WEBVTT 00:00:05.099 --> 00:00:07.259 Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining Did You 00:00:07.259 --> 00:00:11.740 Know, the ESCO HVAC podcast. This episode brought 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:14.720 to you by Seitron Americas, creating products 00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:18.379 that offer advantages and accessibility to all. 00:00:18.699 --> 00:00:24.660 Learn more at seitronamericas .com. Well, hello, 00:00:24.699 --> 00:00:26.820 everyone. We're spending some time today with 00:00:26.820 --> 00:00:30.579 Jason Estevez. How are you, sir? Good. Very good. 00:00:30.679 --> 00:00:32.969 How about yourself? I'm doing wonderful. I'm 00:00:32.969 --> 00:00:35.009 actually on the road this week. I'm spending 00:00:35.009 --> 00:00:39.429 time down at the Daikin Waller facility. We're 00:00:39.429 --> 00:00:42.670 going to be doing some, yeah, a lot of factory 00:00:42.670 --> 00:00:45.109 tours, behind the scenes video shoot. We've got 00:00:45.109 --> 00:00:47.950 some director conversations about training and 00:00:47.950 --> 00:00:51.170 ways that, you know, Esco and manufacturers are 00:00:51.170 --> 00:00:53.350 going to be spending more time, you know, dedicated 00:00:53.350 --> 00:00:56.210 to training and training resources, you know, 00:00:56.210 --> 00:00:58.909 especially in this coming year. And so that's 00:00:58.909 --> 00:01:01.359 one of the reasons we're hanging out with. Citron 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:04.359 today, not just Citron, Jason Estevez, general 00:01:04.359 --> 00:01:08.459 manager, one of the top 25 most influential educators 00:01:08.459 --> 00:01:13.079 for 2024, as well as the OESP. Tell me about 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:17.939 that one as well. So OESP, I was fortunate and 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:21.159 honored to be the instructor of the year last 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:24.959 year, 2024, as well as top 25 most influential. 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:28.579 So 2024 was a crazy year for actually being. 00:01:29.209 --> 00:01:32.650 you know after 20 plus years uh really focusing 00:01:32.650 --> 00:01:35.730 on training myself it was kind of really um touching 00:01:35.730 --> 00:01:39.370 and and you know very cool to be recognized for 00:01:39.370 --> 00:01:42.269 hey the hours you spend away from home and in 00:01:42.269 --> 00:01:45.510 hotels like you and uh and just uh going out 00:01:45.510 --> 00:01:46.969 there and being in front of the customer and 00:01:46.969 --> 00:01:48.969 doing some some train that's what we do for a 00:01:48.969 --> 00:01:51.409 living so i was very honored to do that and uh 00:01:51.409 --> 00:01:56.280 oesp um It started off as Naotium many years 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.599 ago, very heavily in the oil industry here on 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:01.379 the East Coast. And I got into that industry 00:02:01.379 --> 00:02:04.739 right out of college and became a member and 00:02:04.739 --> 00:02:07.939 went to meetings. I remember doing my first trainings 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:13.039 and getting my butt chewed out from a lot of 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:16.150 guys until you kind of... You start learning 00:02:16.150 --> 00:02:18.030 very quickly that if you're going to stand up 00:02:18.030 --> 00:02:19.710 there and teach, you better know what you're 00:02:19.710 --> 00:02:22.849 talking about. And so that was it was it was 00:02:22.849 --> 00:02:25.250 one of the few times outside of my my, you know, 00:02:25.250 --> 00:02:27.550 my wedding and my kids being born that like when 00:02:27.550 --> 00:02:29.629 I it was a surprise. So when I won the award, 00:02:29.750 --> 00:02:33.909 I actually did cry on my way up. So it was quite 00:02:33.909 --> 00:02:36.099 touching. Yeah. A lot of people don't realize 00:02:36.099 --> 00:02:39.379 the dedication that we do on this side of the 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:40.780 industry. You know, they think, oh boy, it'd 00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:43.719 be fantastic to be a trainer and get to travel 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:47.419 around the country. And it is, I mean, it has 00:02:47.419 --> 00:02:50.479 its perks. Absolutely. But, you know, at the 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:54.199 same time, it's a lot of time away from family, 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:58.620 but it's our passion. I mean, if I didn't love 00:02:58.620 --> 00:03:01.639 it or my team is very good at that too, if we 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:04.759 didn't love what we did, it would be a sad existence. 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:08.560 But that's not what, you know, being a trainer 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:12.580 is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling because 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:15.319 guys come to your class, they ask questions. 00:03:15.539 --> 00:03:17.219 You know, some of our trainers have different 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:19.780 personalities. So you kind of, you know, my way 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:22.280 is a little bit more blue collar, a little more 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:26.020 open and the guys just receive that. very well 00:03:26.020 --> 00:03:28.800 i guess sometimes and uh but yeah i mean i i 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:31.080 my my wife and i have a joke we've been together 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:34.020 since we were teenagers so she's done my thank 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:36.659 you um she's known my life since i started in 00:03:36.659 --> 00:03:38.780 this industry right and the heating season is 00:03:38.780 --> 00:03:41.819 heating season so she's a teacher so we have 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:43.900 this joke every labor day which is by the way 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:45.939 our anniversary and we kiss each other goodbye 00:03:45.939 --> 00:03:49.780 and we say i'll see you at