Contents Editor Sarah Black Publisher Jodi Araujo, CEM
POSTMASTER: 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C, Mount Laurel, NJ, 08054; Phone: 855-GO-NADCA; Fax: 856-439-0525; E-mail: info@nadca.com; Website: www.nadca.com DucTales Magazine is published six times annually. NADCA annual dues include a paid s ubscription to DucTales. Yearly subscriptions to DucTales are available for $50. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) prints DucTales Magazine to provide its members and the HVAC system cleaning industry with a forum for the discussion of topics of interest. To that end, NADCA tries to include within DucTales a wide range of ideas and opinions. The ideas and opinions expressed by the authors who write articles for DucTales, however, are solely the views of the person expressing them, and do not necessarily represent the views, positions or policies of NADCA, its members, or its officers, directors or staff. NADCA is not responsible for claims made in advertisements. NADCA does not endorse any particular manufacturer or supplier of equipment, chemicals or related products, nor any particular model of equipment.
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In Every Issue
Industry News
3
President’s Message
9
7
Executive Director’s Message
30
Industry Calendar
Abatement Technologies, Inc., Announces Lynette R. Mathews’ Promotion
11
The Why and How of Duct Cleaning
13
Robotic System Completes Internal Duct Remediation
ECO BOX DucTales magazine text and cover pages are printed on SFI-Certified Anthem Gloss paper using soy ink.
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program promotes sustainable forest management. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program integrates the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soils, and water. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program promotes responsible forest management.
NADCA News
Your Business
15
NADCA Celebrates 25 Years with JADCA
25
Building Your E-mail Client List
27
18
Associate Member Spotlight
Leveraging Your Business Relationships
19
Partner Selling
21
New NADCA Members and ASCSs
23
Committee Spotlight
2
President’s Message
By Bill Benito, NADCA President
H
appy New Year to all. I am glad to report that 2013 turned out to be better than 2012 and I am looking forward to an even better 2014. NADCA’s 25th annual meeting is just around the corner and it’s going to be the best one ever! I want to thank all the vendors that committed early to this year’s show. In addition to the early bird savings, I think they wanted to secure a spot in our growing trade show and membership.
NADCA’S 25th Annual Meeting is right around the corner! officials and more. ACR has been downloaded more than 2,500 times and we are on our third printing of hard copies to keep up with demand. We have presented the standard many times and will continue to do so in 2014, including at sessions at other association meetings.
Celebrating a Membership Milestone NADCA has surpassed 1,000 members for the first time! I want to thank all of the long-standing members for renewing–a whopping 95 percent of NADCA’s members renewed their memberships–and all new members for joining. Each month, I get a report of the new members and the newly certified individuals. I began my presidency intending to email each new member and ASCS, but soon saw the lists were coming in with 20 to 40 names and I couldn’t keep up. Kristy Cohen, our Assistant Executive Director, is helping me with a program to make it easier than typing each email (sometimes incorrectly). Last year was a great year for NADCA. So many good things happened that I can only address some of the highlights: •
3
In March at our Annual Meeting in New Orleans we unveiled an updated ACR, The NADCA Standard, and kicked off a major campaign to reach end users, specifiers, IAQ companies, mechanical contractors, governmental
•
•
During the summer, NADCA staff kept us on track with our very active committees. I want to thank all the committee chairs and members for their hard work and time that was given. In September, we had our largest ever Fall Technical Conference in Atlanta, Ga. There were nine vendors, creating a mini annual meeting. The conference was so well publicized that I got a call from Henry Slack from the US EPA Region 4 asking if he could attend and present a session. I quickly passed it along to our Regional Technical Committee Chair, Rick MacDonald, who made room for what turned out to be a great presentation. My thanks to you, Henry.
continued on page 6
NADCA Officers President Bill Benito, ASCS (’15) Connecticut Steam Cleaning Inc. P.O. Box 354 440 John Fitch Boulevard South Windsor, CT 06074 (860) 289-5100 FAX: (860) 528-5556 BillBenito@aol.com
Secretary Mike White, ASCS (’14) Clean Air Systems of LA, Inc. P.O. Box 6210 225 Mount Zion Road Shreveport, LA 71136 (318) 869-0344 FAX: (318) 869-0346 mike.white@cleanairsystemsiaq. com
1st Vice President Rick MacDonald, ASCS (’15) Armstrong Heating & Power Vac Inc. 720 East Industrial Park Drive, #9 Manchester, NH 03109 (603) 627-7016 FAX: (603) 627-7070 rmac@ahpv.com
Treasurer Richard Lantz, ASCS (’15) Air Duct Cleaners of Virginia Suite D 913 Business Park Dr. Chesapeake, VA 23320 (757) 366-5237 r.lantz@airductcleanersva.com
2nd Vice President Michael Vinick, ASCS (’14) Duct & Vent Cleaning of America Inc. 311 Page Boulevard Springfield, MA 01104 (413) 734-8368 FAX: (413) 733-1997 mvinick@ductandvent.com
NADCA Directors John Lee, ASCS (‘14) Penn Air Control, Inc. 5941 Lakeshore Drive Cypress, CA 90630 (714) 220-9091 johnlee@pennairgroup.com Dan Stradford, ASCS (‘15) Action Duct Cleaning 787 W. Woodbury Suite 2 Altadena, CA 91001 dstradford@aol.com Jimmy Meyer, ASCS (‘16) Meyer Machine & Equipment 351 Main Street Antioch, IL (847) 395-2970 jimbob@meyermachine.com
Carlos Gonzales-Boothby, ASCS (‘16) Indoor Environmental Consultants PO Box 191648 San Juan, Puerto Rico 009191648 (787) 568-8880 carlos@iec-pr.com Immediate Past President Matt Mongiello, ASCS Interior Maintenance Company 45 Scottdale Road Lansdowne, PA 19050 (610) 626-1300 matt@imc.cc
NADCA Headquarters 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 Toll Free: 855-GO-NADCA Phone: 856-380-6810 Fax: 856-439-0525 www.nadca.com
NADCA Staff Jodi Araujo, CEM Executive Director Kristy Cohen Assistant Executive Director Shay McClain Meeting Coordinator
Elizabeth Cooke Membership & Certification Coordinator Robin Geary Senior Meeting Manager
President’s Message
Training and Education
Made Easy! Custom training is now available to NADCA members! Instead of flying your entire staff somewhere to receive training, NADCA will bring the training to YOU!
