Gemaire spring e zine

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Spring 2014

A print and online business magazine for Gemaire partners

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TECHNOLOGY:

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Spring 2014

CONTENTS 7

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ELITE

Gemaire is rewarding customers with the many advantages of the Gemaire Elite program. See how it can help you.

8

G.A.M.E.

2014 will be an exciting year for Gemaire’s Elite customers. A one-stop site for co-op, programs and promotions.

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PARTNERING Gemaire has programs to ensure top management gets your feedback on how they can better help.

TRAINING

On-site visit or tele-seminars, Gemaire is offering easy and affordable training to build your business.

FUN!

The “Commish” America’s commissioner of tailgating gives recipes and tips to make your year-round tailgating parties fun and easy.

12 Gemaire Elite

PUBLISHER - William Sabo • DESIGNER - Richard Johnson ADVISORS - Gemaire, Sam Gravatt, Wendy Cox, Rafael Castillo, Cindy Metzler All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reprinted without the express permission of the publisher.

Gemaire - 2151 W Hillsboro Blvd. • Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 • (954) 246-2665 Published by: Private Label Media Partners, 709 State Street, New Orleans, LA 70118, 877-618-6626 Copyright © 2014

president’s message

C

ommunication is the key. Not only how we communicate with you, but how our customers can give us valuable feedback to help achieve their business goals.

Last year, I told you about the Gemaire G.A.M.E web site that is quickly becoming one of the most invaluable communication tools with our contractors.

G.A.M.E is a single web portal where you can find all of your co-op accruals updated in real time.

G.A.M.E also should be your one-stop-shop for: • Vendor programs • Business announcements • Promotional material • Product literature • Technical support • And much more to make your daily business communication with us quick and easy.

However, communication is a two-way street. When I’m out meeting our customers, we get a lot of great ideas as to how we can better serve you. Our customers are some of the smartest business people in HVAC and we always find their insights interesting and valuable, but we wanted more great input.

Last year we launched the Elite Advisory Council (EAC) in all our distribution areas AND a Territory Manager Advisory Council (TMAC) with select territory managers.

The EAC is a cross-section of contractors that looks at how we do business and how we can better help you. They give us feedback on products, promotions, billing and everything else that affects their business and tell us what works, what doesn’t and how we can improve.

The territory managers are our primary contacts with our customers. They hear it all, but there has never been a formal process for them to report the comments and suggestions they receive. Well, with the TMAC, our talented TM’s give direct feedback to upper management at Gemaire.

Our job will be to take what our customers and TM’s are saying and improve what we do and how we do it.

We don’t see ourselves as suppliers; we see ourselves as your business partner.

Please take a few minutes to read through Gemaire Elite magazine. You’ll find information about new programs, stories of how to improve your business and even some great tailgating recipes for baseball, NASCAR and other spring and summer outdoor events.

Gemaire Elite also can be found on our G.A.M.E site where it can be forwarded to others in your company.

We look forward to your continued success!

Ken Connell President, Gemaire Distributors

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* Gemaire Elite

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E-Lite e® •Lightwe eight, durable plastic c pad •Unifo orm ribbing transfers load d evenly •Una affected by UV or weather

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elite

GEMAIRE Elite

A powerful dealer program that can save you money on just about everything

Gemaire Elite, a program that helps leverage the power of Gemaire’s 10,000 contractors with better buying power, greater communication, exclusive business services and even fun corporate perks, continues to bring value to members.

All purchases through Gemaire count toward qualifying for different Elite levels. Elite perks start at $50,000 in purchases. Higher volume contractors can get even more perks as spending increases. The levels are: • • •

Silver — $50,000+ Gold — $100,000+ Platinum — $200,000+

Sam Gravatt, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Gemaire who helped launch the Elite program earlier this year, said even more products and services will be added in 2014.

“We’re adding a lot of tools to help our customers,” Gravatt said.

One major initiative is to streamline the choice of programs offered to Gemaire contractors.

Often, contractors are so overwhelmed by the programs offered by vendors that they don’t even know

about many of them. Gravatt said Gemaire plans to have each vendor create a 60-second video that explains their program in quick and simple terms.

“We want to have all the vendors in one place,” Gravatt said. “It’s all about integration and simplicity.”

Marketing support, e-billing, technical resources and even discounts on rental cars, computers and office supplies are just a few of the perks offered under the exclusive program. Gemaire Elite offers products and services of more than a dozen approved vendors.

• • • • • •

Gemaire Elite is separated into several categories: The Gemaire Experience Sales Marketing, Rewards, Resources Operations Training Gemaire Marketplace

2014 enrollment is based on 2013 purchases. If you haven’t yet qualified and are interested in taking advantage of the Elite program, talk to your TM to learn how Gemaire can help you to reach your business goals.

For more information on the G.A.M.E. portal go to www.gemaire.com www.gemaire.com

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online

GEMAIRE G.A.M.E. 2014 Users of G.A.M.E. have doubled in the past year. It’s open to all Gemaire contractors who just need to sign up for an account to access all the information the platform has to offer.

It’s all about having information at your fingertips – whether you’re in the office, at a conference, working in the field, even burning the midnight oil at home or even on vacation.

G.A.M.E., Gemaire’s Advanced Marketing Extranet, the exclusive web portal developed for Gemaire contractors, is growing both in content and its number of users.