thanksgiving so it's 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:51.879 kind of how it goes and you know i miss a lot 00:03:51.879 --> 00:03:55.120 of uh games and and events and things like that 00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:57.639 but i'm on the road and it but it's it's fun 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:00.300 we love i love what i do i love seeing guys learn 00:04:00.300 --> 00:04:03.300 something new in the class or ask questions and 00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:05.960 and i love to get stumped too going oh wow this 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:08.800 is this is new and it's not just teaching the 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:11.259 technicians it's also visiting and training with 00:04:11.259 --> 00:04:13.139 like like you're doing now with manufacturers 00:04:13.139 --> 00:04:15.800 and going what's the new technology what do techs 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:18.540 need to know in the field what's happening down 00:04:18.540 --> 00:04:21.379 the pike whether it's with combustion or refrigerants 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:25.420 or there's so much changing um that if you're 00:04:25.420 --> 00:04:27.319 teaching a class you need to know it so it's 00:04:27.319 --> 00:04:30.779 uh but yeah there's a there's a there's very 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:33.060 big ups and downs being on the road and traveling 00:04:33.060 --> 00:04:35.839 sounds fun but gets tiring after a bit as you 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:38.199 can imagine but on the flip side to that there's 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:42.040 this incredible um you know the feedback and 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.019 the and the feeling of accomplishment you get 00:04:44.019 --> 00:04:46.560 when guys leave your class and instead of leaving 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:48.889 they keep coming to the front of the class and 00:04:48.889 --> 00:04:50.970 asking questions and talking. And what should 00:04:50.970 --> 00:04:53.370 be a couple hours turns into even longer because 00:04:53.370 --> 00:04:57.529 you've built a relationship with them. So it's 00:04:57.529 --> 00:05:00.490 incredibly rewarding. Yeah, I just did a podcast 00:05:00.490 --> 00:05:04.449 recording earlier in the week that will be broadcast 00:05:04.449 --> 00:05:06.509 at probably a very similar time to this one, 00:05:06.529 --> 00:05:09.209 probably a week or so apart. And, you know, we 00:05:09.209 --> 00:05:12.339 were talking about. education in general and 00:05:12.339 --> 00:05:15.639 becoming an educator and how many times as technicians, 00:05:15.779 --> 00:05:18.480 we don't think of ourselves as educators. And 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:21.959 then once we take that, it's kind of a leap of 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:25.279 faith into that new world of education, it really, 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:29.399 it opens up an entirely different avenue of reward. 00:05:29.660 --> 00:05:33.360 I know for me, I enjoyed fixing broken things. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:36.699 what I enjoy doing, making situations better. 00:05:36.779 --> 00:05:39.540 That was a fantastic feeling. And then once I 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:42.259 got into the classroom and started having that 00:05:42.259 --> 00:05:50.180 new food, right? It's almost like it's that success 00:05:50.180 --> 00:05:53.360 of those light bulbs going off. It's like this 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.819 new hunger that I had as an educator, and I absolutely 00:05:56.819 --> 00:05:58.860 love it. And it's really, it's that driving force 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:02.990 that has... brought you to where you are in your 00:06:02.990 --> 00:06:06.410 career. When we look at, we were talking about 00:06:06.410 --> 00:06:09.110 the National HVACR Education Conference, we had 00:06:09.110 --> 00:06:14.029 three esteemed members of your piece of the industry 00:06:14.029 --> 00:06:18.810 as part of the top 25 this year, showing the 00:06:18.810 --> 00:06:23.930 amount of investment that is being made in understanding 00:06:23.930 --> 00:06:28.860 combustion and understanding analysis. That's 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:31.160 really at the heart of what Citron is. Tell us 00:06:31.160 --> 00:06:34.199 a little bit about the evolution of Citron, and 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:36.259 then we'll dive deeper into the whole training 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:39.040 aspect of things. Sure, sure. No, I appreciate 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:43.319 that. So, yeah, so myself and my colleague, Dan, 00:06:43.579 --> 00:06:46.360 who we kind of go hand in hand here, we pretty 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:50.600 much run Seitron Americas as a team. We both started 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:53.060 off at a company called E -Instruments. Many 00:06:53.060 --> 00:06:55.720 guys, many technicians still know. know us from 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:58.439 the instruments and they'll show me hey you're 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:00.279 still on my phone as Jason E instruments 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:03.740 and it's just okay so it is what it is um but 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:07.560 i was there for 18 of my 22 years uh now in the 00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:10.800 in the industry and uh at a certain point back 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:17.079 in 2018 fortunately uh or unfortunately uh you 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:18.980 know things change and the company was bought 00:07:18.980 --> 00:07:23.300 out by a different manufacturer and my our predecessor 00:07:23.300 --> 00:07:26.560 and kind of leader there for both Dan and I on 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:29.879 not only a work level as a boss or employer, 00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:32.800 