East Coast Metal Distributors

Grow Sales – Offer Dehumidification in Closed Crawl Spaces

More than 70+ million homes in the United States are built on crawl spaces. Houses are built on crawl spaces because it is cheaper than basements or because ground conditions make building a basement impractical. In most climate zones, properly designed, installed, and conditioned closed crawl spaces can work well. You might not offer encapsulation as part of your current business model, but you are most likely often in crawl spaces that have already been closed or encapsulated. You can observe if the best “conditioning” method (a commercial- grade dehumidifier) to control the moisture to a specific relative humidity (RH) setpoint is being used during your visits. If not, you have the opportunity to offer this service and add revenue to your business.

Effective moisture control in a closed crawl space is essential for protecting the home and the homeowners. High humidity levels in a home encourage mold, mildew, odors, unhealthy air quality, damage to the home’s structure, and even pest problems. Common pests such as termites, wood-boring beetles, fleas, mosquitoes, ants, silverfish, spiders, and cockroaches thrive in high humidity.

Dehumidifier in Crawl Space

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Uncontrolled Moisture – The Enemy of a Healthy Home

Many homes, especially in mixed humid and hot humid climates, are experiencing interior moisture buildup resulting in uncomfortable living conditions and, more importantly, indoor air quality issues.

Why is Indoor Air Quality Important?

Indoor air quality has been ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health by the Environmental Protection Agency. Even more alarming is that according to Underwriters Lab, six out of ten homes are hazardous to the occupant’s health.

There are four critical components to achieving good indoor air quality: building a home with a tight envelope, mechanical ventilation, high efficiency filtration, and dedicated humidity control. Continue reading “Uncontrolled Moisture – The Enemy of a Healthy Home”

5 Reasons You Need to Start Offering Financing

Monthly Payments

Financing is key to closing more of your heating and air job proposals and it is really simple to start offering. Here are five reasons why you need to start offering your customers financing options.

1. Everyone Finances Almost Everything Already.

Cars, houses, boats, cell phones, gym fees, streaming apps, etc. Why not HVAC? It’s the norm. Financing is no longer taboo.

First, it helps your customer avoid writing a big check. Second, many will use a credit card, and financing helps your customer avoid 17-24% credit card interest and instead get a more affordable option with lower monthly payments. Continue reading “5 Reasons You Need to Start Offering Financing”

Is “Good, Better, Best” Always…Best?

When it comes to HVAC replacement sales, there’s no shortage of opinion and advice about the best way to win the job. For decades, the conventional wisdom has centered around the “good-better-best” sales process.

There are certainly good reasons for the popularity of this technique — and we will explore some of those reasons below. But, sometimes there is much more to a sales strategy beyond the conventional industry wisdom.

Adapt your HVAC sales technique to your customers’ unique situation.

Let’s take a look at a few alternative ways to think about your sales techniques. Spoiler alert: you won’t hear us say, “This is the best way to sell!” We have worked with many successful HVAC contractors who have many different ways of closing sales.

Rather, our goal is to help you learn tips that you can apply in a variety of scenarios to help you grow your business.

Blame it on Beer

The Best Beer

Selling by offering good-better-best options is not unique to HVAC. In fact, the concept gained popularity after an experiment conducted by an MIT professor who spent time at a bar in the Boston area.
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Power Up Your HVAC Pricing Strategy

Man looking at paper surprised

As an HVAC contractor, managing your pricing has always been an important part of your business, but this past year had made it more critical than ever. Many contractors we have spoken to recently have described the perfect storm of challenges facing their businesses:

Strong demand for services, but continued lack of skilled labor
Equipment shortages creating delays and disruptions
Inflationary pressures increasing the cost of doing business

If you don’t play close attention to your pricing strategy, these factors can damage your profits and growth prospects.

Dial in Your Pricing Strategy

When your costs increase, whether it’s equipment or labor, it’s critical to have a strategy for how you incorporate those costs into your business. HVAC businesses are not alone in dealing with this problem. We’ve scanned the web for some expert advice, and found a few that are worth your time.

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Get Personal with Digital HVAC Sales Techniques

Selling with digital tools does not have to be impersonal.

People looking at their mobile devices

It’s true: there is something special about a firm handshake and looking your customer in the eye. Especially when you’re discussing a large investment in a new HVAC system for their home.

But it’s also a misconception that going digital with your customer communications translates to being less personal. In fact, digital tools can help you further personalize your customer interactions in surprising ways!

Why Personalize?

A. Differentiate from the Competition

Your customers are often reviewing multiple proposals, and some may have lower prices than yours. By adding a personal touch, like a customized message to your customer, you set yourself apart from the other proposals your customer received. Continue reading “Get Personal with Digital HVAC Sales Techniques”

Save Time with Enhanced Ductwork and Diffusers in Commercial HVAC Installations

Commercial HVAC systems do an excellent job of conditioning indoor air. But targeting the delivery of that conditioned air is a job that TRUaire® has been perfecting for over three decades. That’s just one reason why TRUaire is readily recognized as a leading manufacturer of high-quality grilles, registers, and diffusers (GRD) for the commercial HVAC market.

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Tech Tips: What Every New HVAC Technician Should Know

Three simple tips for anyone who wants to be an HVAC tech

Being new in any industry is daunting — but especially in the trades, where experience is invaluable. Many skills must be learned first-hand on the job and can take years to develop. However, experienced HVAC professionals have a wealth of industry knowledge and skill to share for the benefit of new technicians entering the field.

Seasoned technicians recently shared some trade skills and unique insights into how apprentices can set themselves up for success. Let’s look at three tips every new technician needs to consider before heading out on the job.

While more advanced tools are typically provided by employers few reliable everyday essentials in your tool kit will ensure you’re always prepared on the job.

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Nashua: Premium Tape, The Professionals’ Choice.

For over 60 years, contractors have trusted Nashua tapes for their toughest jobs. Nashua delivers quality tape products for general purpose applications, building and construction, and HVAC. The Nashua brand is recognized by consumers for its adhesion strength, quality, and consistency.

Did you know?

The current International Code Council standards (IRC & IMC), which are updated every three years, specifically require the use of tapes “listed” and “labeled” in accordance with 181A-P for Fiberglass Duct Board and 181B-FX for Flexible Duct installations. Underwriters Laboratories is an independent safety certification company that writes these 181 standards. Nashua Tape proudly partners with UL to ensure our products are LISTED and that they tested and regularly audited to ensure consistent compliance with the performance and safety standards set forth by the code.
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Series: Learn How to Use the Website Like A Pro – Tip #11 Specials and Promotions

Top four ways to stay up to date with ECMD Promotions

East Coast Metal Distributors is dedicated to bringing you the best products and promotions. However, we know that staying up to date with each promotion can be a tedious task. Every month we feature something different; be it tools, parts, equipment, or other categories; and we encourage you to take advantage of these sales while they last. We work hard to highlight each promotion on multiple channels to ensure that all of our customers hear about our promotions. Below, we list the top four ways you can stay up to date with our promotions:

Author: Santa-Fe