When you add duct installation best practices to those principles, they can expand their skills.

You can also help them see the importance of their work with a balancing hood measurement. It blew our guys away when they saw the huge difference that having proper flexible duct support and removing the extra inner core made.

We would take balancing hood readings on an existing duct and let them see the resulting airflow. Then, we removed the bunched up inner core and added support to the flexible duct and re-test using the hood.

These changes often resulted in airflow increases of 30 to 60 cfm (cubic feet per minute) on a six-inch duct. Minor details make a big difference.

Learn the Art of Sales

You might be the greatest technical mind in our industry, but if you can’t sell, you will go hungry.

“Nothing happens until somebody sells something.” – Arthur H. “Red” Motley

Sales is a skill you can learn, just like measuring airflow. Two important traits to develop are the how to carry on a conversation and how to really listen and understand what a customer tells you.

One key part is asking good questions that prompt thought from your customers about their system. If your questions only receive a yes or no answer, you may not learn what you need to know to best help the customer.

Consider crafting your own questions with some of the following sentence starters to get more in-depth responses.

• What do you like about…?
• What is one thing you would improve about…?
• What would you change about…?
• Why is that important…?
• How would you like to…?

Once you ask a question, listen to what the customer says and take notes. It shows you’re listening and provides you with documentation about what’s important to them.

Don’t assume what they want. Ask instead. Remember, you should be listening twice as much as you talk.

If you struggle with sales or think it’s a cuss word, go to your local bookstore or Amazon and order, “How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling” by Frank Bettger. It’s an older book with timeless lessons.

If you study and apply them, the results will surprise you — both personally and professionally.

Practice Clear Communication

Duct Optimization isn’t a project placed in the hands of one individual. It’s a company-wide effort where clear communication is essential. Everyone needs to understand and fulfill their role to the best of their ability.

Most Duct Optimization projects run into problems because of a lack of communication. There is a break in the handoff between departments. When that happens, your team makes assumptions to fill in missing details.

Some key questions to consider in preventing a communication problem are, “Who is doing what by when?” and “Who is the next person in line and what are they doing by when?”

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