but almost like a father figure to both of us 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:35.699 because Ray, who was our previous owner and the 00:07:35.699 --> 00:07:37.839 owner of E -Instruments. I mean, I had known 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:39.660 him since I was a kid. I was a first employee 00:07:39.660 --> 00:07:43.730 at E -Instruments. became an HVAC product national 00:07:43.730 --> 00:07:46.050 product manager at 21 and didn't know anything 00:07:46.050 --> 00:07:49.050 really. So I had to really learn when it comes 00:07:49.050 --> 00:07:53.089 to education now. And Dan had known Ray as a 00:07:53.089 --> 00:07:55.750 soccer coach in his youth at one point. So we 00:07:55.750 --> 00:07:59.089 had this real like personal relationship and 00:07:59.089 --> 00:08:01.430 he unfortunately passed away very, very shortly 00:08:01.430 --> 00:08:04.750 after the company was sold. So, but in all those 00:08:04.750 --> 00:08:08.810 years, Citron, this. this company in Italy was 00:08:08.810 --> 00:08:11.050 the actual manufacturer of all of our products 00:08:11.050 --> 00:08:14.009 we were kind of just private labeling a lot of 00:08:14.009 --> 00:08:18.290 the the instruments so um at that time uh the 00:08:18.290 --> 00:08:20.829 ownership and who i'd known for many years because 00:08:20.829 --> 00:08:23.889 we'd worked together approached dan and i and 00:08:23.889 --> 00:08:26.410 some of our other service guys and and said hey 00:08:26.410 --> 00:08:28.670 we're gonna you know the market you know the 00:08:28.670 --> 00:08:31.709 tools you know the instruments We want to open 00:08:31.709 --> 00:08:34.809 up a subsidiary in North and South America, Seitron 00:08:34.809 --> 00:08:37.710 Americas, and want you guys to be at the helm. 00:08:37.850 --> 00:08:40.830 And I said, good, as long as you let me put it 00:08:40.830 --> 00:08:42.409 in the Philly area, because that's where I live, 00:08:42.470 --> 00:08:46.269 I'm good with it. But it was a great opportunity 00:08:46.269 --> 00:08:50.870 for Dan and I to kind of kickstart what we've 00:08:50.870 --> 00:08:53.129 always wanted to do is kind of run our own show 00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:58.250 over here. And so we opened up in January of 00:08:58.250 --> 00:09:02.279 2021. and have been growing substantially every 00:09:02.279 --> 00:09:05.179 year. And those two, a lot of what we'll talk 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:08.100 about, not just a product, but the customer service 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:11.220 and support and all that. And in the meantime, 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:14.080 while I was making my decision, Sauerrman was actually 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:16.460 the company that bought e -instruments back in 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:19.679 2018. So I was there as the vice president of 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:23.139 sales for about two years there. It's just one 00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:26.080 of those things, right? company takes over some 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:27.940 things you like some things you don't and yeah 00:09:27.940 --> 00:09:30.820 this opportunity just came up and um i had a 00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:32.519 good relationship with the ownership and it's 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:35.259 a family -run business so i i just made the decision 00:09:35.259 --> 00:09:38.100 to leave but as you mentioned i mean i was um 00:09:38.100 --> 00:09:42.299 fortunate enough to um to hire staff at saurman 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:45.299 and some some are well known in our industry 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:49.200 and and and uh as well and is under my tutelage 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:52.419 and training for for years and it's really cool 00:09:53.049 --> 00:09:55.649 even though they're a competitor uh it's very 00:09:55.649 --> 00:09:59.090 cool to see um guys who have you have trained 00:09:59.090 --> 00:10:02.769 or had some part in in in helping along the way 00:10:02.769 --> 00:10:07.169 stand on the same stage together um so it's very 00:10:07.169 --> 00:10:09.889 it's very cool and touching but uh but citron 00:10:09.889 --> 00:10:11.990 is a manufacturer obviously combustion is is 00:10:11.990 --> 00:10:15.139 kind of our main focus but uh we're just getting 00:10:15.139 --> 00:10:17.559 into new things like uh refrigeration testing 00:10:17.559 --> 00:10:20.759 tools and that manifolds and then things like 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:23.059 that personal gas detection we're not just in 00:10:23.059 --> 00:10:25.460 the hvac market either we do a lot actually the 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:27.940 majority of our business more on the commercial 00:10:27.940 --> 00:10:32.000 versus residential side um and and in and in 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:35.779 in the industrial market too so um but um you 00:10:35.779 --> 00:10:38.679 know we we the three things that i always tell 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:41.700 my team here and that i've been you know um kind 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:45.200 of beaten down to is your customer i don't care 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:47.240 if you sell to distributors wholesalers reps 00:10:47.240 --> 00:10:49.019 whatever the case may be at the end of the day 00:10:49.019 --> 00:10:54.259 your customer is the technician right so i don't 00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:56.460 think about anything else in the midst of that 00:10:56.460 --> 00:10:59.759 line except for them when they call you they're 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:01.580 not calling you to tell you how awesome your 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:03.240 equipment is they're calling you to help solve 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:06.860 an issue that's what you know so when i do a 00:11:06.860 --> 00:11:08.960 training i'll when I'm sitting in front of a 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:11.299 room full of technicians, I say the best thing 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:15.340 for you to become more valuable to your company, 00:11:15.460 --> 00:11:17.879 to go on your own, to do whatever you want is 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:21.000 be the guy who always gets the test product. 