More training videos, vendor information, manufacturer information and seasonal promotion information is being added each month. And as the content grows, so does its users said Rafael Castillo, Gemaire’s Senior Divisional Marketing Manager.

Users of G.A.M.E. have doubled in the past year.

It’s open to all Gemaire contractors who just need to sign up for an account to access all the information the platform has to offer.

The big difference between G.A.M.E. and a typical distributor site is that once you log on, you are brought to your custom home page that has real-time co-op accruals and expenditures for each manufacturer, promotions from those manufacturers and other information specific only to your company.

Special care was used to keep the site simple, so

contractors can access their information quickly.

G.A.M.E. is designed to be a location with valuable information for contractors along with resources to support communication from territory managers.

No longer will a contractor have to make a call or wait for their TM to verify co-op or manufacturer information. Now, a few clicks on a website will get contractors that information on the computer, smartphone or tablet 24/7.

By near real-time tracking of co-op, contractors cannot only see how much money they’ve accrued, but can predict how much they are likely to accrue in the upcoming months, which will allow contractors to create seasonal or annual marketing plans, as opposed to waiting until all their money has accrued and they need to spend it quickly before it expires.

The G.A.M.E. site will continue to be updated this year. It will include short 60-second videos of vendor marketing programs, more product literature, training videos and even a CRM function to create automatic communication with contractors based on launches, changes or expirations of sales and marketing programs offered by Gemaire.

Contact your territory manager for more information 8

* Gemaire Elite

Log on at https://gemaire.corporateperks.com to see how you can cash in on buying everyday items

We all love free stuff! Isn’t it great when you earn enough miles from your frequent flier program to fly somewhere free. Or maybe it’s when you go through the American Express catalog and see the free golf clubs, vacations or electronics you can get because of all the points you racked up on the card.

Gemaire Elite Marketplace is the same concept as other loyalty programs, but instead of having to go to each company’s web site, open an account, track your points or miles, Gemaire Marketplace brings it all under one roof—or more exactly, one web site. Now, all your purchases can add up together which means you get to bundle those points far more quickly than ever before. You bank WOWPoints and as they add up, you can use them for just about everything.

Even though the program recently started last spring, Suzanne Warnky, of Warnky Heating & Cooling in Fort Myers, Fla., has already started to rack up her WOWPoints.

“I purchased airline tickets from Frontier and got 500 WOWPoints and I also signed up through T-Mobile and I get a 15 percent discount on our mobile phone bill,” she said.

The Gemaire Elite Marketplace site is offered exclusively to Gemaire Elite contractors. Just by signing up, members can qualify for corporate rates and discounts with more than 30,000 merchants, including rewards on both business and personal purchases such as rental cars, office supplies, computer discounts, restaurants, cell phones and other electronics. Believe it or not, you can even buy your service trucks through the site from your local dealership.

WOWPoints accumulate at about 1% of your purchase price, but one of the most powerful aspects of Gemaire Elite Marketplace is that thousands of merchants multiply those points by two, five and even 15, giving customers big paybacks for purchasing items they would have probably bought anyway.

“I like it because there are benefits for business and personal use,” Warnky said. “It’s similar to other reward points, but here they can be added to other reward programs.”

For more information go to: https://gemaire.corporateperks.com and start saving today!

www.gemaire.com

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perks

GEMAIRE Elite Marketplace

partnering

GEMAIRE

Elite Advisory Council Getting customer feedback fuels Gemaire’s customer service in 2014

Mid-Atlantic

Ike Brann, B&B Mechanical; Neil Philbrick, Philbrick, Inc.; Brian Johnson Williamsburg Heating & Air; Wayne Bower, Bower Heating & Air; Paul Mills, Air Experts Heating & Cooling; Daine Smith, Campbell Oil Company; Ray Cobb, Suffolk Sheet Metal; Scott James, TCS, Inc.; Steffen Meade, Universal Heating & Plumbing.

South Florida (Pictured left)

South Florida EAC Gemaire wants to know what you think, what you like, what you don’t like and how they can help you improve and expand your business and profitability.

In the past, that information was generally anecdotal through a phone call or informal meeting, but Gemaire has changed all that with the introduction of the Elite Advisory Council, (EAC). EAC members collectively act as sounding boards for themselves and other Gemaire contractors.

President Ken Connell and Sam Gravatt, VP of Sales and Marketing, officially launched the EAC in Q4 of 2013 in Florida, Texas, the mid-Atlantic and California. The council, comprised of 8-10 contractors from a cross-section of dealers, meet to discuss ideas and best practices and to give Gemaire upper management feedback about how to increase its value as a business partner.

The goal is to identify opportunities, overcome obstacles and ultimately increase profitability.

“It’s exciting to hear the voices of our customers and see how this process will positively impact Gemaire, our customers, as well as the industry at large,” Connell said. The meetings will be used as a method for gathering information useful for planning and evaluating programs, products and procedures through 2014.

Gemaire has turned to Gary Elekes, president of EPL Residential and a 30-year HVAC veteran to facilitate the meetings.

