New Orleans is home to jazz, great food and Mardi Gras — but the Big Easy also offers a lively, productive space for energetic people to collaborate and learn. The Unified Group was able to do exactly that while hosting a recent sales-oriented, professional development meeting for members of the HVAC community.

“If I didn’t attend this meeting, I would have missed connecting with peers and learning from them. I also would have missed the rejuvenation that comes with such a meeting,” said Dave Larsen of Mechanical Service & Systems.

For two-and-a-half days, more than 30 members of The Unified Group traveled to New Orleans for the 2022 Sales Forum. The session kicked off with guest speaker Les Lent, who spoke on the importance of planning, whether it’s pre-call preparation, creating strategies or understanding the purpose of your call. Lent provided a “pre-call preparation power planner” for members to take back to their companies. Another hot topic discussed included asking questions and listening with intention, which is sometimes overlooked in the general sales process. Often, salespeople are caught up in the idea of selling and forget the fundamental rules.

Historically, breakout sessions — where participants break off into smaller groups for more intimate conversations — are one of the most beneficial parts of the forum. The Unified Group implemented two breakout opportunities into this meeting. In these groups, members spoke about building value for their customers and the roadblocks they have encountered with their own biggest challenges. Members were able to speak freely to one another and received feedback, new ideas and solutions on both topics.

“The breakouts prove it’s not just us or our location that has challenges, because our peers are facing the same challenges across the country,” said Robert W. Price of A&G Services. “Overall, The Unified Group is so much more than I expected.”

Another topic, sales and marketing, connected the ideas of sales and marketing as separate entities and how they can work together for one’s own benefit. Members also learned new methods and techniques to setting and achieving goals in their sales department during a quota process and goal-setting session. Finally, Hope is Not a Strategy: When Do You Quit Trying to Close a Deal, allowed presenters and audience members to share their closing challenges.

“The group discussions were a highlight of this meeting, and I got a lot out of it,” said Jessica Weiss of Cox-Powell Corporation. “We were able to share our issues, strengths and what has worked for us.”

Annual events targeting different levels of HVACR leadership within member companies are valuable to all who attend. The Unified Group will host its next event, the 2022 Human Resources Forum, in June. To attend the event, or for information on joining the organization, contact Janet Kelleher at KelleherJ@theunifiedgroup.com