Homeowners can often feel suspicious when they welcome a salesperson into their home -- after all, they're aware that a stranger may be about to ask them to spend a lot of money that wasn't in the budget planning. So how can you alleviate that wariness?

This week, Weldon Long tackles that very question, explaining how simply running your full sales presentation can help put the customer at ease and build the trust you need to continue the relationship.

Plus, Weldon talks the importance of (and strategies for) proper pricing, and he welcomes Drew Cameron to explain adapting your sales process to millennials and other demographics.

Watch now before it enters the EGIA members-only archive on 2/4.

Of course every company pays their employees when they’re at work. But offering paid time-off (PTO) is also a common benefit, depending on company size and role, and can have an impact on recruiting, retention and many other components of the business. In this month’s Snapshot Survey, we’re asking all about your company’s approach to PTO to learn how the industry is utilizing it and how it’s impacting bottom lines.

The EGIA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the workforce shortage facing our industry, is now accepting applications for its scholarship program for the 2019-20 academic year.

Created to help attract young students to the HVAC industry, and once again position it as a first-choice career option, the EGIA Foundation Scholarship Program will award $2,500 apiece to 20 students pursuing an HVAC technical degree, certificate or diploma during the ’19-20 academic year.

To learn more about the program and its eligibility requirements, or to apply, click below.

In the final episode of Contractor Coffee Club, Mark Matteson concludes his series on sales by explaining how to overcome sales objections -- and why objections may not be such a bad thing.

Plus, a segment on how to properly set goals and use them to drive success, and a discussion on the latest Snapshot Survey on holiday bonuses and perks.

On ContractorConnect.org, John asks:

“I am considering having an optional holiday in addition to the six paid holidays we give each year (New Year’s, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas). . . . My thought is if we allowed one paid holiday in addition to the other 6, and in addition to personal days or vacation, that they could choose for religious, ethnic, family, etc. reasons, then everyone would have a day for their reasons. Is anyone else doing this or something similar and what are your thoughts on this?”

See other contractors’ and consultants’ feedback, and join the conversation yourself, on Contractor Connect – the latest EGIA member benefit free for all members.

It’s a new year! What better time to focus on developing yourself, your team and your company to take your business to the next level?

More than 25 acclaimed live educational workshops are on the calendar this spring, on wide-ranging topics that are absolutely crucial to the success of contracting businesses, including marketing, financials, customer service, sales, service agreements and much more.

Most will sell out, so sign-up today while space is available. As always, registration is free for EGIA Premium Members!

After the rave reviews of last year’s EPIC2018 conference, we’re excited to bring back the can’t-miss contractor educational summit on October 3rd and 4th at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Preregistration is now open for EPIC2019, which will bring together the most accomplished group of industry educators and world-renowned keynotes ever assembled in the industry. After a day and a half of networking, education and entertainment, attendees will walk away with business-changing insights, powerful strategies, and proven roadmaps to success that can be implemented in their businesses immediately.

Don’t wait, lock-in your spot today!

As a contractor, you can’t afford to get your prices wrong. Pricing Training is one of the 10 core areas of curriculum available through EGIA Contractor University, ensuring you have all the resources you need to master the subject. For each core curriculum topic, online classes, in-person workshops and online library materials (videos, templates, and implementation tools) are available for EGIA members. To learn more about our pricing, watch the intro video below, take the online class demo and download a free training package of digital resources.