WEBVTT 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:06.540 Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining Did You 00:00:06.540 --> 00:00:10.380 Know, the ESCO HVAC podcast. This episode brought 00:00:10.380 --> 00:00:15.460 to you by HVAC ProBlog. Learn more at HVACProBlog 00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:18.320 .com. All right, everyone. We appreciate you 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:20.679 joining us and spending some time today. We're 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:22.760 hanging out with Chris Morin. Chris, how are 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:25.660 you, sir? I'm doing great. Thank you so much 00:00:25.660 --> 00:00:27.660 for having me, Clifton. You know, no, it's an 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:29.120 honor. I mean, I've been watching your stuff 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:31.399 for a long time. We just finally recently had 00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:33.899 the opportunity to catch up and, you know, see 00:00:33.899 --> 00:00:36.799 where each other's at in this whole like crazy 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:40.500 social media HVAC world that has kind of became 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:43.899 the norm in the last few years. You know, if 00:00:43.899 --> 00:00:46.899 you look back like five years ago, there wasn't 00:00:46.899 --> 00:00:52.939 a whole lot of quality content. There's a few 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:56.990 pretty big. big names out there, but it was kind 00:00:56.990 --> 00:00:59.109 of focused, right? It was just honed in on certain 00:00:59.109 --> 00:01:01.630 aspects of the industry. And I love it now because 00:01:01.630 --> 00:01:03.270 we have all these different voices and these 00:01:03.270 --> 00:01:04.969 different backgrounds and different perspectives. 00:01:05.250 --> 00:01:07.950 So Chris, tell me a little bit about your background 00:01:07.950 --> 00:01:10.730 because it sculpts who you are and what you offer 00:01:10.730 --> 00:01:13.450 back to the industry. It does. Yeah. So obviously 00:01:13.450 --> 00:01:15.370 a lot of the stuff that I offer is through my 00:01:15.370 --> 00:01:17.269 own personal experience, whether good or bad, 00:01:17.310 --> 00:01:20.530 right? So I started in HVAC when I was 16. I 00:01:20.530 --> 00:01:23.079 got my first job. I actually... Went to vocational 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:26.200 school like a lot of people in the trade. I thought 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:28.780 I was going to be a cook. So I did one semester 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:30.760 of culinary arts. I got an A. It was awesome. 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:32.780 Except it was the most boring thing I ever did, 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:34.500 right? My uncle's a cook, so I got to be careful, 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:37.280 I'm sure. But my father was in the business and 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:39.200 so were my friends. They were in that particular 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:41.180 trade. So it was easy for me to transition, right? 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:44.299 So I got my first co -op job right around 16, 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:47.859 17. And I realized it was a lot of broken down 00:01:47.859 --> 00:01:50.540 guys with bad knees and stuff. climbing around 00:01:50.540 --> 00:01:53.159 attics. I thought, man, I got to get out of here 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:56.340 before I end up like that. Right. So I couldn't 00:01:56.340 --> 00:01:58.040 afford college. So I thought I was going to go 00:01:58.040 --> 00:02:00.640 in the military to pay for college. Right. My 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:02.980 grand plan was going to be an electrician. Right. 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:04.540 I was going to get the hours in the Marine Corps. 00:02:04.980 --> 00:02:06.959 They're going to make my electrician. But unfortunately, 00:02:07.099 --> 00:02:09.699 they made me a refrigeration mechanic. So at 00:02:09.699 --> 00:02:12.419 that point, I just embraced it. You know, exactly. 00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:15.900 Service tech, service manager. I worked for a 00:02:15.900 --> 00:02:18.360 utility program implementer teaching quality 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:21.419 installation. And then most recently, before 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:24.400 I did this full time, I worked for 10 years at 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:26.219 Mitsubishi Electric. So I was a business development 00:02:26.219 --> 00:02:28.139 manager there before I left in the Northeast. 00:02:29.189 --> 00:02:32.449 Fantastic. So quite a bit of background. And 00:02:32.449 --> 00:02:36.169 a lot of the background that you use comes from 00:02:36.169 --> 00:02:38.629 the military experience, right? We're going to 00:02:38.629 --> 00:02:40.250 spend a little bit of time talking about your 00:02:40.250 --> 00:02:43.229 book and talking about how you're helping the 00:02:43.229 --> 00:02:46.969 industry, especially from a lot of lessons learned. 00:02:47.990 --> 00:02:52.909 And I know a lot of these are stories that really 00:02:52.909 --> 00:02:55.860 kind of shape. like who we are as individuals, 00:02:56.139 --> 00:02:59.979 right? Like life lessons. And one particular 00:02:59.979 --> 00:03:02.919 story in your book about standing your guard 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:07.240 sets a narrative. Let's talk about that for just 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:09.879 a minute. Yeah, I think you must be talking about 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:14.280 Wayne. I interviewed Wayne Dvorak. He was on 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.650 guard. Boy, this was quite some time ago. I don't 00:03:17.650 --> 00:03:21.069 want to give away Wayne's age. So a general pulled 00:03:21.069 --> 00:03:24.189 up, didn't have the necessary pass to get into 00:03:24.189 --> 00:03:28.270 his area. It was a high security area. And he 00:03:28.270 --> 00:03:32.969 really had some struggle with non -negotiables, 00:03:33.030 --> 