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Serving the Canadian Ground Water industry for 41 years.
Aardvark Drilling is a newgeneration business focused on both health and safety and employee engagement
Here are some heavy-duty stats to back up your next heavy-duty purchase
A leading hydrogeologist’s new ground water reference book brings together input from more than 50 contributors
ON THE WEB:
Ontario hydrogeologist receives volunteer award
Hydrogeologist Peter Gray of Bright, Ont., who organized the first Children’s Groundwater Festival in 1994, is among the recipients of a June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism.
www.groundwatercanada.com
Tapes donation helps protect ground water in Sierra Leone In-Situ Inc. has donated ground water level dip tapes to the Ministry of Water Resources in Sierra Leone to help monitor ground water levels and better understand recharge near Ebola care facilities.
A teaching opportunity
by Colleen Cross
It looks as if we in the profession of water stewardship have some work to do to highlight the value of water among the public.
The 2015 RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study, released in time for World Water Day in March, yielded some troubling insights into Canadians’ knowledge of and attitudes toward water quality, conservation and infrastructure in this relatively water-rich country. The bellwether study is one positive legacy of the Walkerton tragedy, which marks its 15th anniversary this May.
Although those polled showed a willingness to pay for water and its infrastructure, the report suggests Canadians do not fully appreciate the value of their drinking water.
The study, which sampled more than 2,000 urban adults indicates that only 39 per cent know how much money their household spends on water; 63 per cent either don’t have or don’t know if they have a water meter in their home; and a quarter of Canadians don’t care where their water comes from, as long as it tastes good.
Perhaps the most shocking number in the RBC report is 55. That’s the percentage of millennials who said they were not familiar with Walkerton.
The results also suggested a trend of indifference among young Canadians aged 18 to 34, a group often referred to as the millennial generation. Although 90 per cent of millennials rely on a municipal water supply, they show both the least concern about and the least trust in the quality of their tap water.
Those conclusions not only suggest a paradox but also hint at a worrying complacency. They don’t trust their tap water and yet they are not overly concerned about water quality.
Behind this complacency is another troubling statistic: 22 per cent of younger people are most likely to feel it is not their responsibility to protect drinking water sources.
In what may be the most baffling findings, these young folks are most likely to prefer to filter their tap water and to view bottled water as safer
than tap water.
Millennials’ relative ignorance about potable water issues is a little surprising considering they are often described as wanting to protect the environment. Is this a case of the younger generation being sheltered while growing up?
California and India have a myriad of water issues that are being closely watched in Canada, as is reaction to British Columbia’s shockingly low water rates stemming from the Water Sustainability Act. In fact, the situation in B.C. has galvanized nearly 100,000 citizens to sign a petition asking the province to revisit pricing. Such events are not-to-be-missed teaching opportunities for the ground water industry.
The E. coli contamination that in May 2000 killed seven people and sickened 2,300 Walkerton-area residents was another such opportunity, and it seemed to create a sobering awareness of what can happen when not every link in the chain is strong.
So perhaps the most shocking number in the RBC report is 55. That’s the percentage of millennials who said they were not familiar with Walkerton, nearly twice the percentage of those 55 and over who were also unaware.
Raising the profile of water here at home can be as simple an act as taking the time to educate well owners on their rights and responsibilities or speaking to a local service group about the ground water industry.
Those who care deeply about water in Canada should not assume they are preaching to the choir but instead should take every opportunity to share their knowledge and make safeguarding it a priority.
GEFCO MOVES JOBS FROM TENNESSEE TO OKLAHOMA
GEFCO, Inc. in February announced plans to end production at its Loudon, Tenn., manufacturing facility by June 2015. All Loudon production will shift to the company’s plant in Enid, Okla., the company said in a news release. The decision will affect approximately 75 employees, many of whom will be given the opportunity to remain with the company and relocate to Enid.
“The employees in Loudon are among the best in the industry,” said company president Aaron Harmon. “While Loudon has consistently produced high quality products, the volume of business generated was unable to support Loudon’s 327,000-square-foot, 112acre facility for the foreseeable future. The company once manufactured trenching and horizontal directional drills used in the utility industry in the Loudon plant. Those product lines were previously sold to realign the strategic focus of GEFCO to serve the water well drilling and energy industries.”
The products manufactured at the company’s Loudon plant were primarily energy-related. Most of its water well, geothermal and other products have been produced in Enid.
The Levelogger App Interface uses wireless Bluetooth® technology to communicate to your iOS smart device. Use our Levelogger App Interface and a Solinst Direct Read Cable, to communicate to a downhole Levelogger and email data files right from the field.
SONIC DRILL DEVELOPER WINS EXPLORATION AWARD
Canadian engineer Ray Roussy recently accepted an award from the Mining Technology Hall of Fame in March for development and commercialization of sonic drilling technology in the exploration category.
“I’m delighted to be recognized by the International Mining Technology Hall of Fame,” said Roussy, who is president of the Sonic Drill Corporation and Sonic Drilling Ltd. of Surrey, B.C. “This award is one of the outcomes of nearly four decades of research and development.”
Roussy also recognized his staff in his award acceptance speech: “A big thank-you to all my employees who travelled the innovation highway with me – no matter where it took us.”
The award ceremonies gala dinner took place in Denver, Colo.
CWQA WELCOMES ANNE BALIVA AS PROGRAM MANAGER
Anne Baliva recently joined the Canadian Water Quality Association as program manager reporting to the board of directors, the association said in a news release.
Baliva will assist in managing, co-ordinating, planning and providing support to the board and various committees on projects that will further the goals, mission and the strategic direction of the association.
“The water treatment regulatory landscape in Canada is changing rapidly and it requires more attention. The addition of Anne will allow Kevin Wong to focus on issues pertinent to the industry while ensuring that CWQA members’ interests are well represented. Kevin remains as our executive director overseeing the regulatory affairs of the association,” CWQA president Aaron Biffert said in the release.
Baliva has over five years of association management experience recently working at the Water Environment Association of Ontario. She recently received her Certified Association Executive designation from the Canadian Society of Association Executives.
Photo: International Mining Technology Hall of Fame
STUDY SUGGESTS ‘WORRISOME INDIFFERENCE’ TO WATER QUALITY AMONG CANADIANS
The quality of water is second only to hospitals in terms of what Canadians want their taxes to fund, ahead of roads, schools and public transit. But as confidence has risen, the value they put on our clean drinking water has slipped, suggests a RBC study.
