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Your customers should be spoiled with all of the bells and whistles associated with today’s HVAC equipment. They should expect the very best in home comfort and safety because you only sell the latest and greatest technology.

“Be careful what you wish for,” said Tom Huntington, general manager of York, a Johnson Controls company, during a recent conversation about government regulations. Huntington is a pretty astute observer of what is developing not only on Capitol Hill, but around the nation.

Contractors and technicians who work on refrigeration equipment that comes in contact with food need be aware of this common sense commandment: Safety is No. 1. I’m not talking about personal safety - although that should certainly be the highest priority on the job. I’m speaking about food safety.

During this week of our nation’s Independence Day celebration (and the proverbial hottest day of the year, which is good for business) - a little dreaming of what this industry could be.

As we think about the generation that is growing into becoming our customers, we have to change our thinking about the way they operate. It’s much more likely they’ll use the computer or their Blackberry to search for companies with whom they want to do business.

The best techs combine good mechanical skills with good people skills. It isn’t always easy to find these kinds of people, which is probably why contractors have been known for doing some pretty creative things to acquire the best talent - like stealing them from their competitors.

At the 2007 National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) convention, held earlier this year in Nashville, Tenn., one familiar topic surfaced at the annual meeting. It seems to pop up year after year: How do we deal with the “blow-and-go” contractors in the duct cleaning industry?

The HVAC faithful aren’t really a negative lot of people, wishing severe weather on all of Earth’s inhabitants; but it is true that the worst weather can bring out the best in us.

Be careful when switching fields; get everyone in the act.

If you choose to ignore your customers because you are ball-and-chained to a chain of command process, or if you simply choose to not deviate from your daily routines, you will probably be richly rewarded with fewer customers and declining profits.