The NEWS’ eighth annual Dealer Design Awards’ Contractor Services and Software category brought ease, accessibility, and free to the table with its winning lineup of an online training course and two brand new apps.

The Social Security Administration’s re-introduction of No-Match Letters, along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s skyrocketing issuance of Notice of Inspections of I-9s, evidences the federal government’s increasingly aggressive stance to curb the hiring of unauthorized workers and to penalize employers who do.

Selling is - and has always been - a relationship. Yet in a hot economy, when cash is flowing, improvements are incentivized, and home values warranted re-investment, selling was order taking. We got lazy. True sales skills eroded. Case in point, follow up has become nearly nonexistent.

HVACR instructors are facing a host of challenges these days, from teaching with new technologies to recruiting for full enrollment to dealing with funding cuts. Yet many are rising to meet these challenges with success and are optimistic about the future.

Recent industry trends have given rise to a new generation of building design tools known as building information modeling, or BIM. BIM goes further than traditional CAD drawings by providing intelligence to building components (such as HVAC) as well as providing system- and building-wide information and awareness (system flows or building loads) in addition to spatial relationships.

It’s a story that’s playing out across the country - cash-strapped governments are scrambling to balance their budgets while hamstrung by the contracts of current and retired public union workers. Without the ability to renegotiate contracts or get concessions from unions, governments are left to increase their tax rates and cut services.

During the past month, Luxaire brand manager Mary Mocarski has logged a number of hours traveling around the country, but not in an effort to sell heating and air conditioning equipment. Instead, she is joining members of her senior leadership team at Luxaire distributor locations, personally thanking distributors for their support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Let this year be the year you shift your message to fit your true buyers. Attract with emotions, convert with helpful authority, and retain with friendly efficiency. Do this and you’ll have enough new business to make this your best year ever.

Consumers are on social media - are you? Social media is an important part of your marketing plan. You can start conversations, answer questions, share testimonials, and deal directly with customer service issues.

While service marketers are paddling diligently to stay ahead of the changes in online marketing, a new wave is about to come crashing in. Those who see it coming and act on it quickly will ride it to the top and leave the competition in their wake.