The eighth annual RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study, supported by the RBC Blue Water Project, has led to very high ratings for municipal drinking water quality, with 73 per cent of Canadians being confident in their local tap water, RBC said in a news release.
However, the study indicated the following attitudes:
Seventy per cent of Canadians know the cost of their electricity while only 39 per cent know how much money their household spends on water.
Sixty-three per cent either don’t have or don’t know if they have a water meter in their home.
A quarter of Canadians (25 per cent) don’t care where their water comes from, as long as it tastes good.
The results show that although public concern for water funding is high, Canadians do not appreciate the value of their drinking water.
“Our obvious thirst for clean drinking water does not match our appreciation for what we have at our fingertips,” explained Bob Sandford, chair for Water Security at the United Nations Institute for Water, Environment and Health, in the release. “Canadians have one of the world’s best supplies of fresh water and being able to go to the tap to fill our glasses is something for which we all can be grateful.”
The results draw attention to a worrisome trend of indifference among young Canadians in particular, in their respect of clean drinking water. Although 90 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 rely on a municipal water supply, they show the least concern for and trust of the quality of their tap water.
The study found the following:
• 18- to-34-year-olds are most likely to feel that it is not their responsibility to protect drinking water sources (22 per cent, versus 14 per cent of Canadians over the age of 55)
• They have the lowest confidence in the quality of their local tap water (67 per cent, versus 81 per cent of Canadians over the age of 55)
• They are most likely to prefer to filter their tap water (44 per cent, versus 31 per cent of Canadians over 55) and think bottled water is safer than tap water (43 per cent, versus 20 per cent of Canadians over the age of 55).
“Most Canadians have never experienced the fear that comes with losing confidence in their water supply,” Sandford said in the release. “Those that have lived through a water-crisis, with boil water alerts and all that a crisis entails, can attest to a very real understanding of how much our water matters. It shouldn’t require an escalated event for Canadians to wake up and value this irreplaceable resource.”
PROJECT AIMS TO PROTECT GROUND WATER IN B.C.’S PEACE REGION
Geoscience BC and several partners have undertaken the Peace Project, a collaborative effort aimed at generating new information about ground water in northeast British Columbia’s Peace Region. Project partners include the BC Oil and Gas Commission, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers through the Science and Community Environmental Knowledge fund, ConocoPhillips Canada, Progress Energy Canada, the Province of British Columbia and the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
In response to B.C.’s announcement of the new Water Sustainability Act to regulate ground water usage, the initiative’s goal is to produce sound technical knowledge of the region’s shallow aquifers, Geoscience BC said in a news release. To achieve this, Phase I includes a new airborne geophysical survey that will be flown this year. The survey will cover 8,000 square kilometres within the region and collect data to a depth of 300 metres below the earth’s surface, which can then be used to produce maps of shallow aquifer distribution, quantity and quality.
Information from the project will provide the knowledge to enable the Northeast Water Strategy’s Enhanced Water Monitoring System, which is under development by the provincial government in partnership with Treaty 8 First Nations, local governments, regulatory bodies, and the resource sector.
“The collective effort in support of the Peace Project is a testament to the importance and growing recognition of groundwater protection to everyone,” said Geoscience BC president and chief executive officer Robin Archdekin.
BOSHART WELCOMES NEW STAFF
Boshart Industries recently brought on board Michael Stewart as vice-president of operations and Lindsay Kelly as human resources manager.
Stewart, the company’s new vice-president of operations, holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Northwood University, in addition to a materials management diploma from Conestoga College and a Supply Chain Management Professional designation.
As part of the executive leadership team, Stewart will oversee the company’s purchasing, warehouse and manufacturing departments, the company said in a news release.
Lindsay Kelly recently joined Boshart as human resources manager. Kelly, who holds her Certified Human Resources Professional designation from Conestoga College, is an active member of the Human Resources Professional Association. She was previously with McIntyre Group, where she held the position of manager of human resources.
“Kelly will be an integral part of the ongoing development and execution of the company’s human capital strategy and will work closely with all levels of the organization to promote talent management and growth planning,” the release said.
MIKE HARE JOINS HERON INSTRUMENTS SALES TEAM
Heron Instruments recently welcomed Mike Hare to its sales department.
Hare has over 20 years of experience in customer service, program management and international account management. “Mike’s knowledge and experience will strengthen the Heron team and improve service for all our valued customers,” said a news release from Heron Instruments.
Hare received his bachelor of arts from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.
“As Mike continues his education, he is going to contact new and current customers to introduce himself,” the release said. “Mike will strengthen our sales team by expanding our customer base and investigating our clients’ product needs.”
Michael Stewart Lindsay Kelly
WALKING THE TALK
Aardvark Drilling is a new-generation business focused on health and safety and on employee engagement.
Scrolling through the Aardvark Drilling social media sites – Twitter and Facebook – tells you something about this Guelph-based company. Posts highlighting St. Patrick’s Day, PiDay, and the International Day of Happiness mingle with soft-sell promotion and client-feedback invitations.
by CAROLYN CAMILLERI
Timely quips and cartoons balance facts about water and news about Canada Water Week, Ground Water Awareness Week, and World Water Day. Photos show the Aardvark team assisting with the train derailment in Gogama in March, as well as the truck they painted pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Week. And safety – there’s a lot about safety.
“Safe, reliable, and professional” is more than just a tagline at Aardvark Drilling Inc.: these folks really walk the talk.
And they want to get everyone engaged in that conversation.
That has been part of the plan since Darren Juneau and Matt England launched the company in 2002. England had been drilling for about eight years back then, and Juneau, an engineer by trade, used to hire drilling companies like Aardvark.
“The engineering company that I used to work for had their own drill rig,” Juneau says, who is also president of the Ontario Ground Water Association. “They decided to divest themselves of the drill rig and sold it to Matt. I went in as a silent partner, solely because I thought it was a good investment.”
Although Juneau didn’t have any aspirations to be a driller, the two business partners figured that within about five years, there would be enough work to keep them both busy. As it turned out, business progressed so
quickly that Juneau was at Aardvark full time after about six months.
How fast did they grow Aardvark? Really fast.
“In 2005, we applied for Profit Magazine’s Emerging Growth Companies and, at the time, we were maintaining about 280 per cent growth rate,” Juneau says.
“Then in 2012, we applied for Profit Magazine’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies and we were in around 140 per cent. Even after 10 years, we were maintaining an average of better than 100 per cent growth.”
