Plano Air Conditioning and Heating owner discusses the Next Generation

Plano Air Conditioning and Heating owner Steve Lauten discusses the Next Generation of consumers and how businesses need to prepare for a new type of customer.

Note: Steve Lauten routinely speaks to his peers at conferences and conventions for the Air Conditioning industry. This is a talk that he gave to the ACCA-NTX Convention in January 2006. It gives you some insight into how Steve runs his business.

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How many of you are old enough to remember the original Star Trek Television Series?  I am sure I am not the only reader of this newsletter that had to make the tough decision of watching Star Trek or The Wild, Wild, West when they ran in the 1960’s.  I am sure you are asking yourself what does this have to do with me?  I can assure you it will hit home in a few minutes.

The ACCA-NTX 2006 Board of Directors held a Fall Planning Session getting prepared for 2006.  As part of this process, I made the decision to bring in someone outside our Industry to act as the Facilitator.  I met Dr. Ann Atkinson when I attended the ACCA Fall Leadership Conference in Washington, DC in 2004.  Dr. Atkinson was without question one of the most impressive speakers I have had the pleasure of listening to.  Her focus was the concept of “Forward Visioning” and how to use it to create a “Vision” of where you want your Chapter or Company to be in 5 years.  You basically create the Vision and then plan backwards; setting goals that will allow you to achieve your 5 year plan.    On the surface it might seem simple to accomplish a 5 year plan.  However, for this to work all of the team must not only share the same Vision, but they must also share the same Values.

At this time, we have 1 and 2 year Directors, and the President serves a 1 year term.  This can make it difficult to provide long term continuity as board members and leadership changes yearly.  In order for our Strategic Plan to flow well through out the Vision requires that not only does our ACCA-NTX leadership have to share the Vision, but our membership must also share the Vision in order for it to succeed.  We have created an “Ad Hoc” Committee to look at what options we have to create better continuity from year to year and will report to the membership what changes we come up with.  In the past, our Board of Directors consisted of members who had been part of the ACCA-NTX chapter for many years.  The 2006 Board consists of not only long term members, but also members whom are fairly new to our chapter.  It is our belief that the 2006 Board includes the best possible mix of long term members, new members, commercial and residential contractors that represent all areas of the DFW Metroplex, and Associate members that include manufacturers, wholesalers, and utilities.  The net result is every member of our chapter should feel like they have a voice in the success of ACCA-NTX.

Another aspect of ‘Forward Visioning” is the realization that “The only Competitive Edge any Organization has is its rate of learning”.  I hope that message hits you between the eyes like it did me when Ann Atkinson said it!  The good news is our Chapter has been on the leading edge of providing the best training possible for many years.  We continue to assess what training programs we offer and adapt to the needs of our membership.  Remember-your company is only as good as your worst employee!  Proper training is much less costly than fixing the problems associated with the lack of training.  In 2006 we have what we feel is the best training programs not only from a technical perspective but also ways to help owners and managers become more profitable.  Please make sure you attend the Feb. Tradeshow sponsored by our Associate members that will include many seminars specifically designed to meet your needs.

In order for our Industry to survive and thrive requires us to understand the changes that are occurring.  Those changes include a transformation to a “World Market”, the use of Information Technology, and the impact of Generation X, Y, and Z differences in how they make buying decisions.  A few comparisons of Generational Differences and what they value most in life are:

Those born between 1944-1960 Value Most: Work & Achievement, and Retirement.  Feeling useful is very important to Baby Boomers.

Those born between 1961-1980 Value Most: “Family They Never Had”, Life Balance, and Dislike of Corporate Politics.  Convenience is very important to them

Those born between 1981-2000 Value Most: Peer Acceptance and Achievement and whatever they want, they want it right now and are willing to pay for it!

Those born after 1980 don’t know what life is without a color TV, or a remote control, and their life is “after work”.  In comparison those born prior to 1980, “work is life”

So what does all of this tell us?  As an Industry, we must be planning ahead on how we will market to “The Next Generation” of ACCA-NTX member, along with the customers we serve.  In the past many of our members were involved in ACCA as a sense of duty.  Your 2006 Board of Directors job is to make sure we are meeting the needs of all members.  We must provide training and programs that our members “value” but also “motivate” them to be involved.

ACCA-NTX
Going Boldly Forward-It’s The Only Choice!

In closing, I would like to congratulate Ann Kahn on the outstanding job she did leading our chapter in 2005.  She did an incredible job helping us find our new Executive Director Rick Bousquet.  Ann was heavily involved in looking at the Vision of where our chapter needs to be over the next 5 years and helped to lay the foundation that will allow ACCA-NTX to remain one of the Best Chapters in the Nation!

Plano Air Conditioning and Heating Company, Total Air and Heat, is owned by Steve Lauten, the second generation owner.  Founded in 1957 by Steve’s dad, Fred Lauten, Total Air and Heat is proud to have received some of the highest awards for quality and service that are offered in the Industry. Among those awards are the Readers Choice Awards from the Collin County Newspaper, the Trane Pacesetter Award in 2002, and designation as a Trane Comfort Specialist.  Call Steve at (972) 535-8066 for a personal consultation.