QSC members talk about successfully expanding their businesses. Photo
credit: Kelly Faloon/PM
TheQuality Service Contractors’ Power Meeting XXXVI, held March 22-24 in Charlotte, N.C., gave attendees a lot to think about - and a few things to laugh about.
Dave Yatesof F.W. Behler gave QSC members techniques to effectively market and sell water and energy conservation to their customers with what he calls the Energy Conservation Value. This is the reduction in fuel usage compared to the existing appliance based upon heat loss/gain calculations, fuel costs and operating hours in a contractor’s area of the country. Contractors can use ECV and return on investment figures to avoid customer sticker-shock and neutralize the pay-back issue.
“You’ve got 90 seconds to impress a customer,” he noted. “If you don’t, you become a commodity - selling on price.”
Dave Avrin, author of “It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You!,” discussed visible brand identities - standing out from competitors by being exceptional. To do this, be specific in marketing, advertising and sales pitches about how your company is different and put those claims in context. What have your company or your employees achieved that no one else has?
“Price is always an issue,” he said. “Give someone a reason to select you. What makes you great? Your quality is an entry fee, it’s not a competitive advantage.”
Avrin also moderated a panel discussion of QSC members who have successfully expanded their businesses with services in water filtration, radiant floor heating, whole-house energy audits, customer financing and aging-in-place/universal design.
The conference ended with comedianJeanne Robertson, whose unique brand of humor helps audiences develop their own sense of humor while challenging them to find humor in themselves and in the world around them. She had the entire ballroom of QSC members laughing until they cried for a full hour. You can find videos of her act on YouTube.
Pictured here: QSC members talk about successfully expanding their businesses (left to right): Mark Grosvenor, Milton Frank Plumbing; Ron Newman, Lakes Plumbing, Heating and Cooling; Roger Fouche, Schaal Heating and Cooling; Jessica Frank-Burden, Milton Frank Plumbing; and Doug Santoro, General Plumbing.
The next Power Meeting will be held July 26-28 in Indianapolis.