Interested? Call NADCA Headquarters at (855) GO-NADCA to learn more.
President’s Message continued from page 3 •
The ASCS rewrite subcommittee has been busy working with SMT (for psychometric review) and is in the final stages to have a new and improved ASCS exam reflecting the ACR Standard. This will be debuted during our annual meeting pre-conference testing.
•
To close out the year, in December, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to represent NADCA at JADCA’s 25th Anniversary. I presented our new ACR Standard and participated in a charity auction that JADCA hosted in NADCA’s honor. The money raised will be used in the USA for people who have suffered indoor air quality issues as a result of our natural disasters. I want to thank Mr.Ohmawari, Immediate Past President; Mr Yoshida, JADCA’s new President; and Mr. Ogawa for all the arrangements and special trips. Also, a special thanks to Alex Yamada, our translator for the duration of the trip. Alex spent years in New York City and Boston before returning home to Japan to work in his father’s HVAC business. Having a translator who knows our trade made all of our communications clear and our discussion lively.
I look forward to all the great things we have in the works and celebrating NADCA’s past, present and future during our 25th annual meeting. I want to again thank all the hardworking volunteers who put in so much for the benefit of all members. If you have been following my President’s messages from the past issues, Surfs Up! See you in San Antonio! 6
Executive Director’s Message
By Jodi Araujo, CEM; Executive Director
And now we welcome the New Year,
2014
is going to be a year of celebration that will define the course of NADCA and its direction as we venture into our next 25 years. Commemorating our silver anniversary will be the easy part–we all like a party! The challenges we face lie in taking control of the industry and of the reputation of our contractors, and putting our standards in the hands of specifiers and contractors across the U.S. and internationally. Your Board of Directors and committee members continue to work with staff to identify areas where improvements and updates are needed, while following trends to ensure best practices are communicated via education sessions and training opportunities. NADCA’s 25th Anniversary Celebration will take place at our Annual Conference, March 3-6, at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio in Texas. I am thrilled to tell you that we will be rolling out several new member benefits that will help you streamline your efforts in the field, offer cost savings and build efficiency into your operating model. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so you’ll have to wait until the business meeting on March 5 to get all of the details. But I’ll give you a hint: Think mobile, think insurance, think cost savings…think standards!
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There are some things one can only achieve by a deliberate leap in the opposite direction. — Franz Kafka NADCA’s President, Bill Benito, has focused his first term on building and rebuilding relationships because he felt that was an area in which he could find positive movement forward for NADCA. He has worked tirelessly to forge relationships with industry associations that had gone unrecognized. NADCA has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with IKECA, IAQA and IICRC, and we have initiated conversations with SMACNA and ASHRAE as well. Reciprocal support of our industry affiliates builds strength in numbers and more buy in for NADCA standards and processes. NADCA treasurer, Richard Lantz, recently presented a session titled,
D U C TA L E S
“ACR, The NADCA Standard–What’s New and What You Need to Know,” to attendees at ASHRAE’s winter conference held at the Javits Center in New York City. Bill Benito will be offering a similar presentation to IAQA conference attendees in Nashville next month. We continue to promote ACR and are pleased with the results of our outreach. Look for the updated ACR to appear in the new release of the updated Masterspec this Spring!
You raze the old to raise the new. — Justina Chen The next 12 months will be very busy for our committees and staff. The Education Committee continues to work on building our online library of educational tools and webinars, and you can expect to see on-demand courses available for purchase in Q1. This, coupled with special NADCA discounts from IAQA, IKECA and RIA gives everyone from the entry level technician to the owner and specialty consultant a variety of cost-effective and user friendly options from which to choose. Take a course at your
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
Executive Director’s Message
full of things that have never been.
convenience, at a time that works best for you! Become a part of the process and join your peers in working to build NADCA and our resources so our members can learn and earn! Volunteer for a committee and help to affect change in a positive way. We will hold our first-ever volunteer
D U C TA L E S
leadership meeting on Wednesday, March 5, from 2-2:30 p.m. Stop by the meeting to talk with NADCA board and committee members and learn how you can be a part of the association and the wonderful work that your peers are doing to push NADCA forward. See you in San Antonio!
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
— Rainer Maria Rilke
DON’T MISS OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION! Two session tracks will offer something for everyone in your company and you will see the latest in products and services for our industry when you visit the exhibitors between sessions. Visit www.NADCA.com for a full listing of educational sessions and a list of exhibitors.
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Industry News
Abatement Technologies, Inc. Announces Promotion of Lynette R. Mathews to Corporate Vice President and General Manager.
T
he Board of Abatement Technologies, Inc. recently announced the promotion of Lynette Mathews to corporate vice president and general manager.
Mathews came to Abatement in 2011 as senior project engineer with a wide range of work experience and both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Since January 2012, she has served as general manager of engineering, technical services and logistics. In addition to retaining a number of her current duties, Mathews’ new responsibilities will include the management for the company’s sales, customer service, purchasing and ERP system functions, reporting directly to the Board. “Lynette has managed complex projects with distinction and has proven she has the ability and drive to assume this critical upper management position,” says Dave Shagott, Chairman of the Board. “The Board is confident that Lynette’s leadership and guidance will help enable the company to successfully achieve its future goals.”
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ABOUT ABATEMENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Thousands of health care facilities, facility contractors and indoor environmental remediation professionals have relied on Abatement’s stateof-the-art products to provide exceptional performance, quality and value. Since 1985, Abatement has continued to provide highquality product solutions for problems in the indoor environment.