Depending on the season, 20 to 30 employees work out of the main Guelph office and the smaller shops in London and Ottawa. They also have a rig in Bermuda – part of the original deal – and a quid pro quo agreement with a company there.
Juneau describes the rig as “nothing to write home about,” but says it fits the bill for data collecting in Bermuda. As for Aardvark’s equipment in Canada, he says it is “in the middle of technology.”
But they are not in the middle when it comes to what they do. While Aardvark does offer conventional drilling, they have created a niche in the market with specialized services.
“Because our staff is so highly trained and competent, we do get a lot of phone calls from clients where their Monday-to-Friday drilling
provider is unable to do the particular job,” Juneau says.
So what is the secret behind stunning growth?
Juneau says it starts with the business partnership and sums it up like this: “I speak ‘engineer’ and my business partner speaks ‘driller’ so we can talk to each other. [England] explains things in driller – how the job is going to proceed – and then I take that and translate it into something that engineers understand.”
Health and safety is vital element to their success, and something both partners were really involved with from
the beginning. Juneau took it upon himself to develop a health and safety policy.
“But it got to the point where I couldn’t ensure compliance, drill, and meet with the bank all at the same time,” he says. “We had the policy and we had training, but the missing piece of the puzzle was compliance.”
So they hired someone – full time. Aardvark’s registered health and safety professional, Greg Zehr, BES CRSP, trains employees and conduct audits.
“Looking at it purely from a good employer aspect, no amount of money is worth someone getting hurt on a job
site,” Juneau says. “This is an extra layer to ensure that our guys are top drawer.”
But even from a business aspect, it is good business, he says. You don’t want to invest in an individual and have them get hurt.
Another benefit: client peace of mind. When Zehr does an audit, he leaves a copy with the client; if there is an inspection or an incident, there is proof of due diligence.
“It is prevention. If nothing happens, nobody says anything about it,” Juneau says. “It is when something does happen or if the Ministry of Labour does stop by to inspect your site unannounced, then
The Aardvark Drilling team, from left: Darren Juneau, chief executive officer; Matthew England, president; and Adrian Richards, shareholder and maintenance manager.
the client is extremely happy that we have all this stuff in place.”
Juneau would like to see more inspections, not just to find problems but also to support compliance.
“You want to get that pat on the back, from your clients and from your employees, to say this is a really good idea that we did this.”
While companies are responsible for compliance, they are also at the forefront of client education: another boost to business.
“The onus is on us to educate our clients and our potential clients that all this stuff is required by law and that it makes sense to do it this way,” he says. “And look at what we have done for ourselves – that’s the big thing – to get out there and advertise and promote all this stuff so that you can leverage it into making more work.”
“We must have done a pretty decent job of it based on our growth rate,” he adds.
Juneau says the emphasis on health and safety will gain momentum in the future.
“I think the industry is going to become more and more stringent. You are going to have to be more compliant with the rules and regulations – and not just lip-service compliance.”
Rather than increasing inspections, he believes there will be more enforcement at the client level, naming Workplace Safety and Insurance Board clearance certificates as an example.
“There is a big onus on the end user to make sure that the contractor is compliant,” he says.
Moreover, employees are more educated and know the rules.
“[Employees] are going to sniff out these companies that are not in compliance,” he says. “If those companies want to continue to work, they are going to have to fall in line.”
THE HUMAN ELEMENT
But there is another vital element in Aardvark’s success: the human element, which includes their staff and how management view their role as employers.
“We founded the company with really good ideals and a good solid partnership,
and we put a lot of effort into our employees to maintain the level of commitment.”
“If we find that [commitment] is lagging, we don’t blame the employees. Matt and I look at ourselves and say ‘what is it that we are not doing adequately to engage our employees?
“Technically, our drillers are superb, our health and safety is second to none, and then there is that added component of that professionalism, that business development side of it that we really feel is a strong portion of the company as well,” says Darren Juneau, CEO.
And what can we do to get them more actively involved in the company and have a vested interest in the company?’ ”
Key to that is recognizing the professionalism and high skill level of drillers, something Juneau says is lacking in the industry.
“Drilling is a career choice and the people who drill and are successful at it are very talented, very smart individuals. It is our responsibility to nurture that,” he says. “The same way you need to give someone who is really good in math an environment to flourish in ¬ the same is true of drillers.”
Creating such an environment means fostering employee engagement: holding quarterly meetings, organizing activities like bowling and golf, responding to employee suggestions, and continually inviting feedback.
“If you are trying to engage employees, but you never ask them for
their feedback, how can you engage them? If they feel they have a voice – that is the biggest thing – that they feel they have somebody to talk to or that we will listen to what they have to say,” Juneau says, adding that it is tough sometimes because soft skills like communication are not a typical part of a driller’s curriculum.
Another challenge is not seeing staff on a daily basis.
“A lot of our guys are gone a lot. They might get a job up in, say, Whitby, and they are gone Monday to Friday. It is hard to get that one-on-one time. That is a hurdle that we have right now.”
But they are determined to get over the hurdles. For instance, their evaluation program has a new element this spring ¬ one suggested by employees.
“We give feedback to the employees based on what our thoughts are as managers on their performance,” Juneau says. “And so they asked, at the Christmas meeting, if they could do the same thing in reverse – have the employees give feedback to the managers.”
Another upcoming project aimed at increasing engagement, particularly with staff at remote job sites, involves bringing in a human resources professional who has expressed interest in working with them to complete a masters thesis.
“I am really interested in what the person learns about it. Is the message getting through?” Juneau says. “If it isn’t, then what do I have to do?”
Ultimately, this way of looking at employer responsibilities has a payoff that goes deeper than financial success.
“It has been a lot of hard work but it is rewarding,” he says. “People are always welcome to stay on with the company, but if somebody can move on and better themselves, I look at that as a feather in my cap.
“If I can be one step in their journey towards being a better person and getting to where they want to go, then that is fantastic.”
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TRUCK KING CHALLENGE
Here are some stats to back up your next purchase
Who rents a drag strip, borrows seven-ton fifth-wheel trailers and has five respected automotive journalists race the oneton trucks head to head?
by HOWARD J. ELMER
Three heavy-duty pickups from Ram, Ford and GMC ran head to head at a drag strip in Grand Bend, Ont., while towing 15,000 lb. trailers as just one part of two intensive days of Truck King testing. The GMC Sierra 3500 won the race and the overall crown.
