What it Takes Be the Best in HVAC
Are you trying to beat the competition — or become a category of one? Too many contractors chase “being the best” by comparing, discounting, and outpacing everyone else. But in business, winning isn’t about beating someone, it’s about becoming so unique, so dialed in, and so committed to growth that there is no comparison.
In this week’s episode of Cracking the Code, Drew Cameron breaks down what it really means to sell by design, not by default. From 1% daily improvement to mastering communication, industry knowledge, and team culture, he unpacks how focusing on service over outcomes transforms both your results and your customer experience.
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00:00:00:00 – 00:00:15:11
In order to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. And if I elevate myself to the highest, most evolved level of myself as an individual, I think the results take care of themselves.
00:00:15:13 – 00:00:44:20
Welcome back to crack in the code, where we’re going to be our best to be the best, and we’re going to help you be the best. But really talking about what does it take to be the best? So I’ve got Drew Cameron with us because he knows how to be the best. He’s been teaching a lot of people to be the best for decades now, and we’re actually in a bonus session on our selling by design, not by default, because our last session, we started talking about what the customers deserve.
00:00:44:20 – 00:01:02:11
And I said that I believe and I know drew does as well, that our customers deserve the best. And and we hit on something that we thought, gosh, this would be a great bonus session. So we’re going to talk about how does it how does it look to be the best, because you can’t deliver the best unless you are the best.
00:01:02:12 – 00:01:22:13
So drew welcome back. And let’s dive in on being the best. Yeah. Thanks for having me David. Appreciate that. Always good to to join you. And so when we talk about selling by design and not by default, it’s our design right. We have a our design is our approach and our processes. And then it’s our design of our as far as our solutions and, and as they say in sports.
00:01:22:13 – 00:01:43:20
Right. In order to, be be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. And so but I think that’s a misnomer to some extent. Right. I used to think about like, you know, being the best, but that’s a, that’s a what we call a finite mindset. That’s like sports, right? It’s competitive. And it’s me beating somebody else’s finite set of people or teams playing right.
00:01:43:20 – 00:02:03:09
There’s a score is capped at as a result at the end. And and you’re you’re looking to beat somebody. And in business I don’t think that it’s win or lose. Right. Because I don’t focus in on that. I think I focus in on, being the best version of myself that I can be. Right? And therefore, I don’t worry about anybody else I am.
00:02:03:09 – 00:02:19:08
I’m worried about myself. And if I elevate myself to the highest, most evolved level of myself as an individual and as a team and as a company. Right. I think the results take care of themselves, because I can’t be somebody else and somebody else can’t be me. So why am I worried about what anybody else is doing?
00:02:19:08 – 00:02:42:07
But, you know, unfortunately, social media and the comparison society that we live in nowadays has us thinking that way. What we really need to focusing on is our own uniqueness, the things that make us special, right? And be the best version of myself and get my people to be the best versions of themselves. And as a collective, you know, a set of players, you know, on my team, I am playing a game.
00:02:42:07 – 00:03:02:14
I’m just not competing against anybody else, competitions in my own mind. And it’s me being a better version of myself every day in 1% increments in multiple areas of my life and in my business. And if I do that, my team does that. We’re going to be the most unique, special thing out there that a customer can mind.
00:03:02:16 – 00:03:24:05
When you got a mindset that says, I’m not satisfied with where I am, not not I’m not dissatisfied. I’m just I know that I can do better, right? I know that I can be that 1% better. That was, that was a philosophy that was taught to me by our our mutual friend, Mr. Ron Smith. He always used to talk about one percenters, one percenters, one percenters.
00:03:24:07 – 00:03:41:23
He said, if you focus on just being 1% better, man, life changes over time. One of the things that I guess, and I think we have this in common, it didn’t weren’t your scout, but your Boy Scouts I made it I think we blows. Yes okay. We blows works too. I mean you get to get the foundations there.
00:03:42:01 – 00:04:06:08
So I stayed in scouts. My grandfather was a scout. My dad was a scout. I got in the scouts, try to get my son in the scouts, but he chose soccer instead. Whatever. But, one of the things that they did is they kind of built into our brain that, you know, we should be. There are 12 attributes of a scout that they just pounded into our heads.
00:04:06:10 – 00:04:28:02
And, you know, being trustworthy is one of those, right? Being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. I would call it respectful personally, because reverent as people look at that as a like a spiritual thing or a religious thing. But I think being respectful is, is kind of the important piece to that.