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JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
Industry News
The Why and How of Duct Cleaning The Australian Perspective
By Travis Tassey
The standard establishes minimum performance requirements for assessing new and existing HVAC systems, evaluating the cleanliness of HVAC system components, determining the need to clean and cleaning and restoring systems to a verifiable cleanliness level. The standard also focuses on preventing jobrelated hazards, such as exposure to workers and occupants, and cross-contamination to the indoor environment. 11
A
s a specialty cleaning contractor, people often ask why I’ve chosen to clean air conveyance systems (systems that move air from one place to another), particularly air conditioning systems. Most people assume that since filters are installed, the systems never need to be cleaned. While this would be true in a perfect world, any and all air conveyance systems need maintenance. The filters need to be changed, the fan drive systems need adjusting and portions of the system need to be inspected. One of the primary reasons that particulates get into a system at all is because they’re able to get past the filtration system. A variety of reasons for this exist: The filters aren’t efficient enough for the type of environment, aren’t changed often enough, don’t fit properly, etc.
The Call for Cleaning Most people wouldn’t have any idea these things are happening to the systems that deliver the air they breathe. So why do these systems get looked at in the first place? The catalyst for HVAC inspections is generally due to an occupant complaint, such as: •
Dust or dirt is being discharged into the spaces they occupy
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Musty odors are coming from the HVAC system when it’s running
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Reduced airflow from the system, which prevents it from achieving thermal comfort
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Unwanted contaminants are discovered during routine maintenance of the air handling unit
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Mold or other contaminants are found in the HVAC system by an indoor air quality survey
Secondarily, the systems get looked at or inspected due the legislated requirements in Australia. There are several requirements and guidelines that describe the necessity for HVAC inspections and cleaning. These documents are specifically focused on public buildings, such as commercial office buildings, hospitality venues, healthcare buildings, etc. Some of these mandates are: D U C TA L E S
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Industry News
of HVAC Systems. The standard calls out very specific requirements for the proper methodology of cleaning HVAC systems. Service industries have standards for two reasons: 1.
2. •
Australian General Duty of Care 2005.
•
Australian Occupational Health and Safety Act 1984 (Section 5)
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Australian Standard 3666.2 (Section 2.3.5)
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AIRAH HVAC Hygiene Best Practise Guidelines (Section 1.10.1)
•
NADCA ACR-2013 (Section 1.5.1)
The spirit and intent of these documents is to provide the public and workers with a clean and healthy indoor environment. Since a great deal of the public spends 35 percent of their daily lives inside a public building, the HVAC systems play a large part in their potential exposure to harmful contaminants. It is for ALL the reasons stated above that we are compelled to maintain and clean the HVAC systems in our buildings.
The Basics of Cleaning Most international references calling for the cleaning of HVAC systems (including the ones above) refer back to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA). The most current standard is called ACR-2013. This is the NADCA Standard for Assessment, Cleaning & Restoration D U C TA L E S
They establish minimum performance levels and methodologies for the service They set the expectations the public should have when purchasing the services.
ACR-2013 is a living document, meaning that NADCA constantly reviews its content to keep up with new technologies and proven methodologies. The first standard was released in 1992. The basics of cleaning HVAC systems have largely remained the same: Clean the HVAC system without contaminating the areas around you while doing it. Over the past 20 years, we have evaluated and included new equipment and methodologies that allow us to clean better and deal with global cleanliness issues found within HVAC systems. The standard calls for a few important methods that must be followed to effect a proper cleaning. First, any cleaning equipment that exhausts inside the building must be HEPA filtered. Second, the HVAC system being cleaned must be placed under negative pressure (suction) during the cleaning process. While there are many different types of tools and equipment to dislodge, capture and entrain the dust/dirt from within any given HVAC system, the most important function is to clean without contaminating the occupied space.
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The standard also defines what is considered clean, and three different methods of determining clean. These are: visual inspection, surface comparison testing and gravimetric analysis. These are to ensure that the client and contractor can agree that the system has been properly cleaned. Finally, the standard sets forth job documentation as part of the project. According to NADCA ACR-2013, “It is recommended that documentation showing compliance with this standard is provided for all work performed. Documentation can include organized and legible written and visual records.” This statement requires the contractor to show evidence that the system has been cleaned to the standard. This can be done by showing photographic or robotic video, along with project reports or drawings, that show the system has been properly cleaned. All HVAC systems will get dirty over time. The government has made it clear that it expects building owners and operators to inspect and maintain these systems. As an industry, we have supplied cleaning standards to ensure that duct cleaning projects are done correctly and to the client’s satisfaction. We owe it to ourselves and our clients to perform cleaning works to an internationally recognized standard.
SET THE STANDARD Consumers can download a free copy of the standard at www.nadca.com.
