feeling overwhelmed

mikedo

been in the trades almost 30 years just wondering if anyone else is feeling overwhelmed with all the new technology and changes in the trade seems half the time i dont know what to do anymore. just pricing a oil to gas conversion seems overwhelming. do i line the chimney and use 85% equipment, use a combo unit or a htp and an indirect. everyone seems to shopping on price lately. never mind everyone buying their plumbing fixtures on their own and expecting us to warranty them for free. having to be open 24/7. seems to me the trade gets harder everyday and i cant seem to find my niche.

Steve Whitbeck

Yes

I know how You feel.

I have found my "niche" - High eff. boilers of all brands.

I like and embrace the new tech equipment.

And yes customers are very demanding but are willing to pay.

Don't try to be the cheapest guy out there but in order to sell for a better profit YOU need to know your job and be able to sell it. Even if you are selling the same product as the next guy YOU must do a better job of selling YOURSELF.

It is you they must believe in. And You must be available 24/7 if needed.

I will warrantee equipment installed by others but I charge for the time needed.

I follow behind other companies on a regular basis.

Can you tell I love my job.

Been doing it for 40 years now.

Yeah old guy up on new tech stuff - can you believe that.

Tom_133

Feeling your pain

but 30 years is 3 times what I have in it. Business big or small can be almost as futile as a dog chasing his tail. It seems the companies that are setup with accounting, service guys, installers, estimating guys, and specific specialties (demo, clean up, parts runners) seem to do very well. I am a solo guy and it is very difficult to do everything with the kind of care and attention I need to give it. So for now I will continue to chase my tail and do the best I can with what I got.

jumper

happy

I'm happy I'm retired because electronics can be so frustrating. If you're dealing with the same model often, one of the quickest things is swapping the circuit board.

Mark Eatherton

Service niche...

There are less and less people on this trade that know how to properly service the 80% equipment, to say nothing of the 90% plus equipment...



And ALL of this new equipment MUST be serviced on a regular basis, or your warranty is null and void.



Market your services to all of the other people who are slamming these boilers in with little to no intent of doing regular services on them. You will be amazed at how many systems are improperly installed, and require a SIGNIFICANT RE-WORK to get their problems resolved.



Arm yourself with the state of the art equipment, and train yourself through the offerings of people like Tim McElwain or Jim Davis to not just do a combustion analysis, but know what to do to correct combustion issues. You will still have alleged "competition", but once you prove yourself, the business will find you by word of mouth.



When dealt lemons in life, turn those lemons into lemonade.



Happy New Year.



ME

Harvey Ramer

Yes, What Mark said!

People are shopping for value. In order to provide value, knowledge and those expensive tools (the bleeding stops in a couple days) are most important. Just this week I won an oil job, not based on price! I informed the homeowner that I would be doing a combustion analysis and down firing the appliance to meet system requirements. That is what got me the job because none of my competitors where able to provide this service. After the job was done the questions came.



So what efficiency am I running?



83% I replied.



He walks over to the furnace and says HEY, That's what the sticker says. So what was it before you made the adjustments?



64% I replied. I saw a very pleased look cross his face.



And you said you down fired it, how many BTU's am I getting?



87,000 I repied. His pleased look turned to one of sastisfaction and I knew I had won a customer for life.





I am also just a one man show, doesn't bother me one bit. I fact I like it because I'm the one out there doing the work. I'm convinced anyone who applies theirselves can be successful.



Cheers

Harvey

gennady

Technology

I found my niche in 90+ boilers, i love VFD pumps technology, I love to bring steam systems in order. I love to do design of the heating systems, and BTW, system layout and specification depends on building demands, and i pick and choose elements of the system based on those needs and demands. I would recommend you go to training classes and trade shows regularly , when you will know and understand new stuff, you will be able to compete not on the price, but knowledge..

mikedo

thanks

thanks for the replies. i dont try to sell on price but many people do not have money to invest in a 98% boiler and indirect lets face it its alot of money done right. go price a 90 plus warm air furnace its cheap compared to the boilers. i think im going to go in the direction of offering the htp boilers and indirects for the high end jobs and the navien combos on 100,000btu or less jobs where people can not afford top of the line and are willing to live with its limitations. get some training, the right tools and hopefully find some good help. thanks again

SWEI

selling comfort

and not hardware is the first step.  "90+ furnace" covers quite a range of equipment.  Throw in variable airflow and zoning and the cost differential vis-a-vis radiant drops quite a bit.

gennady

Money

When you writing about people not having money to spend on good heating system, you making mistake. It is not about money. Do not listen to what they are saying, What do you expect to hear? Hey i have money, could you take it? It is about priorities in life. It is about values. if people put their values in their comfort and their house, they will buy good and best system for themselves. Read Ellen Rohr book "Where did the money go?" It is a must read for everybody in this business.

