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.

The tough economy has led many contractors to hunker down, conserving resources and cutting expenses. Other contractors are taking the opposite approach, investing in their companies and expanding operations to include additional profit centers. While there are different ways an HVAC contractor can go, most look to plumbing or electrical as natural extensions.

The bottom line is that if there is no sale made or no money coming in, there is no company. One thing that seems to elude contractors at times is their ability to ask for the order. In other words, “close the sale.” Years ago I learned to plan your close in advance and build your sales presentation around it.

If ease of use and reduced costs are good reasons to implement e-learning, the bottom-line reason to use e-learning is simply that - your company’s bottom line. When properly executed, the implementation and utilization of e-learning results in stronger behavior changes at work than traditional learning and training models.

Extended warranties have long been considered another potential source of revenue for contractors, but many companies that offered these programs in the past have not succeeded in the market. Nowadays there’s a new player seeking to change the extended warranty market.

David Allen of McKinstry, a Seattle-based construction, engineering, and facility services firm, borrowed from the 17-step process written by Marty Neumier in his book Zag during a presentation he made at the 2011 Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) Annual Convention.

In addition to numerous education opportunities that filled the agenda at the Mechanical Contractors Association of America’s (MCAA’s) 122nd Annual Convention, social networking and big-name keynote speakers kept meeting rooms full, even though tropical breezes and the ocean beckoned just a few hundred yards away.

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.