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* Gemaire Elite

Top Left: Roberto Esparza, Gemaire DVP; John Pankraz, Elite Electric & AC; Howard Pearl, Pride AC; Mike McDonald, M&S AC; Ralph Scanga, AC Excellence; Lucas Cuadrado, Air-Con Services; Sam Gravatt, Gemaire VP Sales & Marketing; Jeff Revlett, EPC; Bottom Left: Gregg D’attile, Art Plumbing; Danny Puig, Oscar Air Conditioning; Ken Connell, Gemaire President; J.W. Colontrelle, Barker Electric AC & Heat; David Daniels, Southern Comfort AC.

Central Florida

Chris & Christina Jones, Chris A/C; Allen McLeod, McLeod’s Air Conditioning; Mike Curtis, Arctic Air; Lonnie Ramsey, Ram-Z Air Conditioning; Teresa Teague, Altman’s Air Conditioning; Theo Etzel, Conditioned Air.

California

Steve Waterman, MHS Heating & Cooling; Steve Thoresen, Bill Howe Plumbing & Air; Robert McLennan, Air Crafts Htg & Air; Mike Kenny, Kenny Htg & Air Cond.; Greg Gill, Action Air Conditioning; Justin & Cathy Ashley, Fire & Ice; Paul Cosner, P.A.C. Heating; Matt Guthrie, Guthrie and Sons; Dan & Ryan Foster, Jackson & Foster; Scott Slayto Slayton Mechanical.

Texas

Abelardo Flores, Great Air; Terry Tekell, BCI Mechanical; Robby Surman, Bob’s Air Conditioning; Ron Tharling, Tharling Air Conditioning; Wyette Moore, All Service AC; Garrett Holtsclaw, Action Air Conditioning; Roy Villareal, Border Air Conditioning; Robert Martin, A-1 Quality.

fun!

Self-proclaimed COMMISH OF TAILGATING

shares winning recipes Football, baseball, NASCAR and high school sports are just a few places to set up and start cooking!

There are extreme tailgaters and then there’s Joe Cahn!

As the self-proclaimed Commissioner of Tailgating, Cahn may have the best job in America. In 1996, he sold his business, New Orleans School of Cooking, sold his house, bought a motor home and hit the road to explore what he calls “the new American community” tailgate parties.

Cahn says he’s the world’s only professional tailgater. He tailgates at football stadiums, NASCAR tracks, and any other event where they party in the parking lot. Now in his 17th season on the road, he has driven the JoeMobile over 850,000 miles, visited hundreds of cities, seen thousands of fans and has eaten his way through more than 850 tailgate parties.

During his Tailgating America Tours, he has traveled to all 31 NFL stadiums, over 123 college stadiums, and 9 NASCAR tracks, tailgated with hundreds of thousands of people and served more than 326 pots of Jambalaya! It’s every sports fan’s fantasy!

Continued on page 14

Dallas (Cowboy) Style Chili Ingredients 1/4 cup vegetable oil 3 lb. beef chuck or round, 1/4" cubes 1 onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tbl. paprika 5-6 tbls. chili powder 1 tbl. ground cumin

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* Gemaire Elite

1 tsp. dried oregano 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 1 tsp. salt 1 cup water 2 jalapeños seeded, chopped (4 if you're from Texas) Pinto beans (Optional) Heat oil to medium

high. Cook beef until brown.

Add onion, garlic and saute 5 minutes.

Add paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano and stir for 3 minutes.

Add tomato sauce, salt, water, jalapeños

and 3 cups pinto beans (optional).

Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for at least 2 hours, adding water if needed.

Serve with cheese on top and french bread and cold beer.

fun!

The Commish’s BBQ Shrimp Ingredients 1 lb. butter 2 tbs. Joe's Stuff, or any all-purpose Cajun or creole seasoning blend (to taste) 1/3 cup worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. lemon juice 5 oz. beer 1 tsp. chopped garlic 3-4 lbs. Shrimp Melt 3/4 lb. butter in skillet, and saute garlic, shrimp and seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add beer, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Cook for 3-6 minutes, until shrimp are cooked and liquid thickens.

Add remaining butter and shake pan until butter is melted and mixture creams out. Serve with plenty of fresh bread to sop up da sauce! Serves 8

Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Brats This is Joe’s most popular item that he’s ever made and is hands down his most asked for recipe.

Ingredients 6 cans of Beer Package of bratwurst 1 sweet or yellow onion (sliced) 1 package of bacon (not-cooked) 1 block of cheddar or monterey jack cheese or pepper jack sliced in 3-inch long thick chunks Package of hot dog buns or hoagies Toothpicks Boil brats and onions in beer. Drain and let cool.

Slice brats open scoop out part of center

for room for cheese. Add cheese in and close the brat.

Starting on the end toothpick a piece of bacon and then wrap around brat to the other end securing with another toothpick.

Drain the leftover onion and place in a foil pouch.

Grill brats on open rack flipping until bacon becomes fully cooked. (The brats were previously cooked so you just want them to be hot. Add the foil package of onions to the grill to re-heat.

Serve brats on bun with onions and a dab of mustard (optional).

