Earlier this year, I started a series on Mingledorff‘s and their teams efforts to deploy information to their customers in unique ways.
I started this series because I follow a Mingledorff’s podcast called Caffeine and Coils hosted by Jenny Brown and Deanna Lassiter. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/caffeine-and-coils/id1701491521
This podcast was started at the end of 2023 and covers the HVACR distribution business in a unique way. The Mingledorff’s team is communicating with end customers, manufacturers, and their fellow associates in ways that made me believe that they understand that their audiences (internal and external) are evolving in how they consume information.
What is different about Caffeine and Coils and why I follow it so closely, is it produced by a distributor.
For this update I wanted to share some of their recent episodes and also highlight additional work in the channel. I am very impressed that every 2 weeks – precisely 14 days that the Mingledorff’s team always release a new episode.
So, how is it going….
Since our update 3 months ago they have dropped episodes on:
- Commercial HVAC 101
- Indoor Air Quality Parts 1 and 2 (including a Radon discussion)
- The Culture Connection
- To DIY or Not to DIY (as a long-time distributor I found this one compelling. I remind myself often to leave the DIY work in HVACR to a qualified contractor)
- Gas Furnace Troubleshooting
- Inside Parts and Supplies
- Tadrian Airow 3 – This one really interested me as it is a solution that uses Hydrogen Peroxide to reduce pollutants that can be attached to wall mounted ductless, PTACs, and VFR products.
So, the Mingledorff Caffeine and Coils Podcast train keeps rolling down the tracks effectively.
But, there is more as Jenny and Deanna shared some important channel work beyond just the podcast.
“Jenny and I recently had the privilege of participating in a panel for Bryant Women in HVAC. We discussed our podcast and touched on topics like building confidence, navigating a male-dominated industry, and the unique challenges women face in HVAC. Following the panel, we were genuinely moved by the response from other women who approached us to express their excitement about our podcast.’
It was incredibly fulfilling to see that our voices resonate with women in the industry, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to create a space where they can hear from fellow women on industry-relevant topics. It’s an honor to support and inspire the next generation of women in HVAC. We can’t wait to see what’s next for us!” Deanna Lassiter shared.
This is a long quote, but I wanted to share it verbatim because the work is important. We as channel leaders need to have that next generation of leaders, learning and growing every day to keep the channel strong.
So, why is it important?
- Programs like Bryant’s Women in HVAC are important to help the channel find, hire, and retain the next leaders in our channel. If you do not encourage your future leaders by getting them involved with programs like Bryant Women in HVAC the competition will, and you will have a difficult time attracting and keeping your future leaders.
- End Customers listening to a couple of 20+ minute podcasts in the field doing installation work or on the drive home on the channel had value. How many times do you get the undivided attention of an end customer for 20 minutes? That is true brand building and providing value to Mingledorff customers.
- New and current associates listening to their own podcast to learn about the industry. If you are an associate and they tell you that Mingledorff’s is committed to internal training and investing in you, do you believe that? You can listen to your 0wn podcast for proof.
- It sends a message to Mingledorff’s manufacturer partners and the competition. It takes those bulletin board quotes of “we are committed to training our associates and customers” and proves that their company is willing to actually do it.
The HVACR Channel is evolving to more digital/audio with less human/manual. If I think about, what is declining – Lunch and Learns, in person training, phone calls, and in person interactions.
In our first article of this series, I wrote the value of the podcast to just associates alone was worth the effort as it shows their co-workers that Mingledorff’s is trying new approaches. I believe that even more every time I listen to the podcast.
Your end customer is consuming the information they need from you in new ways, and so are your associates. Podcasts recorded video training, and on demand technical documents are reducing the number phone calls, emails, and in person visits slowly but relentlessly.
I believe it’s always wise to follow the leaders, and Mingledorff’s continues to show that they are a distributor who is leading
As always, we would love to get your feedback, so please feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly at jgunderson@channelmkt.com
