The Unifier October 2012 Issue

The Unifier Making the difference together since 1998

October 2012 Volume 5, Issue 4

In This Issue Page One • 2012 Advanced Sales Forum

Page Two • Annual Meeting/ Owners’ Forum

2012 Advanced Sales Forum

More than 30 sales people from across the country are back to work, energized, and ready to sell up a storm. The Unified Group hosted its Advanced Sales Forum on Sept. 16th18th in Dallas.

The session kicked off with Visibility Coach, David Avrin’s presentation about the need to be different and stand out in the marketplace.

“Being really good at what you do is the entry fee,” said Avrin. “Beyond that you need something to talk about.

What are you doing that would make people talk about you? What question is your company the answer to?”

“David reaffirmed the need to do more on really being different,” said Ben Montgomery (Nashville Machine Company).

“I came to the conclusion that with minor tweaks to creating differentiators we can have remarkable results,” said David Dickins, Interstate

Mechanical.

Like many Unified Group trainings, there was work to be done before anyone stepped foot into the meeting room. Prior to the session attendees were split into four teams, coaches and team leaders were assigned, and an RFP they would work through during the session was sent out.

After a verification call exercise, the teams prepared for their presentation to the board. Each group utilized unique offerings that each of their companies offers to stand out from the others.

“Before the session we assigned agreement prices for each group so they didn’t sell on price,” explained Jim Bartolotta. “They really had to come up with differentiators that would make us (the board) care and want to do business with them.”

In the end it was Team Two

• Sales Forum Continued • Member Spotlight: VHV

Page Three • Interstate Mechanical Follows Yale Mechanical’s Example • TrakRef: Refrigerant Management for the 21st Century

Page Four • Birthdays ABOUT THE UNIFIER: The Unifier is the quarterly internal newsletter for Unified Group members. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please e-mail Allison at rodgersa@theunifiedgroup.com or call 708-356-5072.

(continued on page 2) www.theunifiedgroup.com

Membership News Annual Meeting / Owners’ Forum

What is your plan for success? How are you handling growing customer demands? What are the key metrics you should use to help grow your business?

The Unified Group is hosting our 14th Annual Meeting/Owners’ Forum to help our members answer these questions. Taking place in Toronto on November 7th-11th, attendees of this networking opportunity will have access to the following: • Neil Koenig, family business and professional firm expert, will discuss succession planning and bench strength (how to ensure that you have the right people in place) • Strategic planning for your business in small roundtables • The Best Thing We Implemented in 2012 best practices discussion • How to Become the Company that Others Want to Follow • Unified Group Financial Benchmarks • Purchasing Partner Fair

“I am still learning.”

- Michelangelo (on his 87th Birthday)

Advanced Sales Forum (Continued from page one)

The Winning Team: Chris Luberto, Kevin Spaeth, Kevin Almon, Alex McWilliam, Jennifer Varkalis, and Todd Stark. (Not pictured: Todd Meloy)

who walked away with the business. “Scoring was based on being creative, thinking outside the box, and validating claims,” explained Bartolotta. “Team Two did this with their full coverage offering, full labor, EnergyPrint and free maintenance for the first year on rooftops.”

Member Spotlight: VHV

1. Tell us a little bit about VHV: In its sixty-three years, VHV has grown and evolved into a multi-faceted, full service mechanical and plumbing contractor with specialties in clean room construction as well as service on scientific / lab equipment, including ultra-low temperature freezers, sterilizers, incubators and centrifuges. Two other differentiators are our high-end engineering capabilities and the large amount of pre-fab piping we do.

2. What does VHV hope to get from the group and give back to the group?: VHV will take advantage of the many resources the group has to offer. We look forward to having partners in our daily challenges, thus further expediting our growth. We will be strengthening our people through the training opportunities, the sharing of best practices and networking with the elite contractors across the country. As I coined to prospective members during my tenure on the Membership Committee, “grow without all of the growing pains.” Our wealth of experience in so many areas will also allow us to assist our fellow team members when they reach out.

3. Dave (Nichols), as a long-time friend of The Unified Group, what’s your favorite memory from the good ol’ days?: Having been previously part of The Unified Group and its committees for seven years, I have many favorite memories from the wonderful relationships (and guidance) received from so many true friends, most of whom are still in the group. The free-flowing knowledge and advice were always appreciated and I was fortunate enough to “give back” as time went on. One “standout memory” would be receiving the honor of the “Member of the Year” award at the Annual Meeting in 2003.