00:03:36.569 right? So he, when it comes to standing his ground 00:03:36.569 --> 00:03:40.210 and having integrity, really was a huge test 00:03:40.210 --> 00:03:44.250 for Wayne. And I think that translates really 00:03:44.250 --> 00:03:46.860 well to our industry. but uh basically he he 00:03:46.860 --> 00:03:49.219 didn't let the general in uh the general didn't 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:51.500 have the credentials and it was and it was a 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:55.659 top secret area and uh it at the time it didn't 00:03:55.659 --> 00:03:59.159 look well for wayne right uh but it worked out 00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:01.300 in his favor because the general realized that's 00:04:01.300 --> 00:04:04.800 the guy that we want on guard right so uh that 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.460 translates pretty well you know when it comes 00:04:07.460 --> 00:04:11.639 to having integrity in our trade so it's really 00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:15.219 easy to sell an oversized system because it's 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:18.180 easier to then having the conversation with the 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:20.839 homeowner right or selling an undersized system 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:23.639 because it's cheaper right there should be a 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:26.620 level of integrity that you're upholding right 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:28.180 things where you're not going to cut corners 00:04:28.180 --> 00:04:29.899 and you're not going to compromise safety or 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:33.259 performance obviously right but if you want to 00:04:33.259 --> 00:04:37.100 earn respect in the trade then integrity builds 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:40.399 that foundation for your business you know I 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:42.240 believe that just as people in general, you know, 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:46.939 you go through a variety of different words that 00:04:46.939 --> 00:04:49.779 have lost meaning that used to be very impactful 00:04:49.779 --> 00:04:53.139 words when you were, you know, becoming a man 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:56.540 or a young woman and, you know, becoming that 00:04:56.540 --> 00:05:00.629 leader, right? It all kind of comes back into 00:05:00.629 --> 00:05:03.970 a form of leadership. I hear a lot of words, 00:05:05.410 --> 00:05:09.089 integrity, justice, tact. These are all important 00:05:09.089 --> 00:05:13.230 words for me myself. I didn't go to the military. 00:05:13.230 --> 00:05:15.930 I was supposed to. It's funny because I was supposed 00:05:15.930 --> 00:05:20.290 to go to the Army for electrical. And I had a 00:05:20.290 --> 00:05:22.129 friend of mine, a female friend of mine that 00:05:22.129 --> 00:05:24.889 had encouraged me not to. So I didn't go. But 00:05:24.889 --> 00:05:27.290 my father was a Marine. My brother is a Marine. 00:05:27.829 --> 00:05:30.990 And I learned to speak. I get this question a 00:05:30.990 --> 00:05:32.449 lot. It's like, where did I learn how to speak? 00:05:33.110 --> 00:05:35.149 It was a learned skill set. I learned it in the 00:05:35.149 --> 00:05:38.410 Masonic Lodge. So when I hear these terms, you 00:05:38.410 --> 00:05:40.709 know, like justice and integrity, those are things 00:05:40.709 --> 00:05:43.050 that have been. important in the sculpting of 00:05:43.050 --> 00:05:46.209 who I am because it really it crafts us as individuals 00:05:46.209 --> 00:05:50.689 and how we present ourself and how we deliver 00:05:50.689 --> 00:05:53.430 ourselves whether it's individually or whether 00:05:53.430 --> 00:05:56.990 it is as a company it really comes down to a 00:05:56.990 --> 00:05:59.170 lot of those key principles like that concept 00:05:59.170 --> 00:06:02.889 of justice right yeah let's dive into that yeah 00:06:02.889 --> 00:06:05.910 yeah so justice one of the first uh traits that 00:06:05.910 --> 00:06:08.350 i talk about in the book right so if you didn't 00:06:08.350 --> 00:06:10.850 know in the marine corps they teach you the leadership 00:06:10.850 --> 00:06:12.769 traits very early in training and there's an 00:06:12.769 --> 00:06:14.410 acronym like everything else in the military 00:06:14.410 --> 00:06:18.089 right and the acronym is uh jj did ty buckle 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:20.839 right so that acronym there's a there's a letter 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:23.740 for each trait so justice is the first one justice 00:06:23.740 --> 00:06:26.740 judgment decisiveness right that's what the acronym 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:30.399 stands for and uh what's interesting is justice 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:34.180 it's not complicated right the problem with justice 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:38.319 is it's challenging and i think when it comes 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:43.829 to the hvac trade the best way to really make 00:06:43.829 --> 00:06:47.129 sure that you're holding on to justice is really 00:06:47.129 --> 00:06:49.589 starting with documentation of your policies 00:06:49.589 --> 00:06:54.550 and not having ambiguity uh and and letting it 00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:57.290 cause inconsistency if that makes sense i don't 00:06:57.290 --> 00:06:58.910 want to use a lot of big words here right i want 00:06:58.910 --> 00:07:01.529 to make sure that you guys know like You know, 00:07:01.529 --> 00:07:03.110 I've seen a lot of crayons, buddy. This is a 00:07:03.110 --> 00:07:09.050 paint. No, it's making sense completely to me. 00:07:09.110 --> 00:07:10.689 Yeah. No worries. Yeah. Actually in the Marines, 00:07:10.850 --> 00:07:12.790 we always joke Marines eat crayons. Right. So, 00:07:12.790 --> 00:07:17.750 so anyway, so I've seen a lot of owners, they 00:07:17.750 --> 00:07:19.810 make decisions based on their mood or their gut 00:07:19.810 --> 00:07:23.029 feeling rather than principles. Right. And that, 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:26.329 that inconsistency is what really erodes trust. 00:07:26.529 --> 00:07:29.310 Right. I think that's, that's really where justice. 