Erik Wytrwal

The Endless Cycle of Wasted Money: Why Your Marketing Fails to Work and How to Fix It.

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Your marketing never seems to work, or it does but then it stops. It happens again and again. You go to meetings and classes, talk with the best contractors but you never seem to be able to get over that next hurdle. You hire the best and most expensive marketing companies to fix your brand and yet sales stay flat. Find out what you are doing wrong, why nothing seems to work and how to fix it.

Speaker Bio:

Erik directed the marketing and managed the call center for a residential HVAC contractor during which time their sales nearly doubled to $7.5 million and they booked calls at over 85%. Working in that role, side by side with the owner who was also the national franchise brand president, he advised franchisees across the country on marketing strategies. He also helped to successfully launch and manage a sister plumbing company.

Erik took the opportunity to join the Stochastic team to capitalize on his marketing expertise and knowledge of the industry. He now works with contractors from Alaska to Florida helping to identify marketing needs, create custom plans, and closely monitor results to ensure success. He works with many of his clients as a consultant, helping them plan and implement their local marketing strategy.

Marcia Christiansen - Business Unit Manager for PECO Control Systems

Thermostats: What is controlling my equipment?

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Have you wondered what is going on with that thermostat on your wall? Let’s explore thermostats and controllers used for HVAC systems. From basic residential application to commercial systems there are many features that impact operation of the system they are connected to.

This session will review basic wiring of your home thermostat, legacy wiring nomenclature and best practices for the casual empowered women who wants to change out that stat on the wall. I will also discuss some advanced features that drive operation to meet code or application requirements.

We will finish up with some trouble shooting basics.

Speaker Bio:

Marcia Christiansen is the Business Unit Manager for PECO Control Systems, a manufacturer of thermostats for the HVAC, Industrial and Commercial Cooking industries. Marcia is a key technical resource for PECO and has both lead and shared in development of multiple new products. She has been in the industry for 28 years. In her current position she manages the controls business unit, along with PECO’s Manufacturer Representatives, Distribution Partners and OEM Accounts.

Marcia attended Portland State and graduated with certificates in Project Management. In addition to a love of the outdoors, her hobbies include cooking, playing music and camping in her 1957 Airstream Trailer. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two dachshunds.

Erica Leonor

Opportunity Isn’t Always Convenient

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You’ve probably taken many courses on communication, leadership, or self-development. You feel inspired and motivated once you complete these certifications and start the process of implementing these new habits. Then something happens that is frustrating or chaotic or demanding and those new practices seem to go out the window. Before you know it, you’re back to where you started.

Change can be hard -- not because of what the change is, but because it takes grit to be very intentional and disciplined about the choices you make in those “moments of inconvenience.” Recognizing the moments that require you to be very conscious about how you are going to react is what is hard. It involves a certain level of emotional intelligence for ourselves and for those around us. In this session, you will learn:

• When to make your reactions work for you and not against you
• How to recognize the moments that require very intentional decisions
• What habits need to be practiced in order to take advantage of every opportunity even when it isn’t convenient

Speaker Bio:

As a Training Executive at Power Selling Pros, Erica is constantly developing new content and curriculum that will enable Home Service Businesses to achieve a higher level of success for themselves, their teams, and their customers. She has a unique and engaging style of teaching and facilitating which is why she is such a highly sought-after trainer. Some of her curriculum topics include leadership, employee experience and retention, conflict resolution, customer experience and loyalty, dispatching, and soft skills communication.  She has also been a mentor, coach, presenter, and public speaker for over 9 years. Erica is thrilled to be serving on the Board of Directors of Women in HVACR so she can assist in bringing awareness, opportunities, and opened doors to women in the industry.

Erica received a BA in Anthropology from BYU-Hawaii and has traveled around the world (21 countries and counting) working with and studying different cultures and people and finding the common threads that connect humanity. She has a YouTube channel with her husband called "The Leonor Life" where they share their adventures with the world.

www.linkedin.com/in/erica-leonor-life

Danielle Putnam

Sales vs. Service

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Join Danielle Putnam to discuss the keys to the full circle of efficient selling. Before selling the customer on the value of the ‘stuff,’ sell yourself on the value of your expertise. Then watch as your sales and marketing create the perfect marriage in sales and service.

