CFM Equipment Distributors believes that its dealer customers should have every opportunity to make money and increase profits. The company's success is tied to the success of its customers. One way of doing this is by using a pricing strategy that utilizes two key elements: Profit Strategies/CFM Up-Front pricing program.
"With globalization, essentially everything is being counterfeited," said Doug Geralde of the CSA Group Audits and Investigation Team. "Counterfeiters have an established infrastructure and the process has gone high tech." Geralde was speaking to seminar attendees at the HRAI 38th Annual Meeting.
Understanding how a commercial customer uses energy can help HVAC contractors find customized solutions that will save energy, improve sales, and develop customer loyalty. That was the message given to attendees of Bob Bach's seminar at the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI)'s 38th Annual Meeting.
As far back as the beginning of time, mankind was looking for a way to franchise itself. At least that's what Ken Franklin told attendees to his seminar on franchising at the 2006 HVAC Comfortech.
An HVAC contractor has many tools in his or her business management toolbox. One is Chamber of Commerce membership. The key advantage of chamber membership is the opportunity to network with other businesses. But chamber membership means a lot more to businesses like HVAC contractors.
While peer groups are common in U.S. contractor groups, such as the Mix Groups made up of members of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), they are a rarity in Canada. One of these groups is known as "PEP," short for Peer Exchange Program.
Should people use the past to forecast the future? Absolutely, according to Alicia Bradshaw and Lori Boyce of Lennox Industries/HVAC Learning Solutions. Bradshaw and Boyce addressed that topic before attendees at the 2006 HVAC Comfortech in mid-September.
It is not uncommon to see an HVAC service van parked outside the local Home Depot or Lowe's. Some techs prefer the easiest and least expensive means of getting a part to complete a job. But does this take business away from traditional suppliers and hand it over to stores that often compete for their own customer base?
I believe that the majority of contractors and "alleged" contractors who need low-cost coupon specials to get their foot in the door really don't grasp the costs of reaching the customer's door in the first place.
It appears that different contractors took different approaches to the 13 SEER changeover. Some decided to stock up on 10-12 SEER units while others, did not. The NEWS conducted an informal poll of residential contractors to get a first-hand assessment of how the 13 SEER transition has actually affected the movement of old inventory in the market.