If you have ever used a layaway plan to purchase merchandise, raise your hand. I knew it. There are a lot of you out there just like me.

I still use it once in a while to put Christmas gifts in a safe place until I am ready to purchase them. I did a lot of layaway purchases for toys and games when the kids were young.

The fact is, buying via layaway remains a viable option for many consumers. If you don’t need something right now but you know you will need it in the next few months, lay it away. That way you know you will get exactly what you need when you need it, especially if the item is very popular (remember Tickle Me Elmo?).

Let’s say your customer is planning to purchase a replacement HVAC system next year because they don’t have the money right now, are in the remodeling stage, or just figure the old system still has 365 days of life left in it. What is stopping them from putting a down payment on it and making monthly payments for 6-12 months until they are ready for installation?

You can put their monthly payments in escrow or simply use that money for cash flow if needed. You have a guaranteed customer next year, and if you treat them right and they like the layaway plan, you may get some referral customers, too.

It’s win-win for you and your customers — so what are the drawbacks? Inventory space? Regulations? No accounting method? Bah, go for it.

For the past winners of The NEWS’ “Best Contractor to Work For” contest there has been a good share of positive results. To them, winning recognition as a top HVACR contractor is much more than their name in print, a plaque for the office, and some local PR from the media. In fact, it is much more.

Being nominated by employees for this award shows that people genuinely like where they work and enjoy the challenges and rewards that go along with their jobs. In the past, employees have told us that they enjoy the family atmosphere of where they work, along with the educational/training opportunities, the available career paths, and the rewards and recognitions their employer gives out.

These positive actions provide good fodder for recruitment and winning the “Best Contractor” contest has become a great way to open the door to many new prospects — a door that may have otherwise remained closed to people seeking a reason to come to work in the HVACR trade.

And beyond an employee recruitment tool, the “Best Contractor” winner has also used this recognition to market their products and services to customers, too. After all, an employer who is respected and admired by his or her employees is surely a good person to do business with. If an HVACR contractor treats employees well, it only makes sense that the same contractor treats customers well, too. Our past winners have used this proud moniker in their advertisements and marketing programs.

Now it is your chance to become a winner. If you think you have that winning atmosphere in your business, please ask an employee to enter you in the “Best Contractor to Work For” contest by Nov. 14 by clicking on bestcontractor.achrnews.com and filling out the online nomination form. Only five contractors in North America will share that privilege this year. Are you going to be one of them?

Don’t laugh, there are lots of other fantasy games besides sports. I have to admit, I have a couple of fantasy football teams, but I am anything but a geek. I don’t pay for mine.

But with so much interest in fantasy-anything, what’s to stop people from playing FantasyHVAC®?

Notice the registration mark but don’t take it seriously. It might be fun to play the game using keywords that appear in the annals of this publication.

Here is how it would work: In the “fantasy year” (Oct. 1, 2008 to Sept. 30, 2009), we could keep score of how many times certain words or phrases appear in The NEWS, i.e., green, commissioning, R-22, mold, and coils.

We would exclude “HVAC” and refrigeration since they appear in almost every article.

I would need your help in choosing the top 10 words and phrases to include in the fantasy game. E-mail me your thoughts.

Using the search function at our Website (www.achrnews.com) you can keep track of the number of touchdowns your quarterback throws, err, number of times your fantasy HVAC word or phrase appears. I promise not to include words like “sex” too often in any of my articles, thus there is no need to choose that word. But you can offer me bribes.

The winner will receive $1 million dollars* (see disclaimer) or something very nice. C’mon, let the trash talking begin.

*Disclaimer: I was not drinking when I wrote this blog yet I am not responsible for anything I said. I am not sure who in their right mind would pay the winner $1 million.