< Previous20 DECEMBER 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY or think it’s a cuss word, go to your lo- cal bookstore or Amazon and order, “How I Raised Myself from Fail- ure to Success in Selling” by Frank Bettger. It’s an older book with time- less lessons. If you study and apply them, the re- sults will surprise you — both person- ally 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. 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 some- body 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 custom- er tells you. One key part is asking good ques- tions that prompt thought from your customers about their system. If your questions only receive a yes or no an- swer, you may not learn what you need to know to best help the customer. Consider crafting your own ques- tions with some of the following sen- tence starters to get more in-depth re- sponses. zWhat do you like about…? zWhat is one thing you would improve about…? zWhat would you change about…? zWhy is that important…? zHow would you like to…? Once you ask a question, listen to what the custom- er says and take notes. It shows you’re listening and provides you with docu- mentation about what’s im- portant 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 tough conditions who ultimately de- termine how well a duct system per- forms. Make sure they understand why duct sizing, fitting construction, and proper sealing are so important. When you add duct installation best practices to those principles, they can expand their skills. You can also help them see the im- portance of their work with a balanc- ing 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 read- ings on an existing duct and let them see the resulting airflow. Then, we re- moved the bunched up inner core and added support to the flexible duct and re-tested using the hood. These changes often resulted in air- flow increases of 30 to 60 CFM (cubic feet per minute) on a six-inch duct. Minor details make a big difference. This illustration depicts a technician install- ing ductwork. Installation technician is depicted in this illustration placing a register.DECEMBER 2024 21HVACTODAY.COM the more you zoom in, the more details you’ll see. Duct Optimization works in the same way. As you progress, you might be farther down the road than you think. I hope this overview offers ideas that help you solve your customers’ problems and provide solutions that exceed their expectations. START WITH THE END IN MIND For the best chance of success, it’s a good idea to define WHY you want to add Duct Optimization to your busi- ness. Once you write out your moti- vation, it’s easier to outline what your unique product is and how you plan to implement it. If you can see how Duct Optimiza- tion fits into your daily operations and build a contextual framework for the team, you can create a step-by-step plan to achieve your goals and ensure everyone understands why their role is important. Remember, both technical and non-technical skills make a difference. I suggest you use this article as a gen- eral roadmap to determine where you currently are. As with any roadmap, 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?” Addressing these questions during a Duct Optimization project is one of the most important skills you can master. To start with, consider all the inter- connecting roles in a company and how they should work together. It helps to use a large whiteboard and capture all company roles from service technicians to dispatchers. Identify what each role must do to ensure a successful project and how they should work together. Once you nail down the roles and hand-offs, capture your process digitally for ev- eryone to see. David Richardson serves the HVAC industry as vice president of training for National Comfort Institute, Inc. (NCI). He joined NCI in 2010 as a curriculum developer and instructor. David has been involved in the High-Performance HVAC Industry since 2001, and holds all NCI certifications as well as other industry certi- fications from HERS, BPI and others. You can contact David at ncilink.com/ContactMe . 22 DECEMBER 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYDECEMBER 2024 23HVACTODAY.COM Plus, by locking in your reservation now you can take advantage of NCI’s early bird pricing. Also, if you bring more co-workers, you save even more. NCI members get additional savings as well. So why wait? Head toward the goto- summit.com web page to learn more and sign up today. You can book your rooms at Kalahari today as well. Lock into the NCI special room rate of only $175/night by clicking here . Team NCI: Meet Jeff Sturgeon This month we spotlight one of our California instructors, Jeff Sturgeon. Jeff has been with Nation- al Comfort Institute (NCI) since 2013 and is the Southern Cal- ifornia training center manager in Los Alamitos, CA. Jeff has more than 30 years of resi- dential and commercial HVAC and re- frigeration field experience. He works with hundreds of contractors and their field personnel to help ensure success- ful implementation of Southern Califor- nia Edison’s Workforce Education and Training programs. He got his start in the HVAC industry by attending UTI (Universal Technical Institute ) in Phoenix, Arizona. Through- out his career, Jeff installed and serviced residential, light commercial, commer- cial, and industrial HVACR systems. He also worked for an HVAC controls manufacturer, where he was responsible for engineering, designing, building, and installing control panels for a variety of applications. Besides earning many HVAC certifica- tions from manufacturers and organiza- tions such as NCI, NATE, and IHACI, for more than 10 years Sturgeon has also been involved in numerous Southern California Edison Energy Efficiency programs. Introducing Airflow Testing Diagnostics 3.0 In a recent update, new advancements were introduced to streamline National Comfort Institute’s (NCI) Airflow Testing and Diagnostics class, particularly fo- cusing on Air Upgrades™. This 3.0 class update integrates the Quick Test from measureQuick® and NCI’s AirMaxx™ workflows from TEC. By being based on NCI testing principles, these apps embed industry-standard practices into the training. The TEC Digital TrueFlow Grid sim- plifies the testing process for both “test-in” and “test-out” air upgrades, al- lowing HVAC sales professionals to ob- tain necessary data efficiently. The streamlined pro- cess is now a part of a pre-pack- aged solution that offers flat rate duct repairs, addressing common issues related to equipment airflow and static pressure. This