Mr. Jones hits fifty this year. There are two things he wants to accomplish in 2006. One is to take the family to Disney World. The second is to purchase a Harley-Davidson motorcycle . His heating system breaks down in February. The event catches him by complete surprise. His a/c guy never mentions what bad shape the overall system is in. In fact, he needs to replace the cooling unit as well. Now Mr. Jones is pissed. He can't trust his a/c guy and he will have to call additional companies out to give him estimates. Mr. Jones tells the contractors he has a very limted amount of cash, but they keep telling him he needs a system which will provide him comfort and save money in utilities. Soon panic sets in and Mr. Jones blocks everything out but the lowest price, afterall, he just needs heating and cooling. As the contractors do not seem to be listening, the negotiations begin to deteriorate, breaking down to conflict and agitation. Ironically, Mr. Jones visited three Harley shops and never once noted the utter disgust from sales folks as he did the a/c salesmen. And, for him personally, it was a delight to talk about various bike options and ideas.
Mr. Jones needs a system that will heat and cool his house. There is no correlation between comfort, Disney World and the Softail and there never will be for him. Mr. Jones, with grandchildren and one kid still in college, while his wife still works, is not unlike millions of other baby boomers - lifestyle is of utter importance.
There is no delight for the person who must pick out a casket for a relative and there is no delight for a person who must purchase an air conditioning system. The sooner a/c contractors realize this, the sooner they can concentrate on financing lifestyles.
In the future, customers will simply purchase conditioned air. Choices will include:
- High Efficient Air - The contractor will provide a system that is designed to minimize utility expenditure. Initally, the cost per month will be more, but will be offset by lower gas and electric bills. After install costs have been reduced, so too will the price of conditioned air. All maintenance and repairs will be covered for the contract's duration. Microprocessor based equipment will monitor utility useage and limit consumption. The homeowner will have over ride capabilities. The overall strategy of this system is to take monies that would be spent on utilities and apply them toward financing lifestyles.
- Comfort Air - For some customers, clean and comfortable air might be important. Elderly customers or those with allergies might be examples. The contractor will design the system and cost will be in accordance.
Options like these lend more separation to customer's wants and needs. The customer who doesn't want comfort, doesn't have to pay for it.
The aging of the contractor's workforce will necessitate change. The days of the mainstream craftsman will soon be gone. For the most part they are gone today, but work methods have not changed. We see less experienced workers trying to perform the work of a craftsmen and what you have is a product that will not work. (The average homeowner thinks it does, but it doesn't)
The future will yield installation practices so simplified, a Micky Dees worker with one week of training under supervised guidance could install a more functional and correctly working system than what is being delivered today. This is our industry's soft spot. This is where that hybrid company I spoke of in Part I will attack. They will slice and dice unnecessary waste and complication from the soft flesh of our underbelly.
A simplified installation practice is one of the contractor's key components in the delivered air package.
Comments