Newsletter
12 JULY 2001- Recycled HTML Version
Volume 1 Issue 3 - Association
for Better Insulation
In Today's Newsletter:
1. Associate Update - New Member Roster
2. Website Update - @www.betterinsulation.com
3. Marketing Tips - Ways to Spread the Word
4. Industry News - Overblowing and the Pinky
Award
5. Business Tips - Keeping Good Employees
6. Readers Questions - Q&A Submitted Since
Last Issue
7. Reader Submitted Articles - Is Cellulose
Short Lived?
8. Useful Products - Driveway Alert
9. The Legal Stuff Newsletters Must Have
10. Quote of the Week.
Welcome to the third issue of the
ABI Newsletter.
A Special Welcome to the new members in the
past week, since the last issue:
WELCOME TO THE ABI CELLULOSE FAMILY! - New
Listings:
A.C.H. Insulation, Grand Terrace , CA.
USA - www.whatadifference.com
Winslow Energy Savers, Beaumont, TX. USA - www.winslowenergysavers.com
Happy Home Improvements, Mobile, AL. USA - www.betterinsulation.com
5 Star Performance Insulation,
Sacramento, CA. USA - www.5starperinsul.com
Gede Insulation, Dover, DE. USA - www.gedeinsulation.com
Tascon Industries, Inc., Houston, TX. USA - www.tasconindustries.com
Applegate Insulation, Webberville, MI. USA - www.applegateinsulation.com
Website Updates @www.betterinsulation.com
We've separated the manufacturers and
contractor listings and added a new interface to each state. This should
help make it easier for people to find what they are looking for.
You also get to find out what your state bird is, in case anyone ever asks.
Two other pages have been added.
History of Fiberglass Table www.betterinsulation.com/history.htm
Awards Page that the site has won www.betterinsulation.com/Awards.htm
We have also instituted an Award Program of
our own. It's called the PINKY Award
and is to be given to Companies that have battled the fiberglass industry in
court, making it a more level playing field for the rest of us. We applaud
you and you should be recognized! Nominate your company or one you know of.
The first annual Pinky Award will be awarded in
December. Email nominations to pinky@betterinsulation.com
Marketing Tips: Ways to Spread the Word
In this section, we would like to share with
everyone ways to increase business through creative marketing and public
education. We would appreciate any member or reader suggestions for this
section to be included in the next issue. If you are doing something that
works, SHARE IT! The more market share nationally and internationally that
Cellulose Insulation gets, the more the word will spread and YOU will
benefit directly from that. Just drop us an email or give us a call...
Here's an idea... Cooperative marketing with
non-competing businesses.
Make an arrangement with the local HVAC
companies. You'll offer a discount on Heat and Air systems to your customers
if they'll offer a discount on your insulation products. Since they
outnumber you 10 to 1, you should come out really well... (plus, better
insulation DOES make their A/C systems work awfully good ;o).
Remember, though, your single most valuable
resource is your customer base. Do you make courtesy calls to all your
customers periodically? Do you send them a monthly newsletter? Do you send
them a thank you and congratulation gift (fruit basket $17) after the first
callback when you ask them how much their utility bills were and if they
like the quietness? Christmas cards? The little things that will keep you in
their minds throughout the years. These are what will keep you in steadily
increasing referred business. Customer Courtesies are so rare these days,
that the action itself will generate talk of your company. Talk equals
business. Be a nice company and show you care. And never, never
underestimate the power of a refrigerator magnet!
Your Business Card made into a magnet. $125
for 500 available through ABI - email inquiries to: cards@betterinsulation.com
Industry News
OVERBLOWING - After the DATELINE story on TV,
it's on the lips of a lot of people. Big battle going on in Utah. We hear
Larry Morrison ( www.morrisoninsulation.com
) is putting up a good fight there, trying to stem the rampant
overblowing problem. Good work, Larry, we all appreciate it! (If anyone has
an extra lawyer or PR man around who is experienced in this
kind of thing, maybe Larry could use a few words of encouragement
or advice...) Which leads to a reminder... ALWAYS blow bags not inches,
and sell bags, not inches! Get yourself a CertainTeed or Manning fiberglass
chart and show it to your customers and tell them to ask the fiberglass
insulation guy how many bags he's going to blow. If you'll blow 100 bags and
the fiberglass guy says he'll blow 20, guess who's going to get the job?
