How to get new accounts.

[Dchappa21]

Yep you had me till the whole cart thing... Had some one at a big chain tell me I wasn't suppose to use there carts for my tools... I said ok and keep rolling past..

Would you rather have all my sheet scatterd all over the floor when working on a case?

[Iceneck]

I'll stop using your carts as soon as you stop storing Sheet in my motor room!

Phase Loss,

If you saw the state of the motor "areas" at my store (we use protocols, so no motor room) you'd kiss me. Trust me, the departments have tried to store their S*@& in and around the protocols. It ain't happening, and if it doesn't get picked up after I say something, whatever is there goes in the trash.

I seem to come off as anti-tech. Jesus, I'm not. I'm in trade school myself. AND, I'm sourcing a roof mounted crane for you guys to haul stuff up onto the roof easy like. You're WELCOME!

[pherman]

I'll stop using your carts as soon as you stop storing Sheet in my motor room!

Preach it brother! haha

[Hard4mrkts]

I started using a cart for service about 1year ago. Jam amazed at the coments made by store managers, they really like it. The cart gives me a flat work space also and is safer then using nothing. Graingers has a narrow cart that fits easily into a service van.

[craig1]

I'll stop using your carts as soon as you stop storing Sheet in my motor room!

They'll just start storing the carts in the motor room to REALLY piss you off.

[engineerdave]

I've only been in this trade since the mid '90s, but even I can remember a time when the relationship between the Service Provider and the Customer used to be one of mutual respect, mutual benefit. A true partnership. That, more than anything else, is what caused me to hang up my Detroit Diesel tools for a set of gauges. Amazing how much things can change in just a few years.

1) When I approach a potential customer, it's usually NOT the guy snakin' drains & takin' classes to grow up to be a real HVAC/R Tech someday who I'm lookin' for...

2) My outfit doesn't have a website, we have a contractor's license and a trainload of references. Gotta say, that strategy's not really workin' out all that well. Yet.

3) All of us iron our shirts every day. Some of us even smoke. Sorry if that notion is offensive, I'm offended by judgemental people. Shouldn't stop either of us from getting a job done.

4) In this litigious society these days, safety has to come first. Tell that to the store manager who insists on running the garden hose out to de-ice the frozen foods line-up RIGHT NOW, instead of after store hours, to avoid the OT charges. I lost an account because I wouldn't comply with that unsafe strategy in a very busy store.

5) I agree completely with parking in the far spots, but won't park in back of the store unless they'll let me come & go from the back. It takes too much time and I have too much $$$ in that truck to leave it out back begging to be burglarized.

6) I use shopping carts. I will consider purchasing a convertible dolley. There may be a valid gripe here.

7) Energy Management is the key nowadays. However, most store managers are business people and have a fairly good BS meter. They will call it BS if I tell them how I can save them money prior to my conducting an in-depth survey.

8 - 10) These items are clearly knobslob items, and will be flagged by the BS meter mentioned in Item 7.

Bottom line, Icenek, is I do appreciate your perspective, but I think maybe you're wrong. About a lot. Most store managers I've dealt with are all bout results, and really have neither the time nor the patience for the fluff. I said "most", not "all". Your Ten Point Guide would work just fine, on the Prima Donnas.

[coolperfect]

We never have a customer satisfaction problem! We send our customer relations team over to visit them! Corleone,Barzini,Solatso and Clamenza!

[Kevin_1963]

When I’m snaking a plugged drain and I get paged over the intercom to “come to the cash registers” (because, inevitably, that’s where you’ll show up and ask for me), I think there’s an emergency there and drop what I’m doing to go to the page. When I see you, I am not happy. That’s bad for your prospects to say the least.

Not quite a supermarket, it was a business complex scattered over 3 acres. Got done my job working on a walk in cooler they had. The onsite manager INSISTED I call him as soon as I got done, which I did. He didn't answer. Tried 15 minutes later - still no answer. Had him paged - never answered. Now I'm 30 minutes on my own time. Walked personally to his maintenance off - not there. 45 minutes later, I give up and get a cook to sign the invoice and take off.

I swear the butthead was sitting waiting in the bushes for me to drive away so he could call my boss and complain how I "wrote it up and just left without consulting him", because he called 5 minutes after I left.

[therock]

I think that pretty well sets all required standards except one
#12 By all means always avoid plumber's lower posterior exposure

[therock]

Myself I always park behind the fly infested dumpster to avoid being backed into
Then do a pre-flight check on the dumpster as it gives you a 24 hour record
of whats been going on inside the business and why is it in the dumpster?
Does it show you any results of a refrigeration problem?
Maybe a salesman did a case reset and the case or walk in may be froze up
Maybe a previous serviceman did something and you are coming in behind him
The history of his work may be laying in front of you
Maybe there's been 3 shift changes since a problem started but a 5 minute
pass by dumpster inspection tells the history
Got a pile of thawed frozen product or fresh meat. Why? Outdated? Terminator failure?
(it may be related to your call or another area pointing to a new larger problem)
Are there people waiting near the dumpster or diving to retreve the results
of them turning off something the night before? It does occur

One call I remember for cold a/c air complaints. I found a coffee maker in the
dumpster on arrival. Went inside and found the new coffee machine installed
on a table underneath the wall thermostat

[Phase Loss]

lol I've never though to start my troubleshooting in the dumpster...maybe I need to!

[therock]

Dumpster contents can also be a sad but yet funny surprise
Be prepared for anything as I had to help what was once a 1950's very
successful car salesman I personally knew. He was a little guy and I had to lift
him out of the dumpster all while he kept pulling at some size 48 (clean) mens
briefs that the store owner's wife had cleaned drawers at home and thrown in.
I said (name withheld) if you'll let go of those (xxx) briefs I can lift you out !!!
No such luck he yelled I can get many years service out of these and wouldn't
let go so I lifted him out with his proud treasures. He thanked me as if we had
salvaged a million dollars
I said well (name) I guess with a size 48 brief and a man your small size you can
pull them over your head and wear them for a shirt if times get tough LOL
Grocers thought he was a dumpster diving poor man and gave him allot of
charity as they didn't think he could feed himself or his family as all
grocers do when they think someone has bottomed out in life
You know the rest of the story
He later passed on with thousands of acres of land in his name

[western]

I started pushing carts at a large supermarket then became the manager, quit, started as 1st step apprentice then became general foreman so I see both sides. These two occupations have completely different perspectives, objectives and mentality. Luckily in our area our customers are very understanding. Safety and professionalism is important and common sense. I used store wagons before but if their customers is running out of wagons and you have three then it's a bad idea.