What a strange change of events in the past months. I remember writing in my March message about everyone being prepared for their anticipated growth and upcoming workloads. But life has now thrown us all a curveball for sure with the Coronavirus, stay at home orders, and social distancing. Being on the essential business list at least affords us the opportunity that many do not have. To still provide for ourselves and our families.

When it comes to our individual stance on the pandemic, whether left or right, one thing is for sure. The fear that much of the population is feeling is real. Many homeowners and businesses are not willing to let people into their homes or offices for preventive services like maintenance on their system or replacement of a system due to age and condition. But what I find is they are not willing to live without our services when the system is not working. What customers are looking for though is a company that is taking every precaution when entering their home or office to assure all involved are protected. That CDC guidelines are being followed as much as possible. Set your company apart. Inform your customers of what precautions your company is taking to ensure not only their safety but your employees’ as well. If you don’t have clear guidelines in place, you should. And trust me, if you inform your customers about these guidelines and your technicians do not adhere to them, expect to get a phone call from your customer. It is of upmost importance to most consumers during this time.

Unfortunately, with the pandemic comes an economic decline with so many out of work, on unemployment, the stock market looking like a roller coaster, and many that are working having their hours cut. Many consumers are reluctant to spend money and are looking to hold on to their funds. While many others simply do not have the funds. If you do not offer financing options, now might be a good time to start. There are a lot of good 0% interest plans on the market that we can be offering to our customers that in some cases cost us less than taking a credit card for payment.

Remember we are used to our industry constantly changing, forcing us to adapt. This is even more true when the world around us is changing right before our eyes. As Charles Darwin put it “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it’s the ones most adaptable to change.”

Sincerely, Steve Sanders