the refrain, “Practice like you play. Play like you practice.” Top performers practice. ...
Coil Cleaning: Sell it, or Systems Die!
Many technicians make the mistake of quoting cleaning customers' coils as an option. That's why they get a lot of turn-downs. But there's more at stake...
How to Stay Positive in a Negative World, Part 8
This is the eighth in a series of articles by Matt Michel about how to stay positive when we’re surrounded by bad news and negativity. ...
What Is Your Company’s Identity?
Each of us holds an idea of what our company represents, or its identity. All companies have an identity. Let’s take a look at what has formed this identity and what actions you take that improve or damage the personality of your company....
Refreshing Your Brand, Part 2: Working Your Brand From the Inside Out
It’s an unfortunate reality of our industry that many of our customers think, “HVAC companies are all the same.” Taking that one step further, they think, “If all HVAC companies are the same, then I may as well buy from the company with the lowest price.” It’s a sad thought process, but it’s not their fault. It’s ours. ...
Offer More than Equipment Replacement
Two camps are forming in our industry. The first camp has contractors that continue to swap boxes, and the second camp has contractors who take responsibility for the performance of the system and add efficiency testing and duct renovations to their equipment replacements....
5 New Ways of Looking at Service Agreements
Most contractors and their teams are aware of the value of service agreements. However, there are some valuable aspects of service agreements that tend to go unexplored....
Finding Equipment Rated Capacity
In the HVAC industry, system efficiency ratings are creating quite a stir as the long time energy saving staple of “high efficiency” equipment is beginning to be questioned. ...
What Do Customers Want?
The Volkswagen Company recently launched an interesting marketing initiative to find out “what the people want.” It’s a brilliant campaign, extremely engaging and interactive. The idea raised the question, what do our customers really want in their heating and cooling systems? Let’s take a closer look....
Fuel Costs Drive ARS/Rescue Rooter to Fleet Changeover
National HVAC services provider ARS/Rescue Rooter, Memphis, TN, is on a campaign to improve the fuel efficiency of its entire fleet of vehicles....
MSCA Stars Explore Marketing, Branding Topics at Summit
The Mechanical Service Contractors of America (MSCA) hosted its Second Annual MSCA STAR Summit this month in Las Vegas, NV. The meeting included a tour...
Service Tip: Evaporator vs. System Superheat
Q: What is the difference between evaporator superheat and system superheat? A: Superheat varies within the system, depending on where it is measured....
The Day a Four-ton System Became a Two-ton System
Most contractors have removed a newly installed piece of equipment and replaced it with a larger one to keep a customer happy, at least once. Years ago, we made the same mistake. This situation raises an interesting question. Why didn’t the first piece of equipment do the job? Undersized, you say? ...
HVAC System Repair Study
In 2006 the National Comfort Institute (NCI) conducted a study of duct renovation and system performance test results. There’s been a renewed interest in the results of this study as we are receiving an increasing number of requests about common system defects and their effect on system performance. Here is a summary of what we learned. ...
Green Doesn't Cost More, Expert Tells Linc Service Audience
Green building expert Christine Ervin told Linc contractors that green builidings provide opportunity for them, and value for their customers, during the 2009 Linc Service continuing education conference. ...
Expanding into Large Commercial HVAC Service
Advancements in equipment configurations and service techniques have made it easier for contractors to take the step to greater service capabilities....
Chase Paymentech, Angie's List Team Up for Small Businesses
Chase Paymentech, Dallas, TX — a merchant acquirer and payment processor — and Angie's List — which provides consumer ratings on local service providers — announced they've formed an alliance to make affordable credit card and electronic payment approval available to thousands of small businesses and service providers....
Your Greenest Approach to Coil Cleaning: Two Hydrogens, One Oxygen
Whenever possible, take the conservative approach to coil cleaning. Simply rinse coils with good old H2O (also known as water). There are several reasons for this. ...
Refrigeration Service Today: April 2009
On these pages, Contracting Business provides information on products, trends, and business management for today's commercial refrigeration contractor. ...
Do What's Right
With the different economy in which we find ourselves today, we can moan and groan from now ‘til the cows come home or we can decide how WE are going to adjust to succeed in today’s world. ...
EMCOR Group Acquires Team Mechanical
EMCOR Group, Inc. Norwalk,CT, a Fortune 500 leader in mechanical and electrical construction, energy infrastructure and facilities services for a diverse range of businesses, today announced that it had acquired Team Mechanical, Inc., Buffalo Grove, IL, a leading mechanical contractor and service provider. ...
The Importance of Boiler Inspections
Boiler breakdowns can cost thousands of dollars in equipment repairs, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars for additional property damage and business losses....
