JB Warranties Blog

As we progress through 2024 and look ahead to 2025, it’s vital for plumbing professionals to remain aware of the latest plumbing regulations. Even though 2024 is well underway, important updates to the plumbing rules that took effect earlier this year might still be flying under the radar for some. These changes could have significant implications for plumbing operations, and staying ahead of them is the key to maintaining compliance and maximizing the success of your business.

In this episode of Trade Talk, Jimmy Hiller, the founder of Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical, shared some real-world advice on how he turned a small Nashville shop into a thriving business spread across several states. Jimmy’s story is straightforward: good things will happen if you focus on customer service and take care of your team. He talked about the bumps in the road he’s faced and how he’s stayed ahead in a changing industry. He also offered some practical tips for other contractors aiming to grow their own businesses.

While it's true that referrals lead to sales, it's important to recognize that you won't get referrals by wishing for them. Instead, referrals roll in when you can turn customers into advocates for your company. Your services must exceed customer expectations and entice clients to share your plumbing or HVAC company with others. But sometimes, you must also take proactive steps to get the referrals flowing.

From boosting company value to providing customers with peace of mind, HVAC and plumbing service contracts are one of the keys to business longevity. In a market where a new hot water heater can cost the average customer between $1,378 and $3,512 and a new AC unit can run them between $3,910 and $7,983, service contracts are a profitable way to protect these investments. 

A few years ago, if you had asked what the top safety tips were for plumbing businesses and their technicians, most answers would involve some sort of COVID-19 precautions. However, even as we stray further away from daunting mentions of the pandemic, we simply cannot neglect to continue the safety practices and procedures concerning general technicians and businesses’ well-being. 

In last week’s blog post, we discussed a selection of HVAC/R industry trade shows set to take place in 2024. With JB Warranties offering services to providers outside of the HVAC space, we wanted to be sure we included our friends over in the plumbing sector. So, we’ve put together a comprehensive calendar of the top exciting expos and conferences set to hit the industry in 2024! 

Carbon monoxide poisoning. Three words that no homeowner — nor any HVAC service provider — wants to hear. There are several common sources of carbon monoxide poisoning that pose a risk to home and business owners alike, no matter the time of year. However, the increase in various fuel-burning heat devices that accompany the winter months only spikes this omnipresent threat.

With a snowballing number of urgent winter service calls soon to roll in, the last thing HVAC service providers want to battle at the start of the New Year is employee burnout. Across the HVAC industry, compounding factors like continuous labor shortages throughout periods of overwhelming demand have triggered concerns for HVAC tech burnout — and the harmful impacts it has on businesses. 

Did you know that roughly 40% of sales leaders miss their annual revenue targets? While there are an array of uncontrollable factors that could impact overall plumbing sales success—hello, a global pandemic and widespread supply chain delays—a leading, yet manageable factor is a lack of company sales skills. Without proper plumbing sales training, the average plumbing company will struggle to gain customer leads, boost profit margins, and ultimately, fail to hit revenue goals in 2024. 

Now, more than ever, plumbing and HVAC companies require qualified talent capable of sustaining customer demands and scaling alongside their operations long term. Roughly 77% of tradespeople have reported labor shortages as an ongoing challenge due to various factors, the most prevalent of which are aging employees and a loss of interest among younger generations.