00:07:30.910 --> 00:07:33.769 can be a part of your leadership or it can be 00:07:33.769 --> 00:07:36.610 a problem for your leadership right and i think 00:07:36.610 --> 00:07:38.250 the hardest test there is when like your best 00:07:38.250 --> 00:07:40.189 performer when they break one of those rules 00:07:40.189 --> 00:07:42.870 right so how are you going to handle it is it 00:07:42.870 --> 00:07:44.189 going to be different for your best performer 00:07:44.189 --> 00:07:45.870 because you don't want to lose them that's true 00:07:45.870 --> 00:07:48.129 or is it going to be consistent you know and 00:07:48.129 --> 00:07:50.810 if you're consistent then you're going to shine 00:07:50.810 --> 00:07:56.069 as a leader right and if you if you make exceptions 00:07:56.069 --> 00:07:58.529 for your stars then it's one of those things 00:07:58.529 --> 00:08:02.050 where It's just, you know, it's a rule that's 00:08:02.050 --> 00:08:04.930 rarely enforced and it's only for these people, 00:08:05.009 --> 00:08:07.810 right? It destroys morale, creates resentment. 00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:12.310 It's a problem. It's not justice. It's inconsistency 00:08:12.310 --> 00:08:15.629 at that point. Sure. You know, kind of leads 00:08:15.629 --> 00:08:19.189 into like another word that you have an entire 00:08:19.189 --> 00:08:24.470 chapter on called tact, right? Yeah. I left because 00:08:24.470 --> 00:08:26.449 I was a service tech and a service manager. So 00:08:26.449 --> 00:08:29.209 we struggle the most with tech, I think. Yeah. 00:08:29.209 --> 00:08:31.350 And a lot of people don't understand exactly 00:08:31.350 --> 00:08:33.629 what that is. So tell us, you know, as we're 00:08:33.629 --> 00:08:36.110 talking about integrity and building things around 00:08:36.110 --> 00:08:39.549 justice and that consistency, right? Having a 00:08:39.549 --> 00:08:43.509 place where we truly feel like there's a process 00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:46.049 and a procedure for things and I'm going to be 00:08:46.049 --> 00:08:50.080 treated justfully. We also have to do it tactfully. 00:08:50.659 --> 00:08:54.700 Yeah. Yeah. I think the key for tact is not like 00:08:54.700 --> 00:08:57.460 avoiding the truth. That's not having tact, right? 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:02.379 It's delivering the message effectively. So like 00:09:02.379 --> 00:09:04.899 if I train somebody about and I want to talk 00:09:04.899 --> 00:09:06.120 about tact, I'm going to talk about the bridge 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:09.220 method. And really, when you start talking about 00:09:09.220 --> 00:09:11.659 the bridge method, what you want to do with a 00:09:11.659 --> 00:09:13.879 salesperson is like you want the salesperson 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:16.399 to acknowledge. what the customer knows right 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:19.179 and then bridge to additional considerations 00:09:19.179 --> 00:09:21.360 and then guide them toward a better solution 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:23.559 because it's not like it's not about proving 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:27.879 them wrong or um you know showing your dominance 00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:29.980 and that sort of thing it's about expanding their 00:09:29.980 --> 00:09:32.519 perspective yeah right and that you can do that 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:35.340 with tact you can't do that if you're trying 00:09:35.340 --> 00:09:37.080 to be the smartest person in the room right and 00:09:37.080 --> 00:09:41.759 i think you know technicians unfortunately have 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:45.769 this label uh we tend to get a little too blunt 00:09:45.769 --> 00:09:50.409 as far as what we see for the previous contractors 00:09:50.409 --> 00:09:54.690 work or the previous person, even at my, my own 00:09:54.690 --> 00:09:58.690 company. Right. And yeah. And if it, if you don't 00:09:58.690 --> 00:10:00.649 deliver that message with tack, like even if 00:10:00.649 --> 00:10:02.669 we mess something up, they, you know, customers 00:10:02.669 --> 00:10:04.610 should know that, but if you say it the wrong 00:10:04.610 --> 00:10:08.129 way, it totally erodes trust. And are they going 00:10:08.129 --> 00:10:11.049 to trust somebody else to come back? And then 00:10:11.049 --> 00:10:14.009 sure. You're the hero, but. You're the only hero 00:10:14.009 --> 00:10:16.470 now. You're on your own. I learned that early 00:10:16.470 --> 00:10:18.929 on, like where somebody will wait for the service 00:10:18.929 --> 00:10:20.669 manager. They don't want anybody else to do maintenance 00:10:20.669 --> 00:10:22.210 on their equipment or we'll find another company 00:10:22.210 --> 00:10:25.250 because my guys didn't have tact, you know? So 00:10:25.250 --> 00:10:30.120 and, you know, I think. residential it's it's 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:33.220 more common as far as the need for that because 00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:34.840 you're in so many homes and you're dealing with 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:37.460 the homeowner i think you know if you ever shift 00:10:37.460 --> 00:10:40.580 over to commercial i think that uh those guys 00:10:40.580 --> 00:10:42.000 don't have to interact with the building owner 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:44.240 owners often you know so having a little less 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:46.320 tech probably isn't a big problem you can still 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:48.720 make it You know, residential, you've got to 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:50.919 have it if you want to make every job in residential. 