We do. The eighth annual Canadian Truck King Challenge did just that (and much more) to clearly show the truck-buying public who is the best of the best for 2015.
For this challenge, three heavy-duty pickups from Ram, Ford and GMC ran head to head at the MotorPlex drag strip in Grand Bend, Ont., while towing 15,000 lb. trailers as just one part of two intensive days of Truck King testing.
The outcome? The GMC Sierra 3500 beat the Ford and Ram in each heat. It would also go on to win the title.
But, back to the drag strip: a curious fact emerged during this testing. On paper the GMC boasted the least amount of horsepower and torque among the competitors. Yet it won each race. We ran it several times – with the trailer and without. It pulled away from its competition each time. That’s the difference
between real-world testing and paper tigers. Here are the quickest quarter miles from each truck taken from multiple runs:
GMC: 16.098 seconds when running empty; 21.932 seconds with trailer attached.
Ford: 16.542 seconds when running empty; 23.303 seconds with trailer attached.
RAM: 16.927 seconds when running empty; 23.581 seconds with the trailer attached.
The trap speed for all three trucks (at the quarter-mile line) was always plus/minus one MPH of 80 MPH. Trap speed with trailer attached, again for all three trucks, was also plus/minus one MPH of 60 MPH.
GM’s HDs are not new to the Truck King podium: the Chevy Silverado HD took the title in 2013 but failed to win last year mostly due to its dated interior. This year that’s changed with a significant interior refresh. However,
Photo courtesy The Canadian Truck King Challenge
what really put it over the top are new electronic systems for 2015 that can only be felt, not seen. And those can only be really appreciated when towing.
Most readers are familiar with our methods, and while locations sometimes change, the methodology remains the same. We use multiple, qualified automotive journalist judges who drive the trucks back to back in the same conditions on the same day.
We always start with empty loops, then we add payload and finally towing (with the payload removed). Over the years, we have always kept track of our fuel consumption during each of these tests; however, our pencil and paper calculations were replaced last year with electronic data readers that take that information directly from the trucks computer. These readers are plugged into the on-board diagnostics (OBD) port on each truck and record speed, distance, time, and even hard acceleration and braking events. Needless to say this is much more accurate in determining fuel consumption. This was our second year using the readers – they will be standard testing equipment from now on.
We spent two days driving around southwestern Ontario. The first day we ran the trucks empty from Toronto to London (200 km). Next we loaded up at Patene Building Supplies of London. Supplier IKO has helped us out for several years now by preparing pallets of shingles to use as payload. Each pallet weighed 4,080 lb. exactly. The dimensions of each pallet were 4 ft. wide, 4 ft. high, by 5 ft. long. We then took the shingles for a 200 km ride, switching trucks every 30 minutes.
The next morning saw us hooking up fifth-wheel travel trailers at our other partner’s place of business – CanAm trailer centre. We hitched them to three similar fifth-wheel RV trailers. These weighed in at about 14,500 lb. each. We spent the day doing a 300 km tour with the judges that included a three-hour stop at the drag strip in Grand Bend.
As always, each judge (five for this competition) scores each truck independently and the final outcome is an average.
JUDGE RESULTS FOR FORD F350
JUDGES RESULTS FOR RAM
JUDGES RESULTS FOR GMC 3500
Workforce planning a must
Businesses and organizations will face challenges recruiting and retaining employees as Canada’s unemployment rate continues to fall.
by Brandi Cowen
In a changing economic and demographic landscape, strategic workforce planning can help employers respond to factors affecting their workforce.
A recent report from the Conference Board of Canada reveals how an improving business environment, skills shortages, and an aging population are placing additional pressures on Canadian organizations’ ability to recruit and retain employees. But helping employers understand the factors affecting their workforce can allow them to identify the most effective talent management strategies to achieve their strategic goals.
“In today’s business environment, Canadian organizations need to more proactively compete for talent. Strategic workforce planning is an important business-planning tool that can help organizations ensure they have the right people in the right place at the right time and at the right cost,” said Ruth Wright, director of leadership and human resources research for The Conference Board of Canada.
The report, “HR Trends and Metrics, Third Edition: The Canadian Context for Strategic Workforce Planning,” provides insights related to Canada’s changing business environment, labour force, and demographics, and explores the implications of these trends for Canadian organizations and their workforce.
Key findings from the report include:
While a growing number of Canadian organizations are engaged in some form of strategic workforce planning, only 29 per cent indicated that they have a robust workforceplanning process.
Businesses and organizations will face challenges recruiting and retaining employees as Canada’s unemployment rate continues to fall. That rate is forecasted to drop to less than
six per cent by 2018. Canada’s workforce is aging, but there are significant differences among industry sectors and job categories. The median workforce age is 44 years and ranges from a high of 48 years in the not-for-profit sector to a low of 39 years in the accommodation, food, and personal services sector.
Senior executives (those reporting directly to the CEO) have the highest median age (52 years), followed closely by executives (50.3 years). Because these employee groups are similar in age, they will likely retire at similar times. To fill vacated senior executive and executive roles, organizations will have to hire externally or focus more attention on developing internal talent in the current management pool.
Although reported skills shortages vary across regions and industry sectors, they continue to be a concern for many employers. A large majority of employers report challenges recruiting quality candidates with critical skills (80 per cent) and candidates with hot skills (72 per cent). Investing in early career development and workplace training are two ways for employers to address these skills shortages.
The aging population also means that Canada will increasingly rely on immigration for population growth, making the country’s workforce more diverse. Despite this, only four per cent of organizations cited managing a diverse workforce as a top challenge in the long term.
PUMP NEWS
INDIA WATER PUMPS MARKET TO GROW, SAYS TECHSCI RESEARCH
The market for water pumps in India is expected to witness rapid growth at a compound annual growth rate of around 12 per cent during the period from 2015 to 2020, according to a recently published report by TechSci Research.
Market growth is driven by increasing urbanization, leading to high growth in residential and commercial segments, the report, entitled “India Water Pumps Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2020,” suggests.
Growing dependency on ground water and irregular monsoon activity are driving demand for water pumps in the agricultural segment, and government efforts to improve water infrastructure, water supply and sanitation services across the country are expected to further increase the use of water pumps in the country, TechSci, a researchbased international management consulting firm, said in a news release.
for water pumps in this segment, the report said.
More than a dozen desalination plants announced in 2014 are expected to launch in the country over the next few years. Growing demand for desalinated water is driven by depleting per capita water availability, which is motivating India to explore alternative sources of water.