update is based on extensive feedback from students over the years. Be sure to watch for the new Airflow Testing and Diagnostics 3.0 class in Jan- uary 2025. Meanwhile, the 2.1 version runs in December. For more information, call the NCI Cus- tomer Care line at 800/633-7058 . Summit 2025 Early Registration is Open! National Comfort Institute’s (NCI) High-Performance HVAC™ Summit 2025 will be held in Austin, TX Sep- tember 9-12th. The 2025 event will be headquartered at the Kahalari Resort and Waterpark and promises to be one of the largest Sum- mit events ever. The theme is “Navigate Your Path to High Performance,” and all the edu- cational content will help you no mat- ter if you are just starting out or are well on your way to full high-performance implementation. But Summit also promises to be a fan- tastic spot to bring your family and make a working vacation out of it. Why? Be- cause this park was voted as the top indoor water park in the country with 350,000 sq. ft. of waterpark fun, amazing dining options, and all kinds of enter- tainment available. By booking your reservations there, you get access to the park itself, as well as all kinds of activities, live entertain- ment, and more. That is the vacation part. The education part is that Summit will deliver the amaz- ing peer-to-peer networking opportuni- ties, top quality workshops, and tremen- dous access to NCI’s vendor partners. NCI UPDATE HVAC SUMMIT 2025 HIGH-PERFORMANCEHVAC SMART MART 24 DECEMBER 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYAD INDEX Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief 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 2053, Morristown,TN 37816. Phone toll free: 800-633-7058; or visit HVACTo- day.com/subscribe to order online. Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. Advertiser Index AHR Expo | www.AHRExpo.com ................................................................................................... 9 Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.ArzelZoning.com .................................................... 14 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 24 Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. | www.northamerica-daikin.com ... 5 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ..................................................................................... 27 Evergreen Telemetry | www.EvergreenTelemetry.com ........................................................ 2 Lazco Corporation | www.Lazcocorp.com ............................................................................. 25 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com .......................................................................... 21 Sauermann | www.sauermanngroup.com ............................................................................ 22 TEC (The Energy Conservatory) | www.energyconservatory.com ............................... 13 To Your Success | www.ToYourSuccess.com .......................................................................... 24 TruTech Tools | www.TruTechTools.com .............................................................................17, 24 DECEMBER 2024 25HVACTODAY.COM26 DECEMBER 2024HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY EXPAND YOUR THINKING As a leader in your organization, consider ex- tending these concepts beyond yourself. Imagine what it could do for your team’s morale and state of mind when you share the company’s “Gains” with everyone! What if you listed specific successes your busi- ness experienced in 2024, and used this list to set up companywide recognition highlighting each of these measurable Gains? This could be done in a number of different ways, ranging from a formal letter to your team, to an all-out party that recognizes both team and individual wins. STAY IN THE GAIN A word of caution: When you’re celebrating your company’s Gain, don’t talk about future goals in the same venue. Save that for another meeting or communication. Allow your team to savor the moment, just as you hopefully have done yourself as you reflect- ed on your Gain. Think about memorializing the biggest gains. Maybe create some posters dis- played around the office, or screensavers on com- pany computers. For example, if your Gain was a 20% increase in revenues, showcase that increase along with the reasons you experienced the growth. If your Gain is related to a significant reduction in installation callbacks, create a chart showing year-over-year comparisons, and maybe the top three crews with the fewest number of installs that needed a return visit. If you decide to try this, maybe at your holiday party, we would love to hear about it. I wish you and yours a very happy and safe holiday season, and a joyful and successful 2025! I t’s a good idea for any business owner to have goals for 2025 and make plans to achieve them. But it’s equally important to look at the past year to get perspective on your accomplish- ments, and to see what worked and what didn’t. I believe it’s actually more beneficial to focus on successes rather than failures. There’s a great book titled, “The Gap and the Gain,” written by best selling authors Dan Sullivan and Dr. Ben- jamin Hardy that examines this approach. In this introspective tome the authors describe how most successful, driven people tend to be un- happy because they measure successes based on goals that are always just out of reach. While it’s important to look forward, if we con- tinually measure ourselves against a future “ide- al,” we are always in the Gap. When we take the time to look at where we are and what we have accomplished, both in the short and long term, we’re in the Gain.” The authors further explain that our mental well-being can greatly benefit from being in the Gain, and celebrating our successes on a regular basis. TAKE SOME TIME TO REFLECT As you look back at 2024, be sure to recognize and celebrate your successes. Don’t just think about them in a passing moment or two. Set aside some time to think deeply about what really worked, how it benefited you and your company, and how it made you feel. It might sound corny, but if you take ample time to reflect and savor your wins, it is good for you psychologically. It can also put you in a more productive state of mind later on when you switch gears and spend time looking forward at the tasks and projects ahead. ONE MORE THING... By Dominick Guarino What Did You Gain in 2024? Dominick Guarino is publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ ContactMe . DECEMBER 2024 27HVACTODAY.COMNext >