Stories from the road

Director Notes  03/12/2012

Stories from the road

Last week I move from Chicago to Dallas and on the drive down took the occasion to stop and visit with several Contractors I have come to know over the years. The 1500 mile trip had its exciting aspects including watching a semi go sideways on I-40 in Arkansas in a rain storm. While no one was hurt I have come to appreciate those defensive driving classes I had to sit through for benefit of my Employees as there was a safe distance between me and the truck. It was a surreal experience that I replay in slow motion in my head. Another humorous item were some election signs in a rural area for Sheriff and on the same sign in smaller print “Tax Collector”, I could only think of Sherwood Forest and Robin Hood. On another note along the lines of lemmings following one another over the edge, in a small town with a population of 6200, I saw 5 different billboards for HVAC contractors in a 3 mile stretch. One for each of the major brands (who logos were as big as the Contractor’s), I theorize that either one contractor decided it was good idea and the others followed or that town has a great Billboard sales person.

My visits were great; seeing contractors in their own element, their place of business, and to relate to the market place they exist in. In many cases it sharpens the image of these businesses as to their needs and areas of strengths. I took part in Managers meetings while at other just sat and talked about the business and their win and losses. The overwhelming theme was business was good and getting better, optimism not seen or heard for months and years.

It causes me to pause and note the upswing in business growth, employment, and consumer confidence over the last several quarters.  While this is a welcome change but ironically comes at a time where the extended “Unemployment Benefits” are expiring and many people are now moving into positions they may have passed upon prior and have more money to spend. This drives demand from the bottom up providing increased opportunities for us in the coming months. Consumers have deferred major expenditures creating pent up demand and there is the opportunity to up-sell as they feel they deserve to move up a step or two because of their.

Take this opportunity to sell from the top down with complete bundled packages and close the sale with subtraction of options and features. You will find that the average sale will be much higher than if you try to build from the bottom of your offering. If you would like other bundling options drop me an email and I will share them with you.