Trade Ally Management
Helping You Run Successful Programs
Work with Utilities & Other Industry Partners
A well-trained and highly motivated trade ally network is a key element in any successful utility resource efficiency program. The interaction between the trade ally and the utility, residential and business customers is where the “rubber meets the road” – it’s the make-or-break moment that can influence the customer to invest in high-efficiency, environmentally sustainable solutions or take the lower-cost, less-efficient path.
EGIA has been developing and managing high performance contractor networks for over 35 years and today, through its nonprofit trade association, we manage one of the largest and fastest growing contractor organizations in the country. EGIA is comprised of thousands of contractors and affiliates covering the full spectrum of resource efficiency.
EGIA is uniquely positioned to support utilities and state and local organizations’ energy efficiency, renewable energy and green workforce development efforts. We are experienced and adept at administering trade ally network recruiting, contractor training & development, contractor screening & approval, performance monitoring, development of contractor sales and marketing tools, implementation of customer/contractor referral programs or simply facilitating contractor development workshops or advising program sponsors of industry best practices.
Trade Ally Network Development & Recruiting
Leveraging its nationwide network of over 10,000 trade contractors, EGIA has been able to quickly build and augment utility trade ally programs to include the most accomplished, quality focused contractors in the industry. For example, with the Southwest Gas trade ally program, EGIA, in conjunction with the utility, built, grew and manages all aspects of the network of over 400 qualified, vetted and well-trained trade allies. A center point of EGIA’s most successful trade ally programs has been the development of consumer referral directories that link motivated customers seeking program information and high efficiency upgrades with well-trained and experienced contractors ready to install high quality solutions.
With Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), EGIA is delivering a comprehensive set of Contractor University training and contractor development tools to the utility trade ally network. Today, many utilities recognize the importance of augmenting their standard technical and programmatic training with in-depth business operational training (sales, marketing, business optimization, business planning, pricing, etc.) in order to ensure that their trade allies have the basic building blocks in place to operate a proficient, quality-focused and sustainable business.
Without both an integrated technical and business training program, the success of the utility trade ally network and the impact it has in the marketplace is sub-optimized.
Business Development Training – Sales, Marketing, Leadership & Much More
Over the past decade, EGIA developed the industry’s most comprehensive contractor training and workforce development program and in 2016 founded EGIA Contractor University. Contractor University helps contracting businesses thrive by providing powerful training resources and tools on every topic needed to build a high performance contracting business – including sales, accounting, technician development, pricing and much more. Educational content includes online courses and comprehension quizzes; in-person and online workshops; live and virtual conferences; and many other best practices resources.
Business Evaluator Tool
EGIA Contractor University is the proven best way to build a profitable, sustainable contracting business. But with a nearly endless collection of training resources available to EGIA members, and enormous differences between every business, where should contractors start their own particular training journey? That’s where EGIA’s Business Evaluator Tool comes in.
The Contractor University Business Evaluator is a contractor self-assessment tool that seamlessly guides the contractor through all relevant Contractor University content and develops a simple, easily digestible and company-specific learning roadmap. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
