Collier Consulting Group

All Workshops

Financial Workshops

If you want to make double digit profits in plumbing or HVAC, you must be priced correctly to cover your cost of sales and overhead. Learn how to position yourself according to your market, develop Flat Rate pricing schemes for your service department, implement variable multiplier systems for selling parts, properly estimate new construction work and replacement quotes. Pricing for your company should be developed and reviewed every six months. Remember, if you are too busy, your pricing is probably too low!!

As one contractor said, “ I didn’t go bankrupt, I just ran out of time and money”. Prudent management of cash, proper pricing and collections, and strategic billing strategies all have an effect on cash flow. If you do not have the money in the bank, you cannot pay your bills, meet payroll or grow your company. We’ll discuss how to set up a cash flow projection strategy for your business and how it impacts your budget for the following month. We will teach you how to calculate breakeven sales for the month and develop collection techniques to keep the money flowing.

You are not an accountant, and probably never went to business school. But great contractors run their business on a monthly basis with the balance sheet and profit/loss as a road map to success. We will dissect your financial documents that you bring to class and teach you how to interpret them to help you manage your business. You’ll see great financials from successful contractors who consistently score 20% or more Net Profit in their companies and apply some of their techniques to your business. Remember just because you are busy does not mean you are making money.

Sooner or later all contractors will make a decision about stepping out of their business to pursue other activities or retirement. However, who do you sell the business to, how much is it worth, what tax strategies best fit, and can you do anything to make the business more attractive to a potential buyer? All these questions and many others will be explored whether you are selling your business to a peer, coworker or family member. Many business transactions are disappointing or even fall apart because the sellers did not do their homework.

Operations Workshops

If you have noticed some installing crews, technicians and plumbers make you money and others don’t, maybe you need to pay on performance, not on seniority. Reward those who bring in the most money to the company and those who make the best use of their knowledge, expertise and efficiency. We’ll discuss how to do more work with less people and how to measure efficiency of field personnel. Spreadsheet examples of performance plans currently in use will be provided to all participants. Ask about our One-Day class for sales and office personnel.

Understanding what customers want and need; handling complaints; what customer care means to your sales, profits and coworkers income, etc. Perfect for owners, managers, salespeople, call-takers and technicians. What you don’t know will surprise you, and may be hurting your business without you even knowing it.

Office managers and accounting personnel will love this seminar. In this course we will review the proper methods and procedures of accounting and record keeping. We will present billing and collection strategies, processes to improve time management, telephone etiquette and tips for superb office organization.

Ideal for owners and managers, this program focuses on the most profitable department in any contracting company. Properly managed and controlled, the service department can provide in excess of 20% net profit and year round work. We’ll teach how to setup a service center, how to dispatch field personnel, how to write a marketing plan and to find and hire field personnel. We will discuss the implementation of customer management software, flat rate pricing and inventory control as well as tips on invoicing and collecting.

Sales and Marketing

This seminar focuses on the do’s and don’ts of marketing in the contracting industry. Designed for owners and office managers, this program shows how to spend the right amount of money on the most effective marketing plan. We will describe in detail how to get more dollars from the customers you currently have.
Over 100 marketing solutions will be discussed and great marketing examples will be provided to the participants.

Most dealers are so hampered with the price objection of replacement sales, they forget that their #1 goal is to provide maximum comfort for the homeowner. You’ll learn how to correctly price according to market drivers and overhead and how to sell value of variable speed, ECM equipment, and accessories all the time recognizing the impact to your bottom line and the impact to your customers’ comfort level and utility bills. Learn how you can modify your warranties to push the competition out the door and get the sale.

One of your greatest sales assets is the individuals you have in the field making personal contact with the consumer. They are in the best position to discuss service repairs, replacement units and accessories, and to offer options for the customer to consider. In this class, the field personnel will be taught customer relations, sales strategies, repair verses replacement and flat rate system selling. By attending this program your field personnel will increase their value to your company and in turn improve the company’s bottom line.

In today’s competitive world, customer service is the key to separating your company from the rest of the pack. Customers for Life is an intensive six (6) session program designed to transform your organization into a marketing driven company that will succeed in the future. Geared toward owners, managers, office personnel and service techs, Customers for life teaches all members of your team how to acquire, grow and maintain customers to maximize profits, generate long term sales, increase closing ratios, lock out the competition, and gain referrals. Four sessions are dedicated to the owner, one for the office staff and one for field personnel. The program emphasizes the use of service agreements and aggressive marketing techniques to achieve customers for life. Are you ready to assemble a top-notch customer service team capable of building the long term relationships that will make your business profitable today and for years to come?

Structuring for Profit & Growth Workshops

This long term business development program for contractors involves monthly meetings for five months. We start with contractor surveys and confidential profiles to tailor the course to individuals. We begin with specific strategies that go right to the bottom line, then discuss controlling overhead, hiring and retaining coworkers, pricing and budgeting for success. Homework, in-class activities and a class project are assigned, so specific classroom work can be directly applied to the business.

Designed for the more mature contracting business, we discuss how to improve the overall efficiency of the business and how to streamline operations. We begin with profiling and then discuss departmentalization, cash flow strategies, market and market share analysis, compensation plans for personnel, operational efficiencies, policy manual implementation, cost justification and business transition. If the contractor wants to reduce overhead, streamline operations and do more with less, this program is right on target.

This one day workshop gives the contractor a jump start on improving his overall business and profit performance. These 14 strategies will give him insights into pricing, inventory control, managing field labor, dispatching techniques, accounting practices, finding field personnel, designing warranties, parts markups, invoicing, collections, etc. These are time proven tips that successful, more than 10% net profit, contractors have used to achieve their success rate and provide their customers with great service and installations.