Joe's Jambalya THIS IS MY FAVORITE RECIPE BECAUSE YOU CAN PUT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN IT. IF IT WALKS, CRAWLS, SWIMS OR FLIES, IT CAN BE THROWN INTO JAMBALAYA. EVERYTHING GOES INTO ONE POT SO CLEAN UP'S A BREEZE. (12 to 15 servings) 1/4 cup vegetable oil 5 cups chicken stock or water flavored with chicken bouillon 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 tbs. minced garlic salt and ground black pepper 4 cups long grain rice 1 1/2 lbs. sausage cut in 1/4-inch slices 2 tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet (browning agent) 4 cups chopped onions 2 tbsp. seasoning salt 2 cups chopped celery 2 cups chopped green onions 2 cups chopped green bell pepper Season chicken with salt and pepper; brown in hot oil in 8 quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 5-to-7 minutes. Remove chicken and sausage from pan; set aside. Add onions, celery, green peppers and garlic; cook, stirring 7-10 minutes or until vegetables begin to wilt. Stir in chicken stock, reserved chicken and sausage, seasoning salt and Kitchen

Bouquet. Bring to a boil. Add rice and return to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 10 minutes; remove cover and quickly turn rice from top to bottom completely. Replace cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Stir in green onions.

For brown jambalaya, add 1 heaping tbsp. brown sugar to hot oil and caramelize, or make a roux, or use Kitchen Bouquet. For red jambalaya, add approximately 1/4 cup paprika or use 1/2 stock and 1/2 tomato juice or V-8 for your liquid. For seafood jambalaya, add cooked seafood when rice is cooked.

If using an electric stove, reduce cooking time by 3-4 minutes.

Cook jambalaya for a total of 25 to 30 minutes, stirring well after 10 minutes.

Find more tips and recipes at www.tailgating.com or follow Joe on Facebook at Joe Cahn

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training

Today’s Consumers Want a Deal – And Financing is Expected

BY VICKI AND JOHN LAPLANT • OWNERS, VLE TRAINING

The best way to maximize profits is by selling more accessories while replacing old equipment. We like to call it bundling.

As the commercial says, kids today have it so easy! Think about how we boomers used to buy a new car or truck. We had a lot of decisions to make.

Could we afford the automatic transmission, air conditioning, the best speakers, or the leather seats? Today, cars come bundled with accessories.

They come with the blue tooth connection, the cruise control, the heated back window, air conditioning.

Why the change? Car manufacturers got smart and realized they could make more money per car simply by making it easier for consumers to buy the upgrades we all want anyway.

And financing became an expected offering for consumers.

After all, if the car is financed, all these extra upgrades are only “pennies” per day added to the monthly payment!

Car manufacturers were also the first ones to drag all retailers into the 0% same as cash promotions. And instead of embracing this brilliant marketing move, many times we hear contractors complain about the cost of offering financing and financing promotions, Post-recession consumers have been programmed to expect a “deal” whether that be a discount, special financing, two-forone, or added accessory at no cost. Regardless of the logic that a retailer may be marking up an item in order to offer it on sale, consumers still want a “deal” to ensure they are getting the best value.

Customers shouldn’t have to ask if your company offers financing. (Remember they have been programmed to expect it.)

The fact that financing is available should be broadcast on every advertising/social media that the company uses.

So how should the cost of financing promotions and credit card fees be recovered when some cost 6 to 8% of the total amount financed.

The cost of a financing promotion or the processing fee for credit cards should be recovered exactly like every other overhead or operating expense your company incurs. A portion of all consumer financing costs should be added to the cost of each and every service call and each and every installation performed as all other overhead costs are.

When you determine a gross margin for service and installation pricing, a portion of that gross margin is to offset the overhead that the company has and a portion of the gross margin is for profit. After the direct costs of a service call or an installation (equipment, parts, material, labor) are paid, the difference in the selling price and these direct costs is gross

margin. Imagine putting those gross margin dollars into a large pink piggy bank. And when bills come due such as payroll checks for the office, the cell phone bills, the gasoline for the trucks, financing promotion fees, some portion of that money is removed from the piggy bank to pay the bills. The dollars that remain in the piggy bank at the end of the year after all operating expenses are paid become profits.

The bottom line – putting both financing promotional cost and credit card processing fees into your overhead expense and recovering in the gross margin dollars accumulated from all

customers will rarely raise your overhead expense by more than ½% and more than likely by ¼%. Translated this means raise your price by ¼% on every installation and service call and the costs of a financing promotion and credit card fees are always covered.

www.gemaire.com

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technology

Flat rate software New technology may improve how you bill and communicate with customers

Crawford chose Picture Perfect Pricing because the program is very easy to learn because it’s menu and picture driven. Techs just need to press icons on the screen to find the right repair.

A simple online program that moved his company to flat-rate pricing has also changed the way Chris Crawford deals with customers.

“We’ve been billing time and materials for 50 years,” said Crawford, owner of Quality Heating & Air in Killeen, TX. “I knew we were losing money every month,” Not only has Crawford changed the way he charges customers, but the new system also changed the way his techs interact with customers.

In May, Crawford purchased Picture Perfect Pricing, a web-based tool that allows HVAC companies to seamlessly move to a flat-rate pricing.

The pricing program cost about $40 a month PER TECH for a small HVAC company.

Crawford described the interaction with the customer is more like what an automotive mechanic might use.

“When you take your car in, they call you a few hours later and give you repair options and what each one will cost,” he said.

In contrast, a typical HVAC service call consists of the tech coming to the house, asking the homeowner what the issue is, disappearing for a while and then coming back with a bill for the repair, Crawford said.

Crawford’s his new pricing model creates interaction and a conversation with the customer before the repair is made. The difference is that once the problem is diagnosed, the tech comes back to the homeowner and discusses the options, which may include the need for other repairs or even the installation of a new system.