00:10:51.139 --> 00:10:52.720 Yeah. You know, in the commercial, that's where 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.299 I spent most of my time was in commercial refrigeration, 00:10:55.299 --> 00:10:57.980 commercial building automations. And so as long 00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:00.419 as you had a good rapport, you know, with the 00:11:00.419 --> 00:11:04.139 manager of that property or, you know, the manager 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:07.620 of the store, it was pretty easy. But when you 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:09.200 talk about like residential, especially on the 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:12.179 service side, right, it is a. different manager 00:11:12.179 --> 00:11:15.600 every time and that tact comes into play especially 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:18.600 now more than ever as we see so many you know 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:22.139 larger private equity companies buying up mid 00:11:22.139 --> 00:11:25.440 -size you know family -owned companies and trying 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:29.100 to maintain that tact in the way that we serve 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:33.960 our customers. And it's a lot of lessons to learn 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:35.899 because it can be a big transition when you have 00:11:35.899 --> 00:11:38.100 a corporate entity that purchases and goes, all 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:40.179 right, this is our product of the month. And 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:42.220 at the same time, you have to go, but I'm here 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:46.519 to deliver a solution for my consumer, my homeowner. 00:11:47.019 --> 00:11:49.019 So there's a lot to be said. I'm glad you did 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:51.600 a whole chapter on that because there's a lot 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:55.909 of things you can dive into that. Go ahead, go 00:11:55.909 --> 00:11:57.570 ahead. No, I was just gonna say, as we're building, 00:11:57.690 --> 00:11:59.730 right? So we're talking about building, you know, 00:11:59.750 --> 00:12:01.950 these are the foundation blocks for personality, 00:12:02.230 --> 00:12:05.769 right? And so we start focusing on tact, well, 00:12:05.809 --> 00:12:09.450 then we understand what it is. Now, how do we 00:12:09.450 --> 00:12:12.470 deliver it? Yeah. How are we gonna take some 00:12:12.470 --> 00:12:16.450 initiative to do this? Yeah, this is one of those 00:12:16.450 --> 00:12:20.690 things where like, try to say this, you know. 00:12:21.789 --> 00:12:24.789 The communication and making it a part of your 00:12:24.789 --> 00:12:28.570 training and having a feedback loop is important, 00:12:28.789 --> 00:12:31.409 right? So I hate to say it, but like, and every 00:12:31.409 --> 00:12:33.230 technician is going to hate me for saying this, 00:12:33.330 --> 00:12:35.929 but role play really helps you with tact because 00:12:35.929 --> 00:12:38.289 it becomes part of your conversation and how 00:12:38.289 --> 00:12:41.129 you're delivering it. And, you know, unless you 00:12:41.129 --> 00:12:44.429 record yourself and hear it, you're not going 00:12:44.429 --> 00:12:46.590 to have the same feedback or understand, you 00:12:46.590 --> 00:12:51.330 know, because, you know, I might be. overly exaggerating 00:12:51.330 --> 00:12:53.789 my, you know, roll my eyes or something like 00:12:53.789 --> 00:12:55.389 that. I wouldn't even know because it's not coming 00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:57.669 out of my mouth, but the other person picks it 00:12:57.669 --> 00:13:00.850 up. Right. And, you know, I think if you're a 00:13:00.850 --> 00:13:04.110 technician, technical experts, they try to, they 00:13:04.110 --> 00:13:06.809 try to make the mistake or they often make the 00:13:06.809 --> 00:13:08.789 mistake of switching into like a lecture mode. 00:13:08.850 --> 00:13:12.870 Right. So instead of asking questions and helping 00:13:12.870 --> 00:13:16.750 them, you know, discover limitations, they try 00:13:16.750 --> 00:13:20.639 to. tell somebody what they need right instead 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:23.059 of helping them find that right and i think if 00:13:23.059 --> 00:13:24.700 you're if you're asking questions and you're 00:13:24.700 --> 00:13:27.879 genuinely actively listening then you can you 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:30.639 can actually have tact in that conversation if 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:33.139 not even if you're trying to deliver it with 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:35.980 tact it comes across very ingenuine because you're 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:38.960 not actively listening right so you're just thinking 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:40.580 about the next thing you're going to say and 00:13:40.580 --> 00:13:44.679 uh and Try to be smart. Right. And unfortunately, 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:46.960 it comes back to haunt a lot of people. I think 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:50.220 a great example would be like, you know, every 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:52.919 customer right now thinks many splits are the 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:56.240 answer for their house. Right. And in some cases 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:59.080 they are. Right. Douglas, I sold it for 10 years. 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:02.440 Right. So I could I could force that into any 00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:06.460 application you want. But instead of just saying, 00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:11.350 yeah, maybe like you start. with like, you've 00:14:11.350 --> 00:14:13.970 clearly done your research on efficiency, which 00:14:13.970 --> 00:14:16.750 is fantastic. Let's see how we can achieve that 00:14:16.750 --> 00:14:19.169 efficiency if we consider the layout of your 00:14:19.169 --> 00:14:21.950 homes and the comfort pattern needs, right? And 00:14:21.950 --> 00:14:24.669 then introduce all of the solutions because it's 00:14:24.669 --> 00:14:27.669 possible, ductless is the answer for that particular 00:14:27.669 --> 00:14:31.809 customer. And, you know, if they already have 00:14:31.809 --> 00:14:34.330 an existing duct system, I think there's a way 00:14:34.330 --> 00:14:38.840 of working that into the conversation to to help 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:42.399 them understand there's other options. And as 00:14:42.399 --> 00:14:43.960 opposed to, no, you don't want to do ductless, 00:14:44.019 --> 00:14:46.399 right? You have a ducted system. It's a waste 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:48.179 of money if you do ductless. Are you just going 00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:50.299 to leave that? I mean, there's a lot of things 00:14:50.299 --> 00:14:52.139 that come across that from a technician or a 00:14:52.139 --> 00:14:55.340 salesperson that if you're not working on it, 00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:59.419 can be viewed as untactful for sure. I believe 00:14:59.419 --> 00:15:02.379 one of the best tools that any technician can 00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:06.399 have is their smartphone. Yeah. Think about that 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:08.389 whole. Conversation. You know, you're sitting 00:15:08.389 --> 00:15:11.769 here. How am I going to present this to the homeowner? 