As a contractor, you need to have systems in place to ensure the proper planning is done for every job. 

It has become very obvious that all of us need to be careful what we say. 

We have been exhibiting in the home builders’ home shows here in the St. Louis area for more than 60 years. While so many things have changed in so many ways over the years, it amazes me that exhibits in shows like these haven’t really changed much at all.

Maintenance agreements have always provided a number of benefits to both the contractor and his customer and are an opportunity that we as contractors should utilize and capitalize upon.  

I believe it is clear that we are just at the beginning of this revolution, and it is likely that the changes and improvements in these devices are going to be released nearly as frequently as new cell phones enter the market. 

The general opinion is that there are several reasons for such a dip, and none of us should feel that we are doing something wrong. 

It is necessary for us to step back and look at the big picture, at times, to make sure that our contracting firm is really headed in the right direction. 

Frequent readers of this column are aware that I am extremely concerned about the image of our industry. Having been involved for as many years as I have, I have seen that image change and improve very significantly over the years. 

We have noticed what may be an alarming trend that our number of service calls has been declining over the last four years. Internally, we have had numerous discussions regarding this situation, and I thought it might be worthwhile to share our thoughts.