Plumbers, like most technical people, value their technical skills above all else. Consumers, who have little ability to discern good plumbing from poor or average work, tend to judge plumbers based on their soft skills. Ignoring the soft skills is like ignoring half of a repair. Here is a 10-point soft skills checklist for your team.

Last fall, a generous plumbing contractor in Las Vegas allowed me to park a trailer-load of four-wheelers in his backyard. It was an incredible backyard. I’ll be happy to tell you his name, but I’m about to tell you about his son.

When I say “the lack of training and systems can be disastrous,” it might sound a bit dramatic to you. I can assure you, however, that the quality of your training and systems can truly make or break your business, your reputation, the level of service you offer, safety on the job and your overall profitability.

Danielle Putnam, president of Women in HVACR and The New Flat Rate, gave the keynote address at the Ninth Annual Celebrating Women in the Mechanical Trade Industry Luncheon.

For more than 17 years, I’ve been helping contractors learn and practice good habits. It has improved their lives, their employees’ lives and even the lives of the customers they serve.

Price is a topic everyone wants to discuss and everyone has an opinion about, and you are probably wondering why I am even implying there is a circumstance when price doesn’t matter. Before you start thinking I’m crazy, let me explain.

I’m 69 years old and my hair is as brown as it was when I was a teenager. A bit of it, mostly around my ears and the back of my neck, sneaks in as gray, but some Russian barber just buzzes those stray hairs away and I’m back to being a young fella again. I like the Russian barbers.

When I was the last of the three brothers to enter the family business, my dad said to me, “I owe you an opportunity, not a guarantee.”

When someone calls a plumber, they are usually doing so because they have an immediate need. Perhaps a pipe has burst or their running water is down to a trickle. Whatever the issue, the customer needs assistance — fast.

The basics of plumbing may be timeless, but the products are changing as technology evolves and demographics shift. For the modern plumber who embraces opportunity, these products offer new and enhanced revenue streams. Here are seven you should offer.