• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
ColumnsMatt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros

Service Plumbing Pros

Matt Michel: 7 things your service plumbers should know

Don’t make assumptions.

By Matt Michel
Service plumbers do not make assumptions
January 5, 2022

As business leaders, we often make assumptions about what our field service personnel know. In addition, they make their own assumptions about us. The result is they know less than we think, and think they know more than they do. Here are seven things your service plumbers should know about their profession.

1. Plumbing is a great profession

Let’s start with esteem. Plumbing is an awesome profession. Victor Davis Hansen, one of the nation’s leading intellectuals, often talks favorably about the virtues of people who work in “muscular” professions. Hansen is a multi-generation farmer as well as a Stanford professor who teaches the classics, such as reading “The Iliad” in Greek. Hansen compares his neighboring farmers with his Stanford colleagues. Farmers win. Plumbers would, too.

When Eric Dutton was recruiting a kid for his plumbing company, he told him, “Mothers want their daughters to marry plumbers.” It’s true. Plumbers can fix things. Plumbers are handy. When the zombie apocalypse comes, would you rather have a son-in-law who is a lawyer or a plumber?

People need plumbing. They can’t live without it. When it breaks, you become their best friend. They need you. So, be proud of what you do. Be proud of your profession. The country needs you.

2. The difference between gross and net profit

Too many plumbers see what they charge for a repair, mentally subtract what the cost of the parts, subtract what they are paid and conclude the boss is making bank. They don’t understand overhead. They don’t understand what it costs to run a plumbing company. Why should they? Who has told them?

Try this. Break out your profit and loss statement. Round everything to the nearest whole percent. Take each employee, one at a time, and hand the employee a hundred, dollar bills. Say, this is the gross revenue of the company. The employee gets to keep the net. For each expense of the income statement, tell the employee to hand over one dollar for every whole percentage point. If gross profit is 65%, ask for $35 for direct costs of sales. For each overhead item, ask for one dollar for each percentage point. At the end, you will have around $15 to $20 (less if you fail to charge enough). Now, introduce taxes and depreciation. This exercise drives home the cost of running a service company.


Your job is to offer options and education about those options. People can then make their own choices.


3. Customers want to buy

Sales trainer Charlie Greer likes to stress that customers want to buy. He is correct. People do not request a plumber for the fun of it. They call because they have a problem or a need and want it solved. The last thing they want is to call another plumber. Customers want to buy from you. They hope you will end their ordeal.

4. Consumers are ignorant

OK, it’s not nice to call people ignorant, but they are. They do not know what their options are. They do not know why one faucet is better than another. They do not know how a tankless water heater could improve their life. They do not know what’s involved with water purification. They have never thought about the total dissolved solids in their tap water. They have never considered natural gas piping to their backyard grill, so they won’t have to deal with running out of propane at the exact moment they have guests over and put the steaks on. It is your job to educate them, to let people know what is available and what is possible. After all, you are the expert.

5. You are the product

In a service company, people are the product. The plumber is the product. You are the product. Before people can buy what you sell, they must buy you. They judge the service they will receive based on you, based on your appearance and conduct. How do you look? How clean are you? How well groomed? Do you stand up straight and look people in the eye? Do you smile? What does your truck look like?

6. You should never pre-judge

It is a mistake to judge what a customer can or cannot afford based on the size of the house and the car in the driveway. Some people have high incomes and correspondingly high expenses. They struggle to pay the mortgages on their McMansions. Conversely, there are people living below their means in trailer parks with excess disposable income.

How can you know who has money and who does not? You cannot. Do not try. Your job is to offer options and education about those options. People can then make their own choices.

There are two types of people who choose cheap options. First are those who cannot afford anything else because they simply do not have the money. Next are those who are wealthy enough that they can afford to make a mistake and buy a do-over. Those with less means often buy better quality because they cannot afford a mistake.

7. The grass is not necessarily greener

As long as there is more work than plumbers, plumbers will be recruited by other plumbing companies. The grass always seems greener at the other companies. It may or may not be the case. Even if the money is better, these may not be great places to work. Be careful before you jump, and when you do, do not burn bridges. You might realize you made a mistake and want to return.


tommaso79/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images


KEYWORDS: business administration business coaching contractors plumbers and pipefitters

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Matt michel

Matt Michel is the founder of Service Nation, and author of “Contractor Stories.” Looking to grow your plumbing business? Read PM magazine — subscribe for free — and join the Service Roundtable. Learn more about the Service Roundtable at www.ServiceRoundtable.com.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Green Plumbing and Mechanical
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

The interior of a government building.

President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • Matt Michel

    Matt Michel: 8 things you should include in your employee recruiting brochure

    See More
  • Work trucks

    9 things to make your trucks more effective in your plumbing business

    See More
  • Brand name written over black paper background with white and blue wooden colored pencils. 3D illustration.

    Six things that matter about your branding

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • May 15, 2025

    From Legacy to Leadership: Preparing Your Home Services Business for the Next Generation

    On Demand Whether you're passing the torch to a family member or grooming current employees for leadership, preparing the next generation of leaders is key.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!