The fastest way to a strong bottom line is to build the top line. While the small business owner must always watch expenses, no one can save their way to prosperity.

The surest way to build the top line is good marketing. The four P’s of marketing are product, price, place, and promotion. Over the rest of this series, we will deal with each, but will start with pricing. For service companies, pricing breaks down into four areas…

In a classic Lennox dealer meeting video, the Lennox territory manager encourages Dealer Jack to provide training for his technicians.

“What if I train them and they leave?” exclaims Dealer Jack.

“What if you don’t and they stay?” counters the TM.

As amazing as it seems, many small businesses hesitate to invest in training for their employees. They would rather retain ignorance than to risk losing competence. The irony is that by training, they do neither.

1. Completely turn off lights and equipment when leaving at night. Many computers and other electronics are not truly off, but in a standby mode that continues to leak power or vampire energy.
2. If possible, install skylights to take advantage of daylight and reduce lighting needs.
3. Install switch plate occupancy sensors.
4. If electricity is deregulated in your market, check to see if you could get a better rate from a different provider or could renegotiate your rates.
5. Tune-up your building’s heating and air conditioning system. You really can cut utility expense when your HVAC system is well maintained.

We all know who the customer is, right? You know whom I’m talking about… the CUSTOMER. The CUSTOMER is the person we serve. The CUSTOMER gives the company money. 



But there are other customers than the CUSTOMER. Everyone in a company serves someone else. Everyone has customers whether they ever talk to the CUSTOMER or not.



The technician, for example, is the customer of the dispatcher. The technician is an internal customer. In order for the tech to do a good job serving the CUSTOMER, the dispatcher must do a good job serving him. If the dispatcher references the CUSTOMER’s records and notes a comment or two that will help the technician perform better, he’s serving his customer (the tech) better when he passes them along…