Chicago, IL- The Unified Group’s 2026 Sales Forum brought together over 40 attendees for a few days of great conversation, collaboration, and shared ideas. It was an awesome opportunity to connect, learn from each other, and walk away with new strategies to strengthen sales efforts. The event was led by meeting MC Grant Wiegmann of Wiegmann Associates, who helped guide discussions and kept the energy high throughout the forum.

Day one we were excited to have Al Lindeman with us as our guest speaker, Co-Founder & COO of Anavo Growth Partners and Co-Founder & Chief Program Architect of IgniteSkills Academy, a sales and leadership development platform serving commercial HVAC and service-based businesses. His presentation focused on The Power and Challenges of Change (Intro to Paradigms) and Growing Sales with Improved Discovery. Attendees shared strong feedback on his presentation, with one noting, “Al prompts a whole new way of thinking. I needed that. Loved his presentation—learned a lot and have so much to apply,” said Seth Stanton of Cullum Mechanical.

“I really enjoyed being part of this conversation at The Unified Group’s 2026 Sales Forum. Any time we get together as a group, I walk away with new insights and ideas to bring back to our team. Thanks to everyone who made the panel so engaging—great discussion around building strong, lasting customer relationships,” stated Keith Battaglia of Battaglia Industries. 

Our final day featured a mix of panels, large group discussions, and attendee presentations. The first panel focused on sales processes, covering how teams approach customers, prepare quotes and bids, and handle objections to successfully close deals. We also heard solid presentations from Ralph Froelich of Blauch Brothers and John Murray of Environmental Systems, Inc., who shared real-world examples and storytelling around how they effectively overcome objections and resistance. Another highlight included presentations on negotiation skills from Grant Bergman of Wiegmann Associates and Eric Fincham of Westbrook Service Company, emphasizing the importance of creating and communicating value rather than competing on price.

Dave Larsen with Mechanical Service & Systems, Inc shared, "If I didn't attend this meeting, I would have missed the ability to make connections and build my network. Also, the knowledge that I can take back and apply to my day-to-day operations/sales."

Upcoming Forums include Controls, Financial and Construction! If you are interested in learning more about attending a meeting or becoming a member of The Unified Group, contact Janet Kelleher at [email protected].