00:04:28:04 – 00:04:46:05
And so when you, when you think about being the best, do you say, I got to be my best or be be my best version of myself? I mean, what do you see as some of the attributes, kind of the way the scouts look at things? What are some of the attributes of being the best version of you?
00:04:46:07 – 00:05:06:01
Yeah. And and, you know, for time purposes and obviously for topic purposes, let’s, let’s related as it relates to sales and selling. Right, or the sales position and or being a design technician. Number one, I’ve got, I’ve got to know my industry products and services better than anybody else. Does it, you know, in the marketplace. And again, I don’t care about others.
00:05:06:01 – 00:05:27:08
I’m aware that there are other players in town. Right. Other marketplace participants, as we call them. But no one is going to, you know, out, study me and out, know the industry and have a better understanding of design principles and air quality and airflow and proper sizing and building envelope and home performance and and system performance.
00:05:27:10 – 00:05:43:10
I’m going to make sure that myself and of course, my team. So when I say myself, I’m talking about myself, my company, my team. All right, I’m going to be the best version of myself that I can be there. I’m going to be the best communicator that I can be. So I’m not a salesperson. I’m a communicator that has conversations that are compelling.
00:05:43:12 – 00:06:19:00
And basically, I tap into people to find out what they value the most. And then I basically say, my job is to be to be the person then who goes and looks at the house, the building envelope, the people, the systems in the house and puts together solutions and then shares everything in a compelling way. So the value to what it is that I do, and it can see how what we do at our company and the products and services and solutions that we offer solve, you know, the concerns that they have or the wants, wishes, needs and desires that they have in a in a way that no one else is talking about,
00:06:19:02 – 00:06:34:17
so that this other human being sees that I’m personally invested in them in their lives. Because I think by being the best version of myself, what I mean by that is I’m going to be the most evolved version of myself. I’m going to know the good sides and the dark sides of myself, because we all have them, right.
00:06:34:19 – 00:06:54:16
And I’m going to skill myself up to the best of my ability and continue to do so on a day to day basis in the service of others. I think that’s our calling in life is to be the best human that we can be individually, and then take care of those around us. Right. And the problem is, yeah, the problem is this isn’t sales.
00:06:54:18 – 00:07:17:04
It’s about getting your getting your results, getting your own outcomes. And I think that’s a misnomer. You know, really what we’re supposed to be doing is taking care of other people and putting them in the best position of they need to be with the information. They need to make an informed and intelligent decision. I don’t care what they do as long as they do it knowingly.
00:07:17:06 – 00:07:38:06
Now, do I want to earn their business? Yes. If it makes sense for my job, yeah. As a result, it’s the outcome. I don’t worry about the outcome because I’m not in charge of the outcome that other human being is, but I got to put them in the best place. And so that’s my job. And by definition, they’re I’m a category of one because I’m the only contractor in my mind based on what I see out there.
00:07:38:08 – 00:07:57:19
I mean, the contract is going to come in there and have that conversation at that level with them, right? Everybody else is going to sell their things to try and get a result, get an outcome, feel, accrue, get some revenue, get personal income. I realize if I let go by attaching to those things where those things come my way because I’m in alignment with the universe, right?
00:07:57:19 – 00:08:21:07
And the flow and frequency of energy, and the way people choose to buy and want to be treated. And therefore I’m unique. And because I’m a category of one and as I said earlier, right, being category one and being unique makes me the only one and therefore the one I am the best. But see if I if I can if I basically play the comparison game and I try and be better than anybody else, I’m nothing.
00:08:21:09 – 00:08:46:23
I’m all over the map. Absolutely. So interesting thought just ran through my head as you were talking about that. You said that when we talk about being our best, you’re you’re you’re really you mentioned it’s not just me, it’s the entire company. So how do we how do we encourage and lead others on the team to be their best?
00:08:47:03 – 00:09:15:15
Because any company’s kind of like a chain is only as good as its weakest link. So if you’ve got nine people that say that are just killing it, they’re the best. But you got this one guy who’s just getting you all the one star reviews. Obviously that’s a management issue, right? That’s a leadership issue. But I mean, how do you how do you how do you motivate, how do you how do you get people to kind of buy into that mindset of, it’s your job to be your best?
