For 20 years I traveled all over this country attempting to stamp the message of profitability into the lives of the wonderful people in this great industry, and teach them self-respect for the indispensable work they do. It has been a burning passion of mine.

At various times I tried to enlighten, cajole, embarrass or do whatever else it takes to get the message across. I made numerous friends along the way – as well as a few enemies. What is frustrating to me, however, is knowing that my articles and seminars are not enough. If a seminar was all it took for a contractor to turn his or her life around, you would find me presenting them every week of the year. A seminar helps, but it takes more…

I’ve spoken with a number of Nexstar® Network members who’ve asked for ideas to get the phone to ring. Together, we’ve come up with thoughts that we have gotten quite excited about, and I’d like to share some of them with you.

Can you identify the 20% of management efforts that make 80% of the difference in your business? Some of the best contractors in the plumbing, HVAC and electrical home service industries have documented successful strategies from creative ways to measure employee performance against expectations to tips on holding daily huddles to track revenues. They’ll share their practical and tangible tips for high impact management with contractors at Nexstar’s Super Meeting in Nashville, TN, October 13-15, 2011.

In most service businesses, 70% of a company’s costs of doing business will be consumed by only five expense categories. One of them is labor. This article will focus on arguably the number one expense you need to manage—Direct Labor.

When you look at your profit and loss statement every month, I assume you have a minimum of two columns. One column shows you the actual cost in dollars; the other column presents the actual cost as it relates to net sales, as a percentage. Something like this—

Economist Brian Beaulieu told Nexstar® Network member contractors to borrow and spend as much money as they can in 2011 in preparation for an upswing in the economy in 2012. His recommendation came with the release of his economic forecast at the recent Nexstar® Super Meeting in Austin, Texas.

Two years ago, Beaulieu predicted the recession and told Nexstar member contractors to stockpile their cash and “batten down the hatches.” Many Nexstar members took heed and where able to capitalize on the improving economy during the upswing. Now, Beaulieu claims leading indicators show better days lie ahead in 2012 and he said, “If you’re busy today, your major concern should be that you’re not prepared for how busy you’re going to get.”

One of the best attributes I like about the people I meet in Nexstar is their entrepreneurial spirit. This attribute alone is what inspired most owners to go into business for themselves. Everyone has strengths and limitations. An entrepreneur will always tackle what they don’t know. They figure it out or find a way around every challenge and take pride in accomplishing what they thought they didn’t know. Every business is started by an entrepreneur. In time, the entrepreneurial spirit that started the business will become the anchor to its growth.

As a kid, I’m sure you must have tried running down a steep hill. Remember how easy it was to start and get up to speed? It was almost effortless. But gravity soon began to work against you. You were traveling faster than your feet could carry you. Next thing you knew, you had swan-dived into the side of that hill. When it happened to me all I could think about was how my mom was going to kill me for the grass stains streaking the front of my shirt.

Homeowners and businesses across the country are replacing their clogged and disintegrating sewer mains while their landscaping stays in tact. In fact, plumbing contractor sales are going up because trenchless technology and techniques are going down-under.

Until recently, homeowners shied away from taking the plunge into sewer pipe repair because it was a messy and costly endeavor often involving multiple contractors in plumbing, excavating and landscaping trades.

Traditional trenching used to be the only solution for sewer pipe replacement, but now, trenchless pipe lining and bursting technology has hit the scene. Trenchless pipe replacement has great opportunity for homeowners to preserve their landscaping and street appeal while offering contractors a new business opportunity. Surprisingly, I’m finding the industry is not fluent in trenchless. Like homeowners, contractors have shied away from it because of the investment in new equipment and training to do it, including trained sales personnel who can talk the talk and explain the options and build trust among homeowners to earn the sale.

Plumbing, HVAC and electrical home service contractors across the continent have the opportunity to experience the rapid results of Nexstar® Network, as the trades’ leading business development organization opens the doors of their Austin, Texas Super Meeting September 23-25.

Nexstar President and CEO, Greg Niemi says, “Attendees will learn how to generate more revenue and work more efficiently. They have the potential to return to their businesses and get rapid results, guided by our experienced coaches, surefire systems and incredible peer connections.”

The current recession has shaken some longstanding beliefs among many contractors, chief among them is, “The Price is the Price.” That is a mantra I have heard hundreds of times from our founder, Frank Blau. It is a founding principle of Nexstar. It is Frank’s way of saying, numbers don’t lie. If your costs equal X, your selling price has to equal X plus your desired profit percentage. Stick to your guns and charge the price you need.

Your logo is the workhorse of your marketing arsenal. It appears everywhere. It’s in all your print ads and on your website; it’s featured prominently on your trucks, uniforms, magnets, stickers and valve tags; it’s the first thing people see when they receive your business cards and letters on your company stationery; and so on. Your logo is incredibly important. It helps tie all your marketing elements together, and it can communicate a great deal about your company. It can tell consumers what you do (plumbing, HVAC or electrical); it can communicate your company’s personality (for example, lighthearted or serious); and it can help communicate your main message (for example, fast response time).