00:15:12.029 --> 00:15:15.730 You're sitting in a van or a vehicle with closed 00:15:15.730 --> 00:15:18.690 windows and you may have somebody with you. You 00:15:18.690 --> 00:15:22.009 may not. The worst you can do is pick up your 00:15:22.009 --> 00:15:25.669 phone, set it on the dash. Record yourself in 00:15:25.669 --> 00:15:27.509 that conversation and play it back. We're only 00:15:27.509 --> 00:15:29.889 talking a couple of minutes to be able to see 00:15:29.889 --> 00:15:33.590 how you're going to be received to that homeowner. 00:15:33.690 --> 00:15:37.909 I use it all the time. It's the first thing that 00:15:37.909 --> 00:15:39.549 I tell people they need to do if they're going 00:15:39.549 --> 00:15:43.549 to be on a podcast or a show of any type. Record 00:15:43.549 --> 00:15:47.370 yourself first. Listen to how you present yourself 00:15:47.370 --> 00:15:49.129 and then see if anything needs to be changed. 00:15:51.330 --> 00:15:53.950 There's nothing more humbling than that. No, 00:15:53.970 --> 00:15:56.269 we're our best critics. Yeah, when you start 00:15:56.269 --> 00:15:59.590 doing your own video editing, oh my gosh. So 00:15:59.590 --> 00:16:02.649 yeah, you really start to appreciate the editing 00:16:02.649 --> 00:16:04.889 and the people that do that for you sometimes. 00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:07.929 Yeah, and I know how so many technicians are 00:16:07.929 --> 00:16:10.789 already TikTok -ing. Just use that time wisely. 00:16:10.870 --> 00:16:12.269 Instead of putting up the TikTok, what you had 00:16:12.269 --> 00:16:15.370 for lunch, do that presentation. How am I going 00:16:15.370 --> 00:16:17.610 to go talk to Mrs. Jones about this system that 00:16:17.610 --> 00:16:20.710 she has? You know, it's funny, on that, driving 00:16:20.710 --> 00:16:22.480 around the car, obviously I... listen to a lot 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:24.639 of podcasts a lot of books things like that but 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:26.779 in the marine corps what's interesting is is 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:28.799 once you reach a certain rank you're expected 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:32.360 to lead physical training and you know uh march 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:34.919 platoons and stuff and the marine corps doesn't 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.320 teach anybody how to be a singer so uh what i 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:42.100 learned was you can actually set your windshield 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:46.379 wipers to a certain speed and you can learn cadence 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:50.100 that way so i'd be you know windows up driving 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:52.740 around North Carolina. It's not raining, but 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:55.340 the windshield wipers are going. I'm yelling 00:16:55.340 --> 00:16:58.159 away, learning, you know, learning how to spin 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.600 cadence. So yeah, it's amazing what you can do 00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:03.320 when those windows go up and nobody can hear 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:05.339 you. So it's a huge opportunity for yourself. 00:17:06.039 --> 00:17:07.880 You know, we've talked about integrity. We've 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:11.480 talked about doing things tactfully. Let's also 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:14.220 talk about like having a bearing. I know one 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:16.900 of the stories you have is using a paperclip 00:17:16.900 --> 00:17:21.339 to jumper a faulty switch. during Operation Iraqi 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:24.359 Freedom. But let's talk about, though, like how 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:27.279 bearing plays into the role of personal development. 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:30.859 Yeah, I think in that instance, you have to ask 00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:34.000 yourself if that solution is creative or is it 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:39.059 just risky? Yeah, yeah. So that actually was 00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:41.400 creative. I can tell you we were in the middle 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:43.299 of nowhere. That was actually the invasion of 00:17:43.299 --> 00:17:47.400 Iraq. We had a generator fail and we had to risk. 00:17:48.029 --> 00:17:50.210 either sending that thing back, which obviously 00:17:50.210 --> 00:17:52.710 when you start sending something back from the 00:17:52.710 --> 00:17:55.529 front line, introduces all these problems, right? 00:17:55.670 --> 00:17:59.450 And I grabbed the wiring diagram, traced it out 00:17:59.450 --> 00:18:01.230 and figured out, hey, it's that plastic switch 00:18:01.230 --> 00:18:05.329 that wasn't designed for sandstorms. So I think 00:18:05.329 --> 00:18:10.529 delivering that information and having the trust 00:18:10.529 --> 00:18:13.769 in yourself. to know that it's a creative solution 00:18:13.769 --> 00:18:16.410 and it wasn't a risky solution. The risky solution 00:18:16.410 --> 00:18:20.910 was sending that generator back. So I think being 00:18:20.910 --> 00:18:25.109 able to face that situation when there's no textbook 00:18:25.109 --> 00:18:30.349 solution and being confident with it and delivering 00:18:30.349 --> 00:18:33.250 it the right way is having bearing. You know, 00:18:33.289 --> 00:18:38.309 I think the best HVAC companies kind of create 00:18:38.309 --> 00:18:40.470 environments where technicians share these solutions. 