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Some website designers talk about your website as being the single-most pivotal thing you can do for your contracting business. I’m here to say – that’s not true. Websites do play an important role, but they’re not the be-all and end-all when it comes to focus. In fact, saying that any one thing is the…
I hear contractors brag about their bottom-line percentage or their gross margin percentage. Neither of these percentages really matter. What matters is the bottom-line dollars or that the gross margins are consistent. Bottom-Line Percentages Those who talk about bottom-line percentages turn those percentages into dollars in their minds. What were the actual bottom-line dollars? That’s…
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. – Nelson Mandela Some of our more longstanding customers will recall an article I wrote back in September ’16 regarding Website Graders. Last…
Are those with disabilities able to get all the benefit of your site as can those who are fully-abled? A review of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, a federal regulation) appears it would apply to publicly accessible websites as much as it does access to a building. For most contractors, the relevance is a…
HVAC tech jobs pay better than other popular careers requiring more schooling According to the Department of Labor Statistics, HVAC technicians make more than several other popular careers requiring more schooling. With the typical HVACR program taking two years to complete, graduates with a certificate can get in the field quickly, start earning, and more…
Call Text Me, Maybe? First off, my apologies for getting that forsaken song stuck in your head, but I couldn’t think of a better segue into today’s topic. Over the last couple of years, Chat has taken our industry by storm. Whether you choose to manage it yourself or have a third party manage it…
Google seems to be hinting at offering more paid-for options for businesses At the end of April, Google sent out a survey to some Google My Business users asking for which configuration of options they’d be willing to pay a monthly subscription. Here’s what it looked like: We’re going to talk at length about why…
FER standards require furnace manufacturers to reduce furnace wattage by 46% over the average PSC furnace. To comply with these new regulations, manufacturers are shifting from induction blowers to electronically commutated motors (ECM). This leads to higher costs for anyone downstream. There are no laws limiting the continued sales of inefficient furnaces. What the New…
Google recently decided to update its Google Page Speed Insights report. Companies that were consistently scoring in the 80s with their old tool, are now scoring in the 20s and 30s. The scoring is so heavy-handed, even Google’s sites (which use very minimalistic page styling) show poor scores! Their own News Site is scoring a 43—“slow” as of…
—and a sneak-peek at what we’ve been working on for over a year! Face it, anyone who has ever tried to market a contracting company needs to realize that the greatest challenge is that we sell really boring crap! I’m sorry if this is somehow breaking news, but most consumers typically never even think about…