What's In A Name?

Vol. 7: Issue #15 Letter: #139 (Previous newsletters available in archives on web site)

What's In A Name?

     Back in 1953 when Climatemakers was “hatched”, considerable thought was given to what the name of the new corporation would be. As a one man corporation, it was tempting to name it after the founder and add the words “Heating Company” (residential air conditioning was virtually unknown “way back then”).

Merry Sherman      The chief factor in foregoing that bit of self indulgence was the realization that there were already dozens of Billy Jones, Harry Smiths, and Andy Browns “heating companies” and adding one more name to the mix would do nothing to distinguish us from all the rest.

     Mark Twain was partially responsible for the selection as he was widely quoted as saying “everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it”. The founder was brash enough at that age to think he could prove Mark Twain wrong but he carefully added the caveat that became their slogan by explaining that “We make the weather behave (inside)”

The name “Climatemakers” has always set us apart from the rest, if for no other reason, than that it was different…and would cause that momentary hesitation as a person would pause to wonder what Climatemakers did…in fact, many have asked even to this day, “do you make it rain” or similar queries.

But we also realized from the very first that while a catchy name might attract some mild interest, a good name was something that had to be earned every day and could easily be forfeited. We never did subscribe to that old story about Mae West who supposedly fired a PR man because he failed to get her some bad publicity, saying that “the name remained long after the incident was forgotten.

There’s no doubt about it, the name is the first thing people remember - good or bad - about a company. And when a business lasts for many years, the company name almost becomes a brand BUT we have realized from day one…that a name, no matter how clever or fond of it we become, doesn't create or guarantee success. It's what we do with our business and how we manage it, that determines any success we may achieve…and our future.

     A good reputation is not something that is achieved overnight; it's the product of consistent, persistent actions over time and we feel that after servicing over 250,000 heating and cooling systems over the past 53 years, not only do we realize that there’s more to a HVAC system than just “Hot and Cold”, but that we’ve earned our good reputation in today’s idiom by “walking the walk as well as talking the talk”. Not only saying the right things but by following up with the right actions.

     For we know from experience, reputation is a corporate asset and therefore has value…and that the image customers have of our company, influences their willingness to either provide or withhold support. We’ve found that customers are primarily concerned in the price, quality, and reliability of the company's products and services and that a positive perception usually results in increased sales and growth…and conversely, if customers develop a negative perception of a company or its products, we believe its sales and profits assuredly will decline.

     What’s in a name…well, maybe nothing…but then again…maybe everything!

SPECIAL NOTICE:

     As I write this, it’s early August…and hot!...but the calendar tells us that summer's winding down, and the cold days of winter are right around the corner. Labor Day is just about 3 weeks away…then comes the end of vacations, back to school days and the end of Daylight Saving Time. All of which serves as a reminder to us (and you) that it’s time to have your heating system prepared for winter.

      If you are a regular reader of this column, you know that we offer a strictly enforced, "early seasonal discount" to perform this essential service for our customers.

     PURELY, SELFISH REASONS motivates us to give away so much money (and we hate it!) but to date, we haven't been able to devise any other plan that provides us the time necessary to properly prepare the heating systems for the hundreds of our customers who depend on us each year for this important service.

     However, this does make for both of us a "win-win" situation. We win by getting you to order early (and can do more jobs)...you win, if you order early by getting a $135 value for a lot less money (and you can save even more if you order on line) as you join hundreds of others who every winter, make Climatemakers their contractor of choice.

     As always, there is a sliding scale of discounts for early registration beginning with a whopping 40% discount for the earliest registration. You can see this sliding scale of discounts and specific definitions of each of the 32 points we check and by clicking here and/or make your on line reservations now by clicking here.

The cost of the "check-up/tune-up" is a small price to pay for superior equipment performance that result in lower energy bills and extended life performance. Remember, THE MAJOR CAUSE OF EQUIPMENT FAILURE IS INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE.


		Look Who’s Reading What!

		About 250 visitors, look in on the Climatemakers website every day. Click here to see the “Top 50” pages viewed last month and if you see a title you like, click on it!

And finally, please remember, if you have any questions about the HVAC system in your house; how we can be of better service to you, or about our web site, please email them to me. I'd like to hear from you.

Climatically

Merry Sherman
2nd Generation President
Phone #: 757-468-5800
Fax #: 757-468-5805
email: comfort@climatemakers.com
Web site: http://www.climatemakers.com
"Your family's indoor comfort is our family's business"

     P.S. This newsletter is not an orphan. In our newsletter archives, there are over 125 letters with similar tips and helpful hints to make your life in your house, more comfortable. You can see the list by clicking here.

     P.P.S. To keep our website as current as possible, we have just added 3 new pages to the ever growing total (now in excess of 250+ pages). We think you will find the new page depicting “Climatemakers Cartoon Family” especially interesting. You can see it by clicking here.

     This constantly updating of our website is not only to add content but to make it easier for you to navigate…so that you can find answers to your questions about HVAC, quicker than ever before. If you haven’t visited the website recently, and especially if you have any qualms about the performance or the cost of cooling this summer, you will find many items of interest.

     For example, on one of our newest web pages entitled 101 ways to save energy, you can see a detailed list of the many ways you can use to reduce energy costs (just click here). Or you might want to see one of our newer pages, "The Amazing Scroll Compressor" where you can see an animated explanation of what many people claim to be the greatest technological improvement in heating and air conditioning history by clicking here.

     P.P.P.S. You can also see for yourself, the professional response your call for services generates (and the response you can expect), by clicking here to see our recently updated overview of operations.

      To see all the page titles of our 250+ page web site at a glance, click here.

     Or you can select from some of the most popular accessories like a programmable thermostat that automatically regulates the heating/cooling in your house to suit your lifestyle (click here) or an electronic air cleaner that removes dirt, dust and pollen to improve your health (click here) or an automatic humidifier to add moisture to the air in the winter (click here) or how to add a zoning system that will saves you money as it increases or decreases the heating/cooling in those rooms where and when it is not needed (click here).