In combination with water treatment industry, water pumps are also gaining traction in power sector. According to the Planning Commission of India, the government targets capacity addition of about 72,000 megawatts in thermal power plants during the 12th five-year plan, increasing demand for water pumps in the country. Magnetic drive based water pumps, EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) based water pumps, and mobile phones used as remote controllers for administering water pumps are some of the innovative products being introduced in the Indian market.
construction sector. In addition, a slight decline is observed in the production of vacuum tower bottom products such as furnace oil and fuel oil. Moreover, despite fair performance of domestic market, imports of low cost Chinese pumps are increasing. Given this scenario, India’s water pumps market is anticipated to grow at a marginally lower rate than growth during the past five years,” said Karan Chechi, research director with TechSci.
Besides agriculture, a significant share of the country’s water pumps market is contributed by the industrial sector, where power plants, chemical manufacturing and water and wastewater treatment are the prime application areas. Rapid penetration of desalination plants in industrial sector is consequently boosting the demand
Beauregard_7x3.25 3/21/06 7:45 AM Page 1
“India’s water pumps market is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 12% during 2015-20. However, this growth is sluggish, given the past growth scenario, primarily due to decline in real estate market. Although, the impact of decline on future growth of water pumps market is only marginal, since recovery is projected in real estate
The report, which includes water pumps market projections and demand forecasting, is intended to provide market intelligence and help decision makers evaluate their investments. It identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities existing in the water pumps market in India.
EVENT REMINDER
The Canadian Association of Pump Manufacturers, an organization that provides a forum for those in the Canadian potable and wastewater pump industry, will hold its annual general meeting on Thursday, June 4, at the Galt Country Club, in Cambridge, Ont., from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ITT CELEBRATES PUMP APPRECIATION DAY
On April 14, ITT Corporation observed the fourth-annual Pump Appreciation Day, an international event held to raise awareness of the value of pumps to modern manufacturing and products, and honour those that make them possible.
“On Pump Appreciation Day, we celebrate pumps as an essential machine in the global industrial market, and recognize the people and organizations that design, manufacture, install and service them,” said Aris Chicles, president of ITT Industrial Process, in a news release. Its brands include Goulds Pumps, PRO Services and Bornemann. “That’s why we spotlight our industry’s successes with our annual award program, and pay tribute to the men, women and organizations that help drive modern manufacturing forward.”
In conjunction with Pump Appreciation Day, ITT announced the 2015 Heart of Industry and Pulse of Industry Award recipients. Seven organizations were presented with the Heart of Industry Award, recognizing companies whose operational excellence and use of pump technology advance plant processing, customer service and our overall way of life through improved reliability and efficiency, and lower cost of ownership. Eight people were also named to the Pulse of Industry Honor Roll, an individual recognition program to commend pump professionals for their exceptional work in pump operations, maintenance or process optimization.
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Myths about fracking
By Greg Kozera
Many people have no idea that practically every well requires fracking.
As I get to visit with people around the country on my Just the Fracks book tour, I am learning a lot about what people think and know about energy and hydraulic fracturing.
I have heard some incredible misconceptions. One man asked, “With all of the electricity we have, why do we still need coal and natural gas?” The poor guy had no idea we need natural gas and coal to make electricity. Sadly, he is not an exception. When asked in a survey, “Where does electricity come from?” 52 per cent of Americans responded, “The socket in the wall.”
Many people are worried about whether there will be energy for lights, air conditioning and reasonably priced gasoline. They are sometimes surprised to know that the U.S. is now the world’s leading producer of crude oil and natural gas. People in places like New Orleans and Oklahoma are worried about earthquakes caused by fracking. They weren’t aware that we are now drilling a fraction of the wells we were drilling 20 and 30 years ago.
People in many areas are worried about “fracking” because of what they have heard or read (even if they don’t know what the process is) but they love natural gas. They have no idea that practically every well requires fracking. Fracking is like tires on a car. A car is worthless without tires. A well wouldn’t be drilled if it couldn’t be fracked. Russia fracks, China fracks, OPEC fracks and, yes, even Canada fracks.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process used to improve production from an oil or gas well after it has been drilled. A fluid such as water or foam made with water and nitrogen is pumped into a well to create a small crack in rocks containing oil and/or natural gas deep underground (typically over a mile deep). This crack extends a few hundred feet in two directions from the well pipe and maybe 100
feet high. Far below our drinking water, the oil and gas flows from the reservoir rocks flows through this small crack to the well and then to the surface for us to use.
Will fracking damage our precious ground water? No. Fracking has been happening since 1947. The wells today are much better because we can drill them horizontally and frack them multiple times. One of our horizontal wells today can replace 30 or more vertical wells, minimizing environmental impact. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) in its 2013 White Paper on Water and Hydraulic Fracturing said, “The AWWA is aware of no proven cases of ground water contamination directly associated with hydraulic fracturing. An informed utility can be a key voice in ensuring that energy production and safe water coexist peacefully in the years ahead.”
People want clean air and clean water. Most people don’t know that, thanks to the expanded use of natural gas, we have lowered our CO2 emissions to Kyoto treaty levels without a carbon tax increasing the cost of electricity. This would cost every Canadian more money, not just in taxes but in increased costs of everything, and it would hurt people on fixed incomes like seniors and middle-class families. Most people don’t know that the natural gas industry has lowered global pollution by bringing industry back to the U.S. such as steel mills and chemical plants. These plants operate under U.S. environmental law instead of overseas environmental law, which is nonexistent in most countries. Reclaimed well sites and pipeline right-of-ways are creating wildlife and bird habitats while “green energy” like wind and solar is killing birds and other wildlife.
I am now convinced that if coal, oil and natural gas all went away it wouldn’t bother most people initially because they don’t know how essential these things are to their everyday
lives. In the northeastern U.S., we have more than 30 coal power plants shutting down in the near future because they can’t meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new clean-air regulations. This is a big deal as these plants are running right now producing electricity. Hopefully natural gas can replace most of them but that will require pipelines. But the natural gas industry is now under attack by the EPA.
Sadly, all of the CO2 reductions the EPA is planning won’t help the planet. China already is producing twice the amount of CO2 the U.S. produces. As China expands energy use, its CO2 emissions will dwarf the EPA’s planned CO2 reductions. Maybe we need to send China natural gas.
