A professional such as an HVAC contractor, may not have the most widely understood profession. However, with a little education, most of those misunderstandings can be put to bed.
It's Saturday morning in the middle of the summer and the air conditioning system at the local grocery store has gone out. The general manager goes into panic mode as he considers the possible mass exit of overheated,
uncomfortable and disgruntled customers. He hurries to his office to call and notify the storeowner.
No one else in the building is aware of what is going on until minutes later when the sweat begins to slowly form on their brows and the almost suffocating heat begins to creep upon them. Several disgusted customers complain to store employees about their sudden discomfort. Moments later, the manager reemerges looking even more uneasy than before, as he prepares to give a message over the loud speaker.
"Excuse me customers," he says nervously. "I regret to inform you that we are having a little trouble with our air conditioning system. However, we hope to have everything back to normal shortly."
He puts his head down in defeat and looks around the store in despair. You watch the ordeal from the bread aisle as your heart fills with compassion. Not being able to witness his discouragement any longer, you walk over to him and tap him on the shoulder. Visibly startled, he quickly turns to face you.
"Yes, sir," he says, noticeably overwhelmed. "We will have everything back to normal in no time."
"Oh, I wasn't coming to complain," you say. "I noticed that you are having problems with your air conditioner and I just wanted to let you know that I'm an HVAC contractor. I wanted to see if I could be of some assistance."
The manager's demeanor suddenly changes, as a smile flashes across his face. Then, as quickly as the glimpse of hope comes it disappears.
"Well, that's great and all, but I'm not looking for a contractor," he says. "I just spoke to my boss and he said we don't really have the money for anything fancy. We just need someone who will come and fix this mess and fix it quick and a high class contractor is not in the budget."
You take a step back as the manager begins walking back to his office. Again, you are compelled to speak.
"Sir, I'm actually able to help you with that," you say.
"How, is that?" he asks visibly puzzled. "I need a repair man not an HVAC contractor."
As the store manager begins to walk away, you quickly interject "I'm not trying to down you, but are you sure you know what an HVAC contractor does?" you ask with concern. "Along with being trained to service, install and design air conditioning systems. I also have the ability to repair and diagnose broken units such as the one in this store."
The manager slowly looks up and smiles.
"Well, why didn't you tell me that before?" he asks. "I thought you were just some kind of professional middleman."
You both chuckle and head to finally solve the dilemma.
