Nexstar Legacy Foundation Announces 2012-2013 Scholarships

Posted on August 1, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

The Nexstar Legacy Foundation has announced their first round of 2012-2013 scholarship award winners. $34,500 was recently awarded to sixteen students, with scholarships ranging from $1,000 – $6,000.

Sarah Masters (Allendale, NJ) Frank J. Blau Jr. Honorary ScholarshipThe award winners are pursuing education in preparation for careers within the plumbing, HVAC and electrical industry. “The mission of the Nexstar Legacy Foundation is to give back to an industry that has been so good to us,” said Foundation President Bill Raymond of Frank & Lindy Plumbing & Heating Service Company of Peekskill, New York.

Each year, scholarships are awarded to students based upon merit, chosen by a scholarship selection committee comprised of industry leaders both inside, and outside of Nexstar® Network.

The scholarship program is the major gifting program of the Nexstar Legacy Foundation. The largest annual award is the Frank Blau, Jr. Award of $6,000, awarded to a student who is enrolled in a four-year program with the intent of working in the industry.

Foundation VP and Scholarship Chair Julie Wieman said, “We want to inspire people to discover the prestige, earning power and stability of careers in the plumbing, HVAC and electrical industries by being the leading resource for career information, training, and financial aid,” Wieman is President of MacGregor Plumbing & Heating in Harbor Springs, MI.

86 high school, college students and industry professionals applied for this year’s scholarships that were funded through the Legacy Foundation by individual and company donations. This fall, an additional $7,500 will be awarded to students enrolled in technical school/apprentice programs, bringing this year’s total to $42,000 – more than double than last year.

For more information on the Nexstar Legacy Foundation or to apply for a scholarship (open through August 31, 2012), go to www.nexstarfoundation.org or contact Renee Cardarelle at (651) 789-8518 or info@nexstarfoundation.org

Award Winners
Frank J. Blau Jr. Honorary Scholarship $6000
Sarah Masters (Allendale, NJ)
University of Delaware, Mechanical Engineering

George Brazil Honorary Scholarship $5000
Cody Cannon (Morris, MN)
Minnesota West Technical College, Electrical

Barnett Honorary Scholarship $5000
Benjamin Wineinger (Reading, MI)
Jackson Community College, Electrical

Jill Pomroy Reed Women in Business Honorary Scholarship $2000
Colleen Koenig (Centennial, CO)
University of Portland, Marketing

John MacGregor Scholarship $2000
Devon Castro (Albuquerque, NM)
New Mexico Tech, Electrical

John MacGregor Scholarship $1500
Andrew Ballantyne (South China, ME)
Southern Maine Community College, Electrical

John MacGregor Scholarship $1000
Travis Callahan (Manassas, VA)
Fairfax County Adult Education Apprentice Program, Plumbing

John MacGregor Scholarship $1000
Andrew Genevro (Brockport, PA)
Pennsylvania College of Technology, Electrical

John MacGregor Scholarship $1000
Victoria Weems (Atlanta, GA)
Interactive College of Technology, HVAC

Nexstar Legacy Foundation Management Scholarship $2000
Logan Messmer (Jasper, IN)
Purdue University, Construction Management Engineering and Mechanical Engineering

Nexstar Legacy Foundation Management Scholarship $1000
Graham Thurber (Topeka, KS)
Washburn University, Business Administration

Nexstar Legacy Foundation Management Scholarship $1000
Tim McGuire (Long Lake, MN)
University of Minnesota Duluth, Accounting

Nexstar Legacy Foundation Management Scholarship $1000
Stephanie Stevens (Wylie, TX)
University of Texas at Austin, Accounting

Nexstar Legacy Foundation Technician Scholarship $3000
Scott Steier (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, HVAC

Nexstar Legacy Foundation Technician Scholarship $1000
Rylan Easter (Pateros, WA)
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, HVAC

Nexstar Legacy Foundation Technician Scholarship $1,000
Evan Dukart (Wibaux, MT)
North Dakota State College of Science, Electrical

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The Future Is Almost Here

Posted on August 1, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

As hard as it may be to believe, your technology plans may be just like Microsoft’s. This could yield both great benefits and headaches for your business. There are a couple of things you should do today to deal with the changing technology landscape.

