Changes are coming. If our President-Elect remains true to his campaign promises, bolstered by a business-friendly congress, we could see a very positive environment in 2017 for small businesses — i.e. HVAC contractors. Of course, we should take campaign promises with a grain of salt, as we know politicians will usually say anything to win …
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Analytics — why are they so doggone important? To answer that, we need to know the terms and references required to understand marketing analytics, whether you are doing it by yourself or using a third-party web management person/team. Looking at analytics without knowing or understanding what you’re seeing is just like looking at your P&L …
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Why financing? Here is why: Whether their product is consumer goods or HVAC systems, I have two words that are the bane to all salespeople: consumer debt. These two words impact consumers’ ability to buy things. The New York Federal Reserve’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit for the first quarter of 2014, showed …
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NCI Legacy Series Blog Posts In memory of those who came before, we bring you some of their best posts and articles from the past. Nita Brooks, who lost her battle with cancer 2016, was an integral part of the National Comfort Institute team for many years and was prolific in her writing. This post …
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Reputation management? Online Reputation management? What gives? In case you haven’t noticed, the Internet is changing everything. It can be good or bad change and depends on how well you adapt and take advantage of the opportunities it presents. It’s noteworthy that internationally-recognized leadership consultant Robin Sharma says, “Change is hard at first, messy in …
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Twenty-two years ago NCI set out on a mission to help the HVAC industry move towards measured performance. At the time, we envisioned a future where most systems would perform at over 90% delivered efficiency. We believed the industry would fix most of the HVAC systems in homes and buildings once the issue was recognized. …
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Are you a member of an HVAC trade organization? I’m talking about the ones you have to pay dues to belong to. If you don’t, think about something that Benjamin Franklin once stated: an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Seems reasonable, right? Yet it occurs to me, in the HVAC contracting world, the …
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Beating the Comfort Commodity Challenge When it comes to comfort differentiation, HVAC manufacturers have it tough these days. The rapid pace of technological development means that no single manufacturer can maintain a competitive edge for very long. Each one invests millions of dollars developing new products and, before they can cash their first check, one …
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LEAVE THAT THERMOSTAT ALONE!!!! Staying comfortable in our homes and workplaces has become something of a battleground over the last three decades. OK, let’s not pull any punches — it’s a war! Especially when you think about all the different age groups and generations who live and work together. Each “group” has different comfort needs …
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When it comes to dealing with HVAC customer and employee problems, the famous quote, “We have met the enemy, and he is us,” by the comic strip character, Pogo, said it all. Some time ago, I was following a conversation on one of the HVAC Industry discussion forums that addresses how business owners deal with …
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