Plumbing & Mechanical’s PM Live Hydronic Heating Conference July 27 in Marlborough, Mass., was a great success, as attendees learned from the experts - John Siegenthaler and Dan Holohan.

More than 100 plumbing and heating professionals were in attendance. They filled both the meeting rooms and the networking space in the hallways, as they perused tabletop displays from the conference sponsors: Taco Inc., Viega, Uponor, Honeywell, Wilo Pumps, Emerson-Swan, Baxi, Myson Inc., Hydrotherm, Oventrop, Peerless Boilers, Tunstall Corp., Lochinvar Corp., RBI, Burnham Hydronics, Runtal North America, Watts Radiant, Smith Cast Iron Boilers, and the Radiant Panel Association.

Siegenthaler kicked off the event with a discussion on delivering distribution efficiency. He emphasized proper system and component sizing, installing “short fat headers,” and told listeners that driving up flow rates is not as efficient as they think.

At the close of his session, Siegenthaler introduced the room to some of the world’s smallest pumps and circulators, which are in current use overseas.

After lunch, Holohan kept things lively and entertaining with his thoughts on sales and marketing. He discussed the various ways humans - potential customers - communicate; for if contractors have an approach to selling that’s not working, it’s like “explaining clouds to fish,” he said.

Holohan emphasized building rapport before selling, crafting a company newsletter (“four times a month - follow the seasons”), and offering “welcoming” coupons (“don’t drive them away with expiration dates”).

“Packaging” your company, too, is an important part of sales and marketing, and Holohan revealed real-world examples from other industries - some that had attendees laughing out loud. He also encouraged attendees to “romanticize the ordinary and everyday.”

“A lot of this stuff has nothing to do with heating,” Holohan explained. “But it should make you think about how it relates to your business.”

The next PM Live event will take place at the upcoming AHR Expo in New York City, Jan. 22, 2008. It will again feature Siegenthaler and Holohan, and will welcome two other noted PM columnists, Ellen Rohr and Al Levi, who will assist contractors in solving problems to shore up their financial foundation, and hone their leadership skills.

Find more information on the show at www.ahrexpo.com.