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Industry News
Robotic System Completes Internal Duct Remediation By Annie McCarren
W
hen Cool Zone Inc., an HVAC contractor and air duct cleaner, was contacted to clean and seal the ductwork of a 27,000-square-foot facility in South Florida, they knew the task wouldn’t be a simple one. The building’s dual-wall spiral ductwork was painted purple and exposed to the interior of the building for aesthetic reasons. It was leaking and needed to be cleaned and sealed, but Cool Zone faced a problem: No sealant could be applied to the outside of the ductwork, and no access holes could be cut to clean or apply sealant to the interior, as either would take away from its visual appeal. These factors meant the ductwork had to be sealed from the inside, which presented a challenge. However, Cool Zone had the perfect solution—the ISAAC™ Robotic System. ISAAC, which stands for the Inspecting, Sealing, and Advanced Cleaning robot, was created specifically for the inspection and repair of ductwork and is capable of hard-to-reach remediation, which would otherwise require much more complicated and costly renovations. ISAAC effectively removes debris and is outfitted with a digital video recorder to provide footage of interior duct conditions. This precision device can inspect, coat and seal all types of ductwork from the inside with minimal disruption to building occupants. “If we didn’t have ISAAC, we would have had to crawl inside the ducts to do the work,” says Chris Wilson, commercial indoor air quality manager for Cool Zone. After Cool Zone used ISAAC to clean the ductwork, removing dirt and debris in a single pass, ISAAC was then utilized to apply RS-100™, a water based duct sealant. RS-100 is a sprayable duct sealant specially engineered to seal joints and seams from inside the ductwork. RS-100 meets and exceeds all Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning
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Industry News
Space for captions
Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) pressure classes, while providing a true SMACNA Class A seal. Its flexibility allows for system vibration without cracking, supplying a permanent fix to leaking ductwork. “The way the RS-100 product adhered to the internal side of the spiral was very good, even though its surface was slightly lubricated,” says Wilson. The ductwork was leaking at the joints, fittings, couplings, 90’s, and 45’s. Even though there was a lot of work to be done, Cool Zone finished the project in two weeks. “The project was relatively easy, especially using ISAAC,” says Wilson. Cleaning and sealing this facility’s duct system provided numerous benefits. Leaky ducts are inefficient and make a building’s HVAC system work much harder, contributing to higher energy bills and an increased carbon footprint. In addition, improperly sealed ducts can circulate and deposit dirty, dusty air throughout a facility, causing problems for people who suffer from allergies and asthma. The strategic application of the RS-100 sealant results in a smooth, tack free surface that will not promote the collection of dust, debris or particulate that could be a food source for bacterial growth. Thanks to an experienced contractor using the right products and equipment, this potentially difficult, lengthy and costly job was performed quickly and efficiently. Cool Zone was able to provide an easier, more cost-effective method for sealing the ductwork and ensuring proper airflow, which resulted in a happy customer whose air distribution system will operate at peak efficiency for years to come. D U C TA L E S
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ABOUT THE MAKER OF RS-100 Carlisle HVAC has specialized in making ductwork airtight for 50 years. Their expertise in creating a quality, long lasting hardcast duct sealants is matched by their continued innovation in the application of these sealants in both new construction and in the remediation of existing ducts. Learn more at www.carlislehvac.com.
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NADCA News
NADCA Celebrates
Years with
JADCA
N
ADCA President, Bill Benito, recently attended JADCA’s 25th anniversary celebration in Tokyo, Japan, where he offered a presentation on ACR, The NADCA Standard to Japan’s duct cleaning industry members and government officials. Current JADCA Chairman, Kazuhiko Ohmawari and VP and incoming Chairman, Masahiro Yoshida served as gracious hosts of Mr. Benito and IKECA Past President, Jim Roberts. The group traveled together with an interpreter and had the opportunity to meet with top level Japanese officials to discuss the importance of indoor air quality and the need to clean according to ACR. Benito stressed to government officials that they should look to JADCA as the leaders in indoor air quality before setting guidelines or procedures specific to indoor air quality and cleaning practices. While visiting Tokyo, Benito took in an evening welcome party with the JADCA board members, followed the next afternoon by the 25th Anniversary celebration where Benito presented JADCA with a token of appreciation. This crystal globe was meant to represent just how small the world can be when two organizations work together to benefit the duct cleaning industry. JADCA President Yoshida led an auction to benefit people suffering from indoor air
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quality issues as a result of disasters in the U.S. this year. The auction raised $10,000 USD, which was presented to Benito on behalf of JADCA and in thanks for prior support given to JADCA during their earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2010. The NADCA Board of Directors will work to determine the best use of these funds and will make those donations on behalf of both NADCA and JADCA. NADCA wishes to extend a very big “thank you” to JADCA for their support of NADCA and their graciousness in hosting our President. We wish to thank Mr. Ohmawari for his work with NADCA over the past eight years, and we look forward to building upon our already established relationship as Mr. Yoshida takes the reigns as Chairman. We also want to thank NADCA’s interpreter, Alex, who met the group at the airport and stayed with them throughout the entire trip to facilitate communication. Alex lived in New York City as a child and attended school there until age 12. He returned to Japan for the remainder of his childhood, but came back to the U.S. and spent much of his 20s in Boston. Eventually, Alex decided to work with his father in his HVAC business in Japan and went home to make that a reality. His knowledge of the English language paired with his HVAC knowledge made interpretation seamless and effective. D U C TA L E S
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NADCA News
JADCA’s auction to benefit people suffering from indoor air quality issues as a result of disasters in the U.S. this year.
After 16 hours of travel, greeting Bill and Jim at the airport are Mr. Yoshida (left), Mr. Ogawa (center), and Alex Yamada (right).
The auction raised $10,000 USD, which was presented to Benito on behalf of JADCA and in thanks for prior support given to JADCA during their earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2010.
NADCA President Bill Benito (left) presented JADCA with a gift symbolizing teamwork and collaboration.
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NADCA News
Associate Member Spotlight A Q&A with Sunbelt Rentals What are the key challenges facing Sunbelt Rentals’ industry? How should those challenges be addressed? What is Sunbelt Rentals? Sunbelt Rentals is one of the largest equipment rental companies in the U.S. with a network of more than 400 locations nationwide and an equipment rental fleet of $3.3 billion.
How did the company get its start? Sunbelt started with two locations in the Carolinas in the 1980s.
Who are your customers? We service a variety of customers, from those in the commercial, residential, municipal and specialized service industries, to the weekend doit-yourselfers. With an extensive fleet that includes general construction equipment, industrial tools, pumps, power generation equipment, climate control equipmen, and remediation and restoration equipment, we have what our customers need to get the job done. We also do aerial work platforms and design, erect and dismantle scaffolding.
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What makes Sunbelt Rentals different from its competitors? We are the only equipment rental company to offer customers a comprehensive performance guarantee. Sunbelt’s “No Sweat” Guarantee includes five customer advantages: Satisfaction, delivery, service, availability and after-hours response. We pride ourselves on customer service 24/7/365.
How does Sunbelt Rentals serve the HVAC, air duct cleaning and indoor air quality industries? We specialize in equipping contractors with the knowledge and equipment necessary to inspect, maintain and restore businesses and residences. We offer a wide selection of air conditioners and heaters for temporary climate control, dehumidifiers, air scrubbers, water damage equipment, fans, blowers, ventilators and heaters.