Picture Perfect Pricing shows the homeowner on a simple iPad screen what’s wrong, how that affects their comfort or energy bill, and then gives them options for the repair. In addition, the program can show homeowners the cost of the current repair, an estimate of future repairs, and the energy savings of a new system. It also can instantly email the diagnosis

For more information go to www.PicturePerfectPricing.com

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* Gemaire Elite

Techs pull up pre-loaded screens that allows them to easily browse hundreds of parts and services. and estimate to the homeowner, giving the company an ongoing electronic record of the homeowners repairs and also captures their email for future contact – an invaluable communications tool these days for marketing-savvy contractors.

Not only does this model create an opportunity for an upsell, but it also involves the homeowner in the overall decision process and gives them input throughout the entire process, which reduces the sticker shock or a major repair.

“It gives the homeowner an opportunity to feel much more comfortable with the process,” Crawford said.

Crawford outfits each of his trucks with an iPad. He said the learning curve for his techs was very quick. Even though more HVAC contractors are moving toward a flat rate pricing model to simplify customer billing and increase profits, internal training implementation is often the biggest issue.

Crawford said he researched many of flat-rate programs and even considered just creating a notebook with all his pricing but said the books were too big and might take a tech “a half a day just to find a code,” not to mention the task of updating or making changes to individual books.

Picture Perfect Pricing, created by HVAC Business Solutions in Stafford, TX, has a website that takes HVAC contractors through the system – how it works, updating, loading your own services and changing prices. In addition, the company offers a 30-day free trial.

Dealers are charged an annual fee based on the number of technicians in the field, internal office personnel are free. Included in the annual subscription are free software updates, a dedicated account manager and unlimited technical support for as long as you use the program. More than 1,000 parts and repair charges are pre-loaded in Picture Prefect Pricing based on an industry average. Individual dealers can tweak or change prices all at once or individually.

The tech side of the program can also contains wiring diagrams, repair video and manuals to help the tech in the field. Contractors can easily load supplemental materials from manufacturers and distributors.

Brian Starzec, president of HVAC business solutions, said the price actually drops in year two and three because there is generally less tech support and training needed. Starzec said his company offers support to walk customers through the process, whether it’s training, customizing the program, changing prices or even creating icons.

Picture Perfect Pricing also allows dealers to print their price lists in case they want to create books. Starzec said new upgrades launched in September include a form that shows homeowners all their system components in a simple list and also highlights which parts are in need or replacement and which are starting to fail.

“Dealers don’t get credit for all the work they do,” Starzec said. “This shows all the things we check and it builds value for the customer.”

www.gemaire.com

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technology

Test flat-rate pricing free for 30 days

SEO

Internet marketing Easier than ever It’s hard enough dealing with customers, employees, billing, scheduling, truck maintenance and everything else a small HVAC business has to manage to stay in business.

Now you’re supposed to be an Internet marketing genius too?

Gemaire has partnered with an Internet marketing company to help ease the hi-tech burden from its contractors. iMarket Solutions is a full service web developer that specializes in HVAC companies and has plans to virtually meet anyone’s needs or budget.

“With over 40 years combined experience in the HVAC industry, our team has the knowledge and marketing expertise to build an online marketing strategy that works,” said iMarket President Nadia Romeo.

Carney Plumbing and Heating in Bucks County, PA. is a good example.

The company’s average cost per lead was about $300 (which is just about average for the HVAC business).

Yellow page calls were slowing down as more customers searched the Internet to find contractors.

Owner Kevin Carney contacted iMarketing Solutions and laid out his goals: • A great website • Make Carney appear on the first page of the search engines • Track the results with metrics to prove value and success.

• Dominate the 88 towns over a 6-month ramp up window for SEO • Make the site the cornerstone of all marketing activity for Carney iMarket created a vibrant website with high-quality content, interactive features, product information and promotional offers. On the back end, iMarket also set up tracking, analytics and other site architecture to measure, test and evaluate the site down to the page level.

A year later, Carney said the

results have been fantastic: • Pay Per Click Cost per lead has been about $31.00. compared to $250 or $300 • Calls are being recorded and used for customer service training • Carney’s website generates on average over 150 leads a month • Carney knows the amount of site visitors, and what they viewed • Carney is now appearing in the search engine results for all 88 towns For more information call Nadia Romeo at 800-727-3920, email: nadia@imarketsolutions.com

or visit www.imarketsolutions.com

training

GEMAIRE business training On-site and teleconference training in 2014

Training can be one of the most efficient ways to increase your profits, decrease your turnover and expand your business into new markets and product lines.

To help its business partners move their business forward, Gemaire is launching several new training programs under its “Gem-U” brand that address every aspect of an HVAC contractor’s business.

“Let’s face it, we don’t sell something until our customers sell something,” said Sam Gravatt, VP of Sales and Marketing for Gemaire.

Gemaire corporate has segmented training into three categories including business training, technical training and teleseminars.

The business and technical training usually takes place on-site, either at a contractor’s office or another central location. The teleseminars are interactive webinars conducted over the phone in a conference call format.

Some of the topics under the onsite business and technical training include: • Technical • Service Best Practices • New Products • Business Development

• Financial Planning • Engineering • Indoor Air Quality • Marketing Seminars vary in cost, and several Lunch & Learns are available free of charge. Please go to the G.A.M.E. online site for more information about upcoming seminars.