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:45.039 and they don't keep them as like personal trade 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:47.339 secret secrets right like i would never go around 00:18:47.339 --> 00:18:49.980 telling every generator mechanic how i jumped 00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:52.319 out this switch right and actually it's funny 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:55.940 right above my desk i they gave me a navy achievement 00:18:55.940 --> 00:19:01.640 medal for it um i don't i mean yeah i i guess 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:03.400 it's one of those things where we did what we 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:10.009 had to do right and um I still believe it was 00:19:10.009 --> 00:19:12.150 the right solution until we can get a better 00:19:12.150 --> 00:19:16.769 answer down the road. And I think that's the 00:19:16.769 --> 00:19:20.190 difference, right? Professional bearing during 00:19:20.190 --> 00:19:23.369 that creative problem solving is crucial in order 00:19:23.369 --> 00:19:28.789 for it to be adopted. So yeah, I think bearing 00:19:28.789 --> 00:19:32.029 is a tough one to teach, but I think it boils 00:19:32.029 --> 00:19:35.450 down to comfort and trusting yourself. in order 00:19:35.450 --> 00:19:38.769 to deliver that message right so otherwise if 00:19:38.769 --> 00:19:40.970 i didn't have any bearing man to explain that 00:19:40.970 --> 00:19:44.650 to to the to the troops yeah yeah here's the 00:19:44.650 --> 00:19:48.690 paper clip good luck well i i think about you 00:19:48.690 --> 00:19:51.950 know any business owner right now you know that 00:19:51.950 --> 00:19:56.369 has Based on the product brand of choice that 00:19:56.369 --> 00:19:59.990 they have, whatever their primarily brand dealership 00:19:59.990 --> 00:20:03.170 is, they have to have bearing as they're having 00:20:03.170 --> 00:20:05.730 hard discussions with their technicians right 00:20:05.730 --> 00:20:08.690 now on product availability and refrigerant availability 00:20:08.690 --> 00:20:11.230 and refrigerant detection sensors and proper 00:20:11.230 --> 00:20:15.329 best practices and reviewing tools. So a lot 00:20:15.329 --> 00:20:19.390 of that goes into having... You know, having 00:20:19.390 --> 00:20:22.029 the ability to keep a bearing for your company, 00:20:22.130 --> 00:20:24.069 knowing that there's going to be change, right? 00:20:24.170 --> 00:20:26.630 Because it's one of the things you mentioned 00:20:26.630 --> 00:20:28.410 is that, you know, like the HVAC industry is 00:20:28.410 --> 00:20:31.670 never, never static, right? There's always things 00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:34.750 that are changing and being a part of a team 00:20:34.750 --> 00:20:36.710 where you have bearing and you know that there's 00:20:36.710 --> 00:20:38.150 going to be problems and you're going to get 00:20:38.150 --> 00:20:39.829 through it, you know, and you're going to have 00:20:39.829 --> 00:20:42.089 a method for doing that is very crucial. Tell 00:20:42.089 --> 00:20:44.490 us a little bit about that section of the book. 00:20:44.990 --> 00:20:46.750 Yeah, I think what you're talking about is knowledge, 00:20:46.829 --> 00:20:49.769 right? And, you know, knowledge in our industry 00:20:49.769 --> 00:20:52.450 is it's never static. If you stop going to classes, 00:20:52.769 --> 00:20:55.630 the industry just passes you by. We see that 00:20:55.630 --> 00:20:58.730 with, you know, just efficiency changes or refrigerant 00:20:58.730 --> 00:21:02.009 changes or code changes, you name it. It's a 00:21:02.009 --> 00:21:04.410 very dynamic industry, which makes it very interesting 00:21:04.410 --> 00:21:09.170 and lucrative, right? But knowledge development, 00:21:09.329 --> 00:21:13.200 it needs structure. it's just not intent like 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:16.220 it has to be a priority for your company and 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:18.579 your technicians and they need to show up wanting 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:22.519 to learn right or it's just going to be a check 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:25.359 in the box and it's not going to make the difference 00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:28.640 for you so it's really easy when things get busy 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:31.819 to you know knock off the Wednesday morning that 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:34.400 you used to have for knowledge right or whatever 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:38.599 meeting you want to call it um and you know there's 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:40.359 different levels of knowledge too which i talk 00:21:40.359 --> 00:21:42.319 about in the book i usually have a three -layer 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:44.160 approach so there's a fundamental knowledge right 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:46.700 where it's like refrigeration principles and 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:49.440 building science yeah yeah and then there's the 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:52.259 current technology training right so equipment 00:21:52.259 --> 00:21:55.319 specifics and control systems right and then 00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:58.359 of course there's the emerging trends right and 00:21:58.359 --> 00:22:01.339 i think that's the piece that i think a lot of 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:03.779 people don't keep up on until it's already there 00:22:03.779 --> 00:22:07.200 and i think the businesses that do really well 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:10.619 with the latest and greatest are the ones that 00:22:10.619 --> 00:22:13.839 make time and schedule time for that third piece 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:16.700 the emerging trend piece so heat pumps integration 00:22:16.700 --> 00:22:19.640 with smart homes things like that right maybe 00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:22.059 having a partner that does solar there's a lot 00:22:22.059 --> 00:22:27.000 of things um that are coming down the road that 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:30.049 you know are really part of a big home services 00:22:30.049 --> 00:22:35.690 company these days. So me personally, I block 00:22:35.690 --> 00:22:37.750 out Friday mornings for new technology stuff. 