Vision starts with an idea – training video
Most people think that real power comes from knowledge, but that’s not true. Knowledge is the place between an idea and the implementation of that idea. A powerful idea can change the …
Leadership
Make more money and get out of debt
This is the last part in the Debt to Financial Freedom post.  You were with me in part 1 when I figured out the problem with debt.  Then you were with me in part 2 when I unpacked the 7 keys to …
7 keys to controlling your debt
In the first part of this series, I highlighted the financial mistakes that I made as a young man right out of college. Within 6 months I racked up a total of $45,724 in debt. It was these mistakes …
The problem with debt
The wife wrote out an $17,255 check to Wells Fargo on Monday. That made us officially 100% debt free! She also wrote out a tithe check for $3,100 to our church. The total of those 2 checks is …
What limits you?
The formula for reaching your potential is not complicated. It has only 2 ingredients: Here’s how you accomplish your potential:
When a manager cusses out his tech
I cussed out my tech. Â Bad – I mean, I used lots of four letter words. Â It was a terrible example of leadership. Â Actually, it wasn’t leadership at all. This cursing came when he …
Avoiding Energy Vampires
I once worked with a lady that was an absolute energy vampire. She could find the negative in any situation. Â When we hit our sales numbers, she would say, “Now we just have to do more next …
How incentives ruin performance
The wrong incentive program will ruin a service tech’s performance. Â Spiffs, Commissions, and Free vacations can create a dangerously short-sighted system that actually reduces overall results. …
How to build a winning presentation
This past week I had the opportunity to speak at Comfortech. Officially, I was invited as an extension of the Service Roundtable and the Service Nation Alliance. Beyond the honor of speaking, there …
2 things every tech needs from his wife
Your wife is the biggest influence on your success or failure. The service industry is hard. It is ten times harder when you don’t have the support of your spouse. My wife is Shannon, and she is …
Surviving After Summer
Service companies are bad at saving money. This is doubly true for the HVAC company and the HVAC Tech. The Summer is a time for feast. Yet, it only takes a change in the weather to leave many service …
Breaking the Fear of Engagement
In Top Gun, Maverick represents the type of man we all want to be.  He is strong, handsome, wins at life, wins with the ladies, and flies a freaking fighter jet!  Right now I bet you are singing, …
How to be a manager people respect
As a manager, you depend on the power of respect to lead your people and get your job done. Respect is the great resource that all managers want, but few possess. Managers serve as a resource, …
Winning with the Asian culture
The Asian / Indian community has a reputation for being unreasonable price hagglers. Most service technicians will tell you that they can not win if they are sent to an Asian household. Is this true? …
To beard, or not to beard
The residential flat rate contractor has been told for years that, “facial hair should not be allowed in your company.”  There have been a variety of reasons cited as to why techs, in-home …
Your Technicians are Stealing!
Technicians probably don’t even know they are stealing. Some may know but don’t care. I’m going to share with you how a dirty service vehicle steals from your techs, clients, and the business. …
How to win with an irate woman
You are going to have to work with irate women. It is part of the service business. You can’t make it through your career without coming face-to-face with at least one woman that wants to do …
The dangers of confusing opinion with fact
Confusing opinion with fact is a dangerous game that should not be played. The best way to avoid this danger is to be armed with accuracy. In Disney Pixar’s Inside Out, there is a scene where …
The What, Why and How
I was just talking to a client about the 3 things it takes to win. It boiled down to 3 simple things: The thing is, you can do 2 of the 3 well, and get bad results. You need to do …
The Negative Little Ant
Negative people can do some serious trash talking about their team. You’ll find theses negative Nancys gossiping by the water cooler, the dumpster, out back, and other shady places. Through …
How to stay off the nightly news
Sales leads are an essential component of an HVAC business. There is no denying that you need them, and can’t do business without leads. There is also no denying that poor lead setting …
Celebrating life’s special moments
Special moments deserve to be celebrated. Â My pastor, Randy Phillips, refers to life’s special moments as “frame worthy events.” Â The last couple of weeks have held some very special …
The True Cost of Running an HVAC Business
How many times has a technician said, “I think the owner is getting rich!”?  There’s an interesting perception that hvac business owners must be raking in the cash. Is that true? In …
Is highly trained, drug free, and felon free still the standard for employment?
The highly trained, drug free, and criminal background free employee has been the golden standard of the retail residential contractor for the last 20 years. But is this standard changing? Will the …