TELE-SEMINARS The one-hour tele-seminars are open to all Gemaire contractors and are free. The seminars highlight different vendors who can bring business and marketing solutions to its contractors.

“They focus on ways to increase profitability,” said Cindy Metzler account manager for Rheem Team. “It’s important to expose our contractors to new opportunities.

We want to stay in front and show customers that Gemaire is a proactive business partner that offers programs they won’t get with other distributors.”

Gemaire asks the vendor facilitating the training to offer a discount or added-value for all contractors who register for the seminar. For example, when Picture Perfect Pricing’s president Brian Starzec recently conducted a training on flat-rate pricing, he

offered a free app worth $350.

Another vendor offered $500 off their Internet marketing package.

The tele-seminars are held one Wednesday per month and provided twice on the same day to accommodate all time zones at 9 AM (EST) and 2 PM (EST).

Gemaire sends an e-mail invitation prior to each tele-seminar highlighting the vendor, time and date. The emails also have a simple link to register.

Metzler said the seminars are great time savers for contractors who want to learn about different programs. Contractors also can have as many people as they want on the call, so several people in the same company can learn about a program at the same time.

The programs are interactive, so contractors can ask questions or clarification. But if you happen to miss one –– not to worry –– all teleseminars are recorded and archived at gemaire.com/GAME for viewing convenience. For more information about Gemaire’s previous or upcoming tele-seminars, please contact your Territory Manager or the Gemaire marketing department.

Check out the Gemaire training calendar at: www.gemaire.com

www.gemaire.com

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marketing

Target your best customers Home Improvement: Case Study #564 80%+ of home improvement shoppers read Valassis Shared Mail and 45%+ respond to it which makes it clear why Gemaire has selected Valassis to provide you with marketing solutions designed to drive results from your customers. Valassis has over 40 years of experience ensuring results like no one else by leveraging targeted solutions, industry expertise, a proven track record of results and relevant offers. Below is one example of how Valassis drove success for a home improvement client.

Challenge A major home improvement retailer was experiencing a decline in traffic as a result of the recession in a hard hit west coast market. To generate traffic and trial around targeted

locations, the client offered customers a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $75 or more.

Solution The client ran weekly Inserts in Shared Mail so the market was conditioned to look in the RedPlum® package for the client’s advertising message.

Results Shared Mail redemption rates averaged .5%, exceeding projected benchmarks by 46%. The Shared Mail program delivered a return of $3.38 for every dollar invested.

Valassis Solution Center | Toll-free: 866-576-0523 | Email: RHEEMvsc@valassis. com

Right At Home

A powerful national marketing tool available to local contractors Rheem Corporation recently added Right At Home magazine to their consumer web site because of its powerful branding.

“We have used other customer retention magazines in the past, but find our customers really appreciate and look forward to your magazine. We have found our customers holding on to the magazine for months because of the interesting articles, coupons and recipes,” said Jim Barry, owner of Aloha AC in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who has used the magazine for three years.

Right At Home is used to attract customers to www.Rheem.com and you can use the same highquality marketing tool to attract new customers and increase your relationship with current

customers.

Your 16-page, full-color and customized magazine is available in print and online. The front and back covers are branded specifically for your business.

Right At Home qualifies for Top Contractor and co-op funds.

You can mail and hand out the print edition while embedding your custom e-magazine directly into your website, emails and e-newsletters. Hundreds of Rheem contractors have used this powerful marketing tool since 2007.

A new issue of Rheem Right At Home is available each spring and fall to help with your local marketing.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: call Bill at 877-618-6626 www.RheemMagazine.com Email - bsabo@RheemMagazine.com

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customer service

Share winning ideas Direct feedback from the front line is improving Gemaire’s sales and marketing efforts Gemaire territory managers hear it all.

As the key link between Gemaire and its customers, Territory Managers (TM’s) are the best source of what’s working and what’s not. They hear ideas, complaints, how great some programs are doing, how some need to be improved or how some just need to be ended.

Sam Gravatt, VP of Sales and Marketing for Gemaire, knew there was a wealth of information to improve sales and marketing programs if the company could tap into what the TM’s were hearing.

“The TM’s are out talking to the customers all the time. They are a great sounding board,” Gravatt said. “We can sit here in the corporate headquarters and make decisions, but the closer we are to the customer, the better we are as an organization.”

Gravatt asked six TM’s, representing each sales division, to participate in a Territory Manager Advisory Council (TMAC). The plan was to meet each month with select Gemaire management via conference call, and share honest ideas and customer comments and to report back on new initiatives.

“We get real-time feedback,” Gravatt said. “It allows us to quickly make changes to programs or even cancel them altogether if they are not working.”

“It’s something very different,

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but also very effective,” said Mark Rambo, a TM for Gemaire in Fort Myers who has been on the council for the past year. “It certainly has helped implement best practices throughout our company and has been a good pipeline to upper management.”

Rambo said sharing ideas with other TM’s is a great way to help

customers. One TM may have solved a problem or tested a program and they can quickly move that idea to other markets.

“We all have the same goals:” Rambo said, “Help our customers grow and to grow with them.”

The program rotates new members to remain fresh and keep new blood and fresh ideas flowing.