All of this hardship that the EPA and Washington are dumping on the fossil fuel industries will actually hurt the average American and Canadian the most. If the EPA continues, we can expect our energy costs to triple or quadruple. If you doubt this, just check on what the Germans and Japanese are paying for their energy. I recently met with a Japanese group working on ways to bring more energy to Japan. They were paying four times what my family pays for electricity and my budget is $250 per month. In New York City and other large cities, bad things happen when the power goes off. How would you like to live on the 17th floor of an apartment building in New York City or Toronto when the lights go out?
Natural gas is the only fuel that can keep the lights on if coal and nuclear power cannot expand. We need to frack to produce natural gas just as we have done safely for more than 60 years. We have in excess of 100 years of natural gas in the U.S. at today’s technology. If natural gas ever goes away due to bad regulations, as some people want, bad things will happen to a lot of innocent people. We need to understand the truth. It isn’t too late to act. Thoughts to ponder.
Editor’s note: This column has been edited and condensed.
Greg Kozera is a registered professional engineer with a master’s degree in environmental engineering and more than 35 years of experience in the natural gas and oil industry, including hydraulic fracturing. He is the author of three books, numerous articles and technical papers. His latest book, Just the Fracks, Ma’am: The truth about hydrofracking and the great American boom, is available from all online outlets. He is on the board of directors for the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association and is the past president of the Virginia Oil and Gas Association.
The Model 101 P7 Water Level Meter uses Solinst laser marked flat tape, which is accurately marked every 1/100 ft or each mm and Certified traceable to national standards. Submersible P7 Probe is ideal for total well depth measurements to 1000 ft (300 m).
Standard Model 101 P2 Water Level Meter with heat embossed markings still available.
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BOOK TACKLES BIG TOPIC
Canada’s Groundwater Resources, a new reference book combines input from more than 50 contributors
Water well drillers are involved in the development, protection and production of Canada’s ground water resources, providing a water supply for up to 30 per cent of Canada’s population.
by KEN HUGO
Despite this reliance on this precious natural resource by the citizens of Canada, ground water is often referred to as an unknown resource and the poorer second cousin to surface water sources.
The recently released book, Canada’s Groundwater Resources, is a lavishly illustrated 800-page book meant to dispel this impression and bring together knowledge of Canada’s ground water resources into one volume.
The book is a combination of ground water concepts applicable anywhere in the world and an illustration of ground water conditions in various regions of Canada.
BOOK BREAKS DOWN BROAD TOPIC
To tackle such a large and diverse topic, compiler and editor Alfonso Rivera, who is chief hydrogeologist for the Geological Survey of Canada, has brought together input from more than 50 contributors.
Most of these contributors work within universities or government research institutes such as the Geological Survey of Canada, and their particular backgrounds are evident, with a strong emphasis on an academic approach to the subject.
Split into five parts to make this broad topic easier to examine and digest, the book
LEFT: Most of the book’s contributors work within universities or government research institutes.
RIGHT: The illustrations and photographs alone make this a worthwhile read on a casual basis.
Photo courtesy Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Illustration courtesy Fitzhenry & Whiteside
provides a broad overview of where ground water is found, how it interacts with surface water and what risks it faces.
The first three sections deal with understanding ground water from a conceptual point of view, covering concepts such as recharge and discharge, effect of climate, ground water flow and vulnerability of ground water. These sections provide an overview of ground water concepts that illustrate the nature of the resource.
The fourth section and heart of the book, accounting for more than half the pages, describes the various regions of Canada with respect to their ground water resources. Rivera provides information on types of aquifers, ground water quality, climate, topography, interaction with surface water, and vulnerability of the resource within the region. Ground water regions do not follow political boundaries, so the Prairies are discussed as a geographical region (not as separate provinces), as are ground water resources on the Canadian Shield.
VALUE TO WELL DRILLERS
So would this book be of interest to water well drillers? It would not become a reference book like the Johnson editions of Groundwater and Wells. A driller already familiar with his or her area, would probably would consider his or her knowledge more detailed than the information provided
in the book.
However, if a driller was working in a different area of Canada, or a new employee was brought into the firm, then the overview provided in the book would be of value in describing the general nature of aquifers from which the driller might be obtaining water. The concepts presented in the first three chapters would be of value should one need to explain or illustrate ground water concepts, for example, the concept of ground water being found in pore space of rocks and not underground rivers.
Certainly the illustrations and photographs alone are impressive and make the book a worthwhile read on a casual basis.
Canada’s Groundwater Resources is available from Amazon’s Canadian website currently for $94.50, although the list price is $150, and is also available from the publisher, Fitzhenry & Whiteside.
Ken Hugo is a technical director and hyrdogeologist with Groundwater Information Technologies (GRIT).
May 25-28, 2015
Groundwater Monitoring Applications for Ontario Class 5 Well Technicians (Fleming College course) www.flemingcollege.ca
May 27-30, 2015
BC Water & Waste Association Conference and Trade Show Kelowna, B.C. www.bcwwa.org
June 3-4, 2015
National Geothermal Summit Reno, Nev. http://geo-energy.org/NationalGeothermalSummit/Main.aspx
June 4, 2015
Canadian Association of Pump Manufacturers AGM Galt Country Club, Cambridge, Ont. www.capmonline.com
COMING EVENTS
June 6-7, 2015
Ontario Ground Water Association convention and trade show Delta Guelph Hotel, Guelph, Ont. www.ogwa.ca
June 25, 2015
Canadian Water Summit Vancouver, B.C. www.watersummit.ca
Oct. 18-20, 2015
Power of Water Canada Conference Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. http://conference.owa.ca
Dec. 15-17, 2015
National Ground Water Association Expo Las Vegas, Nev. www.ngwa.org
NEW PRODUCTS
POMPCO OFFERS SOLAR PISTON PUMP
Pompco, based in Boucherville, Que., has a solar piston pump on the market.
“Flow rates of up to 600 gallons US an hour meet the majority of cottage and rural domestic water needs,” said Michael Strutynski, director of sales and business development for Pompco. “Piston pumps are also used in a multitude of applications, including the maple syrup industry.”
Piston pumps have a superior energy coefficient to other technologies, Strutynski said, and this is why it’s suitable for use in conjunction with solar energy power. Also, since it’s a positive displacement pump, regardless of its rotational speed, it will provide water when needed.
According to Pompco, the solar pump has several advantages: It is a reliable and stable system, resistant to weather, UV radiation and temperature variations. The energy produces no pollution, so it respects nature and environment. On-site maintenance is possible due to easy access to internal parts constant pumping, even with the presence of air in water.