Tim McElwain

An obvious plug for what I do TRAINING

The thing I find is often techs have not had an understanding of the basic fundamentals of the business. Don't get me wrong these are people with a license but when presented with what we cover in my classes it is like an eye opener. It will launch you into a whole different area of the business. The area of understanding not only the old stuff but reaching a definite level of comfort with the new stuff. Training is not a cost it is an investment just like anything else you spend money on to help your business. Come join me for a week or two it will change your whole perspective on the business. It is easy to get discouraged and overwhelmed, I have been there so I know what you are feeling. You just have to re-invent yourself. From someone who has been involved in this since I was 9 years old, I am now 73.

mikedo

money

ive read ellens books about 15 years ago good stuff. i live in fairfield county i work in 5,000,000 dollar houses and 75,000 dollar houses just like alot of guys in the new york suburbs. im just saying not everyone can afford to buy on comfort they just dont have the money. as i said before i dont try to sell on price but to say everyone can afford it dosent make sense to me. times are bad now for many people.

mikedo

money

ive read ellens books about 15 years ago good stuff. i live in fairfield county i work in 5,000,000 dollar houses and 75,000 dollar houses just like alot of guys in the new york suburbs. im just saying not everyone can afford to buy on comfort they just dont have the money. as i said before i dont try to sell on price but to say everyone can afford it dosent make sense to me. times are bad now for many people.

mikedo

money

ive read ellens books about 15 years ago good stuff. i live in fairfield county i work in 5,000,000 dollar houses and 75,000 dollar houses just like alot of guys in the new york suburbs. im just saying not everyone can afford to buy on comfort they just dont have the money. as i said before i dont try to sell on price but to say everyone can afford it dosent make sense to me. times are bad now for many people.

mikedo

money

ive read ellens books about 15 years ago good stuff. i live in fairfield county i work in 5,000,000 dollar houses and 75,000 dollar houses just like alot of guys in the new york suburbs. im just saying not everyone can afford to buy on comfort they just dont have the money. as i said before i dont try to sell on price but to say everyone can afford it dosent make sense to me. times are bad now for many people.

gennady

cars

will it be your statement that every one of them drives Kia Forte only and shops only at Wallmart?  Nobody smokes tabacco? smoking today  is 10 buck a pop per day, $280 per month, $3400 a year. they dont drink beer? they have money to spend to shorten their lives, but no money to pay for good heating system?  If they give up their bad habits, they will have money for good heating system. It is just a matter of priorities.

Paul48

mikedo

I understand what you are saying.All the good paying manufacturing jobs in CT are gone. The owners of the $5000000 homes commute to work in NYC, where Gennady works. The owners of the 75000 dollar homes lost their manufacturing job after 25 years, and are now working 2 full time temp jobs, with no bennies, for minimum wage. I live in New Haven county.

mikedo

money

theres alot of deadbeats out their i have no sympathy for them. but theres alot of hard working people who have to shop on price. times havent always been this good for me so i know whats its like.

CMadatMe

The Trap

I've read all the post but the biggest tool you can have in your bag is being adaptive to each customer. Yes not everyone has the money for the high efficiency boiler. It's what sets your apart from your competition that matters.



You can still install 83%-85% boilers and give the consumer the best bang for the buck they can afford. Sell yourself, sell your knowledge, sell long term solutions that can be affordable to the customer down the line. Today the boiler, tomorrow the outdoor reset control, the next day the ecm smart circulator and maybe the next day a internet app ready thermostat.



Sometimes we get so lost in the "boiler" we are blind to simple, add on down the line sales that can bring repeat business. If Mrs Smith can only afford a traditional electronic ignition gas boiler or plain jane oil boiler that's fine. You are in business and in order to stay in business you have to be able to meet the needs of everyone you come in contact with.



Start selling long term solutions to your customers, work and develop plans with them instead of being the guy that just provides an immediate service. You might be surprised at the outcome.



Even the guys that are installing condensing are missing repeat business.. They take a condensing boiler, install it in a baseboard job, set their curve and walk away. Nobody ever says to Mrs Jones, Next year to provide added fuel savings and comfort we can come back and change your old outdated baseboard to a low temp or high capacity baseboard without having to disturb the piping for very little investment. This will allow the boiler we just installed to give you better seasonal efficiencies.



I don't see all the changes as overwhelming being that everything now coming to the forefront has been preached and taught for years. The problem is that there were only a handful of contractors that listened, grabbed onto and incorporated it into their business model. Now with the world of the internet and information contractors are too busy trying to catch up to what the consumer wants instead of leading the way.

Mad Dog_2

very simple........

and I have NOT read all the posts.....TRAINING and READING...u need to BONE up on all the latest stuff...Dan H..Timmie, et cetera....turn it around...step back for a month and learn ..call me 516.322.2881 Mad Dog