When you think about the staggering fact that one residential customer in the HVAC industry can be worth $5,000, $10,000, or even more, it forces you to really stop and think about just how you present your HVAC business in regards to attracting and retaining clients. Whether it’s the failure to invest in proper digital marketing strategies, a misunderstanding of the sales process, or simply your professionalism in the field, everybody makes mistakes sometimes, and HVAC businesses are no different.
Manage Your Customer’s Expectations
Prepare your technicians and any employees who interact with customers in person with a variety of solutions to your clients’ needs. They should face each day armed with potential solutions and offers to various common problems and know how to effectively communicate to your clients in a manner that fits within the situation. Part of this includes transparency and effectively communicating with clear timelines of what and when customers can expect the conclusion of work. As customer-centricity continues to become more important in business regardless of the market, you will want to make this a core part of your business strategy and try to develop processes according to customers needs and desires.
Don’t Try to Constantly Bid Lower
This one is a little tricky. Most HVAC businesses just getting their start will fall into the trap of constantly submitting the lowest bids. If you race to the bottom simply to get clients, you’ll continually find yourself struggling to rise above that with each client afterward. This actually becomes detrimental to the industry as a whole, as it forces companies to compete with each other in a manner that reduces the quality of work, the payment received and the overall attention provided to the customer. Commit to working as a smart contractor and only providing high-quality service that comes with a fair price tag. By doing this, you’ll show your customers and other competing businesses just how seriously you take your work. Clients will make note of the difference and the professionalism. If you find yourself still unable to attract quality clients, then you’ll want to move onto the next point.
Invest in Digital Marketing
57% of website visits to HVAC companies come from mobile devices, meaning that if you don't currently invest in mobile, social marketing, you miss out on a large slice of clientele that could skyrocket your business. Seeing as nearly 97% of consumers go online to find local services, it’s important to not only establish a strong online presence but to optimize it in order to attract your target audience. There’s no better way to do this than with video marketing that shares your message and can directly demonstrate your skills, expertise, and even past relationships with clients. Creating a powerful online presence will help forge personal connections with other similar clients and help you turn clicks into clients.
Commit to High-Quality Work and Optimized Processes
Don’t fall into the traps that most HVAC businesses (and really most small businesses in general) fall into. Craft customer-centric processes that will ensure you constantly address the needs of your market while also presenting yourself as a high-quality competitor that values their work. Once you put these core strategies and practices in place, you can work to establish a strong online presence in order to share your message and convert visitors into established, valued customers.
