Marketing principles you can't avoid
GOOD MARKETING generates leads. The confounding simplicity of that statement is that of the nearly 2,000 contractor ads we critique each year, most don't...
Waste is everywhere but isn't inevitable, part 2
THE SEVEN TYPES of waste, which we identified last month (pg. 50), are: Defects This is a product or service that contains errors, requires rework or...
Get ready to take advantage of change
WHAT'S MOST striking about Farmer & Irwin, our Mechanical Contractor of the Year, is how a company that turns 50 in October has been so adaptable to change....
Danger lurks when thawing frozen water lines
BOOM! THE 1/2-in. copper cap grazed my ear as a deafening roar announced its rocketlike ejection from inside the kitchen sink cabinet. Scalding steam...
What you can do about labor shortages, part 1
LIKE A NEVER-ENDING doomsday story, the pending labor shortage is theoretically lurking just on the other side of the horizon, waiting to attack and cripple...
A matter of steam balance
THE PHONE CALL: Not even the best hydronic sleuthing solves every problem the first time. That was the case here. Some venting changes that I had recommended...
CAD novices can draw hydronic schematics
HYDRONICAD IS a stand-alone program for drawing professional quality properly proportioned hydronic piping schematics for new or existing installations...
Match profit and overhead in bids to size of job
COMPETITION IS AS tough as it has ever been. Since the mid-1960s the domestic construction market has not grown by any measure. In constant dollars (inflation...
Be ready to harness market forces in '06
AS WE END 2005 and look forward to the new year, we can't help but observe that market forces are lining up in ways that favor plumbing-and-heating contractors....
A Humungous Lesson
Perhaps the most difficult thing to sell in the HVAC business is a commercial service agreement in the Pacific Northwest. Other parts of the country have...
'Word-of-mouth' marketing that works
LOTS OF US have heard the phrase, "I'm building my business by word of mouth" and even said it. (One time a guy told me he got all his business by "mouth...
The best way to attract and keep great people
MOST OF MY consulting time is spent putting together wealth transfer plans for successful business owners. Invariably, about half my clients bring up...
Where are all our great field guys coming from?
OUR INDUSTRY IS engaged in perpetual hand wringing over the lack of qualified field personnel. To that constant moaning, I say, "Bull!" Plenty of qualified...
'05 Hydronic Wish List
WE INTERRUPT normal programming for a special holiday message. Six years ago, I wrote my first Hydronic Christmas Wish list. Some of my wishes came true,...
Who should pay for material price increases?
MATERIAL PRICE increases are not new. Normally, sellers are expected to absorb and/or manage the risk of fluctuations in pricing when conducting their...
Waste is everywhere but isn't inevitable
WASTE IS NOT desirable, especially in construction. To be more competitive we need to drive waste out of our operations. Most of us recognize waste in...
Yes, I believe in Santa
I'M NOT ASHAMED to admit it I believe in Santa Claus the rotund one a jolly old elf. I held that belief firmly for many years until one Christmas season...
Higher heating bills let the sun shine in
ATURN OF a couple pages in this month's issue will take you from where this country is today with our energy supply to where we likely will be in the...
Many heat tapes can pose a fire hazard
MY AUGUST column about winterizing plumbing systems (pg. 44) generated a number of e-mails. Several questions were asked on using electric heat tapes....
Get your degree to become or stay a PM
YES, I AM A college dropout and successful mechanical contracting project manager and senior estimator. Yes, I do regret not taking the time out from...
Mi Casa, Su Casa
Do you remember the movie "Field of Dreams"? "Shoeless" Joe Jackson whispers to Kevin Costner, "If you build it, they will come!" This father-and-son...
Improve cash flow and productivity
IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS we have talked about your balance sheet and your profit-and-loss statement. I hope you have a better understanding of both of these...
Make quick labels, talk to your computer
HERE ARE TWO "improved" solutions that simplify tedious or time-consuming tasks. The first is a nifty label printer that would accommodate almost any...
Keep in touch with customers during holidays
ONE LINE OF thinking in the contracting world is that if you do a great job on a service call, that customer will call on you again. I wish it were that...
Sales and marketing materials as warranties
I HAVE WRITTEN more columns than I can count on the need for suppliers and contractors to carefully read and negotiate the agreements that they sign....
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