Microsoft recently released the free preview of their next version of Microsoft Office which is scheduled for release early next year. There are two factors in this release that will probably affect every business in America. The Cloud becomes the central focus for much of the product, and the way you pay for and use the software is about to change in a big way.

The “Cloud”
Traditionally, Office software comes on a purchased DVD with a license for one computer. Installation can take an hour, and consume a large portion of your hard drive. For the new version, you’ll still be able to buy a DVD copy but for most people, the new version will install directly from Microsoft’s servers in the Cloud. The installation will be quicker and simpler than ever before.

The bigger Cloud based change will be the integration of Microsoft’s SkyDrive Cloud storage into Office. The default location for saved files will be on Microsoft’s servers. This will allow you complete access to you files from any internet connected computer. You’ll be able to open a document on one computer, and when you start the same Office application on another computer, you will return to the same location in the document to continue editing.

The downside of this Cloud focus is that the Cloud is not always there. As we learned in June, even the most reliable servers go down – sometimes for hours or days. Amazon runs what is considered the gold standard for reliability and performance in the Cloud. The storms in early June took their servers down for many hours. The NSPG servers were down for about eight hours that week, too. Our users could not download free software updates or send us their data files for most of a business day.

If your applications or documents are exclusively stored in the Cloud, they would be unavailable until the servers come back up or your internet connection returns. For a Word document or spreadsheet, this is only an inconvenience. But, if you have software exclusively in the Cloud that you rely on to run your business, you must have a plan for how to deal with the outages that will almost certainly occur. Your entire team needs to keep up to date on a backup plan for running the business like it’s 1999.

The New Payment Model
It is expected that Microsoft will combine their new software distribution model with a subscription payment system. Your software will become a service like your cable bill or your phone bill. Each month you’ll pay a fee to keep your software running. No pricing has been announced, but recent speculation puts the price in the $20 to $50 per month range. For that fee, you will have access to Office software on multiple computers.

The upside of this model is that you will always have access to the latest version of Office from multiple computers. If you regularly update your Microsoft Office version, this is probably a good option for you. If you tend to only update your software when you absolutely have to, this model could be much more expensive over time.

From our standpoint here at NSPG, the real issue is the Cloud. We are not ready to trust the Cloud for mission critical data yet. We have released software updates from the Cloud for many years, and we automatically back up all of our critical files to encrypted online storage in the cloud. We feel that a hybrid of local applications and Cloud storage is the right solution for most businesses today.

If you don’t have your critical files securely backed up off site, get it done now. If you choose to fully embrace the Cloud now, be sure to have a backup plan ready to be implemented to keep your business running for when the Cloud is not available.

“Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds. “. Louisa May Alcott

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You’re Invited

Posted on July 2, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

“It is my pleasure to invite you to a “Make A Profit” seminar on July 20th. I will be the featured speaker, and look forward to meeting you at this exciting event”.

Mike Conroy

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Make a Profit Seminar

Posted on June 21, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

Many contractors reduce the amount they charge per hour to avoid confrontation about labor rates. This reduces their profits because their expenses remain the same. They end up paying themselves little and having spouses who work the books for no pay.

Most consumers think T&M stands for Too Much as in Too Much cost to them and Too Much profit to you.

This seminar will show companies how to break down and understand their billable hour efficiency, their cost of doing business, their breakeven costs and the difference between a margin method and a markup method when pricing a job. It is our firm belief that understanding any and all of these discussion items will return your cost of attending in a matter of days.

THE GAME PLAN
1. What are billable hours and why are they important?
2. What does break even mean and how do we calculate it?
3. Proper Pricing Methods?
4. How to keep score and why that is so important.

The Speakers:
David Ion had over 28 years in the service trades and was a Frank Blau disciple of Up Front Pricing. Today David is a financial adviser and retirement specialist helping many small to mid size companies succeed.

Mike Conroy has over 30 years in the trade, is a 3rd generation Master Plumber and created NSPG (Numbers Cruncher) software and Price Books for the service trade in the early 90’s.

Location: Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo
Time: 9:00AM until 4:30PM with a 45 minute lunch break
Date: July 20th 2012
Cost: $199 if paid by July 13th and $249 after July 13th and at the door.

We reserve the right to exclude anyone and only members of the service trades will be able to attend.

Mail payments to:
David Ion
2106 9th St.
Los Osos, CA 93402

e-mail: insuranceonramp@gmail.com for more information

Make checks out to David Ion and note NSPG in the memo section.

