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...
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....
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...
Figure your job costs for profitability
ONE OF THE MOST common questions that I'm asked when I present the Radiant Panel Association's Radiant Basics class is: "How much should I charge for...
Caught in the middle again
This past week I talked to two different clients who were experiencing the same problem. They are both subcontractors who sell, but do not manufacture,...
Easy ways for subs to connect to GCs, owners
Onvia Business Builder (www.onvia.com, 800/484-3374), aimed at companies that want to do business with the government, provides vendors, contractors and...
A lousy asset or money-making machine?
Are you Convinced that qualified retirement plans such as pension plans, profitsharing plans, IRAs and 401(k) plans are great? Good for everyone? If so,...
Planning is the path to profit
It may be October, and you've got fall in full focus, but that's no reason to keep your plans for the new year on the back burner. In fact, that's why...
Save a nickel on the job now, spend $500 later
Over the course of my career, I have worked for some truly cheap employers who redefined the word "thrifty." While I was traveling, one would pay only...
One national plumbing code just makes sense
Hurricane Katrina overshadowed another news story last month that promises to have far-reaching impact on the plumbing industry. We'd be remiss if we...
The importance of a monthly P&L statement
In the first part of this series we dealt with the balance sheet ("Understand your financial statements," September, pg. 30), and now we are going to...
Calculate flywheel mass effect's influence
p>As energy contractors, we are required to perform a basic heat loss or heat gain calculation in order to properly size the heating or cooling plant...
Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | Next
Reader Comments