< Previousat the point of sale makes it easier for customers to say ‘yes’ to High-Perfor- mance HVAC systems. By breaking it down into affordable monthly payments, customers can get the best system for their budget — and contractors can grow their margins simultaneously. One example of this sales approach is the “Good, Better, Best” technique. This sales technique presents cus- tomers with three (or more) different system options: zBasic repair and air upgrade options tend to be the most cost-effective zA more advanced diagnostic testing and solution approach enables cus- tomers to choose immediate fixes and other corrective actions z And a higher-priced approach that includes duct repairs and equip- ment changeouts. Though more ex- pensive than the first two options, this one may offer the best savings long-term. When you present three options in- cluding low monthly payments, cus- tomers can see that the “best” product option doesn’t have to break their bud- get, especially with high-performance systems’ added cost-saving benefits. CHOOSING A LENDING PARTNER Whether it is a specialty consum- er lender like Mosaic, a local cred- it union, or a larger bank lender like Wells Fargo, contractors have plen- ty of choices. It is best to go with the lender that fits seamlessly with your sales process and market strategies. Some of the questions you can ask lenders to make sure they’re the best choice for you are: zCredit requirements z Customer experience zHow and when you’ll get paid z What requirements are enforced by the lender? zSales support/hours of operation z Technology and performance. Lenders should offer your business more than just loans. The partnership should include sales training, monthly data reporting, and homeowner sup- port. In these ways, the lender’s value can go far beyond price. When in doubt, simplicity rules in the world of financing options. Con- tractors have enough to concentrate on, so offering payments at the point of sale must be a seamless experience. Ultimately, contractors want to run a credit application, get approval, and get paid without a hiccup. Customers want to afford the best systems without breaking their budget. A good lender should be able to help contractors accomplish both. or those budget-conscious buyers in- terested in low monthly payments. Homeowners are not the only ones who benefit from high-performance systems; contractors benefit too. Higher quality systems mean higher ticket prices and increased margins. Plus, you can grow your business through referrals if you build a reputa- tion for selling products and services that solve customer comfort and ener- gy cost issues. DON’T LOSE CUSTOMERS WHO NEED FINANCING HVAC financing options are more than just a customer benefit — they’re becoming necessary. In a 1,600-per- son survey by Mosaic, 35% of homeowners said that financing op- tions are essential in their hiring de- cision and that they could not take on projects without it. In today’s economy, customers rely on low monthly payments to help fit upgrades into their budgets. Contrac- tors not offering financing options may lose business to competitors that do. The most strategic and successful businesses innovate for their custom- ers’ needs. Offering financing options Eric Torykian is a business development executive at Mosaic in San Diego, CA. He has been with the company since 2021 and special- izes in consumer lend- ing, energy efficiency finance, HVAC finance, and much more. You can reach him at ncilink.com/ContactMe. 20 MARCH 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYMARCH 2023 21HVACTODAY.COM22 MARCH 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYcan find all the details here: gotosum- mit.com . Register at: ncilink.com/23 SummitReg . Popular On-Boarding Training National Comfort Institute’s Online University is a digital library of training that members and non-members can use to train their staff in various disciplines of a High-Performance HVAC company. NCI Online Uni- versity also offers business and custom- er service training. The HVAC for Rook- ies class, for example, takes what can be a very complex business and breaks it down into manageable chunks of information. This offers the office staff an idea of the big picture of what HVAC companies do. These classes can be repeated as often as needed, unlike a live class. Alana Ward, owner of Baggett Heat- ing in Clarksville, TN, says, “I love HVAC for Rookies. The benefit for me is that the presentation materials are professional- ly done, compact, and deliver consistent messaging for every single person who watches it. “I also love NCI’s Online University. We make a lot of use of the Airflow and Diag- nostics modules as well as the online live classes. We are a small company and it’s so hard to dedicate the time and dollars to send people to training classes. I know training is important and being able to have access to these classes online, with no expenses involved, is a game changer for me.” So, if you are looking for an easy way to provide on-boarding training to new of- fice, field, or other team members, con- sider using NCI’s Online University. HVAC for Rookies is just one of dozens of virtual courses NCI offers online. Go to ncilink.com/OLU to see all the Online University courses that are avail- able. Or call your customer care repre- sentative at 1-800-633-7058. NCI Announces Summit Keynoter National Comfort In- stitute (NCI) is pleased to announce that for- mer pro female foot- ball player Jan Spence will address attendees on leadership lessons during Summit 2023 in Branson, MO. Spence shares how pursuing her life- long dream of playing professional foot- ball led to the unexpected opportuni- ty to affect change through powerful words and simple actions. Applying her “Cheer Leadership®” approach in HVAC sales and service builds stronger con- nections, increases trust with prospects, customers, and employees, and ulti- mately increases productivity. Attendees will learn to: Implement practical ways to encour- age and connect with prospects, cus- tomers, and colleagues through sales and service. Discover and use their new Cheer Leadership® skills in the workplace to in- crease productivity. Create a plan to have deeper connec- tions with employees and clients in a dis- tinctive way to increase sales, engage- ment and loyalty. We hope to see you in Branson in April. Why Attend the 2023 Summit? Each year, the team at National Comfort Institute solicits input from Summit attendees to discover what they liked, what we can improve, and why. This year’s pro- gram is a direct result of those inquiries. In other words, this is the Summit that YOU asked for. This year’s workshop format is genu- inely different in that it breaks the tradi- tional “seminar” approach. Here’s how it will work: Attendees will be divided into four teams. Each