Trades Allowed: Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical, Appliance Repair, Landscapers, Roofers

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Greetings from Kite Island

Posted on June 1, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

Rise Above the Competition
Give Mike Conroy a call. He can quickly walk you through the business basics that you need to help make your company more consistently profitable, and increase the value of your business. Mike has years of experience helping companies set their own profitable prices, respond to price complaints, track performance, implement and fine tune Flat Rate systems, and improve profitability.

Take advantage of Mike’s experience working with hundreds of companies like yours to help you achieve your own business success.

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Testimonial

Posted on June 1, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

NSPG has been one of the best software purchases we have ever made. The program is easy to use and makes sense. The service is out of this world!! You get more than you pay for here!

Mike Conroy is always available and helpful whenever you need him. I am not a software literate person, and Mike is always patient with me even when I don’t remember things he has told me many times. Service is SO important when you have a program as important as one that sets up your business’s prices and you will find it here.

We had purchased another less expensive pricing program called Ap***a before, and what a nightmare! I sure got what I paid for there…nothing. It was a waste of money and energy. If you were able to get someone on the phone they were not helpful at all. Emailing did not get a response either.

With NSPG if I just need a step by step for something I want to do, email them and they will absolutely get it to you. If I need to talk to someone for something else, Mike will save the day!

Thank you NSPG and Mike Conroy for providing a great product and amazing support!

I will recommend you to everyone!

Sincerely,

Kerri Raynor
Raynor Services
609-714-0505

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Should You Give Your Employees a Price Breakdown?

Posted on June 1, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

Back in March we wrote about giving a cost breakdown to disgruntled customers. Many companies face a similar dilemma with their own employees. Keeping your employees in the dark about the numbers that drive your business can lead to a number of outcomes, most of them bad, for the company, the customer, and the employees.

Most companies hire their field personnel based on their technical skills. Their ability to get the job done quickly and effectively is the paramount consideration. Unfortunately, technical skills are only part of what it takes to be a star technician. Before any work can be done, the tech has to sell the job to the customer. This is where the numbers come into play.

In order for most technicians to effectively sell your business services to a potential customer, they have to believe that you’re offering good value for the price. If the company has not shared at least a broad outline of what goes into setting your prices in your flat rate books, the techs are left to judge for themselves.

This often involves subtracting their hourly pay from what the price book says the job costs. The tech knows that there are overhead items involved, but probably has no idea of how large overhead can be in a service business. They often assume that the company’s profit rate is two or three times higher than it actually is.

This misunderstanding can make the tech feel that the prices he quotes from your flat rate price book are unreasonably high. This leads to a lack of confidence in the value that he is offering. The result can be a lower close rate, and limited up-selling to higher quality offerings. This hurts the company’s bottom line. It can also reduce the employee’s value to the business, and can reduce the tech’s job satisfaction.

Failure to share your numbers with your top employees can also increase your employee turnover. Your high potential employees can believe that they are not sharing in the benefits of the “high profits” that the business appears to be making. They often choose quit to start their own business so the “big” profits will go directly to them.

The company loses sales dollars and valuable employees. The employee feels unappreciated in the job. The customer may not have the opportunity to get the right product. It’s a lose-lose-lose situation.

Our experience with NSPG clients has shown that there is a range of how much the successful companies reveal to their employees. Some businesses are completely transparent with their employees. Their business numbers are an open book so their employees know why they charge what they do, and what the costs and profits are. This openness is used to foster the strong team spirit needed for a top level successful businesses.

Some businesses give their employees an executive summary of the company’s finances. They are clear about the actual costs of running the business without breaking out too many details. Their employees know enough to understand the value that goes into every price listed in their flat rate books. This makes it easier to sell every job because they are confident that they are offering good value for every job.

The natural tendency when running a business is to keep every internal financial detail a secret. Some types of information must remain confidential, but offering your employees a peak behind the curtain can benefit everyone involved. Once you’ve crunched your numbers and are confident that they make sense, you can decide how much to share with your team. The right level of openness with your employee team can make everyone involved more confident, productive, satisfied, and profitable.

