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What's
in it for your customer?
BY DAVE YATES
What's the angle? Or, in other words, what's in it for
your customer? Stop, look, and most importantly, listen. Your customer
asks, "What's the least expensive way for making hot water?"
First you need to define the terms they already have in their minds:
up-front, life-cycle, and/or operating costs. Over the past two years
the federal tax credits and utility incentives have somewhat leveled the
up-front costs, but my customer was most interested in the actual
operating costs. To be fair, the answer really depends on which fuels
they have available as a primary source: natural gas, propane, oil or
electricity.
Click here
for the full story
Biggest
thieves are on your payroll
BY ROBERT P. MADER
LAS VEGAS — How can contractors find out if one of
their employees is stealing? By getting lucky, mostly. Tipsters reveal
40% of fraud and theft, Cleveland, Ohio-based CPA Michael Bohinc told
contractors.
Half of those tips come from other employees, Bohinc told contractors
attending the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors – National
Association Connect 2010 convention and show here. Other significant
sources are customers, 18%, anonymous tipsters, almost 13.5%, and
vendors at a little more than 12%. It often takes 18-24 months to
uncover a fraud.
Click here
for the full story
CONNECT 2010
gives contractors insight into business planning, social media
BY CANDACE ROULO
LAS VEGAS — This October, plumbing and HVAC
contractors attended the first joint Quality Service Contractors and the
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors — National Association
conference, CONNECT 2010, here. The conference offered plumbing and
HVACR contractors a variety of educational and networking opportunities,
from QSC sessions regarding social media and how to prosper in difficult
times to PHCC sessions on lean works in construction and lean applied in
service.
In the session Branding and Lead Generation, Craig Chevrier, director of
accounts and strategy, Vermont Design Works, a graphic design and
website development services company, spoke to contractors about online
marketing and social media.
Click here
for the full story
Contractors
share best practices at Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric
BY KARI LOGAN
DENVER — Nexstar Network founder Frank Blau’s
“Traveling College of Knowledge” recently set up shop at Applewood
Plumbing Heating & Electric here, where 52 member-contractors gathered
to learn from CONTRACTOR’s 2009 Contractor of the Year. Owners John
Ward and his son Josh, and their staff, opened the business to their
peers to find success through education and sharing via a Nexstar peer
group meeting.
“This is the core of who Nexstar is as an organization,” said John
Ward as he greeted guests. “There are a lot of smart people here and
we’re going to help each other be successful.”
Click here
for the full story
Oliver
Heating, Cooling & Plumbing Moves into Solar, Becomes Certified
Earthsponse Dealer
WAVERLY, PA – Oliver-Heating-Cooling-Plumbing
announced that it has launched a renewable energy division to
incorporate solar products into their traditional business services. A
variety of new solar products are now available through Oliver’s solar
division and select team members have recently completed training in the
renewable energy field.
The company has also recently partnered with Earthsponse, an alternative
energy firm and education center located in Binghamton, New York.
Earthsponse provided classroom and hands-on training to Oliver’s
personnel in solar crystalline and solar thermal applications.
Click here
for the full story
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