00:22:37.890 --> 00:22:39.670 Sometimes it's listening to a podcast, right? 00:22:39.750 --> 00:22:42.190 If it's a new technology related, sometimes it's 00:22:42.190 --> 00:22:45.230 reading articles, YouTube videos. I use some 00:22:45.230 --> 00:22:47.849 AI stuff to help me do it fast. So there's some 00:22:47.849 --> 00:22:49.730 things out there like Recall and a few other 00:22:49.730 --> 00:22:55.109 AI tools to help the research. But AI is not 00:22:55.109 --> 00:22:57.920 creating this. They're just... They're summarizing, 00:22:57.980 --> 00:23:00.660 you know, so it's important to use those tools 00:23:00.660 --> 00:23:02.119 out there for you, especially when it comes to 00:23:02.119 --> 00:23:05.000 knowledge. Yeah, it's definitely for research 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:08.900 purposes. It's a tool in that. But, you know, 00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:10.579 what you're saying really all comes down to, 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:12.779 especially when you're looking at, you know, 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:16.259 being prepared for new technologies and new innovations. 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:19.579 It's about having endurance as a company and 00:23:19.579 --> 00:23:22.000 even as a technician. Right. You know, this this 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:24.200 serves not only that business owner, but that 00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:28.089 technician that strives to be. you know, a high 00:23:28.089 --> 00:23:30.930 end technician, you know, the best in their field. 00:23:31.009 --> 00:23:33.430 You know, it's a matter of endurance, right? 00:23:33.609 --> 00:23:35.730 It's because it's constantly going to change. 00:23:35.970 --> 00:23:39.369 If we get stagnant, if we start getting to that 00:23:39.369 --> 00:23:41.569 point where we accept that, you know, what are, 00:23:41.589 --> 00:23:43.789 what is around me is all that there is ever going 00:23:43.789 --> 00:23:46.700 to be. We're not going to be successful. And 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:50.119 so having endurance to get over it. Yeah. Yeah. 00:23:50.180 --> 00:23:51.740 It's a big part. Right. And actually that's the 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:55.079 last of the traits in my book. I think the most 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:58.920 resilient HVAC companies, they first build a 00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:01.859 strong financial system. Right. So they have 00:24:01.859 --> 00:24:03.660 cash reserves. They can handle seasonal fluctuations. 00:24:05.160 --> 00:24:07.500 unexpected market shifts like we've seen recently 00:24:07.500 --> 00:24:10.680 right depending on when you air this uh i think 00:24:10.680 --> 00:24:13.259 you know they can do really well in the busy 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:15.720 seasons but they might burn through all of their 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:17.940 their cash in the in the winter because they 00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:20.579 didn't um they didn't think about that right 00:24:20.579 --> 00:24:22.759 they didn't have the endurance when it came to 00:24:22.759 --> 00:24:26.519 that but if you have that built in place then 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:28.579 really the next piece there is cross training 00:24:28.579 --> 00:24:31.420 if you want to be a good technician And actually, 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:33.859 this is far beyond just the HVAC trade. If you 00:24:33.859 --> 00:24:36.180 want to be good at your job, no matter what you're 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:38.579 doing, by cross -training, you're making yourself 00:24:38.579 --> 00:24:43.420 the most valuable employee, right? So they can't 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:45.380 let you go, right? It's your choice to leave 00:24:45.380 --> 00:24:49.119 at that point, right? So it's really about operational 00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:53.039 endurance then, right? So every critical function 00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:55.799 in the business needs to have a backup person 00:24:55.799 --> 00:24:58.140 that can step in. There's many times where the 00:24:58.140 --> 00:25:00.509 lead technician... works himself into the ground 00:25:00.509 --> 00:25:02.789 60, 70 hours that week, and you just can't come 00:25:02.789 --> 00:25:04.849 in. He's on call. Yeah, I've been there, too, 00:25:04.950 --> 00:25:08.769 you know, to the point. Actually, I was a pretty 00:25:08.769 --> 00:25:10.289 good technician when I was younger, maybe because 00:25:10.289 --> 00:25:13.269 I moved faster. I don't know. But I gave myself 00:25:13.269 --> 00:25:15.569 mono senior year high school. Right. I was working 00:25:15.569 --> 00:25:18.210 three jobs and I was on call. I thought I was 00:25:18.210 --> 00:25:22.009 Superman. You know, so my mom said it was from 00:25:22.009 --> 00:25:23.910 something different than working too hard. But 00:25:23.910 --> 00:25:29.089 I. So but when I'm in service teams, we have 00:25:29.089 --> 00:25:32.589 like systematic training. So no single person's 00:25:32.589 --> 00:25:35.349 absence could cripple the operation, right? Like 00:25:35.349 --> 00:25:37.769 we didn't shut down jobs because one person got 00:25:37.769 --> 00:25:39.940 sick. Like if the whole team did. i mean that 00:25:39.940 --> 00:25:42.460 happens right exactly um it shouldn't be the 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:45.940 norm though right um and then also to documentation 00:25:45.940 --> 00:25:48.700 that i think that's a big thing that builds organizational 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:51.380 endurance right so if somebody leaves they don't 00:25:51.380 --> 00:25:54.480 take that organization with them uh if you have 00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:58.460 some sort of um you know, manual process when 00:25:58.460 --> 00:26:00.819 it comes to how we do installations. It's written 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:03.380 down. This becomes a standard we teach to. This 00:26:03.380 --> 00:26:05.779 is the standard we hold everybody to when it 00:26:05.779 --> 00:26:09.180 comes to raises and that sort of thing. Right. 