Also, the pump provides increased resistance to particles in water and primes up to 7.62 metres (25 feet).
The pump’s minimal maintenance lends itself to farm, home and cottage uses. www.pompco.com
FLAT-TAPE WATER LEVEL METER DESIGNED FOR FIELD WORK
The Model 101 P7 Water Level Meter, manufactured by Solinst, has been designed with accuracy and portability in mind.
The meter features flat tape with accurate laser markings each millimetre (1/100 foot), and is certified traceable to national standards, the company said in a press release.
The PVDF tape has high tensile strength, abrasion resistance and electrical efficiency, with lengths going up to 1,500 metres (5,000 feet).
The P7 probe is pressureproof and designed for depthto-water and total-well-depth measurements.
The reel is designed with field work in mind. It is easy to handle, winds smoothly and comes with a convenient brake, the company said. The battery is housed in the front of the faceplate and can be changed in seconds if necessary. The electronics allow for sensitivity adjustment in different conductivities, and a test button ensures your battery is working before you go out in the field.
www.solinst.com
INLINE 400 TAKES AIM AT WATER-PRESSURE CHALLENGES
Franklin Electric’s Inline 400 pressure-boosting system is designed to provide a compact and economical way to improve
water pressure. The Inline 400 couples the Franklin Electric pump and motor with flow-based controls to provide a typical water-pressure boost of up to 40 psi, depending on the application’s need.
The unit is designed symmetrically to allow easy installation, Franklin Electric said in a press release, mounting either vertically or horizontally to fit within most existing plumbing configurations, including those where space is limited.
The powerful yet quiet system is suitable for city water pressure boosting, pressurizing water from a cistern tank repressurizing after filtration and irrigation system boosting applications, the company said.
“We’ve taken our knowledge from years of producing water system products and brought that experience to our residential and commercial customers,” said Scott Stayton, director of portfolio management for Franklin Electric.
Available in 115- and 230volt models, the Inline 400 features a product rating of 1/3 horsepower (0.246 kilowatts), a one-inch NPT inlet and outlet, and power by means of a standard electrical cord. Integrated pump protection features guard against overor under-voltage, dry run and over temperature.
Electronics include two pressure switches that monitor and reduce the chance of over pressuring the system. A flow switch ensures that it only runs when needed for maximum efficiency.
for its line of air compressors that lasts up to 10,000 hours.
Sullair and Dow are updating distributors internationally and helping them incorporate the new lubricant into their regularly scheduled maintenance programs.
Sullube is a high-performance polyglycol-based lubricant that prevents the formation of varnish – a leading cause of air end failure – and helps keep compressors running clean and cool.
Introduced nearly 30 years ago by Sullair and Dow, the lubricant has been improved to meet the demanding needs of modern rotary screw air compressors. Beyond its ability to protect and clean compressor air ends, Sullube’s new formulation now improves lubricant life up to 10,000 hours, Sullair said in a press release.
“Sullair has a strong reputation for the durability of its air compressors,” said Tim Kruto, Sullair’s senior product manager of aftermarket products. “This new formulation combines the benefits Sullube has historically provided, and adds additional value with the extended fluid life all backed by the expertise of Dow.”
www.franklin-electric.com
SULLUBE LUBRICANT UPGRADED
With the help of Dow Chemical, Sullair is producing and marketing an improved Sullube lubricant
“We have counted on Sullair for its best-in-class efficiency and reliability for more than 30 years and look forward to continuing that strong relationship with them for years to come,” said Keith Kenebrew, associate commercial director for Dow Hydrocarbons and Resources. To launch the improved
formulation, the companies have been conducting training sessions and webinars with Sullair distributors internationally and have launched a website to provide information and resources about compressor lubricants.
www.sullube.com
GEON FIBRELOC USED IN INLINE 400 CONTROL HEAD
Franklin Electric has teamed up with PolyOne, manufacturer of Geon Fiberloc, to make the glass-reinforced vinyl composite for the control head of Franklin Electric’s Inline 400 booster pump.
Geon Fiberloc composite provided a solution that allowed the company to design and mould a complex control head to meet both NSF 61 and UL flame-retardancy requirements, PolyOne said in a press
release. Additionally, Fiberloc enabled quieter pump operation by reducing noise and vibration.
“We worked closely with the engineers at Franklin Electric to understand their application and performance needs and offered a solution that not only met the demanding requirements of the pump, but also improved processing performance,” said James Stephenson, director of global marketing for PolyOne’s Geon Performance Materials.
“In addition, we were able to deliver improved flame retardance, enabling the integration of electronics in the booster pump control head to improve cost-effectiveness versus metal or glass-filled polymer alternatives.”
Geon Fiberloc composites include UL, CSA and NSF rated grades, which offer outstanding resistance to chemicals and corrosion at pressures up to 650 psi. The technology can be extended to pump housings, diffusers, impellers, water softeners, valves, actuators, flow meters, flanges, seal plates, motor mounting plates,
NEW PRODUCTS
motor lock rings and union connectors, PolyOne said.
Franklin Electric’s new Inline 400 booster pump is designed to boost low water pressure and run multiple water sources simultaneously with no drop in pressure.
www.polyone.com
VERSATILE CHLOROPHYLL CONCENTRATION METER HAS MULTIPLE USES
The new MC-100 is a researchgrade, cost-effective, optical meter that combines the features of the Opti-Sciences CCM 200 Plus with the ability to output a direct measure of chlorophyll in units of micromols of chlorophyll per square metre of leaf surface.
This ability to output linear chlorophyll concentration means that the meter performs similarly to far more expensive meters, Apogee said in a press release.
Teaching and research applications include monitoring environmental stress, evaluating efficiency of fertilizer treatments, optimizing harvest schedules, providing pest control and providing
crop bleeding.
A large sampling area helps to integrate larger leaf area and provide a more reproducible measurement. A field-ofview reducer can be used if the leaf width is narrower that the nine-millimetre sample chamber.
Other features include rapid sampling, a large display and sample memory that can be downloaded to a computer.
www.hoskin.ca
SCALEWATCHER SYSTEM TARGETS HARD WATER
Scalewatcher North America has a range of environmentally friendly units designed to combat the effects of hard water limescale without the use of chemicals or salt.
The system is easy to install and requires no plumbing,
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maintenance or chemicals, manufacturer Aqua Genesis said in a press release.
Using integrated circuitry, the Scalewatcher emits an electronically applied force field, induced by a coil wrapped around the outside of the pipe work, which keeps the minerals in suspension and thus prevents limescale forming.