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:23.320 It's kind of this funny thing. I go see a service 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:25.580 manager and I talk about my analyzer and he goes, 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:28.340 let me give it to my best tech and he uses it 00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:32.240 and he'll give me my feedback. Be that guy. The 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:34.600 more you learn, the more you educate. that's 00:11:34.600 --> 00:11:37.100 how these guys become trainers or guys like us 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:39.340 right you're the one you're the guinea pig for 00:11:39.340 --> 00:11:42.940 a lot of things along the way but when you become 00:11:42.940 --> 00:11:46.980 the point of education to other technicians to 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:49.759 other guys it really is uh what makes you valuable 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:52.740 you know i think that's a great lesson you know 00:11:52.740 --> 00:11:55.740 really when we look at you know as technicians 00:11:55.740 --> 00:11:58.750 you know what is the future What does your career 00:11:58.750 --> 00:12:00.570 look like? We're going to have technicians listening 00:12:00.570 --> 00:12:02.990 to this podcast, driving down the road. The reason 00:12:02.990 --> 00:12:05.129 we keep these 20 or 25 minutes is that's the 00:12:05.129 --> 00:12:08.049 average length in between calls. And so as a 00:12:08.049 --> 00:12:10.750 technician, if you're not that technician at 00:12:10.750 --> 00:12:12.970 your company. That's the place you want to be. 00:12:13.029 --> 00:12:16.809 If you are that technician at that company, now 00:12:16.809 --> 00:12:19.730 we're talking to the person that's probably next 00:12:19.730 --> 00:12:22.970 in line to become an educator. Yes. Even if it's 00:12:22.970 --> 00:12:26.169 within your own company. We have a lot of contractors 00:12:26.169 --> 00:12:28.669 that came to our conference this year looking 00:12:28.669 --> 00:12:31.610 for resources to have their own technical training 00:12:31.610 --> 00:12:34.129 departments in -house to be able to specialize 00:12:34.129 --> 00:12:37.350 in training to do things right. And so part of 00:12:37.350 --> 00:12:41.759 that. is having the resources, having the training 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.659 available to be the best that you can be. You 00:12:44.659 --> 00:12:47.080 want to get really good with a Citron product. 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:50.759 You want to understand so well that you can teach 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:53.460 it to a fifth grader. You'll hear that all the 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:55.419 time around here. It's one of Eugene's things. 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:58.259 That's how well you need to know what you're 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:01.200 doing. You have to be able to break it down so 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:04.700 simple that... A grade schooler can understand 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:06.720 it, although it's meant for the professional. 00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:09.779 So in doing that, it's about having the right 00:13:09.779 --> 00:13:12.440 training resources. And so when we talk about 00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:14.919 Citron, I don't want to just talk about the manufacturer. 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:18.220 I want to talk about your brand because you've 00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:20.360 already said it. There's so much more than just 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:23.759 the product. It's that whole relationship and 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:27.059 training. So let's spend a little bit of time 00:13:27.059 --> 00:13:29.480 talking about what you do in the world of training. 00:13:31.629 --> 00:13:33.250 There are three pillars to our company, right? 00:13:33.269 --> 00:13:37.309 Product is just one. And anybody can make a product. 00:13:37.909 --> 00:13:39.970 That's a different set. The other two are the 00:13:39.970 --> 00:13:43.009 most important. Like I said before, your end 00:13:43.009 --> 00:13:45.669 user, your customer is the technician, right? 00:13:45.750 --> 00:13:49.289 So customer support and training are the two 00:13:49.289 --> 00:13:54.129 biggest aspects of what we do. And every salesperson, 00:13:54.269 --> 00:13:56.669 every team member that I join, they're not – 00:13:56.669 --> 00:13:59.710 I don't hire salespeople. I hire guys who have 00:13:59.710 --> 00:14:02.639 done training before. because you have to be 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:04.440 comfortable enough to stand in front of the class 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:06.419 and you have to be, you know, you have to understand 00:14:06.419 --> 00:14:08.919 what you're talking about. But education and 00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:12.100 training, education and training is so important. 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:15.139 And it's honestly, it's so much fun. The sales 00:14:15.139 --> 00:14:17.740 come from the training that if you, if you, if 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:20.639 you know, if you really, really, and it's really 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:22.539 funny when we go to a class and we stand up there 00:14:22.539 --> 00:14:23.740 and this is going to be a combustion analysis 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:26.960 training and the faces that you see. And the 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:29.500 first thing I say, every class is don't worry 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:32.899 guys. It's not a sales presentation. It's a training. 