Secret 20: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 20: 

How Do Your Customer’s Feel?  Remember, people will forget what you said and people will forget what you did, but they will not forget how you make them feel.  When you’re done with a call, and you look back at the visit, did you make the customer feel like they got a good value?  Did they feel like you really took care of them on every aspect of the call?  Their feelings are what will linger for a long time.  It’s not important what you charged them, what’s important is how they felt about what they paid you.  I once had a dealer come to my house and the entire time we spoke, he told me what a horrible day he had.  He shared everything that went wrong, even threw in some details about a fight he had with his wife.  When he left, I felt horrible.  Not only do I not remember what he did, I also forgot the details of what he said, but I remember he made me feel guilty that I bothered him with a visit to my home to fix my AC.  By the way, I also forgot who he was and his phone number, because I haven’t called him since. How you make the customer feel means everything.

 

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    Secret 19: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 19: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 19: 

Rewards For Referrals: One of my key teachings is to be remarkable.  I’ve asked every employee I’ve ever hired what they have done in their previous jobs that is remarkable to them.  It’s the unexpected, the wow, the ahh haa! That gets the attention.  Next time someone sends you a referral, I want you to go out and get them a $25 gift card at a nearby restaurant.  Send it along with a hand written note thanking them and letting them know how much that referral meant to you.  It’s unexpected moments like this that will wow your customer’s and have them bragging to their friends how shocked they were to get a reward for sending you a referral.  It’s unexpected things like this that gets buzz going about you, your company and your ethics.  These are the little things that we often forget, that can pay us back in a big way.

 

Secret 18: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 18: 

THINK SMALL!  Start by understanding your customer and use effective retention techniques to cut down on customer defections.  Start by setting attainable goals and projected sales increases and build on them again and again. Customers are fed up with poor service, bad marketing and being ripped off.  All you have to do is let them know you’re prepared to treat them as a human being, treat them as important, and give them a fair value.  Remember, every crisis is an opportunity.  I spoke to a small dealer the other day that was freaking out because a big competitor was aggressively attacking his market.  The big competitors in your market often lack the personal touch, personal relationships and care that you put in to your business every day.  Just as the manager of the local big box store is probably not active in the community or a member of the local chamber, most large competitors are not going to practice the personal touch that a true neighborhood marketer lives by. You’ll beat them by working the trenches, one neighborhood at a time and by building lasting relationships with the people in those neighborhoods you service.  Pick one neighborhood that you really want to own and market to it repetitively month after month.  Practice the relationship building tactics we teach you and there’s not a competitor out there that will matter to you.

Secret 17: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 17: 

What makes you so special? A true step-by-step neighborhood marketing plan really should begin the day you go in to business or the day you decide to give up on tired, ineffective advertising techniques. Here’s what I consider to be the most important aspect of any business….determining what make you so special. Why will the public call you rather than your competitors? This is your Unique Selling Experience. To better understand how to create this unique selling experience, you need to hear from your customers on why they chose you in the first place. What they say will describe your U.S.E. The Unique Selling Experience must pierce through the clutter and say something so compelling about a brand that it motivates a consumer to action over and over. Simply to amuse and entertain is not enough. Before you write your positioning statement, think about what is unique to the character of your business. Doing so often raises soul-searching issues that can test your corporate courage and fundamental beliefs. Remember, Coca Cola is the Real Thing, Pepsi on the other hand is the choice of the new generation, Southwest sells freedom. What do you do and what makes it special?

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    Secret 16: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 16: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 16: 

What’s Your Customer Satisfaction Rating?  Most people don’t know because they never ask.  I strongly recommend that you begin a customer satisfaction survey and leave it with every home you leave.  Include a stamped and addressed envelope so they don’t have to pay to help you.  Tell them how important it is that they fill it out. Auto dealerships are the best at setting you up for the survey, before it comes to your home.  When you take delivery of that new car, the salesperson always brings it up and says if anything is less than stellar, can you please call me first?  Why?  Because they have learned the value of being able to advertise a strong customer satisfaction report.  Create one on your company today.  Ask questions pertaining to the friendliness of the staff, both on the phone and in person, timeliness of the call, professionalism, understandable explanation of issues that were found and if the problem was fixed to their satisfaction.  Once you have the results, and their positive, you can include the findings in your advertising to increase your trustworthiness.  If they’re not positive, you’ll realize where you need to make adjustments.

