Notes from BDR Spark, 2024

BDR recently hosted its Spark 2024 event in Savannah, GA. Here are some takeaways for contractors on 1) business building, 2) AI, and 3) the Inflation Reduction Act.

On business building

Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas, gave a keynote speech and shared some nuggets of wisdom. His first words were, “Stop chasing customers, start creating fans.”  

He talked about what he calls the “5 E’s”, two of which stood out the most to us: 1) eliminate friction, and 2) engage deeply.

• Eliminate friction. Early on, Jesse and his team audited the fan experience to identify and remove friction points. The results? Sales tax and other fees were removed, high concession prices were brought to zero (food is included with a ticket), and boring “on hold” music was turned into fun jingles, to name a few. He urged everyone to consider, “Where is there friction in your customer experience?”

• Engage deeply. He shared an anecdote about a couple at a Hollywood hotel who told the staff they loved Marilyn Monroe. After lunch, they came back to a signed Marilyn Monroe poster in their room. He used this to emphasize that there are always opportunities to go a step further and do “one more thing” for current customers. He asked, “What else can you do for existing customers?”

“Stop chasing customers, start creating fans.”

On Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI in HVAC isn’t just an idea anymore; it’s reality. In a breakout session, contractors talked about how they’re currently using it and how it may be used in the future.

• The most talked about use was instantly responding to Google Reviews through programs like Zapier, and a forward-looking one was the ability to predict a piece of equipment’s lifespan by serial number.

Unsurprisingly, ChatGPT was a popular talking point. By far, its most common use among contractors was “scripting” — writing job descriptions, company processes, and responses to sales objections.

• For those who aren’t familiar with ChatGPT, the takeaway was to “start with the basics” by creating an account and investing some time to sit down and start asking simple questions.

• An agreed-upon notion was that although it can seem overwhelming, leveraging even the basics of ChatGPT can be a playing field leveler for smaller companies.

On the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

The upcoming rebate programs were a hot topic, and one sentence sums up the conversations: a lot of specifics are still unknown.

The programs will differ by state, so the best place to get updates and information is your state energy office’s website. Find yours here.

• States are currently putting together applications for the DOE and have until January 31, 2025, to submit them.

In one conversation, there was uncertainty about what information states will require from contractors to process each rebate. As a result, Pearl Certification recommended contractors (and homeowners) start collecting and storing as much information as possible on every install — date of install, serial number, invoice, etc — to be prepared for official guidance.