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:35.720 In fact, a little thing that I learned early 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:40.139 on was don't hand out literature before class. 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:43.399 Only a card. I agree. As soon as you hand out 00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:46.220 literature, it's here we go. Here we go. Here 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:52.399 we go. So I don't know. So I don't I don't in 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:55.460 our classes are Nate and Nora accredited. So, 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:58.899 you know, you can't just it brings guys in, of 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:01.399 course, but. You can't just go there and do a 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:02.879 sales presentation if you want accreditation. 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:06.500 You have to actually teach something. And we've 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:09.539 recently just partnered with NCI and the National 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:12.200 Comfort Institute as well. Great group. Yeah, 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:15.149 we've known them for a long time. we've taken 00:15:15.149 --> 00:15:17.769 a lot of what we teach and train and put it actually 00:15:17.769 --> 00:15:20.190 in the product part now right so it makes it 00:15:20.190 --> 00:15:23.110 easier for guys because the easier you can make 00:15:23.110 --> 00:15:25.929 it the better uh the more chances guys will actually 00:15:25.929 --> 00:15:28.149 do it correctly the better things are done correctly 00:15:28.149 --> 00:15:30.070 the better our equipment runs the better our 00:15:30.070 --> 00:15:32.250 equipment runs the better our market is what 00:15:32.250 --> 00:15:35.129 uh what a domino effect that you can that you 00:15:35.129 --> 00:15:37.669 can have just by just by that little instinct 00:15:37.669 --> 00:15:40.190 of let's train the guys right and if we do that 00:15:40.190 --> 00:15:44.879 it'll it'll it'll kind of domino but um We really, 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:47.440 really focus on that. In fact, to give you an 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:50.039 example, Citron's not the biggest world name 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:52.220 when it comes to analyzers. We know who our competitors 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:55.019 are. And sometimes I'll sit with big companies 00:15:55.019 --> 00:15:57.379 who are looking at a lot of analyzers and I will 00:15:57.379 --> 00:15:59.840 sit with the service manager and I will tell 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.879 them, if you do not have us come in and do training 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:05.919 for your techs, buy another brand. That's how 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:10.759 important it is to us. Wow. How to use it, what 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:13.299 the readings mean, how to take care of it, how 00:16:13.299 --> 00:16:15.279 to maintain them and go through everything. But 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:18.539 not just to train them. We want our guys to go 00:16:18.539 --> 00:16:20.480 in and build a relationship. Everybody gets our 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:23.039 cell phone numbers, gets our card, put it in 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:25.919 the case. If you have a call, we have 24 hour, 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:29.259 seven day a week tech support. We will take any 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:31.919 phone call at any time. I've done it myself. 00:16:32.059 --> 00:16:34.120 Friday nights, Christmas morning. My wife loves 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:38.970 that shit. Just loves it. But during. I've gotten 00:16:38.970 --> 00:16:41.929 a little older, so during the off season, off 00:16:41.929 --> 00:16:43.590 the heating season, my other guys take it now. 00:16:43.730 --> 00:16:48.129 But like I said before, I mean, they're calling 00:16:48.129 --> 00:16:51.289 you for an issue to help. I know the timing sometimes 00:16:51.289 --> 00:16:54.909 stinks, but if you help and train and teach something, 00:16:55.090 --> 00:16:57.389 even right there, not at a class, but right there 00:16:57.389 --> 00:17:00.830 in the field, technicians remember that. And 00:17:00.830 --> 00:17:03.070 the support that goes behind it, support and 00:17:03.070 --> 00:17:04.650 training are linked. Even though they're two 00:17:04.650 --> 00:17:07.470 pillars for us, they're completely linked. Very 00:17:07.470 --> 00:17:11.490 similar. And you pick up a phone, it's incredible. 00:17:13.910 --> 00:17:15.789 You know, one of the things that you had just 00:17:15.789 --> 00:17:17.990 mentioned on the literature side, that's such 00:17:17.990 --> 00:17:21.170 a great thing to think about, like even in a 00:17:21.170 --> 00:17:24.569 classroom, right? You know, the importance of 00:17:24.569 --> 00:17:29.049 holding on to the information and building that 00:17:29.049 --> 00:17:32.750 relationship. Can we dive into that a little 00:17:32.750 --> 00:17:35.089 bit deeper? Because that really is a great nugget. 00:17:35.579 --> 00:17:38.900 of information whether you're on the sales training 00:17:38.900 --> 00:17:41.140 side whether you're on training or you're an 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:45.059 educator that can really benefit any classroom 00:17:45.059 --> 00:17:49.420 experience it it's the we're always taught um 00:17:49.420 --> 00:17:52.539 first impressions go a long way right yeah and 00:17:52.539 --> 00:17:54.619 unfortunately or fortunately in this industry 00:17:54.619 --> 00:17:58.519 the first impression is a lot of times we don't 00:17:58.519 --> 00:18:00.099 get it as much anymore because it's accredited 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:02.480 but it's still important and uh guys just think 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.130 it's going to be another local sales rep coming 00:18:05.130 --> 00:18:07.250 in to talk about their product for an hour and 00:18:07.250 --> 00:18:10.029 that's