I’ve preached throughout the years that having objective standards, clear communicated goals, and known and practiced policies and procedures for everyone at the company is the best path for being fair. As people, we all want to feel we’ve been treated fairly, regardless if we’re getting a carrot or the stick as a reward or as a consequence.
Every HVACR company wants a stronger team — a tight-knit culture of high-performing A-players who can show up at a customer’s house and confidently handle any situation. You probably want that for your company too, but some business owners feel like their payroll budget doesn’t allow them to hire the top guns. That’s a shame because that’s wrong thinking. Here’s the secret that most HVACR business owners don’t realize: you can mold a team of superstars out of employees who don’t appear to be A-players today. It starts with training.
If most of the learning happens on the job, both good and bad habits are passed on in the same way we acquire both good and bad habits when our parents teach us to drive. So, the question arises, how does a technician get better, become an expert, and evolve into an asset to the company he works for?
In the Aug. 28 issue of this publication, I discussed how sales is a two-step process. The three major things customers use to decide who to hire include trust, feeling listened to, and getting a good deal (price is a part of this). If the first two aren’t addressed, customers almost always default to price.
My first marketing guru was Leo Baron. He taught me the ins and outs of marketing while I was still in my 20s. I was lucky to have access to such a proven marketing genius at such a young age. He had “street cred” from working with some of the top companies in the greater New York area. It was only because he and my dad had been boyhood friends that he decided to do my father a favor and mentor me.
I want to sincerely thank Mike Murphy, Kyle Gargaro, and the staff of The NEWS for selecting me as one of three “Legends of the HVAC Industry” presented Sept. 7 at Service World Expo in Las Vegas. I couldn’t be prouder to have been selected for this award. As I looked back on the information provided in my entry form, I noticed a number of things that I felt would be pertinent and worthwhile to share with you.
If you want your employees to step up and deliver the best service to your customers, it’s time to make sure that you and your employees are on the same team — that everyone is aligned and “pulling in the same direction.”
While any fly-by-night company with a marketing budget can purchase call-to-action advertising on any advertising medium they like, it’s a company’s ongoing effort to branding itself that remains long after call-to-action promotions come and go.
Not being focused on actively retaining staff takes an awful toll on the company because it costs a lot of time, money, and energy to always be replacing people, especially really good people.
Boiling it down to its most basic, success in a small contracting business requires a mindset change: Understand that doing the work of your trade is only a part of what needs to be done. Business success is a long-term investment.