Short #37 – The Trade Skills Gap: A Manifesto (Podcast)

By Bryan Orr

This is a voice-over audio presentation of the article of the same title on the HVACRschool.com website (“The Trade Skills Gap: A Manifesto).

The manifesto discusses the value of technicians and the trades in modern society. It also covers the plague of snobbery that we are all too familiar with in the world.

You can read “The Trade Skills Gap: A Manifesto” HERE.

Learn more about Refrigeration Technologies HERE.

If you have an iPhone, subscribe to the podcast HERE, and if you have an Android phone, subscribe HERE.

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Author:

Bryan Orr

Company: HVAC School

Position: Founder

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Our latest Podcast

HVAC School – For Techs, By Techs

Real training for HVAC ( Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) Technicians. Including recorded tech training, interviews, diagnostics and general conversations about the trade.

In this episode of the HVAC School podcast, Bryan and Jim discuss strategies for growing an HVAC business, focusing on the importance of maintenance contracts, consistent service, and effective branding. Drawing from Jim’s 15 years of experience running a successful HVAC company in California, they explore how maintenance contracts not only provide consistent revenue but also create valuable training opportunities for technicians.

The conversation emphasizes that maintenance contracts are fundamental to building company value. Jim shares that when he sold his business, the number of maintenance contracts was a key valuation metric. These contracts tie customers to your company, provide consistent work during shoulder seasons, and offer technicians crucial repetitive practice with equipment. Bryan adds that maintenance provides technicians with opportunities to observe normal equipment operation repeatedly, which builds troubleshooting skills through pattern recognition.

Both hosts stress the importance of consistency in growing a business. They note that large, successful HVAC companies aren’t always the most technically excellent, but they deliver consistent service that customers can rely on. Jim introduces the marketing concept of “TOMA” (Top Of Mind Awareness), sharing how he used branded coffee bags as thank-you gifts to keep his company in customers’ minds even after service calls were completed. The discussion concludes with an examination of White Rogers’ contractor branding program, which allows HVAC companies to put their name and logo on thermostats, creating another touchpoint for customer awareness.

Key topics covered:

How maintenance contracts increase company valuation and create customer loyalty
Using maintenance as a training ground for developing technician skills
The importance of consistent processes and documentation when scaling a business
Creating “Top Of Mind Awareness” (TOMA) with customers through strategic touchpoints
White Rogers’ contractor branding program for thermostats
Benefits of Sensi thermostats and their app features, including multiple temperature sensors
Different pricing strategies for customers with and without maintenance contracts
The importance of documenting extended warranty information on invoices
How service departments can weather economic downturns better than installation-focused businesses

Get contractor branding on your Sensi thermostats today at https://hvacrschool.com/contractor-branding.

Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool.

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