Here’s The Marketing Solution You’ve Been Waiting For!

www.scribblevoice.com www.onhold123.com

What are ScribbleVoice™ videos??

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• Whiteboard animation “scribble” videos • Fun to watch and very informative • Innovative visuals mixed with a high quality soundtrack • “Explainer” videos that provide customers with an understanding of your company’s products and services • A unique way to advertise! Consumers are compelled to watch the entire video

• Markets your company’s products and services to an already captive audience while waiting on hold • Improves your company’s overall image with professional voice and music • Highlights the positive aspects of your business • Statistically keeps callers on the line for up to 3 minutes longer

Call today: 800-571-2499 x301 Mention “Gemaire Elite” to receive special HVAC Industry pricing!

AudioMenu, Inc. is a Gemaire Preferred Partner

marketing

Sell with a story, not just slogans

POPULAR WHITE BOARD VIDEOS NOW AVAILABLE TO GEMAIRE CONTRACTORS

You’ve probably seen white board animations on TV and especially the Internet. The concept is pretty simple, a narrator starts to tell you about a service or product while a hand draws an on-going illustration with a thick marker on what is basically a virtual dry eraser board.

It’s surprising how long this type of advertising can hold your attention. Part of it is the professional audio soundtrack in sync with an animation being created right before your eyes. The other is it’s just fun to watch an artist draw.

“It’s different. It’s interesting,” said Russ Riba, creative director for AudioMenu, the company that customizes these ScribbleVoice Videos for Gemaire contractors.

White board animation messages, as they are commonly known, have become increasingly popular with web advertisers because they tell a story, look high quality and the cost of production can be hundreds, or even thousands of dollars less, compared to a short video or TV commercial. A brief white board animation generally can be produced for under $800.

The typical ScribbleVoice ad runs one to two minutes.

Each one is customized and created specifically for each dealer. Once the video is created, it can be posted on YouTube and easily linked to the client’s site.

“We ask the client to give us a few bullet points and we’ll turn it into a story,” Riba said. The concept of creating a “story” as opposed to something resembling a boring Power Point presentation is vital to keeping the viewer’s interest and attention, Riba said. “It keeps you captured.”

The video also can contain a hand-drawn company logo or other types of graphics and pictures.

Since AudioMenu started as a company that created broadcast commercials, they work hard to keep that same high-quality audio for all their advertising.

Riba said white board animations can help create a better overall web site by adding entertaining informational videos that may explain why changing an air filter is important or what contractors do when performing tune-ups or equipment inspections.

FAST FACTS: • Videos are 53 TIMES more likely than traditional web pages to receive an organic FIRST page ranking.

• 92% of internet users DO NOT GO PAST THE FIRST PAGE of search results, so it’s critical for businesses to learn techniques to help you get 1st page rankings!

• Customers will stay on your website 4-5 times longer when it includes video content.

For more information contact AudioMenu at 800-571-2499 or www.ScribbleVoice.com

www.gemaire.com

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best practice

HOW TO AVOID BEING MEDIOCRE CONDITIONED AIR CEO OPERATES HIS COMPANY LIKE A FOOTBALL COACH By: W. Theodore Etzel, III CEO, Conditioned Air Corporation of Naples, Inc. Member Elite Advisory Council

Vince Lombardi, the late, great Packers’ coach is often misquoted when people say: “Practice makes perfect.” The real quote attributed to him is: “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

And, while perfection is typically unattainable, putting into action best practices that point us in that direction can be a true game changer in succeeding in our markets and against our mediocre competition.

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best practice

“Prioritizing the ideas you glean from others and methodically putting them into practice is the best way to get those practices adopted. As the best practices process becomes more routine, the changes tend to become more incremental in nature and not as overwhelming as in the beginning.”

—Theo Etzel The process of finding, reviewing, developing, and implementing best practices for a business is, just that, a process. The first question that must be asked is: “Is it worth the time, risk, investment, and effort to put his process into motion?” If you can answer this question with a “yes,” then you have begun to answer the “why” you believe it to be important for the company. I believe that one of the lessons learned in the recent (and current) economic downturn is that customers are harder to get and keep and, they expect businesses to deliver their goods and services in as efficient and cost saving a manner possible, delivering the greatest value.

Aiming to be mediocre is, in reality, a give-up business model. Continuous improvement and striving to be the best in your market is the only road to surviving and thriving in this, or any economic landscape.

Many leaders in businesses are taking on more and more daily responsibilities as staff has been cut and the need to look inward, on a more frequent basis, has arisen.

While more attention to detail is a good thing, and very necessary, it can also limit the creativity and choices that are available to us. If we only look down when we walk we will surely miss other, and possibly better, paths to our destination. Examining alternate methods and programs for the company produces choices that should be weighed against the status quo, and in keeping with the company goals.

Warning: implementing a best practices process in your company will mean changes are going to happen. Methods, procedures, and even staff may be subject to being turned upside down in this process.

If a best practices culture does not exist in the company today, it will be an uphill battle at first. The biggest enemy of change is “but we’ve always done it this way.” Therefore, explaining why it is necessary to become a market leader is going to be critical to your success. Pursuing best practices will push you and everyone around you. Being open to other ways of doing things opens the door for the process to begin.

Sometimes, and probably more times than not, getting to a best practices position requires a change in personnel. Not everyone will share your vision or understand why change needs to occur. The only way to be the best company is to have the best people in their best positions.