Secret 15: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 15: 

To Keep Eagles Working for you, Don’t Negotiate Salary!  I’ve had many clients that pride themselves on how little they can pay their employees.  Ironically, they’re the ones that always seem to have the highest turnover and the least successful companies.  I am a big fan of paying an eagle more than they expect.  If on the interview, you’ve got a fabulous candidate but they’re asking for a lot more than you’re willing to pay, either bring them up to that level or keep looking.  If you try to negotiate with them and have them accept a lower salary, they’ll keep looking for another position even after they’ve accepted your offer.  Employee turnover can be the biggest drain on a business.  So if you’ve budgeted say $35,000 for a position, and the candidate is looking for $30,000, why not offer them $32,500 and have someone that believes they’re so valuable to you that you’ve actually paid them more than they’ve asked for.  It’s relationships like these that end up in decade and life long employment.  Eagles are too hard to find, don’t let your next one slip away of negotiate them in to the role of a turkey.
 

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    Secret 14: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 14: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 14: 

Conduct Personality Assessments for your employees and candidates:  I wouldn’t hire a single person without knowing who’s behind the façade.  IN fact, personality tests have become so reliable, that there’s even a mechanism to make you aware if they are being truthful with the test.  I also encourage these tests for your existing employees.  When you measure those that are your best producers, and learn the attributes they have, it arms you with the knowledge in what character traits to look for in potential candidates.  These tests have come way down in cost, which makes them affordable for any size company.  You’ll quickly learn and understand the type of people to watch for.  While many have a strong ability to judge people quickly, many times these tests will either confirm your initial thoughts, or challenge your confidence.  In either case, they’re well worth implementing at your company.  In times like these, job candidates can get really good at faking an interview.  For existing employees, let them know that you’re looking for them to simply trust the test. And there’s no right or wrong answers.  It just helps you determine if you have the right person in the most productive area of your company.

 

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    Secret 13: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 13: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 13: 

Get Involved in the Community:  There are so many things you can do on the local level that will positively raise the eyebrows of the community and shed light on your business.  Get involved with local youth sports programs, take ownership of a local soccer, baseball or football team, let them know you care. This shows the community that you are on the front line in giving back and yes….doing things like this establishes trust among your peers.  We should all be searching every day for things we can do to be remarkable and establish trust.  If you haven’t already done so, go to your local park and talk to some of the coaches about how to get involved in what they are doing.  A great way to get started is to get your own brand of bottled water with your name, logo and phone number on it.  Drop off a couple of cases to the next youth game for the kids and their parents to hydrate with on a hot day.  There aren’t many opportunities to positively raise eyebrows, and we have to look for them in everything we do.

 

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    Secret 12: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 12: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 12:  

Fish When the Fish are Biting:  I’m a big fan of direct mail and I’ve seen it literally light up the top line of businesses across the country.  I also believe that you’ve got to fish when the fish are biting.  Just as you wouldn’t try to sell an AC unit in December, there are specific times throughout the year that make the most sense for your products.  In season, you want to hit the pedal hard to talk about the product that’s appropriate.  What’s great about your business, is that there’s a product for nearly every month of the year.  Think of all the (IAQ) Indoor Air Quality products that are perfect to showcase each season.  From humidity and mold control, to filtration systems, each has a place in every market.  Look at your sales for each product you sell and see when the spikes occur.  Start your direct mail programs featuring those products in the neighborhoods your prevalent in about 45 days prior to the peak, and hit those homes a minimum of 3 times with the same card.  You’ll see you’re action soar just as you would if you fished at dawn and dusk.  Just as bass don’t bite well at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, few are buying AC units in the winter and heating units in the summer.  Time your media plan to fish when the fish are biting.

 

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    Secret 11: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 11: The 20 Secrets of Creating the Most Powerful HVAC Business in the USA!

Secret 11: 

Fish where the fish are biting:  This is a way to make your marketing and advertising more local and more effective.  I’m not a fan of mass media.  Companies like Starbucks will do BILLIONS in sales this year with no mass media advertising.  They create buzz and keep it all local.  They literally own the neighborhoods that they want to focus on and you should do the same.  Imagine if you mapped all of your customer’s over the past several years on and really identified just those neighborhoods where you had the most penetration.  That’s where the fish are biting!  Think of how much more business lies in each one of those neighborhoods if you decided to put all of your focus on just those areas.  From radius mailings, to newsletters, birthday cards, to recognizing local events, and even sponsoring a breakfast down at the country club of the neighborhoods you’re prevalent in; they’re all ways to stay local and build your brand where the fish are biting.

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