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With the new regulations on air quality and the greater costs of the new tier four engines, our costs have greatly escalated. Sunbelt Rentals is an environmentally concerned company that prefers to lead than follow, and strongly supports a clean environment. These added costs force us to raise rental rates to our customers. The challenge is that many of the smaller regional competitors are buying older used equipment to keep their costs down and offer lower rates to customers. Sunbelt’s concern for cleaner air and to desire to be more fuel efficient is gravitating toward the customers and markets that appreciate what Sunbelt is trying to do and understands the slightly higher costs.
How has NADCA membership benefited Sunbelt Rentals? It has allowed us to market to the NADCA membership and offer customers better rates and payment terms. This added volume opportunity has allowed us to be more price competitive.
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NADCA News
Partner Selling 8 Steps to Serve Your Customers & Be Rewarded By Ed Rigsbee, CSP, CAE
P
artner selling is a very logical approach to selling in today’s electronically connected world. We all like to do business with people we know and trust. This simply makes a buyer more confident in their purchase. If you sell from the perspective of serving customers as a partner, rather than an opponent, your rewards will certainly follow.
Step 1—Caring To become a trusted partner with your prospects and customers, first care enough to see their needs through their eyes. Their perception is their reality. Seeing things through their eyes will help you to position yourself as their caring and trusted partner—rather than just another vendor.
Step 2—Knowledge Product knowledge is table stakes in the game of selling. Without product knowledge, one will be lost in the fine art of translating product features into customer benefit. The other knowledge is that of knowing customer needs, wants, and desires. This comes from direct and meaningful communication with your customers. I’ve found that a basic understanding of Neuro-Linguistic 19
Programming (NLP), the science of how the brain learns will assist any salesperson to become substantially more effective in the sales process.
Step 3—Listening Listen for NLP indicators. Everybody has a primary basic learning strategy: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (feeling). People use each of the three strategies in different learning environments. Yet, most people favor one strategy. Determine your customers preferred strategy by listening to the kind of words they use. Talk with them in their NLP favored terms to build rapport more quickly. As an example, the customer who says something like, “I wonder how this will look on me?” is most likely a visual learner. Talk to that person in visual terms. Say something like, “Just picture yourself...” This is called direct or matched communication; you are mirroring your customer. Had you said, “Feel this fabric...” You would have had a communication mismatch. This communication matching is very effective in fast rapport building. The more rapport you have with the prospect/customer, the more they will tell you exactly how to sell to them. D U C TA L E S
Step 4—Questions One learns more through asking than does one in answering. Ask and listen, is the formula for selling success. The correct questions, if answered, allow you to hear exactly how to sell to the individual, or organization. Asking about needs, wants, and desires—along with past purchases will help you to know what product features will deliver the benefits desired. In your questioning, be certain to determine preferred learning strategy quickly and use seeing, hearing, or feeling words in your efforts to question prospects and customers.
Step 5—Benefits To this day, viewing Web Sites, sales and marketing materials, and listening people talk only about features, causes me great pain. People buy based on benefits; meaning how the product or service makes one’s life better. Features are those things built into the product or service that assist in delivering the desired benefit. Your customer is always thinking, “What’s in it for me?” If you act as a partner to your prospect or customer, you will always focus on talking about how the product or service will make their life better. JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
NADCA News
Step 6—Buying Motives Be a partner by helping prospects and customers to solve their problems…justify their emotional decision to buy through the logic of fulfilling their buying motive(s). Listed below are the six basic buying motives—they should cover most buying situations. Understand how your products and services solve these buying motives and you can be a successful partner with your customer for life. Different people, in different situations have one or more of the following buying motives. As an example, people generally buy insurance for fear of loss rather than for profit or gain, but play the stock market for profit or gain. Similarly, they buy aspirin and other pain killers for avoidance of pain rather than for pride and prestige. Yet pride and prestige is why most people buy an expensive luxury automobile. Sell to your prospect or customer’s buying motive and you’ll close the sale much more quickly.
feature creates a benefit that makes their life better. My favorite method in answering a prospect’s questions is the feel, felt and found method. Say, “I know how you feel, Mrs. Smith recently felt the same way. (Affirm their feelings.) She wasn’t sure the colorful fabric of a swimsuit would hold up to the chlorine of a community pool. She went ahead and took a chance. We chatted the other day, and she told me that she found the color did hold up, even better than she had expected. She thanked me for helping her to choose such beautiful swimwear.” To create urgency, talk about the limited availability or seasonal nature of items. The herd effect is sometimes helpful to get people into action. This is when you talk about how many have already been sold today, this week, or month. Ask them, “How many times have you gone back to a store to buy something you wanted but didn’t buy and it was gone?” Don’t let this sort of thing happen to your customers. Be a partner and help them not to be disappointed.
1.
Profit or Gain
2.
Fear of Loss
Step 8—Close the Sale
3.
Comfort and Pleasure
4.
Avoidance of Pain
5.
Loving and Affection
6.
Pride and Prestige
You cannot be a successful selling partner for long, unless you turn your prospects into buying customers. You, and your company, must earn a profit. While I am distressed by the number of my live seminar attendees that have told me they came just to learn closes, I am encouraged by the number that “got” the partner selling basics. While closing is crucially important, there is so mush more to selling than the twisting of arms.
Step 7—Create Urgency Help people to understand why it is in their best interest to act now. Answer objections simply and quickly, as if your customer is asking a question—because that’s what they really are doing. Say, “That’s a great question, I’m glad you asked.” Then go into overcoming their objection by telling how a particular D U C TA L E S
I love soft selling and an excellent soft close is silence. If you have enough confidence to remain quiet, simply review your offer, ask for the
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
sale, and wait until your prospect speaks. For most people, silence is very uncomfortable. This is the only pressure I’d ever suggest you use. Additional closes that I believe you will find helpful: 1.
The Assumption Close. As their “partner” act as if it was natural for all your customers to buy.
2.
The Act Now Close. If you snooze, you loose! Buy it today before it’s gone. Yes, this creates internal pressure, but you are not arm twisting.
3.
The Little Decision Close. First get prospects to commit to a style or color that they like rather than to making the purchase. Then try one of the other closes.
4.
The Premium Offer Close. Buy now and we’ll include...
5.