Mediocre people deliver mediocre results. The hardest realization, and the largest hurdle, for a leader is to acknowledge the fact that not everyone in the company will make it as best practices are put in place.

The discomfort of a failing business must be greater than the comfort of a second-rate business to move the leader to change and seek better, and then best, practices.

Looking inward is the first step to being able to look outward.

Observing current procedures and asking how we can improve them,

even if it is just one or two aspects of that system, sets the best practices pursuit in motion. Ask your staff to review how they do certain things in their daily work life. Have outsiders come in and observe your operation.

Different perspectives bring a whole host of different views, questions and comments. Two key points are worth mentioning here: industry resources such as ACCA Mix Groups and consultants have “industry eyes” to view your company with, and, noncompetitive business leaders in your community can bring alternate points of view that cross industry boundaries. I belong to two groups, one, a Mix Group made up of noncompeting HVACR leaders from across the country and meets twice per year, and, two, a CEO group in my community, again noncompeting, that meets monthly. Both of these groups are solely dedicated to developing, discussing, sharing, and examining best practices for each other’s businesses. Both groups have come in and done a complete business review with very revealing results. I have also reviewed businesses to offer constructive suggestions and modifications to their methods. No matter which role I was in, I always came away with new ideas for my own company. Make no mistake; these reviews (reviewed or reviewing) caused discomfort. But comfort is typically the partner of mediocre.

Discomfort causes change to occur.

I’ve written before that

Continued on next page www.gemaire.com

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best practice

change for change’s sake is ridiculous and disruptive.

Change for the purpose of improving the person or company is worthwhile and necessary.

Many times the best practice that comes out of these meetings is a modification or combination of implemented program in another company. Finding some other procedure and thinking it will fit in your organization without any tweaking is a bit unrealistic.

Your organization is unique and to get the most out of a change that is made, it must fit within the basic, good foundation of your company. It is up to you and your people to tailor it to your market, goals, and corporate culture.

It’s easy to put people within an industry in the same room and have them find many common subjects on which to speak. This also happens to be true of business leaders from diverse backgrounds and a variety of industries. There are more similarities of experiences and challenges in business than there are differences. Just describe a situation (try personnel for a quick response) and then ask the question, “Has anyone else had to deal with that?” Most people have had experience with whatever you’ve described, or something so close as to be applicable. You begin to hear different ways in which the situation was handled. This leads to the realization that there may be a better way to deal with your particular challenge in the future. Conversely, you may share an idea that someone else picks up and makes an incremental improvement in his or her business as well.

Knowing that an area of the business is ripe for change and actually having a change occur are two different things. Having my business reviewed and then filing the papers in the filing cabinet would be a big waste of time for all involved, not to mention expensive for multiple reasons. Both of the groups to which I belong hold each member accountable for the changes they have agreed to implement. This is, in itself, a best practice for each of these groups. To be required to be accountable to your peers is a great motivator for the leaders of these businesses. It is the constant nudge to move you out of your comfort zone towards continuous improvement. Fact: leaders need pushing too. We each act as a mentor to one another.

It is worth pointing out that if you go attend a conference or seminar or have a business review and come back with 44 great ideas, your staff will experience terminal frustration and confusion if you attempt to implement them all at once. You may have caught the passion for change but they just see all the new work and procedures that will have to be put in place. Prioritizing the ideas you glean from others and methodically putting them into practice is the best way to get those practices adopted. As the best practices process becomes more routine, the changes

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From left to right: Keith Walker, Pres. & COO, Theo Etzel, CEO, Carol Papesh, SVP & CFO

tend to become more incremental in nature and not as overwhelming as in the beginning. Properly done, your key people will develop an eye and ear for best practices from other businesses with which they come in contact. Again, it’s up to you and your management team to prioritize new ideas.

Finding and implementing best practices inside your company is all about a continual improvement process.

Over time, what was a best practice may no longer be the best. The fundamentals upon which a business is built typically don’t change rapidly. However, the tools we use to conduct the running of the business often do change more quickly than we would like to admit.

The obvious area we see this is in the technology that affects all businesses. Another area is in labor relations with our people. Time has changed the expectations of benefits and the level of engagement of our whole staff.

Staying competitive, keeping up, and then getting out in front requires us to constantly look for better ways to run our businesses. Best practices implementation allows companies to evolve.

Having a very broad view of the business that you are in also helps you see ways in which to put new ideas into practice. For instance, there aren’t many buggy whip manufacturers left today. If those manufacturers had considered themselves in the propulsion business, focused less on the actual horse and buggy, and realized that the buggy whip happened to be the product that fit the bill at the time, where could they be today? Car engines? Rocket motors? The point is, having a very open mind and always looking for ideas that are better than what you do today will keep you leading the way and not asking what happened and where did my business go?

Taking your company to a best practices level is an intentional decision. It will involve some pain, time, trial and error, personnel adjustments, an open mind, and your discipline to see that ideas are executed and implemented to the point where they become habits. Then, as the shampoo bottle says, wash, rinse, repeat. Keep the process going and you’ll be the one establishing the best practices for your business, market, and industry; an enviable position to be in, in any economy, but especially now.

Customers will reward the best companies with the best compliment they can: they’ll spend their hard earned dollars with you and not the company down the street. Increasing business with the best tools and for all the right reasons seems like a best practice to me.