team will go through four discussion-style workshops throughout the three-day event. Each workshop will be led by an NCI instructor who will mod- erate the session and keep it on track. This is designed to draw from the “ Wis- dom of the Crowd .” Now attendees can share their successes and failures in each agenda area. This knowledge will help you make high-performance an integral part of your company’s culture and busi- ness model. BONUS : All sessions will be recorded and available to every Summit attend- ee so you can review your four sessions and the other three sets of sessions from the other teams. That’s a total of 16 work- shop recordings! This will allow you to extend learning beyond Summit Week to help you and your team implement solid best practices year-round. Call your customer care rep for more information about this at 1-800-633-7058. Join your fellow High-Performance HVAC contractor peers in Branson, MO, from April 17th to 20th, 2023. You NCI UPDATE HVAC SUMMIT 2023 HIGH-PERFORMANCE Jan Spence MARCH 2023 23HVACTODAY.COMHVAC SMART MART 24 MARCH 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYAD INDEX HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief and Director of Communications and Publications Mike Weil Art Director Judy Marquardt Online Development Director Brian Roseman Circulation Manager Andrea Begany-Garsed To Subscribe to High-Performance HVAC Today: ONLINE: Visit HVACToday.com/subscribe for a FREE digital subscription. PRINT: 1 year/$72; single copy $7. Canada: 1 year/$92; single copy $9. Payable in advance with U.S. funds. Prepaid subscriptions may be sent to: High-Performance HVAC Today, PO Box 147, Avon Lake, OH 44012. Phone: 440-949-1850; toll free 800-633-7058; or visit HVACToday.com/subscribe to order online. Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. MARCH 2023 25HVACTODAY.COM Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.ArzelZoning.com ...................................................... 5 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 24 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ..................................................................................... 22 Evergreen Telemetry | www.EvergreenTelemetry.com ...................................................... 10 Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com ....................................................... 21 Lazco Corporation | www.Lazcocorp.com ............................................................................. 25 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com .......................................................................... 27 Sauermann | www.sauermanngroup.com ............................................................................ 15 Southern California Edison | www.on.sce.com/hvac.com ................................................. 2 TEC (The Energy Conservatory) | www.energyconservatory.com ............................... 22 The New Flat Rate | www.TheNewFlatRate.com ................................................................ 24 To Your Success | www.ToYourSuccess.com .......................................................................... 24 Tru Tech Tools | www.TruTechTools.com .....................................................................................9 Advertiser Index26 MARCH 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY including leaks, introducing non-condensables, and cross contamination. Also, every time you “tap” in you are reducing the charge because of what remains in the hoses. If you don’t know actual airflow across the coil, and touch the refrigerant side, you are likely guilty of malpractice. It’s like a surgeon not get- ting vital health information – or not washing his or her hands - before cutting into you. THE RIGHT WAY Let’s look at the two correct workflows for ser- vice and maintenance: 1. Maintenance.When performing mainte- nance, leave your gauges in the truck! After your cleaning and inspections, measure Total External Static Pressure (TESP) at the correct equipment test points, then measure ΔT across the evapora- tor coil. If you’re not getting the right temperature drop across the coil and static pressure is off more than 10%, alert your customer and ask permission to dig deeper at your regular service rate. If you don’t have diagnostic capabilities, bring in a tech to do more testing and offer solutions. 2. Service. If the issue is a no-cooling or poor cooling problem, verify airflow first. If your ΔT is off and airflow is low, offer to test further. Once you have correct airflow, check temperatures at the coil. If good, don’t touch the refrigerant side. If not cooling properly, then check and adjust charge if needed. Follow these two simple workflows and you’ll have happier customers. You’ll also generate great leads for equipment replacement, air distribution upgrades, and renovations. By integrating this ap- proach into your culture you’ll see customer satis- faction and referrals soar. You’ll also have happier technicians and a bigger bottom line! O ur industry has a dark secret and it’s time we talk about it. Most techs and installers use their refrigerant gauges as the first go-to tool when on a no-cooling call. Many even put the gauges on first when they are doing rou- tine maintenance. This is the worst thing you can do on maintenance, service, and even installation calls. There is no way to verify if a charge is cor- rect without knowing one critical piece of informa- tion: Airflow at the indoor evaporator coil. Unless techs first verify airflow, they may think the charge is off. CLOSED SYSTEMS DON’T CONSUME REFRIGERANT I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a homeowner say, “They topped off my Freon.” Anyone in our industry with even the most basic knowledge should know these are sealed systems, and refrigerant doesn’t get “used up” like oil in a gas engine. If you have anyone on your team say- ing that, tell them to stop immediately! COMPRESSORS DON’T DIE, THEY ARE MURDERED The top cause of compressor failures is not de- fects. Compressors fail based on how equipment is installed or serviced. Charging without know- ing airflow can cause many issues, including coils freezing and compressors slugging due to liquid flood back. Occasionally a bad thermal expansion valve (TXV) can cause failures as well, but the top issue is inadequate airflow. There is no earthly reason to gauge-up on a system before checking airflow. Measuring evaporator temperature change (ΔT) is not the right way to verify airflow. Another important reason to not disturb the re- frigerant system is doing so can cause problems ONE MORE THING... By Dom Guarino Check the Refrigerant-Side Last, Not First! Dominick Guarino is publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ ContactMeDECEMBER 2022 27HVACTODAY.COMNext >