Speaker Bio:

Danielle Putnam is president of The New Flat Rate, which is the first and only home service menu-selling system designed to put profit directly into the hands of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC contractors.

Putnam has a personal connection with the home service industry. Her first job was passing out flyers door-to-door for her father’s electrical business. She was 7 years old. In high school, she moved up to being an office dispatcher and parts runner. After college, she became the marketing director for an HVAC company in Oregon.

Putnam knows home service, but she is also no stranger to big business. Before co-founding TNFR, she was the director of business development for a large digital services firm, pitching to C-level executives for big name companies. As part of her job, she also stood before multi-million-dollar investors, seeking capital for the publicly-owned company that she worked for.

Putnam is dedicated to help grow the industry she grew up in and loves. As a public speaker, she promotes careers in the home service industry. She is also honored to serve as vice president of the Executive Board for Women in HVACR.

Dedicated to serving her local community, Putnam is a member of the Board of Directors for Family Framework, a nonprofit group. She teaches weekly classes for high school students about the importance of forming and maintaining healthy relationships and how to get out of abusive relationships.

When not in the office, she spends time with her husband and daughters and enjoys snowboarding, running, and fine wines.

David Richardson

Vital Signs That Sell HVAC Upgrades

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Session Description

Do you run into HVAC systems that don’t seem to perform, and customers who aren’t happy with them no matter what you do to get them working right?

In this information-packed session you will learn how to:

• Test HVAC system “Blood Pressure” and Temperatures
• Verify System Performance
• Uncover shortcomings and opportunities for improvements
• Communicate the value of upgrading your customers’ system to improve their safety, health, comfort, and energy efficiency?

Join NCI Senior Instructor, David Richardson on a journey as he shows you how to take an HVAC system’s vital signs and diagnose long-standing issues.

You’ll learn how to use simple medical comparisons to reveal your findings to your customers and change the way they see their home comfort system.

Speaker Bio:

David joined National Comfort Institute full time in 2010 as a curriculum developer and trainer. In this role, he develops and teaches practical, real-world training focused on the HVAC and Home Performance industries.

He has been involved in Performance-based contracting since 2001. This experience allowed him the opportunity to diagnose and correct many HVAC and Home Performance issues over the past decade.

In addition, David writes monthly columns for various industry publications to help increase awareness on the importance of performance testing. David is a regular presenter at many industry conferences working to spread the message of Performance-based contracting.

Besides holding all NCI certifications, David has held certifications as a HERS rater, BPI building analyst, and is a BPI field and written exam proctor.

Lee Anne Piano

Communicating Through Personality Styles

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Personality styles are what make life so rich and fascinating – and often so frustrating too, especially at work where teamwork and motivation are pivotal.  Many of us never figure people out- we get along great with some people and deal as little as possible with others because they are so different from us. We all to often create tension and discomfort by treating people –pretty much alike – like ourselves.  Discover the power of the Platinum Rule: “Do unto others as THEY would have done unto THEM ” and go from simple communication to real connection.

Take-A-Ways:

• Understand the four basic behavior styles- Thinkers, Directors, Socializers, Relators- how to deal effectively with each
• Easily determine the personality style of everyone you meet
• Behave in a way that will improve your compatibility with everyone

“Everyone communicates but very few connect.”

- John Maxwell

Speaker Bio:

Lee Ann Piano is a Power Skills Specialist with over 750 presentations delivered nationally and internationally. She develops forward-thinking leaders and equips women in male-dominated industries with the no-nonsense, real-world tools that increase influence and impact positive change.

Lee Ann’s knowledge, experience and award-winning success in the learning and development, software and real estate industries enables her to create fresh, innovative presentations that speak directly to the needs of today’s empowered professionals.