really unfortunately what it sometimes 00:18:10.029 --> 00:18:13.369 is and sometimes not you have to have the right 00:18:13.369 --> 00:18:16.210 educator so i i know i travel all over the country 00:18:16.210 --> 00:18:18.089 and i'm out with my local sales reps and my sales 00:18:18.089 --> 00:18:20.029 reps are doing their job while i'm setting up 00:18:20.029 --> 00:18:22.849 the class they're handing out the catalogs and 00:18:22.849 --> 00:18:26.289 i'll tell them no don't do that take all the 00:18:26.289 --> 00:18:28.430 literature and you put it at the table at the 00:18:28.430 --> 00:18:30.589 end where the products are because there's a 00:18:30.589 --> 00:18:32.849 i always set up Here's the products if you want 00:18:32.849 --> 00:18:36.250 to touch. I start the class going, guys, this 00:18:36.250 --> 00:18:39.569 is going to be an education thing. This is also 00:18:39.569 --> 00:18:41.109 going to be interactive, which means I'm going 00:18:41.109 --> 00:18:43.309 to ask you questions. I don't stand up here to 00:18:43.309 --> 00:18:46.109 do this to myself and speak to nobody. I'm not 00:18:46.109 --> 00:18:48.650 going to read off the bullet points in the PowerPoint. 00:18:49.329 --> 00:18:51.910 This is what it's going to be. We're going to 00:18:51.910 --> 00:18:55.130 have some fun, but this is how it's going to 00:18:55.130 --> 00:18:56.910 go. I leave all that literature and all the product 00:18:56.910 --> 00:18:59.130 and I start the class going, if you want literature 00:18:59.130 --> 00:19:01.960 that And if you want product stuff, it's there. 00:19:02.059 --> 00:19:05.440 We'll talk at the end. I have a product. I will 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:07.240 talk about it when it's relevant to what we're 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:09.099 talking about in combustion. Maybe there's a 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:11.859 feature or something that we do that's based 00:19:11.859 --> 00:19:14.019 on what's happening in the process to make the 00:19:14.019 --> 00:19:16.660 testing easier. I will not walk around with the 00:19:16.660 --> 00:19:19.819 product. I will not, you know, hand out that 00:19:19.819 --> 00:19:22.700 kind of stuff. The only thing I hand out, a pen, 00:19:22.900 --> 00:19:26.720 a business card, a pad of paper, and sometimes 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:29.240 what we call a little quick guide cheat sheet. 00:19:29.630 --> 00:19:31.470 which has to deal with combustion, which is educational 00:19:31.470 --> 00:19:35.529 focused. Then we run the class and then at the 00:19:35.529 --> 00:19:37.990 end of class, I have a little QR code that guys 00:19:37.990 --> 00:19:41.470 sign into and I go, I will send you a booklet, 00:19:41.690 --> 00:19:44.349 a copy of the presentation for you to reference, 00:19:44.490 --> 00:19:46.849 steal from, I don't care. As long as you're using 00:19:46.849 --> 00:19:51.450 it, that's what it's there for. But if you want 00:19:51.450 --> 00:19:53.710 product, then right over there at the end of 00:19:53.710 --> 00:19:56.250 the table, at the end of class. Then that's when, 00:19:56.269 --> 00:19:59.329 if they trust you and learn something, they will 00:19:59.329 --> 00:20:02.089 come up and talk to you about the product. That's 00:20:02.089 --> 00:20:05.029 why I'm saying like in our, how we at Citron 00:20:05.029 --> 00:20:08.329 do it is that way. It's education first, the 00:20:08.329 --> 00:20:10.769 training first. The sales, you might not get 00:20:10.769 --> 00:20:12.930 a sale tomorrow, but the next time they go to 00:20:12.930 --> 00:20:14.809 buy a combustion analyzer or a leak detector 00:20:14.809 --> 00:20:16.609 or something like that, they go, you know, that 00:20:16.609 --> 00:20:19.109 guy, he gave me a cell phone. Let me call him. 00:20:19.150 --> 00:20:21.109 Let me ask him questions. And the next time they 00:20:21.109 --> 00:20:23.390 think about purchasing one, that's when they'll 00:20:23.390 --> 00:20:26.150 reach out. you have to and sometimes in our industry 00:20:26.150 --> 00:20:29.049 that happens man we get so focused on how many 00:20:29.049 --> 00:20:30.630 guys are we're going to get in the class and 00:20:30.630 --> 00:20:33.029 how do we get hand out as much literature and 00:20:33.029 --> 00:20:34.750 talk about the product and you go that's not 00:20:34.750 --> 00:20:38.009 that's you can do that it's just it's not going 00:20:38.009 --> 00:20:41.630 to work if you really want to be um an educator 00:20:41.630 --> 00:20:46.329 and not a sales rep right i mean it's a big difference 00:20:46.329 --> 00:20:49.529 no i i completely believe in that philosophy 00:20:49.529 --> 00:20:52.269 i mean if you think about our own conference 00:20:52.269 --> 00:20:55.529 when we have presenters at our conference, we 00:20:55.529 --> 00:20:58.130 typically have a couple hundred applications 00:20:58.130 --> 00:21:01.130 for classes. That's the reason we have a hundred 00:21:01.130 --> 00:21:04.690 classes is we've already sorted through half 00:21:04.690 --> 00:21:07.589 of them and have that much content. And that 00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:11.410 is always our prereq is that no matter what product 00:21:11.410 --> 00:21:14.809 that you represent, the importance is the actual 00:21:14.809 --> 00:21:17.210 education. We want you to represent your brand. 00:21:17.329 --> 00:21:21.450 Absolutely. Of course. That's part of it. Try 00:21:21.450 --> 00:21:23.990 to hold that if you can towards the end, because 00:21:23.990 --> 00:21:28.130 if you can teach the concepts, the actual product 00:21:28.130 --> 00:21:31.049 is like a byproduct of the conversation. Even 00:21:31.049 --> 00:21:34.450 as technicians, you know, if we think about presenting 00:21:34.450 --> 00:21:37.289 a solution to a homeowner, I'm a technician. 00:21:37.490 --> 00:21:42.630 I found a problem. This system is. probably going 00:21:42.630 --> 00:21:45.849 to have to be replaced. Do I go straight to the 00:21:45.849 --> 00:21:47.869 consumer and go, okay, here's the products that 00:21:47.869 --> 00:21:50.509 we carry. And by the way, your system is shot. 00:21:50.569 --> 00:21:52.269 You're going to buy one of these. It's not a 00:21:52.269 --> 00:21:55.490 successful approach. If we do the education upfront, 00:21:55.730 --> 00:21:59.730 okay, here is the problem. This is what happened. 