Work it into your sales presentation. People need to know that 20 bags of
fiberglass and 80 bags of air do not equal 100 bags of Cellulose! Inches
really don't mean a thing. Cellulose is a short fiber insulation that can't
be "fluffed" like fiberglass can. Make sure your clients know the
difference and you'll increase your business AND their coverage.
----------
Your accountant saying you could use a write
off? Consider a tax deductible donation to the Victims of Fiberglass.
"We support the Victims of Fiberglass" is not a bad thing to put
on your company profile. People need to know there are REAL PEOPLE who are
victims of fiberglass. Customers are usually shocked to learn that there is
a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the victims of fiberglass. To
donate, just go to www.sustainableenterprises.com/fin/
or email Robert Horowitz at sustainableenterprises@sustainableenterprises.com
. Put a few dollars to good use.
Business Tips: Keeping Good Employees
Turnover... the bane of the business owner.
How many times have you had to go out and help on an install because someone
quit or didn't show up when you should have been doing YOUR job and
promoting your business? Please take a minute and share with our readers
what works for you and we'll publish your ideas in the next newsletter! By
helping others, you help yourself.
The Responses to this question were
overwhelmingly "Good Pay, Good Equipment and a bonus program
from referrals that come from homeowners; understanding that the
installer, and how he or she treats the homeowner, can have a great
effect on referrals." (psuedo
profit sharing?---Ed)
Reader's or site visitor's Questions
Since the Last Issue
Q. How long should I tell the General
Contractor that they have to wait to install the drywall after I use the
spray on system?
A.
Response 1:
" When it dries."
Response 2: "24
hours."
Response 3:
"If the moisture control is set correctly, 24-48 hours is best."
Best Response: Section 8.4 of CIMA Technical
Bulletin #3, Standard Practice for the Installation of Sprayed Cellulosic
Wall Cavity Insulation, reads as follows:
Installation of the interior finish should not be permitted until the insulation has dried. This should be monitored using the moisture meter described in Section 6.6. The SCWCI may be enclosed when it is sufficiently dry, having a measured moisture content of 25% or less. Normal drying will
occur within 24 to 48 hours, depending upon climatic conditions, depth of fill, and initial moisture content. The manufacturer's recommended drying times shall be followed. (for the best answers to installation questions, please refer to CIMA's Technical Bulletins at: http://www.cellulose.org/special.htm ---Ed.)
Installation of the interior finish should not be permitted until the insulation has dried. This should be monitored using the moisture meter described in Section 6.6. The SCWCI may be enclosed when it is sufficiently dry, having a measured moisture content of 25% or less. Normal drying will
occur within 24 to 48 hours, depending upon climatic conditions, depth of fill, and initial moisture content. The manufacturer's recommended drying times shall be followed. (for the best answers to installation questions, please refer to CIMA's Technical Bulletins at: http://www.cellulose.org/special.htm ---Ed.)
Q. What's a good rule of thumb for knowing the
moisture level is correct when setting the spray mixture?
A.
Response 1:
"You shouldn't be able to squeeze even a drop of water out of it when
you grab a handful."
Response 2:
"Should be as moist as fresh bread." (?---Ed)
Q. How can I stop the retrofit end on my hose
from clogging up during installation?
A.
Response 1:
Clean out your hoses immediately after every install.
Response 2: "Adjust the flow to account
for the smaller output nozzle, dummy."
(these are real responses, so don't blame me! --- Ed.
;o)
Q. There isn't a Cellulose Contractor listed
on your site for my area. How do I find one?
A. This one we can answer. Email us your
name, zip code and telephone number and we will find one for you that will
do the job or at least give you an in home demonstration. ----------------- But,
customers should find YOUR listing. GET
LISTED! Please. Our phones are
ringing, and it should be yours! We have no desire to be job brokers. Did I
hear someone say forward all the calls to the manufacturers that service
their area? Surely not. Much more efficient is to have manufacturers tell
their contractors about the free listing and trial membership on the ABI
web site. Maybe even offer some incentive to get their own site in addition
to the listing. This would go far to increase the internet presence of the
Cellulose Industry and create more work for the contractors who would
necessarily be buying more Cellulose from the manufacturers... win/win.
Q. New question from a site visitor: "Can
someone explain to me how fiberglass is an improvement over asbestos?"
A. Hmmm... we
can't answer that one from here. Maybe someone from one of the fiberglass
manufacturing companies can?
