That is the approach used by contractor groups such as AirTime 500 and Excellence Alliance (EAI) when they plan training curriculum for their contractor members. Each group realizes the importance that an updated, well-trained staff can be. The benefits go right to the bottom line: more experience enables a job to be done correctly, on time, and in a profitable manner. Being well trained is a competitive edge that can never be understated.
"Any contractor who wants a surefire way to increase sales, increase profits, recruit the best technicians, offer the best employee pay around and have amazing customer loyalty needs to pay attention to our message," said Scott Iverson of AirTime 500. "For years we have made it easy for any HVAC business, even a struggling contractor, to turn things around and enjoy rising profits and unprecedented customer loyalty. Plus, they show you how to beat the shrinking labor pool and find the best techs and train them to be a great sales force for your company."
AIRTIME 500 TRAINING MODULES
AirTime 500 leaders claim that their success is linked to keeping up with changes in the HVAC business. The group offers training in marketing systems, management systems, and technician sales training systems, showing its members new ways to eliminate wasted effort and maximize the rewards of being in this business.AirTime 500 leaders Jim Abrams, John Young, and Terry Nicholson head up different training programs.
In the Executive Perspective training, Abrams shows any HVAC contractor, step-by-step, the best ways to manage time, personnel, budgeting, and planning for every aspect of a contracting business. He holds three patents for tools that have revolutionized the business of HVAC. "If you want to excel at managing your HVAC business, you need to check out these tools," said Abrams. "They are aimed at giving you double-digit profits after all expenses are paid, including your own salary."
Abrams also teaches the InstaFixâ„¢ system, built for contractors who want a blueprint for running a business with double-digit profitability in mind. Abrams instructs contractors not to include their own salary when tallying up profits. "If you do, you'll fool yourself into thinking you're doing better than you are," he said. "You can pay yourself $100,000 to $200,000 a year, and you should still have profits left over."
Young teaches a Masters in Marketing program which shows contractors how to understand marketing in a new way. "Let's face it, if you're dependent on the Yellow Pages alone, you're going to face stiff competition from predictable circumstances," Young said. "Too many contractors are chasing too few emergency customers. There are better ways to achieve maximum money for your marketing dollars."
Young shows business owners the 12 reasons they aren't running rings around the competition, and then he brings advanced marketing tactics into the Masters in Marketing course, a two-day intense study on what it takes to win more customers than every other competitor combined.
Nicholson teaches sales training in his Mastery of Sales Success five-day class. He shows technicians and salespeople how to master the art of selling. "Customer stalls such as ‘I'm getting three bids, It costs too much, I want to think it over, etc.' virtually vanish when you master the No.1 results-oriented replacement sales course in the country," said Nicholson. "By employing real life field sales experience in conjunction with the psychology of selling and the utilization of the AirTime 500 exclusive Replacement Persuasion System, your sales team will sell more HVAC systems for more money, more often."
Last year, 39 salespeople used AirTime's persuasion systems to bring in over $1 million dollars each in residential replacement sales. Jim Steigner, an AirTime member in Ohio, sold over $3 million in residential replacements single-handedly by utilizing the system.
Kevin Comerford, owner of Service Champions of Northern California and a NEWS contractor consultant generated $8.4 million in revenue during his second year in business while using AirTime's marketing and management success systems.
EAI'S TRAINING MODULES
EAI places a lot of emphasis on what concerns today's home-owner: IAQ. Knowing that customers depend on the expertise and knowledge of HVAC contractors to solve IAQ problems, EAI offers a two-day IAQ training class where its members learn about the history of IAQ concerns, the impact energy conservation has had on "sick building syndrome," and how IAQ affects health."We discuss how and why mold is such a concern and the reasons for illness related issues," said Mike Baker, EAI president and CEO. "You will learn about the connection and relationship that heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems and operations have with IAQ. We will also discuss load calculations, IAQ, mold growth factors, symptoms of illness, and how to improve or control IAQ. You will learn how to generate revenue and profit from solutions and products to offer your customers."
EAI welcomes HVAC business owners, managers, technicians, salespeople, and anyone else to participate in the IAQ class, which includes topics such as:
In its Customer Service training class, EAI begins with an attitude of serving and ends with life-long loyal customer relationships. "In the intense two-day class, we will help you identify the attitude, skills, and strategy education you need to attract great customers, serve them well and keep them happy," said Baker. "Learn about the roles and functions of employees and why responsibilities alone don't define or ensure great service. We will help your business grow by learning about the skills and tools needed for excellent customer relations."
Topics in the training include:
The bottom line for both groups is to increase the business profitability of their members and to raise the level of professionalism across the HVAC contracting community.
For more information, visit www.airtime500.com or www.eainet.net.
Publication date: 06/12/2006
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