00:21:59.769 --> 00:22:03.630 This is the most likely solution. And in that, 00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:07.440 I'm going to present you some options. And here's 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:09.779 what I have to offer. It's a completely different 00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:12.240 process for the same information. It's just the 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.279 way that we deliver it. It tends to be much better 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:18.599 received. I couldn't agree. Let's take what I 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:21.579 do for a living just as an example on the combustion 00:22:21.579 --> 00:22:25.259 analyzer, right? I tell every technician in class, 00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:28.359 we actually have a section of the class of how 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:33.180 they can use it as their own sales tool. It's 00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:35.119 not just an education on how to use the instruments, 00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:36.900 what the numbers mean and all that kind of stuff. 00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:39.680 It's stop thinking of it as just some expensive 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:41.440 service tool that you might need when you do 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:44.960 a 90 percenter. No, it's actually like you said, 00:22:45.079 --> 00:22:47.319 right? If I have an instance where I went to 00:22:47.319 --> 00:22:49.000 this class, I learned how to check for a cracked 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:51.680 heat exchanger on my furnace using my analyzer. 00:22:51.720 --> 00:22:55.279 I did the test and oh boy, I saw it. Now I'm 00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:57.660 educating the homeowner. First of all, I'm covering 00:22:57.660 --> 00:23:00.720 my self -reliability. But secondly, I'm showing 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:03.799 them, hey, this is what is happening. And now 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:05.819 let me talk to you about it. And I said, guys, 00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:08.319 do me a favor. The next time you go to use your 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:11.339 analyzer, turn it on outside, right? Walk into 00:23:11.339 --> 00:23:14.339 the home. You know, typically the first question 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:16.099 somebody's going to ask you is, what the hell 00:23:16.099 --> 00:23:18.819 is that thing? What's that? I've not seen one 00:23:18.819 --> 00:23:20.599 of those here before. No one's brought that before. 00:23:21.900 --> 00:23:25.930 And I'll say, and then now I'll go, okay. tell 00:23:25.930 --> 00:23:28.569 them exactly what it is. It's a testing instrument 00:23:28.569 --> 00:23:30.970 to test not only the air in the room, but why 00:23:30.970 --> 00:23:32.769 don't you come down with me to your furnace and 00:23:32.769 --> 00:23:34.650 let's plug this in together and see how efficient 00:23:34.650 --> 00:23:36.250 the equipment's running and see how safely it's 00:23:36.250 --> 00:23:40.170 running. Before I touch anything, before I even 00:23:40.170 --> 00:23:42.250 do anything, let's just see what it's doing together. 00:23:43.609 --> 00:23:47.390 Then I'll ask everybody in the class, guys, what 00:23:47.390 --> 00:23:51.750 did I just do? Everybody goes, you gained credibility. 00:23:52.690 --> 00:23:55.920 Welcome to sales. i don't care if you're a technician 00:23:55.920 --> 00:23:58.759 or not you just gained credibility that nobody 00:23:58.759 --> 00:24:00.900 else has done so when you get to that point if 00:24:00.900 --> 00:24:03.000 you do find a problem or if you get to that point 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:05.519 that we all want to sell equipment and you find 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:07.500 an issue or something like that the level of 00:24:07.500 --> 00:24:12.000 trust that you've began with is higher but this 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:13.819 all comes and that's just a small portion of 00:24:13.819 --> 00:24:16.599 what we teach in class that use this as a different 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:21.220 tool not just a not just a tool but use the tool 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:25.710 for other things so um you know those those little 00:24:25.710 --> 00:24:28.470 things that whether everybody has a shirt with 00:24:28.470 --> 00:24:30.390 the company name on it you represent the company 00:24:30.390 --> 00:24:34.029 and how do you educate yourself to educate i 00:24:34.029 --> 00:24:37.109 my job is to educate technicians technicians 00:24:37.109 --> 00:24:39.529 job is to educate homeowners that's how we get 00:24:39.529 --> 00:24:42.509 sales it's again another domino effect whether 00:24:42.509 --> 00:24:45.750 we like it or not it is um so there's there's 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:48.619 You know, sometimes guys think of an education. 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:50.240 I'm going to go there. And yeah, combustion is 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:51.940 not the most sexiest thing to talk about for 00:24:51.940 --> 00:24:54.119 a while because it's chemistry, right? It's oxygen 00:24:54.119 --> 00:24:56.619 and CO and all these things. Yeah, I get that. 00:24:56.640 --> 00:24:58.640 There's part of that. And I try to make it as 00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:02.079 fun as we possibly can. But there are other things 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:04.579 that we teach on. Like, why is this happening? 00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:07.019 Why is this going on? When you see these numbers, 00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:10.859 what does it mean? And how do you use that to 00:25:10.859 --> 00:25:14.279 better yourself and be better educated and to 00:25:14.279 --> 00:25:16.819 cover your own behind when it comes to liability? 