00:09:15:17 – 00:09:34:19
Well, think about it from this perspective. I it first off as I, I that all begins obviously with vision, mission, purpose, core values. Right. Organizational structure, church roles, responsibilities, things like that. Right. We know who we are when we build this organism, right? It’s not an organization. It’s an organism. It’s a it’s a collection of of human beings.
00:09:34:19 – 00:09:53:21
They’re going to take care of other human beings. And guess what? I don’t just employ the human beings on my team. I employ their families. Right? I’m responsible for mortgages and meals on tables and tuitions and car payments and and all and sports, you know, the kids play and things like that. So I employ these families, and then we take care of families and I.
00:09:53:21 – 00:10:10:07
And so when I hire somebody, I let them know that’s how I that’s my lens of the world. That’s how I look at things. And so I want to give you okay, David, as my, my coworker. Right. And I like to use the term employee because that’s seems subservient to me. But as my coworkers, my is my teammate.
00:10:10:07 – 00:10:28:14
Right is a better thing. I mean, yes, we are family to some extent, but we really are a team. You don’t fire family, right? I mean, although I had I fired an employee at one point, right. But, you know, if I, if I fire my brother, I didn’t fire my brother as a family member. He was always going to be my brother.
00:10:28:14 – 00:10:52:23
But I did fire, fire, fire. An underperforming salesperson, brought him back twice, and he became the person who needed to be after that. Right. But at the end of the day, my job is to help you see that I am in this for you. Okay? To give you the best, you know, career that you can possibly have, the best, you know, company environment that you can work in, the best livelihood that you can has to take care of your family and to live and realize all of your dreams.
00:10:53:01 – 00:11:11:08
And all I ask in return is that you do the same for everybody else around you, right on the team, okay? Because we’re all part of this organism. And and as my dad said, you know, back in the day, we can have a golden we have a golden goose and it will lay golden eggs and feed everybody forever.
00:11:11:08 – 00:11:30:00
Right. Or we can kill the goose and we can have one glorious feast. One right. Because what do you want to do? Kill the goose or have golden eggs and golden baby geese forever. And and some of these geese may wander off and do their own thing, and that’s cool too. And we were okay with that, right?
00:11:30:02 – 00:11:53:08
We didn’t worry about that because we were of an abundance mentality, and an expansion mentality versus a scarcity and fear mentality. And we basically said, listen, let’s give everybody the best livelihood that they possibly can. And if they go on and build their own thing, that’s fine too. Guess what? Nobody’s going to outclass up and out how far off and outwork us, because that’s our commitment.
00:11:53:08 – 00:12:16:12
They might go do their own thing, but that’s just going to be their own thing. And so, I don’t motivate anybody. I create an environment in which they feel motivated, they feel compelled to get the livelihood for themselves and their family, but also for those around them. And we hold each other accountable, and brothers and sisters hold each other accountable to to that, because we’re also realizing that we all have to go out and have a bigger charge in life.
00:12:16:14 – 00:12:36:13
We got going to take care of these other homes. These other people are other these are humans. Well, we don’t take care of equipment. We don’t take care of houses. We take care of humans. And the only way that we can do that is if we’re all at our best. Okay, in the service of others. And I think that’s really what it kind of comes down to.
00:12:36:19 – 00:12:55:02
Yeah. And, going back to Ron Smith again, he used to always tell me he said, David, he says we’re in the people business. We just happen to turn wrenches on heating and air equipment. Right. And it’s so true. It just is so true. And thinking about the the idea of.
00:12:55:04 – 00:13:14:02
When you’re talking about, you know, we’re, we’re on this planet to serve others. I mean, that’s really what we are. We are servant people. We are serving others at all time. Those people who are always serving themselves don’t have a lot of friends. Right? I’d rather I don’t rather have a lot of friends as I’m helping them, you know, be better tomorrow than they are today.
00:13:14:02 – 00:13:33:04
Like I always talk about. And, an old, an old trainer that used to sell pots and pans back in the day, a guy by the name of Zig Ziglar, which I’m quite sure you are aware of who he is, although some of our listeners probably are not. But he used to always say, if you help enough people get what they want, they’ll help you get what you want.
00:13:33:05 – 00:14:00:09
Well, you know, it’s all about helping them get what they want first. The result is you get what you want, right? You you earn the right to the business by doing what the customer wants. So you really have to be the best at understanding what the customer wants, what they need, what they desire, what their what do they deserve again and that deserve part kind of ties back into the core values and all that that you’re talking about.
