Tricks of the Trade
by Vincent Ciernick, A1 Central Vacuums, Inc.
Join & participate or quit your whining!
As I have said in previous columns, “If you are not part of the solution, you are just a whiner and nobody likes to listen to a whiner.” That is exactly why I volunteered to do the certification program and then write this column. I was tired of listening to myself whine, and Boy, oh Boy can I whine!
After years of attending the VDTA conventions I finally joined the association so I could get certified and use it as an edge over my competition. I, along with many others, do this very successfully. In joining the VDTA, I found that I could contribute to the growth of not only our industry but the growth of my own business as well. Plus, the advice I have received and had to share would ultimately help the end-users thus our industry.
I knew that when I started working with the Certification Program that it would be a lot of work and I would be training my competition on how I do my installs. The Ying and the Yang, the good and the bad, this is life. I also knew that until our industry had better installs and satisfied end users we would always stay a small, struggling industry.
We compete on the sports field, and yet, we are still friendly with our competitors. I have made it a point to get to know some of my competitors. There have been a few times where I’ve run short of pipe or a few fittings while on the job. I borrowed these items from time to time from my competitors to get me through, and I will always return the favor. It is a given fact that I will get some sales and they will get some sales. When I lose a sale, it is because I failed to sell my product, myself, and they did not fail. Or the customer was cheap and did not care about quality of product or professional workmanship. I have learned that the cheap customer is generally more of a pain than the money is worth. That’s not to say that once in awhile I do not sell inexpensive; some of my competition sells cheap. Attend my seminar at the Las Vegas VDTA Show, “How to Out Sell at the Higher Price,” and you will understand.
My dad was a wholesale florist. This is a very competitive industry and yet a very friendly one. When I was 22 years old the warehouse where I started my first “real” job (making $1.10 per hour at the young age of 13) burned down. It hit the 10 p.m. news and my dad started to receive calls from competitors all over California offering to help. One competitor had just moved into a new warehouse and offered the old one to keep my dads business going. They did not miss one day of work. He did not own the business; he was the western manager for an eastern-based company.
It is my hope that we could some day adopt this philosophy, and like the flower industry, support our industry — in turn, supporting ourselves.
Certification committee member Dan Philips, 30-year industry veteran, recently joined the VDTA and made these accurate observations.
“The installing dealers are the Dog, not the Tail. Without the dealers there is no need for the suppliers or manufacturers. We, the dealers, need to take control of our futures and industry. If you want a better future and want to ensure our next generation’s future we have to participate now. It is not that hard and most certainly not expensive, especially compared to other national associations that are hundreds of dollars per year. When you put it in perspective, the annual dues for VDTA membership are really the equivalent expense of one service call for us. This is a very small price for growing our industry/future,” said Philips
Fellow committee member Terry Stephenson (13-year veteran) wrote this, “I joined because I recognized that this is my family’s business/industry and if I’m not involved I’m not looking after our destiny. VDTA provides us accessibility to information in the magazines by columnists such as Dave Schenk, Vincent Ciernick and others. Plus we gain information by attending the convention seminars, and the group benefits have helped us with our business. Through membership, we now have a voice in the quality of product and installations of our industry. Our experience in the last year of defective product regarding the different manufacturers of fittings, pipe, attachments, and motor units is why I volunteered to be on the Certification Committee. Since being on the committee I am now making a lasting contribution to my family’s future in the industry. I have never been much of a Rah Rah type of a person but I believe that if we had more people getting involved we would have fewer problems in our industry. So therefore don’t be a watcher, a talker. Be a doer, join, and participate. It’s your future!”
Getting involved is as simple as contributing articles to Central Vac Professional, asking for suggestions from Dave Schenk or myself, attending VDTA conventions and seminars, and telling our manufactures/suppliers what they need or should change. Plus, now you can attend the Sitka Conference and obtain a tremendous amount of industry knowledge (Plus it’s a fun fishing outing as well!)
You have two choices — sit on the sidelines and let others shape you and your industry’s future or join in and get involved!
Do you have a comment or your own trick of the trade to share? If so, e-mail me at vciernick@sbcglobal.net.
Reprinted from Central Vac Professional, January 2007 |