00:25:17.099 --> 00:25:19.519 But if you don't know what to look for, that's 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:23.279 another problem. So there's a lot in there, but 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:26.440 it's kind of how you go about giving the information 00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:31.740 to them. this thing on the crack tea exchanger 00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:34.299 right the amount of times i teach guys in the 00:25:34.299 --> 00:25:36.700 class and i don't care what brand they use every 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:38.759 analyzer pretty much does the same at the end 00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:41.619 of the day but when i teach them how to check 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:44.480 for it the light that's my funnest part of the 00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:45.960 class when i get to things like that because 00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:49.440 i know i go i can't wait for the light bulb moment 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:52.299 man i've been talking for an hour here it comes 00:25:52.299 --> 00:25:55.339 and and you just see guys faces and you see the 00:25:55.339 --> 00:25:59.109 oh shit i didn't know that And I go, yeah, you 00:25:59.109 --> 00:26:01.549 could do it with yours. And then we start implementing 00:26:01.549 --> 00:26:04.269 things. So what we do as a company is, you know, 00:26:04.269 --> 00:26:05.930 we go out and because you're spending so much 00:26:05.930 --> 00:26:08.910 time in the field with manufacturers and technicians 00:26:08.910 --> 00:26:12.190 and teaching, you go, okay, I know this is important. 00:26:12.250 --> 00:26:14.630 How do we implement this stuff now into the instrument 00:26:14.630 --> 00:26:17.829 for it to do? So now my guys can just go there, 00:26:17.869 --> 00:26:20.309 click a button, hit Cracked Heat Exchanger. It 00:26:20.309 --> 00:26:23.250 comes up and tells you. You're trying to make 00:26:23.250 --> 00:26:26.990 it even user -friendlier for us to use it more. 00:26:27.420 --> 00:26:30.259 Right. So that's that's kind of it's kind of 00:26:30.259 --> 00:26:33.339 our philosophy. It all comes from being on the 00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:35.839 field, seeing the guys, talking to them. And 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:38.359 whether we like it or not, for time immemorial, 00:26:38.500 --> 00:26:41.339 this industry, I don't care about the amount 00:26:41.339 --> 00:26:44.400 of technology we have, will and always will be 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:48.720 a personal relationship business. It's the brand 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:50.559 you trust. It's the people you trust, the sales 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:52.599 rep you trust, the distributor you trust. It's 00:26:52.599 --> 00:26:54.539 all these different types of things. And it's 00:26:54.539 --> 00:26:57.880 the trainers that you trust. And that's what 00:26:57.880 --> 00:27:00.500 I try to hit my guys with all the time. Be the 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:02.460 trainer they'll trust. The sales will come later. 00:27:04.180 --> 00:27:10.359 Man, that's the title of this podcast. Jason 00:27:10.359 --> 00:27:12.720 Estevez, how do we learn more about the training 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:16.420 opportunities at Citron and how to connect with 00:27:16.420 --> 00:27:21.099 Citron? Sure. So we're easy to find. We don't 00:27:21.099 --> 00:27:22.740 have an answering service here. So call, ask 00:27:22.740 --> 00:27:24.640 about any kind of training. You'll get myself, 00:27:24.839 --> 00:27:28.299 Dan or Kevin. uh involved uh we travel all over 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:30.319 there's three of us full time doing this for 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:32.819 a living here um we're all over the country so 00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:35.380 don't feel like oh well i'm in utah these guys 00:27:35.380 --> 00:27:37.960 are in philadelphia no we we we're everywhere 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:41.079 all the time uh dan and i joke around that we'll 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:44.180 see each other at holidays in between um and 00:27:44.180 --> 00:27:46.740 um you know so we have we have a lot of flexibility 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:49.960 here um you know you can go to our website which 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:53.619 is actually seitronamericas .com um and uh you 00:27:53.619 --> 00:27:56.660 can you know, touch base with us, email us, call 00:27:56.660 --> 00:27:59.460 us. You'll see the telephone number there and 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:02.000 just call and say, I want some training or how 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:05.420 do I talk to Jason, Dan or Kevin and Tara in 00:28:05.420 --> 00:28:06.920 our office? They'll be happy to put you through. 00:28:08.299 --> 00:28:10.519 Awesome. All right. Well, I sure appreciate you 00:28:10.519 --> 00:28:12.579 hanging out with us today and I look forward 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:14.519 to hopping in one of these classes sometime. 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:18.200 Oh, anytime. And it's a pleasure. We do have 00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:20.299 some different personalities. So if you like 00:28:20.299 --> 00:28:23.900 more of a blue collar. north jersey effect that's 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:26.359 me uh and then we have some other guys who are 00:28:26.359 --> 00:28:28.720 a little bit more professional so it really depends 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:32.400 on your personality but it's still fun as long 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:34.019 as you make it fun and guys are learning they'll 00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:36.339 they'll they'll appreciate it you can't do this 00:28:36.339 --> 00:28:39.519 for this long if guys don't like it that's exactly 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:41.940 right all right washer appreciate your time today 00:28:41.940 --> 00:28:43.839 thank you for the time appreciate it