The Doorknob Close. As the customer is leaving the store, or as you are walking out of the prospect’s office, say, “Oh, by the way…I’m really interested in knowing what is the real reason you decided not to buy today?” At this point, they feel safe and will answer honestly. Then you ad a good partner can say, “Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about… Let me further explain...” Then go to the feel, felt, found method of overcoming objections and when you are comfortable that you answered all questions, try a different close.
6.
The Ask for It Close: There is nothing wrong with simply
continued on page 26 20
NADCA News
New ASCSs Melinda Allen Allen & Company Environmental Fort Worth, TX
Mike Hill Tri-County Cleaning Solutions LLC Sullivan, MO
Adam Back Ductz of Central Dayton and Oxford Englewood, OH
Ashraff Kareem AcreField Services Corporation Norfolk, VA
Hugh Bell Coit Services of Fort Mill South Carolina/ North Carolina Fort Mill, SC
Patrick Kelly National Air Quality Services New Haven, CT
Gene Berry Home Air System Pros LLC Tacoma, WA Joe Calloway Calloway Cleaning and Restoration Cincinnati, OH Jared Denham Jake’s Property Restoration Sheridan, CO Edward Herron Freedom Specialty Services Inc West Deptford, NJ Richard Hibbs Advantage Rapid Response, LP Dallas, TX
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Louis LaBille 3 D Cleaning of Virginia Winchester, VA Don Legg DE Investments, Inc. Monroe, LA Michael May Stanley Steemer International Dublin, OH Glen Morneault Duct Doctor USA of Hampton Roads Virginia Beach, VA Terrance Nations Aresco of Tidewater, LLC Virginia Beach, VA
Leroy Parker Parker Services, Inc. Tallahassee, FL James Queen Stanley Steemer International Dublin, OH
New Members 3-D Cleaning of Virginia Winchester, VA
Jake’s Property Restoration Sheridan, CO
AcreField Services Corporation Norfolk, VA
Parker Services, Inc. Tallahassee, FL
AdvantaClean of the Bellmores North Bellmore, NY
Rapid Cool Trading Co, LLC Deira, Dubai United Arab Emirates
Davit Sargsyan City Ventilation Monroe, NJ
Advantage Rapid Response LP Dallas, TX
Timothy Stuart TRC Disaster Solutions Oklahoma City, OK
Air Medic Cleaning Inc. Sparks, NV
Andrew Swalling Serv Pro Of Renton S&W Seattle Renton, WA Dean Theodore AdvantaClean of The Bellmores Bellmore, NY Todd Thompson Air Medic Cleaning Inc. Reno, NV Pierre Luc Voisard Gestion Uni-Globe Inc. ServiceMaster Des Laurentides St. Jerome, QC Canada
Servpro of Renton Renton, WA Steamatic Australia Braeside, VIC Australia
Aresco of Tidewater, LLC Virginia Beach, VA
Steamatic of San Diego Oceanside, CA
Blackmon-Mooring Services, Ltd. Fort Worth, TX
Tri-County Cleaning Solutions LLC Sullivan, MO
City Ventilation Monroe, NJ
New Supplemental Members
Corporate Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Baton Rouge, LA Gestion Uni-Globe Inc. ServiceMaster Des Laurentides St. Jerome, QC Canada Home Air System Pros Tacoma, WA
D U C TA L E S
Duct Doctor USA of Hampton Roads Virginia Beach, VA New Associate Members Safety First Appliance Protection LLC San Antonio, TX
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
NADCA News
NADCA Committee Assignments Annual Meeting Co-Chairs:
Matt Mongiello Michael Vinick
Tommy Gwaltney Peter Haugen Rick MacDonald Jimmy Meyer MJ Palazzolo Keith Reynolds Terri Reynolds Meg Walker Cindy White
By-Laws Policies Procedures Chair:
Dan Stradford Richard Lantz Pierre Laurin Ronald Nichols
Certification Committee Chair:
Dan Stradford Bill Benito Brad Kuhlmann Richard Lantz Pierre Laurin Greg Long Rick MacDonald Mike McDavid Vito Moscato Todd St. Ores Tom Yacobellis
Sub-committee: CVI Job Analysis Chair:
Bill Benito
Education & Safety Committee Co-Chairs:
Mike White Rick MacDonald
Bill Benito Tommy Gwaltney Richard Lantz Kehau Mendes Ronald Nichols Robert Rizen Dan Stradford Bill Tyrell
Sub-committee: Training Programs Chair:
Richard Lantz
Sub-committee: White Paper Task Force Chair:
D U C TA L E S
Dan Stradford
Sub-committee: Safety Program Review and Update
Sub-committee: Social Media
Sub-committee: Regional Technical Advisory
International Affairs
Chair:
Dan Stradford
Committee (RTAC) Chair: Rick MacDonald Mike Dexter Mike White Richard Lantz Kehau Mendes Mike McDavid Bill Tyrell Jimmy Meyer
Ethics Committee Chair:
Richard Lantz Pierre Laurin Ron Nichols Dan Stradford
Finance Committee Chair:
Michael Vinick Bill Benito Richard Lantz John Line Al Sutton April Yungen
Industry & Public Relations Committee Co-Chairs:
Bill Benito Richard Lantz
Jim Castellano Chad Cowan Peter Haugen Clayton Ivany Matt Mongiello Chris Wilson Stephan Worall
Sub-committee: Energy Research Study Task Force Chair:
Mike White Bill Benito
Sub-committee: EPA Website update Task Force Chair:
Rick MacDonald
Sub-committee: Editorial Committee Chair:
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
Bill Benito Richard Lantz
Chair: Chair:
Richard Lantz Bill Benito Matt Mongiello Carlos Gonzalez-Boothby Peter Haugen Pierre Laurin Rick MacDonald Travis Tassey
Regional Coordinators United States
Northwest - Vito Moscato, Bill Tyrell Southwest - Matt Kelly, Kehau Mendes Northeast - Rick MacDonald Southeast - Tommy Gwaltney, Perry Bagley Canada Region 9 - Gary Lapstra Region 9.5 Quebec - Nicolas Charland Oceania-Australia Region 11 - Jeremy Stamkos Italy Region 12 - Chair: Giorgio Ziragachi, Past President of AIISA; Andrea Casa, President of AIISA China Region 15 - Robert Nicholson Central & South America Relations Chair: Carlos Gonzalez-Boothby Richard Lantz
Membership Chair:
Michael Vinick Nelson Constanza James Cooke Peter Haugen Matt Mongiello MJ Palazzolo Kevin Uilkie Mark Zarzaczny
Leadership Development Committee Chair:
Bill Benito
ACR Standards Committee Chair:
Bill Lundquist Bill Benito Brad Kuhlmann Richard Lantz Greg Long Rick MacDonald
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NADCA News
Committee Spotlight Certification Committee NADCA’s Certification Committee, led by Chairman Dan Stradford, oversees NADCA’s certification programs including the Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) Certification and the Certified Ventilation Inspector (CVI) Certification. These certification programs raise the level of professionalism within the air duct cleaning industry and help give the public an assurance of quality. The committee wants to ensure that you have the information you need to properly maintain your certification.
Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) Certification NADCA’s ASCS certification was developed to recognize those industry professionals involved in the proper cleaning of HVAC systems. An Air System Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) is qualified to serve as a project manager for residential and commercial HVAC cleaning and restoration projects and also qualifies as a ventilation system mold remediator. Today, many job specifications require that a certified ASCS be on a project. Having an ASCS certified technician on staff can benefit your company in many ways, including: P
Meeting bid specifications
P
Attracting more customers
P
Meeting the ASCS requirement for NADCA membership
When do I need to renew my certification? ASCS certification expires and is renewable by July 1 of each year. Please note that it is your responsibility as an ASCS to maintain certification and apply for certification renewal in advance of the deadline. Certification is valid until the expiration date listed on your certificate. 23
D U C TA L E S
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
NADCA News
How much does it cost to renew my certification?
CEC Train the Trainer Program
There is an annual maintenance fee ($75 for members, $900 for non-members) associated with certification renewal.
Attending NADCA’s Annual Meeting provides access to the CEC Training Program, which is a convenient, cost-effective way for companies with multiple ASCS-certified personnel to help them obtain their six CECs. Annual Meeting attendees receive CEC-designated presentations that they can take back to their offices and train any ASCSs within the company who did not attend the event. An affidavit must be signed and returned to NADCA, stating that the presentation materials were covered in-depth so that six CECs can be awarded.
How do I renew my certification? NADCA requires certified individuals to have six Continuing Education Credits (CECs) each year in order to be eligible for renewal. Individuals who do not accrue sufficient continuing education credits prior to their renewal date are required to re-take the examination at the regular fees. The certification year runs from July 1 to June 30, and credits for renewal must have been earned during that timeframe. For instance, if six credits were obtained in May 2013, they would count toward renewing the ASCS for the 2013-2014 year. If six credits were obtained in December 2013, they would count toward renewing the ASCS for the 20142015 year.
A listing of approved programs for CECs can be found at www.nadca. com. If you attend other NADCAapproved HVAC industry related training or events, you will need to complete and submit a CEC Request for Approval with documentation to see if the training qualifies for CECs.
How can I obtain CEC credits? Attendance at NADCA’s Annual Meeting, Technical Conference and International Summits
P
Other approved HVAC industry related training and events
P
Online renewal quizzes via www.nadcatesting.com
P
NADCA webinars and online training
D U C TA L E S
By passing the CVI certification exam, an individual demonstrates his or her knowledge and understanding of inspecting HVAC systems, diagnosing IAQ problems and reporting findings to the customer.
When do I need to renew my certification? The CVI certification is valid for three years, expiring on July 1 of the third year. Please note that it is the CVI certified individual’s responsibility to maintain certification and renew in advance of the deadline. Certification is valid until the expiration date listed on your certificate.
How do I renew my certification? CVI renewal is completed by taking an online quiz at www.nadcatesting. com. This is the only option for CVI renewal.
LOOK FOR YOUR RENEWAL NOTICE!
CECs can be obtained in a variety of ways including the following: P
Certified Ventilation Inspector (CVI) Certification
NADCA will be sending out renewal notices in March reminding certified individuals to renew their certification in advance of the renewal deadline. In the meantime, certified individuals are encouraged to visit www.nadca.com and click the Member Resources tab, then Certification, for additional information.
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
24
Your Business
Building Your E-mail Client List By Mike Palazzolo, Founder of Safety King Incorporated The following is the third in a series of articles on the tools that my company, Safety King Incorporated, uses to make us the Midwest’s largest and Michigan’s most experienced and effective air duct cleaning company. This installment is focused on how to build a robust electronic client list. A final installment will be published in the next edition of DucTales focusing on how to create easily remembered tollfree phone numbers.
M
ost of us would like to steadily build a robust electronic client list with current customers who are receptive to e-mail marketing. Nobody is more likely to buy from a company than previous customers. Often all they need is a reminder that it’s time for service again or a quick note on a hot special. E-mail is an ideal way to provide those reminders or quick notes because there are no printing or postage costs and the messages are quick and easy to send out. It’s not always easy, though, to add e-mail addresses to lists. Some customers hesitate to provide their e-mail addresses because they don’t really want additional commercial messages in their in-boxes. The best way to turn customer reluctance into enthusiastic acceptance is to offer incentives that will encourage them to want to be on your e-mail list. The following are two of the incentives we have found most effective at Safety King to retain and add customers to our list.
25
D U C TA L E S
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
Your Business
Before and After Photos When our technicians perform a residential or commercial air duct cleaning job, they take a number of high resolution digital before and after photos of the job. We store those images on our server linked to the job in our database. If we later need to examine those photos, it’s easy for us to find, view or print them. The benefit for customers is that we can also e-mail them reduced resolution versions of the photos after the job is completed if they want copies to review or for their files. Our office staff offers this option when booking a job on the phone, and it often results in customers agreeing to be on our e-mail list.
