National Comfort Institute

Opening Session

In the opening session, attendees met Champ, the Consistent Contractor, who turned his business around using Performance-Based Contracting™ to create a culture of "measuring, not guessing." As Champ explained,"It's about understanding the relationships between the home and HVAC systems and then connecting the dots that will help make your customers raving fans and differentiate your company in your market."

Following this skit, NCI CEO Dominick Guarino took the stage to talk about this theme and also introduce a whole bunch of exciting news!

Contractor Panel Discussion

You are bound to encounter obstacles on your path of connecting the dots during your implementation process. Success is rarely achieved overnight, so hearing how others have done it can help you avoid pitfalls. In this session attendees heard tips and received advice from experienced performance-based contractors on how they overcame implementation obstacles on their road to success.

Featured in our Contractor Panel Discussion:

• Rob Basnett, Basnett Plumbing & Heating
• John Ellis, SoCal Air Dynamics
• Mike Hartman, Thomas E. Clark
• Tom Johnson, TM Johnson Bros
• Mark Pippin, Pippin Brothers

NCI Idea Meeting

Attendees had the  opportunity to join fellow contractors and share their latest and greatest ideas AND had a chance to win CASH prizes!

All contractor attendees were invited to present their ideas. ALL participants were winners, whether they choose to present an idea or not, as they benefitted from hearing all of the ideas shared in this learning environment!

TAKE LOTS OF NOTES!

The Idea Meeting this year was divided into three consecutive sessions, each taking about 30 minutes. Each session focused on one of the following categories: Lead Generation, Sales Approach and Product Delivery – The key elements of your success in Home and HVAC Performance. Contractors presented their best idea on company practices, marketing, departmental processes, etc., in each of these categories!

This high-energy meeting was a perfect chance to hear fresh ideas from other successful contractors. It certainly stimulated additional conversations between peers.

The $20 cash entry fee, per attendee, was used to reward presenters of the best ideas!

Three First Place Winners, one from each category, were voted on by all attendees in the Idea Meeting.

All cash collected from entry fees was split among the winners!

The event took place in the Madison Ballroom at 2:40 PM on Monday, April 11th. 

Closing Session

On the final afternoon, NCI President, Rob "Doc" Falke colsed out the meeting by continuing the discussion on "connecting the dots" and how performance-based contracting will allow you to reach new levels of success.

Clear the Air to Ensure a Healthier Home for Your Customer
	How do you get started on a path to providing customers a healthy indoor environment? In this workshop, contractors John Ellis and Rodney Koop will discuss not only how to use building science principles to fully grasp IAQ and all it involves, but they’ll also explain how to share with customers the values of these services. This session should help you understand how to set your company apart and fully address the health concerns of your customers. Speakers: John Ellis and Rodney Koop Moderator: Nita Brooks Session Held: April 11, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM, Harborview Room     April 12, 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Harborview Room
Sell Complete System Renovations with NCI's Home Comfort Analysis
	NCI's Home Comfort Analysis Customer (HCAC) survey is the best method to gain your customer's trust and confidence - setting the stage for designing and selling the best HVAC system renovation possible. During this "live role play" session, attendees will not only be stepped through the HCAC interview process, they will then discuss how to address customer responses using the Home Comfort Analysis survey. This is a method for engaging the customer and building trust, as well as selling more complete HVAC system renovations. Speaker: Dominick Guarino and Charlie Dieringer  Session Held: April 11, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM, Ossabaw Room     April 12, 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Ossabaw Room
Generate New Business Through Consistent "Vital Sign" Measurements
	Have you ever struggled to explain the importance of static pressure and airflow results to customers? Mike Hartman and David Richardson show how you can capitalize on poorly performing HVAC systems through consistent measurement practices. You'll learn about what test equipment you'll need. You will also learn how to more easily explain results to customers by taking the technical out of testing. This will make it easier for them to understand and make the best buy decisions for their situation.. Speakers: David Richardson and Mike Hartman Session Held: April 11, 9:30 AM - 10:45 PM, Pulaski Room     April 12, 1:10 PM - 2:15 PM, Pulaski Room
Identify Customer Safety Issues Through Carbon Monoxide Testing
	CO knows no boundaries. Safety issues should not only be about the equipment we work on, but anything in or around the building that could cause customers harm. Find out how to use NCI's "Carbon Monoxide Safety Testing Protocol." Get ready for a refresher on how to identify CO and safety issues, why visual inspections are so important, and what testing steps will show hidden influences that could be causing the CO issues. See how caring for the customer's safety before the sale will make it easier to take care of the customer's safety after the sale. Speakers: Jim Davis and Tom Johnson Session Held: April 11, 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM, Sapelo Room     April 11, 1:10 PM - 2:25 PM, Harborview Room
Invite Customers to Participate in Diagnostics
	So just how important is getting your customers involved in the sales process? In this session you will get an overview of the psychology of customer involvement as well as step-by-step procedures for building rapport through the types of questions you ask customers. Don Steward will share some actual experiences he's had and the resulting increase to his closing ratios. This class is geared not only to owners and managers, but to salespeople and technicians as well. Speakers: John Puryear and Don Steward Session Held: April 11, 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM, Harborview Room     April 11, 1:10 PM - 2:25 PM, Lafayette Room
Engage Your Entire Team When Implementing Performance Improvements
	Join us as we interview Contractor Rob Basnett on how he used the Performance Action Team (PAT) concept to energize his team and sell more maintenance agreements. In this session, Rob will explain what it took to get everyone on board with PATs and what mistakes he made that you can avoid on the road to implementation. You will learn how this PAT process can help you in any area of your business. Speakers: David Holt and Rob Basnett Session Held: April 11, 9:30 AM - 10:45 PM, Ossabaw Room     April 12, 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM, Harborview Room
How to Overcome the Top 10 Performance-Based Sales Obstacles
	Do you feel yourself losing ground the moment your customers throw obstacles your way in a sales situation? Learn why customers raise obstacles just before they decide the job is yours. Understand how close to “yes” you are when customers approach this final decision-making step and just how to move them over the hump. Contractor Mark Pippin and NCI's Rob Falke will share 10 new five-minute diagnostic techniques that will turn obstacles into opportunities. Speaker: Rob Falke and Mark Pippin Session Held: April 11, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM, Pulaski Room     April 12, 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM, Pulaski Room
Create a Scope of Work That Assures Top Performance
	In this interactive session, David Richardson will guide you through the steps of diagnosing specific defects in an HVAC system, then how to go about solving them. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how to accurately interpret an airflow diagnostic report, then create a scope of work based on those testing results. Speaker: David Richardson Session Held: April 11, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM, Sapelo Room     April 12, 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM, Ossabaw Room
How to Price System Renovation Work
	System renovations should generate higher margins than traditional equipment replacements. This session will focus on sales and pricing methods you can use to price system renovations based on the value you build for your customer rather than your actual job cost. You'll leave with a pricing methodology that will delight both you and your customer. Speakers: Rob Falke and David Holt Session Held: April 11, 1:10 PM - 2:25 PM, Ossabaw Room     April 12, 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Pulaski Room