00:14:00:11 – 00:14:24:23
We get to define what they deserve. You know they deserve the best. We deserve. They deserve us always showing up on time. They deserve us always showing up in a cleanly pressed uniform. They always they need to get no oil dripping in their driveway. They need to get a truck that shows up that doesn’t look like, you know, Bubba down the street that can’t afford to put stickers on the side of his truck.
00:14:25:03 – 00:14:57:01
Right. And it’s like they need they need to know that they’re dealing with professionals. They they deserve to have educated professionals with the right tools and training. They need to do the job that the customer’s calling us to handle for them. Right? They need that and they deserve that. And when we get all that mixed up into something, we call a business, and we have people that add that asset to that idea that adhere to those ideas is saying, that’s who I want to be.
00:14:57:01 – 00:15:18:17
I want to be a part of a team that is focused on doing the right things on a regular basis, and that’s it is focused on that. And then the results will take care of themselves. Right? That’s what’s so beautiful about doing this, right? So if you are the best, you can beat the best, but you can also and most importantly, you can deliver the best.
00:15:18:21 – 00:15:40:17
Well, and again I think that term best I I’d rather say unique right. And and the reason I say that is that if you think about it, the best. Right. So no one had run a four minute mile before Roger Bannister did. Right. And but when he did, the gentleman who he was kind of competing against, you know, in, in London, they’ve been going back and forth in lowering times, lowering many times.
00:15:40:17 – 00:15:56:20
And then no one could do it. No one could get to that for a minute. But when Roger Bannister finally did a few days later, the other guy did right. And now times have come down since, right? So the best was a four minute mile, right where the best was like 9.6, something six nine or something like that.
00:15:56:20 – 00:16:14:14
In the hundred meters until you saying bolt went nine, five eight. Right. Well, somebody beat you, but you same bolt, right? Yes. They will at some point. So let’s not define the best. How about unique. Right. Because if I, if I talk to everybody I always say who wants something different better and more. And everybody always wants something different better and more.
00:16:14:16 – 00:16:36:05
Well, if you had the best already and you want something different, better, more than ten, maybe the best wasn’t the best, right? But in order to have something different, better and more, you have to basically be willing to know something different, better, more. Do something different, better or more offer something different, better and more. And that starts with a state of being different, better and more.
00:16:36:11 – 00:17:03:02
Right. And so yeah, how about be unique, be something that’s unbelievable, unprecedented, that shatters expectation and provides the experience that they didn’t even know that existed. Right. That one of a kind thing. And then you are the best, right. By your standards. I used to say, and I know you, you’ve done this as well. I used to say when you suck, by our own standards, we just suck less than everybody else.
00:17:03:04 – 00:17:21:18
And I used to say, you have a great logo on the truck, James Cameron and Sons, we suck last, right? But and I say that facetiously, but now got us away from the attachment of best and relative to other things. But when I say think outside the box, the box is still there. You’re still thinking about the box.
00:17:21:20 – 00:17:45:07
What if I say there’s no box, right? And we we unchain your thinking, we unleash your thinking. And if I take away time, money and industry thinking what’s possible, what could you do? Right. And that’s where I think the riches, the riches are here for ourselves as individuals, for the team, for our organization, and yes, for the customer experience as well.
00:17:45:09 – 00:18:07:16
And I think if we focus that way and thought that way is as contractors, we offer something that is unprecedented, and unbelievable and something that people would, yes, would gladly pay a premium for and refer all their friends and family to. And, and yeah, because we’re unique, that might make us the most special, unique thing that’s different.
00:18:07:18 – 00:18:31:17
And, and and it would make us the best that that is awesome, man. This has been fun. This has been great. I love I love just just riffing with you and, you know, kind of bringing out the best that we can at this point. And I agree 100%. We’re not as good as we’re going to be tomorrow because we’re going to read another book, we’re going to listen to another podcast, we’re going to read another article.
00:18:31:17 – 00:18:48:14
I mean, there’s some articles that have come out in the trade press recently that got both of us thinking about things. Like I said, we’re going to talk some more about that in a future episode. So man, I appreciate the time. And, that was a great bonus lesson, man. Guys, I hope you enjoyed that. This is David.
00:18:48:14 – 00:19:00:19
Hope that’s true. Cameron. We’ll have a good one. And you guys keep being the best you can be. The be the best version of yourself. We’ll talk to you soon on the next crack in the code. You.