Member-to-Member Connections Interstate Mechanical Follows Yale Mechanical’s example

For the last couple weeks Interstate Mechanical has been providing emergency plumbing service and T&M projects for Brookdale Senior Living, a customer that Yale Mechanical presented on The Unified Group’s lead sharing webinars. While Yale’s contact was not responsible for the Phoenix locations, David Dickins, (service sales associate at Interstate) used the information learned from Yale’s relationship to pursue one in Arizona.

“I asked Yale how it works and what they were looking for to open the door and find regional contacts,” said Dickins. “We reached the regional person in charge of four states, got in touch with him, and in the last month have gotten $150K in projects and maintenance calls. We understand how things work. They take time, but my advice would be to get involved in lead sharing calls.”

TrakRef: Refrigerant Management for the 21st Century

Nashville Machine uses TrakRef® software to track refrigerants, cylinders and HVAC systems on the cloud.

Two key factors driving refrigerant management: 1. The rising cost of refrigerants, especially R-22, has forced many contractors to evaluate their reclaim programs. With one cylinder of R-22 representing over $1,000 of revenue, inventory control is more important than ever.

2. Compliance regulations are forcing contractors to maintain their own records for their own needs as well as for their customers.

Clean & Return of R-22: Nashville Machine Company utilizes TrakRef® for their Clean & Return program, enabling them to understand the value in keeping ownership of recovered R-22 and getting the fully-certified, reclaimed gas back at greatly reduced rates. According to Joe Brown, Service Supervisor, “Getting the R-22 back at a lower cost is beneficial for us and the custom-

er and gives us an edge on larger bids.”

Customer Records: Nashville Machine also uses TrakRef® to maintain system information for large customers. “We use TrakRef® because of our customers requiring better recordkeeping as part of our maintenance agreement. It is professional looking and gives us a leg up on the competition. TrakRef® also allows technicians to view and input data from the field, using any Internet connected mobile device,” Joe Brown continued.

Conclusion: Increasing refrigerant cost and compliance requirements mean refrigerant management is now pivotal for successful contractors. Nashville Machine incorporates TrakRef® to provide transparency for compliance and a reclaim program that lowers costs and manages refrigerant inventories.

For more information about TrakRef®, visit www. trakref.com. For more information about Polar Technology, visit www.refrigerantauthority.com.

Purchasing Partners • Choice Hotels • Jackson Systems • Legacy Chillers • Lennox Industries • Midwest Parts • National Compressor Exchange • Office Depot • Polar Technology • PromoProviders • Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants • Temp-Air, Inc. • W.W. Grainger, Inc.

Unified Group Member Birthdays October

10/1 - Bob Gibb, Robert Gibb & Sons 10/2 - Craig Miller, Blauch Brothers 10/5 - Tom Barker, Guardian 10/9 - DeDe Hinton, Straus Systems 10/9 - Britt Rice, Miller Air 10/9 - Richard York, J&J Air Conditioning 10/14 - Sue Blauch, Blauch Brothers 10/22 - Ashleigh Fallaw, Innovative Solutions 10/27 - Tom Rowles, Yale Mechanical 10/28 - Bill Monier, A.J. Monier 10/29 - Lindsey Greer, WL Gary

November

11/2 - Brett Ludwick, Pacific Rim Mechanical 11/3 - Steve Stokes, Air Controls 11/7 - Mike Schmidt, Air Comfort 11/7 - John Deblon, Yale Mechanical 11/8 - Patty Hess, Applied Mechanical 11/10 - Joe Kirby, Hawks & Company 11/12 - Theresa Greene, Applied Mechanical

11/12 - Dave Robistow, VHV 11/13 - Woody Woodall, WL Gary 11/16 - Kyle Pennington, A.J. Monier 11/16 - Allan Shero, Entek Corporation 11/17 - Stacie Martucci, Innovative Service Solutions 11/18 - Dale Drent, Baker Group 11/22 - Bob Marshall, Dowling Corporation 11/23 - Steve Spaeth, Spaeth, Inc. 11/25 - Kirk Thornton, Interstate Mechanical 11/27 - Gerry Wiegmann, Wiegmann Associates

December

12/3 - John Speed, Shoffner Mechanical 12/12 - Faith Brown, LMC Service Solutions 12/22 - Jeff Winterborne, Enginuity 12/23 - Rick Beeler, Straus Systems 12/26 - Sherry McBride, Alltek Energy 12/26 - Pete D’Amico, Ruthrauff 12/30 - Joe Ardagna, CESCO

The Unifier Volume 5, Issue 4 • OCT 2012

The Unified Group • 2550 Braga Drive, Broadview, IL 60155 • 888-714-5990 • www.theunifiedgroup.com