These incentives have steadily helped us grow our e-mail client list in a way that provides good value to our customers while allowing us to continuing to market to them over time. You can have the same successful results within your own company with these and other creative incentives. The key to success is making e-mails a value to customers instead of a nuisance. If you’re able to create that value, there’s no telling how large your list can grow to be and how much more valuable it can become to growing your business.
ABOUT SAFETY KING
Discount Coupons Another effective incentive includes a monthly discount we offer on one or more of our services which customers can take advantage of by printing an electronic coupon and then handing the printed coupon to our technicians when they arrive to do the work. To gain access to the coupon, the customer simply visits our website, clicks on the Internet Specials link and signs up for our e-mail client list. The list is connected to a marketing service that automatically e-mails the coupon to the customer as soon as he or she opts in to the e-mail client list. When we later send reminders or other marketing e-mail messages to our client list, we occasionally have some customers who respond by unsubscribing in spite of our best efforts, however, we also have a much larger share of our customers who respond with repeat purchases.
Partner Selling, continued from page 20 asking for your prospect to buy. The three great words that will change your life are: Ask For It. Be a bold and fearless partner, overcome rejection and doubt. Always, ask your partners for their business.
D U C TA L E S
Safety King is the largest air duct cleaner in the Midwest and offers Licensed Affiliate status to companies in the US and in all English-speaking parts of the world. Its founder, Mike Palazzolo, is a founding member and former president of NADCA and now leads MSP Sales, Inc., a marketing company offering custom business phone numbers as well as services industry marketing consulting. For information, call 1-888-4-MICHAEL.
While the above suggestions are not magic and not guaranteed to work all the time; in my experience the above ideas will help you to build more meaningful relationships with your prospects and customers and to sell more of your products and services more quickly. © 1992-2013 Ed Rigsbee This article by Ed Rigsbee, CSP, CAE, was originally published in Selling
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
Power Magazine in 1992 and was heavily edited in 2012. Ed is the author of three books on business collaboration: PartnerShift, Developing Strategic Alliances and The Art of Partnering. He has over 2,000 print-published articles to his credit and is a regular keynote presenter at corporate and trade association conferences internationally. Many know Ed as “The ROI Guy.” More information at www.rigsbee.com To access helpful additional information from Ed Rigsbee at no charge, please visit www.rigsbee.com/ downloadaccess.htm.
26
Your Business
Leveraging Your Business Relationships By Ed Rigsbee, CSP, CAE
C
onducting business successfully has always been, and will always be, driven by relationships. While many claim relationships in business are dead and price is the only game, they are sadly mistaken. Today, more than ever before— leaders must fill their skills toolbox with the knowledge and ability to leverage both casual and sustained relationships into more formal strategic alliance relationships.
Reasons for Alliance Relationships Looking at the alliance possibilities, the leader of an organization must ask, “What’s in it for my organization?” The answer to this question is that there are a number of benefits to any organization in building alliance relationships. First the leader must have a clear understanding of both the strength and weaknesses of their organization. Armed with this knowledge, the leader can look at potential alliance relationships to shore up the organizations weaknesses and share its strengths. Chapter One of my book, Developing Strategic Alliances, will give you a number of typical business alliances. This chapter is available to you at no charge. Download the chapter at www.rigsbee.com/dsa1.htm.
Total Organizational Partnering System— The Partnering Pentad The Total Organizational Partnering System is a strategic approach in which the leader may view their 27
organization. Also called the Partnering Pentad, there are five strategic areas for building internal and external alliance relationships. The five areas are: the leadership alliance, the employee alliance, the customer alliance, the supplier alliance and strategic alliances (frequently with competitors). The system is the method in which all the areas interact with one another. Find more information at www.rigsbee. com/ps6.htm.
Alliance Implementation In recent history, alliance relationships only enjoy success in the 50-percentile area. Much of the reasons for alliance success and failure revolve around the leader’s implementation strategy. The need to drive alliance relationships from the top of any organization is crucial to the success of any attempted alliance relationships both internal and external to the organization. Eli Lilly and Company is a forerunner in alliance implementation. For more on their strategy, visit alliances.lilly. com. Additionally, visit my alliance resource page at www.rigsbee.com/ allianceresources.htm. At this web page, you will be able to access a number of organizations that are actively participating in helping organizations develop alliance relationships.
relationships, leaders can dramatically increase the potential for success by embracing and developing an emotional ownership in four necessary relationship tools. First, leaders must focus on getting things done rather than on being right. Second, leaders must make relationship bank deposit before they attempt to make withdrawals. Third, leaders must maintain their integrity, especially in times of relationship conflict. Fourth, leaders must use the relationship value update tool for all alliance relationships. If you would like a copy of my Relationship Value Update Form, please e-mail your request (in subject box: RVU request) to Ed@Rigsbee.com.
Leaders Driving the Alliance Paradigm In any organization, the culture is driven from the top down—never the bottom up! As goes the leadership, goes the organization. In building outrageously successful alliance relationships, it is the same. The idea of leveraging relationships into formal alliances—doing so successfully, and in a sustained manner, is built on the foundation of active leadership participation. Leaders always set the bar, benchmark and tone. © 2010-2013 Ed Rigsbee
Developing Outrageously Successful Alliance Relationships In all of the previously mentioned areas for developing alliance D U C TA L E S
Ed Rigsbee, CSP, CAE, is the author of PartnerShift, Developing Strategic Alliances and The Art of Partnering. Additionally, he has over 2,000 published articles to his credit. Ed travels internationally to deliver strategic alliance keynotes and workshops. He can be reached at +1-805-498-5720, ed@rigsbee.com or visit www.rigsbee.com.
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014
NADCA News
Industry Calendar NADCA Events NADCA’s 25th Annual Meeting & Exposition March 3-6, 2014 San Antonio
Related Industry Events
29
IAQA 17th Annual Meeting March 17-19, 2014 Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville, Tenn.
ACCA March 17-20, 2014 Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville, Tenn.
Restoration Industry Association Convention & Industry Expo April 9-11, 2014 Orlando World Center Marriott Orlando, Fla.
IKECA Annual Conference April 23-26, 2014 Las Vegas
D U C TA L E S
JANUARY•FEBRUARY 2014