“People Aren’t Against You; They Are for Themselves”

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Goodbye to an Industry Pioneer

Posted on June 1, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

George Brazil’s Celebration of Life Ceremony

Family, friends, colleagues and employees are saddened at the loss of our long time founder, visionary, and legend, George Brazil. George passed on Wednesday, May 16, after a little over a year battle with illness; he was 83 years old. An icon in the plumbing and home service business world, he will be greatly missed by friends and family.

George is survived by his wife, Patricia Langlin Brazil, as well as his three daughters and one son, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

George Brazil’s Celebration of Life Ceremony
Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. in the Kachina Ballroom
The Buttes, a Marriott Resort
2000 Westcourt Way
Tempe, AZ 85282
1-888-867-7492

If you plan to attend this event from out of town, a block of rooms has been reserved at the ceremony hotel location. Please call to make reservations with the hotel in the room block titled “The George Brazil Celebration of Life Room Block”. The room rates are under $100 per night.

If possible and you plan to attend the ceremony, please message Brian McQuistion through the electronic form on the George Brazil Facebook page, so that we can have a better idea of attendees. Please also note on the form below if you would like to speak about George at the ceremony. We welcome anyone who would like to share a story or memory in his honor.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in memory of George Brazil, to the Mayo Medical School Scholarship Endowment (click to donate), 13400 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85259.

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Building Customer Loyalty

Posted on May 4, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

Last month we discussed responding to customer complaints and using a complaint as an opportunity to build customer loyalty. A business should not wait for an opportunity to garner customer loyalty. It must be an every day goal that is built into how you do business. Here are a few tips for reaching that goal.

Strive to Give Consistently Good Service
Most businesses these days know that being consistent in your service offerings and pricing is one of the reasons that Flat Rate Price Books make sense. Providing consistently good service is critical to maintaining and growing your customer base. Having a customer who does not feel that he got the same level of service from you as a friend or neighbor did, jeopardizes your relationship with both customers.

Show your Customers that You Know Who They Are
Simple things like knowing when their last service call was, and what the problem was can mean a lot to your customers. Remembering their names, and the names of other people in their lives can turn your business relationship a bit more personal. You become the one they call first when they need help.

An easy way to promote this type of connection when you have thousands of customers, is to keep notes about the customer in your database. When you transmit the dispatch ticket, include a couple of personal details. This makes it easy to remember names and dates, and can make the customer more at ease with your business.

NSPG Referral ProgramImplement a Referral Program
Word of mouth is often the most effective form of advertising for small businesses. Leaving a card with a small percentage or dollar discount can spur your loyal customers bring in new customers for your business. Make it easy for your customers to give referrals, so they have no excuse not to do it.

Treat Your Employees Right
Happy employees who feel engaged in your business are much more likely to treat your customers right. An employee who views his role as simply an employee, and not a valued part of a team, is more likely to view interacting with your customers as a nuisance than an opportunity.

Everyone Can Become a Frequent Flyer
Getting current customers to call again is often much less expensive than finding new customers. Pass along some of those savings to your repeat customers to keep them coming back. Giving a small discount or free gift to frequent customers can make them feel good about doing business with your company, and can help cement the relationship.

In most markets, you have a large number of competitors. Offering a high quality, reliable service experience is not enough to keep your customer base growing unless you can spread the word. Why not have you customers help? Making a coordinated effort to establish and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction can be just what you need to improve the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, and build a stronger customer base.

If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.
Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon.com

 

 

Mike Conroy of NSPG is a flat rate implementation expert.Mike Conroy

Give Mike Conroy a call. He can quickly walk you through the business basics that you need to help make your company more consistently profitable, and increase the value of your business. Mike has years of experience helping companies set their own profitable prices, respond to price complaints, track performance, implement and fine tune Flat Rate systems, and improve profitability.

Take advantage of Mike’s experience working with hundreds of companies like yours to help you achieve your own business success.

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James Street Gang LBI NJ

Posted on April 4, 2012 by TheNumbersCruncher

Whether you’re looking to Rise Above the Competition in business or kite boarding, Mike Conroy should be your first call.

Mike can quickly walk you through the business basics that you need to help make your company more consistently profitable, and increase the value of your business. Mike has years of experience helping companies set their own profitable prices, track performance, implement and fine tune Flat Rate Pricing Systems, and improve profitability.

Take advantage of Mike’s experience working with hundreds of companies like yours to help you achieve your own business success.

For you kite boarding fans, you can find Mike on the Jersey Shore.

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