The unit can be attached to all types of pipework material, regardless of size.
Orange County Fire Authority installed the computerized, electronic water conditioner, Scalewatcher said in a press release.
The hardness of the water in much of the county is about 300 parts per million or about 18 grains per gallon, which causes limescale to build up in pipelines and equipment.
Other equipment at the firehouses have also benefited. “The dishwashers had been scaled up with white cloudy residue and now look like they just came off the showroom floor. We also had scale build-up in our showerheads and now they are all crystal clear with no issue with the holes being clogged up,” OCFA facilities manager Steve Klein said in the release.
The systems start at $248 US and units are designed to treat pipe sizes from one to 120 inches. Systems come with a full performance guarantee and are shipped throughout North America.
www.scalewatcher.com
TREATMENT SYSTEM FEATURES SINGLE-POTTED CARTRIDGE DESIGN
Koch Membrane Systems has a new Puron MP hollow-fibre ultrafiltration cartridge designed for high-solids water and wastewater applications, including surface water treatment, reverse osmosis pretreatment, and tertiary wastewater treatment. The Puron MP line simplifies operation, eliminates clarifier pretreatment in many applications, minimizes downtime, and reduces chemical usage to provide a lower total cost of ownership, Koch said in a news release.
The line has an average continuous solids tolerance of up to 250 milligrams per litre and features an advanced cartridge design for better solids management and a virtually unbreakable reinforced hollow fibre.
The system features a single-potting cartridge design that allows air scouring to penetrate the fibre bundle deeply and release accumulated solids to the bottom where they are easily drained away.
The combination of durable, reinforced hollow fibres and single-potted cartridge configuration is aimed at balancing reliable, efficient performance and high-quality output.
www.kochmembrane.com
FLUID METERING PUMPS DESIGNED FOR PRECISION
Fluid Metering’s STH and STQ Duplex metering pumps are designed for precision mixing, diluting, and proportional metering for OEM medical, analytical, and industrial instrumentation.
FMI’s OEM Duplex Metering Pumps consist of two FMI valveless pump heads direct-coupled to a single variable stepper motor drive. The displacement of each pump head is independently adjustable, and a variety of pump head sizes can be used in combinations to achieve dispensing ratios from 1:1 up to 500:1 from microlitres to litres.
By eliminating valves and utilizing ceramic internals, FMI OEM duplex pumps will dispense millions of maintenance-free cycles at ±1% precision without recalibration, the company said in a press release.
In addition, the FMI pump has unidirectional continuous flow, using two separate ports for input and output. Throughput of the FMI CeramPump is significantly increased over syringe designs which both fill and dispense through the same single port.
Fluid Metering has resale agents in Canada, and Canadian companies can also buy direct from FMI. The company has applications for ground water tracing using rhodamine dye, as
well as sampling applications for analytical instrumentation and addition of caustic soda for pH control, the company said.
www.fluidmetering.com
AMACAN SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS CAN HELP WITH FLOODING ISSUES
Amacan submersible pumps in discharge tubes, designed for use in wastewater treatment and aquaculture are compact but powerful, the company said in a press release.
A system of dikes and pumping stations in Richmond, B.C., is being extended through a combination of dike extensions and pump upgrades that feature KSB Amacan P axialflow submersible motor pumps.
The municipality faces serious challenges from flooding. Built on several low-lying islands in the Fraser Delta, the city has an average elevation of one metre above sea level. In order to keep Lulu Island, the main population centre, from being inundated by high levels of ocean and river water, the city has constructed a system of dikes and pumping stations that is being extended through dike extensions and pump upgrades that include KSB Amacan P axial-flow submersible motor pumps.
www.ksb.ca
Selling yourself short?
Learn how to stand out without lowering your price.
by Jeff Mowatt
Is what you do for a living perceived by potential customers as being a mere commodity: more or less the same as others in your profession? When that happens, customers revert to the easiest differentiator – price.
The outlook gets worse as you realize that somewhere in the global economy there is likely someone offering similar products or services for a cheaper price. And with the Internet it’s easier for your customers to find them. What’s most frustrating is when you know your products and services are indeed different, but customers don’t seem to get that and put you in the same category as everyone else.
The good news is you can change customer perceptions by changing the way you describe what you do. Your goal is to have a potential customer thinking, “If I don’t explore this further with this person, I could be missing a good thing.”
How would you describe what it is you that you do for a living? Most of us automatically commoditize our job. We say, “I’m a water well driller” or “I’m a personal financial advisor.” Imagine meeting a potential customer at an industry luncheon and giving that type of label to what you do. The words “I’m a” imply that that there are other people who do exactly what you do. In other words you sabotage your uniqueness with your first two words.
Rather than describing yourself using of a generic label, you can instead refer to the ultimate benefit you deliver. If you sell liability insurance, for example, you could describe your service as reducing risk for business owners. There are two ways to describe benefits. One is the pleasure gained and another is the pain avoided. A financial advisor for example, might describe her service as “helping people retire in comfort” (pleasure gained). Or she could describe what she does as “preventing people from having to work until they die because they can’t afford to retire” (pain avoided).
Interestingly, when it comes to spending money sooner rather than later, customers are more often motivated by avoiding pain than by gaining pleasure.
You’ve probably heard networking experts state that you’re supposed to have an elevator pitch (a 30-second commercial ready to recite). The problem in the real world when you’re talking with smart, streetwise customers, is the 30-second infomercial sounds so phony and contrived it turns them off more than tweaks their interest. Instead, as a hairstylist, for example, you might reply a simple one-line ultimate benefit, “I help people fix personal image problems.” This time you’re more likely to have stimulated their curiosity. Their next question naturally becomes, “How do you do that?” Now you’ve been invited to describe your products/services in an even more compelling way.
An easy way is start with the words, “You know how…” Then complete the sentence explaining how your service fixes a common problem. For example, when someone asks the hairstylist how she fixes personal image problems, she might respond with, “You know how most hairstylists usually just ask how you want your cut and you usually get the same thing done? Well, when I work with a client I start by looking at the person’s most attractive facial features, then we come up with a cut that not only highlights their most attractive features but also works for their lifestyle.” .
Bottom line: next time you need to set yourself apart from the competition – beyond just lowering prices – try changing the way you talk about what you do for a living.
Jeff Mowatt is a customer-service strategist, award-winning speaker, and bestselling author. For more tips, training tools or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team, visit www.JeffMowatt.com.
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