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:16.759 So it becomes a, you know, a way where knowledge 00:26:16.759 --> 00:26:20.200 loss when someone's gone doesn't hurt your company, 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:22.099 you know, because there is going to be turnover. 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:24.119 Sometimes people leave for bigger and better 00:26:24.119 --> 00:26:27.099 things. I felt. Sometimes I regretted leaving 00:26:27.099 --> 00:26:29.960 places, but other times I felt like there was 00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:31.880 no more there for me unless I was going to be 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:34.460 the owner. And it's a small business. I was never 00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:36.759 going to be the owner. So it was time for me 00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:38.599 to move on and give somebody else the opportunity, 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:41.819 you know? And hopefully I trained somebody well 00:26:41.819 --> 00:26:43.759 enough to jump in because I documented all that 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:47.460 stuff, right? So that was the idea anyway. No, 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:51.329 all fantastic. you know, stories and, you know, 00:26:51.329 --> 00:26:53.849 realistic business practices, all part of your 00:26:53.849 --> 00:26:57.329 new book. Tell us about this book and other resources 00:26:57.329 --> 00:26:59.369 and training opportunities that you have. Thanks, 00:26:59.569 --> 00:27:01.869 Clifton. Yeah, so actually just released exclusively 00:27:01.869 --> 00:27:05.450 on Amazon. It's Leadership in HVAC. uh applying 00:27:05.450 --> 00:27:07.349 marine corps leadership traits to residential 00:27:07.349 --> 00:27:12.150 contracting so um it's in the 175 page range 00:27:12.150 --> 00:27:14.170 but it's a little larger print for those that 00:27:14.170 --> 00:27:18.230 need the glasses i think it's a great resource 00:27:18.230 --> 00:27:20.869 so it's one of those things where um if you really 00:27:20.869 --> 00:27:24.230 want to work on being a good leader which you 00:27:24.230 --> 00:27:26.109 know our trade makes really good technicians 00:27:26.109 --> 00:27:28.470 really good installers even really good sales 00:27:28.470 --> 00:27:32.000 people but uh being a leader you really have 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:34.819 to work on right and i think it's a good resource 00:27:34.819 --> 00:27:36.920 to revisit all the time it's not one of those 00:27:36.920 --> 00:27:38.519 things you just read and put it away because 00:27:38.519 --> 00:27:41.420 i took the one thing away from it i want it to 00:27:41.420 --> 00:27:44.720 be almost like a workbook for you right so in 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:46.839 the back there's actually a five -step process 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:49.400 for implementing leadership traits that i walk 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:51.680 through start with an assessment identify the 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:54.200 most common things right there's a five -step 00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:56.539 process that after you understand what each one 00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:58.839 is You can kind of grade yourself and see what 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:00.460 you need to work on and where to implement. So 00:28:00.460 --> 00:28:03.099 I give you some good advice in there. You know, 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:05.299 that's not the only thing I teach, right? That's 00:28:05.299 --> 00:28:08.079 what I wrote based on personal experience. I'm 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:10.740 actually an ACCA EPIC instructor. So locally, 00:28:10.859 --> 00:28:13.420 I've known mostly for my system design trainings. 00:28:13.740 --> 00:28:17.059 So I teach manuals J and S, manual D in duct 00:28:17.059 --> 00:28:21.690 diagnostics. I have an online. virtual masterclass 00:28:21.690 --> 00:28:25.029 that I tend to run. The last one this spring, 00:28:25.089 --> 00:28:27.369 though, we just kicked off for this month. So 00:28:27.369 --> 00:28:29.650 we won't be offering that again until the fall. 00:28:30.130 --> 00:28:33.170 We obviously know that most technicians and salespeople 00:28:33.170 --> 00:28:35.430 are a little busy in the summertime in the United 00:28:35.430 --> 00:28:38.329 States. So we hold off during the summer for 00:28:38.329 --> 00:28:41.450 those. But I do offer coaching and consulting 00:28:41.450 --> 00:28:44.319 as well. So if somebody is interested in learning 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:47.799 to be a better leader or fixing some stuff in 00:28:47.799 --> 00:28:50.319 their process or just starting to create processes, 00:28:50.680 --> 00:28:53.380 I think you'll find that's one of my expertises. 00:28:53.460 --> 00:28:55.539 I happen to be a certified professional coach 00:28:55.539 --> 00:28:59.039 too. And where can we learn more? Oh, thank you. 00:28:59.079 --> 00:29:01.559 Yeah. So if you go over to my website, hvacproblog 00:29:01.559 --> 00:29:04.579 .com, there's a handful of items up on the top. 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:06.859 You can find there's a coaching tab, services. 00:29:07.950 --> 00:29:11.410 I do actually offer support with system design 00:29:11.410 --> 00:29:15.990 as well. So if you have a set of plans on a complex 00:29:15.990 --> 00:29:19.529 house and you want to subcontract that out, I 00:29:19.529 --> 00:29:20.769 have the ability of helping you with that as 00:29:20.769 --> 00:29:24.390 well. But HVACProBlog .com or if you just want 00:29:24.390 --> 00:29:26.710 to jump right to some video learning, I have 00:29:26.710 --> 00:29:29.190 over 200 trainings on YouTube that you can check 00:29:29.190 --> 00:29:32.440 out for free. Nice. All right, Chris, I sure 00:29:32.440 --> 00:29:35.259 appreciate you hanging out with us. We look forward 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:37.799 to more trainings and opportunities in the future. 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:41.160 Just glad to have you here today. Thanks, Colton. 00:29:41.220 --> 00:29:42.779 Same here. I appreciate the opportunity with 00:29:42.779 --> 00:29:44.579 you and good luck to everybody this summer.