(from the
research I've seen, the only improvement is that fiberglass does a
better job of getting into your lungs and fostering cancer, but that's just
my personal opinion. --- ED.)
Readers: Please
feel free to respond to these questions or pose some of your own. Your
answers will appear in the next issue of this newsletter... just email the
question and your answer to QandA@betterinsulation.com
or email a new question! ...ED
~ This Week's Reader Submitted Article ~
Is Cellulose a relatively short lived
product?
Let's see. There's only 54 years of Boron
left in the U.S. at the present rate of consumption. - The funny thing is,
most of it is being used up during the manufacture of fiberglass. And then
the Big Pink 4, and their R&D departments have already developed a
fiberglass insulation product that doesn't require boron for manufacture.
All they have to do now is release it slowly and starve the Cellulose
Industry out. What's 54 years? Boron is used in the manufacture of a lot
of products. How long will the government let a natural resource hogging
industry survive? Especially when the fiberglass industry has once again
'solved' the problem?
Then there's the reality of fluctuating prices and availability of recyclable
insulation grade paper.
So, what's the story?
Wanted: One mad scientist type to develop
alternative insulation using static electricity panels that align a common
and inexpensive fiber in the walls, like belly button lint or
recycled furballs.
(reply to : RandD@betterinsulation.com
-- Ed. ;o)
All seriousness aside, ask a politician why
he or she doesn't do something about exposing the environment to an
unacceptable density of glass fibers in the atmosphere, the
politician will likely say that if they outlawed the use of fiberglass in
residential housing tomorrow, the building industry would grind to a halt
because there isn't enough alternative insulation or experienced
installers to meet the demand.
This is no time to run for the hills, or
even walk fast. The problem still exists. The solution needs to be
developed. The world demands a Better Insulation. Cellulose fits the bill
for now, but it's the revolutionary minds that brought this industry to
where it is today, that can continue this battle for our children's
planet. It's a good thing certain elements of the fiberglass industry seem
bent on killing us and polluting the world, or they might put the millions
they spend on R&D each year to good use and we'd be hurting...
That's all we have to say about that.
No matter how they wrap it, it's still
fiberglass and its got to go.
Remember?
<----- Note: Articles and ideas in the Reader Submitted section
do not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the Association. We welcome
comments and will publish them in the next issue. ---- >
Useful Products
Driveway Alert is a
wireless beam that crosses any open space, across a driveway, doorway, or
loading dock and sounds an audible alarm at the receiver that can be placed
up to 1000' feet away. Driveway Alert is
the original and a high quality product. We have negotiated a 10% discount
from the normally low price of $199 ($179) for our members, newsletter
subscribers, and site visitors. For more information on the product, or to
order, scroll to the bottom of the contractor search page at :
Another useful product is a data CD. These are
very inexpensive, can hold a lengthy presentation in slide show or
movie format with full multimedia effects, such as sound, voice over, text
insertion, and anything else that can be done on film. Contents edited
directly from a digital video camera. Is anyone interested in developing a
CD on the Benefits of Cellulose and the Dangers of Fiberglass? Think about
this. What does AOL know that we don't? Maybe it's how inexpensive it is to
produce and distribute CDs by bulk mail. Or is it how effective such a
strategy would be? We think it would be well worth a test market.
Produce and Distribute to 4 innerstate regions (one in each area of the
country) and monitor sales for 6 months. Through extrapolation, the
growth of the industry could actually be controlled. We would know the
target area. Strengthen distribution and Installation channels in that area.
Mail out half a million CDs and watch it grow. Continue to next region. Also
make the movie available as streaming media, for a small fee ($9.99 a month)
so it is accessible and linked to every Cellulose website on the Internet
and whatever other sites we can talk into carrying it. Offer it as part of a
free download of 10 FREE e-BOOKS! and get it out to hundreds of thousands of
people for less than a thousand bucks by advertising in electronic newsletters.
Just a thought from a creative marketing member. (This
was in last issue, but it's such a good idea, we thought we'd recycle it :o)
Thus ends another issue of the ABI Newsletter.
Thank you for your time and we hope you found some of this useful. And, as
always, Have a Well Insulated Day!
Please forward this Newsletter to whoever may
benefit from it in your circle of Associates.
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~ quote of the week ~
"Daddy, how come they use fiberglass in
my bedroom if it's bad for kids?"
---- My 9 year old daughter.