LP Gas, February 2014

engineering firms in their area Call firms and ask if you could bring lunch she suggests pizza and speak for 20 minutes about your company the benefits of propane and what products or services are available Bring case studies that show how propane has helped a specific company in the area Firms are always looking for people like that says Kidd noting that PERC can assist with materials and data The key is to launch a relationship that positions the marketer as a knowledgeable local resource on which firms can rely for advice and assistance That might require marketers to step outside their comfort zones but doing so can pay big dividends What we know is that building professionals rely on local experts Thats the local marketer Theres no one better to talk about propane to a decision maker than the propane marketer himself or herself Kidd says It takes a lot of work to go out and create those relationships and provide that training For a lot of marketers its going to be a change in the way they think but a good one and a necessary one There may be missed opportunities by not having those conversations Doyle argues that marketers and others in the industry need to better promote the use of propane across both residential and commercial platforms Along with Rinnais Mike Peacock Doyle has organized a loose gathering of marketers manufacturers and distributors that has met a few times a year for the last two years to discuss ways to reverse the decline in the residential and commercial markets Doyle says marketers seem more reluctant than in decades past to sell appliances to their existing customers especially as big box stores have increasingly taken over as a major source for washers dryers water heaters and more Corporate decision makers at these stores lean toward natural gas and electric appliances because they lack familiarity with propane making it imperative that the local marketer become more assertive he says When as an industry were focused on hauling gas only were not in a position to sell the benefits of propane and know the benefits of propane Most employees should be able to speak to customers about the benefits of propane over electricity for space heating and water heating As long as were not selling the burner tips that knowledge COMMERCIAL MARKET eventually dies away Doyle says PERC and the National Propane Gas Association can help but ultimately marketers must be responsible for connecting with their builder networks he explains Its a more complex way of doing business but its a question of is it a vital part of our industrys future Doyle concludes I think the answer is yes LPG Custom Built LPG Vessels Industrial Commercial Agricultural Applications Innovative Underground Protected Designs Standard and Custom Capacities to 60000 Gal Turnkey solutions from engineering through manufacturing to installation Highland Tank Proudly Made In AMERICA One Highland Road Stoystown PA 15563 814 893 5701 www highlandtank com lpg tanks@ highlandtank com www LPGasmagazine com February 2014 LPGas 31