Profile: Greentrucks.com

Greentrucks.com, located in Nashville, Tennessee, came to our attention through Kevin Holland of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. He suggested that we take a look at the Association´s site, certain that we would find some excellent examples of family-owned businesses using the Internet to augment their company. The ACCA.org web site allows users to search for qualified contractors in state by state listings or by zip code. Our search on their site led us to Greentrucks.com, the site for Air Conditioning Service, Inc. and Contractors Heating & Cooling, Inc. Contractors Heating & Cooling, Inc. was started by Jim Redd in 1959, primarily to install new construction heating and cooling systems in model homes, warehouses, apartment and office buildings. Within two years, they had also opened Air Conditioning Service, Inc. to handled the warranty issues of their contracting company, but over the years it has grown into its own business, handling air conditioning service and installation. Redd is still an owner, and has been joined at the helm by his son, Chip, and son-in-law Jim Villers. It was Jim Villers who thought the company could extend the reach of their advertising by building a web site. We spoke with him to get his perspective on the benefits of putting his companies online. Jim´s reasons for approaching the Internet were simple: "I was intrigued by what it could do to get our name out there to customers." We have seen many companies use their web sites to broaden their reach outside of their traditional sales territories. This is not a priority for Greentrucks.com, who continue to focus their business on the middle Tennessee area. Nashville sees many architectural firms and construction companies coming into the city from all over the country. Jim knew that these outside firms would not be familiar with companies in Nashville, and he felt that their extended visibility through the Internet gave them a competitive edge when those companies began searching locally for someone to handle their heating and cooling needs. Jim felt that a site that functioned as an extension of their Yellow Pages ads would best serve them. The site uses a layout similar to their print ads, and contains pictures of their employees, many of whom have been with the company for several years. Jim felt that this would add a feeling of familiarity, and would cement the idea that they are a well-established business, not a fly-by-night operation. He doubts they will invest in online advertising. In his industry, print advertising and word of mouth are still the standards, and he doesn´t feel that ads on the Internet would drive enough business to justify the money he would need to spend. He mentions, however, that his business has been helped by suppliers who feature links to local dealers, distributors and installation professionals. Most of his major suppliers feature links to his shop on their sites. When he began to shop for an Internet solutions provider, he turned to his friend Jack Massari, who he knew through the local chapter of the Rotary Club. Jack is president of IGClink (www.igclink.com) a Nashville-area Internet consulting firm. When he started IGClink in 1995, Jack had his doubts about whether or not the Internet was going to be the cash cow others were promising. In spite of (and maybe even because of) his cautious approach, IGClink has thrived, and now has over 600 clients around the globe. We spoke with Jack, and asked him how he thought companies like Greentrucks.com should approach the Internet. We know how retailers can benefit from a strong online presence, but how can a company like Greentrucks.com benefit from the web? What kind of strategy would work best for them? "Most business can make use of a web site," Jack pointed out, "Provided it can do two things for them: if it can help them attract new clients, or it can help them serve existing clients better." "Essentially, what a web site can do for these kinds of businesses is to help them with their promotion. A website won´t generate new business for them on its own, that´s only a small part of what happens. It can generate business by giving them an edge over their competition-- it can turn a small ad into a big one. You supplement your traditional advertising methods by putting your web site address in there, and people can come to your site and see far more information than they will in an ad." He explained that while e-commerce is important, even crucial, for some businesses, it is not necessary—and sometimes not even advisable—for all. "I don´t think anyone is going to plunk down money for a new Carrier air conditioner over the Internet. I wouldn´t encourage a company like Greentrucks.com, that does large item retail, to develop an e-commerce site, but there´s an awful lot of room for business-to-business transactions." "Many B2B transactions don´t involve credit cards, but are handled through purchase orders. We´ve created a lot of sites with logins for existing clients, so they can log in, place orders, track the status of existing orders. There are many things that businesses can do in B2B applications that can give them an edge or allow them to provide services their competition can´t." Jack believes that use of the Internet is only going to grow, and that round-the-clock accessibility will increase its popularity. "The nice thing about the Internet is that it´s up 24/7. The day is coming when people will turn to the Internet before using more conventional means to get in touch with companies because they´ll find that the response time is quicker." As for Jim, he plans to continue to redefine the Greentrucks.com site and to increase its visibility through search engine ranking. Adding and redefining key words is an important part of this, as the heating and cooling industry becomes increasingly more complex. "The industry is more than heating and cooling now. It´s indoor air quality, humidification… It´s more than just heating and cooling your home now. We have to get up there with it. All we have is a presence now- we haven´t taken that extra step to fully use it." But innovative technology is going to change that. Jim sees big changes on the horizon in terms of how he, and others in the industry, will be using the Internet. They´ll be able to save time and money, both for themselves and their clients, by monitoring their jobs and sites remotely. "We will have the capability to do things on line like check buildings where we´ve installed equipment, and we can change temperatures in several zones, and check up on what´s going on with the building. We can do this without sending a serviceman to the site, or, at the very least, we´ll have an idea of what´s going on before we send someone out." That technology will also trickle down to the consumer. At a recent trade show, Jim saw demonstrations of other products that can, for example, allow you to dial in to a computer to run an appliance- a dishwasher, for example- without being home, and some companies are now making thermostats that can be checked and adjusted online. Jim advises others to embrace these innovations: "Even if it´s a small step, take that small step and get your presence out there." "Don´t be afraid of technology. I think sometimes people who have been in business for a while will take a step back because they feel that it´s too complicated. I think once they get encouragement from someone- even if it´s just someone sending an email to ask about the site- you realize that there´s someone on the other end looking at your site, and that´s encouraging. You may even get a sale out of it. It´s not going to be the focus of your sales, but for your investment, if you get a few sales a year this way, you´ll see that it´s worth your time." Jim Villers can be reached via http://www.greentrucks.com. Profiles of business owners respected in their industry appear in our newsletter and are available on our web site. We encourage association executives to tell us about their members who are leveraging their inherent advantages (trusted brand, excellent service, etc.) by embracing a "doing it right" attitude into their strategy for growth. << Back to Homepage