Being the best means keeping on top of everything — not just when you’re behind the tools, but when you’re closing in on new jobs too. Banking on the jobs to roll in on their own is well and good if you’ve made a name for yourself, but if you want those big jobs, you need to get selling.
Short on time? Skip ahead!
- 1. Start with your audience
- 2. Finding leads
- 3. Attracting leads
- 4. Sealing the deal
- 5. How to prepare for a boost in business
1. Start with your audience
When it comes to getting HVAC customer leads, it’s all about finding the right audience. If you don’t yet have a clear understanding of your target audience, start by asking the following questions.
Who are they?
Start by writing down some things about the kind of person you want to sell to. Some factors to consider:
- Age
- Income level
- Location
- Interests
Getting a clear picture of these types of factors will help you a lot when it comes to finding new HVAC leads. It will also help you to get a sense of your potential customers, so you’re better equipped to seal the deal.
What are they after?
Try to understand what your ideal customer really wants. Will you be helping them with a quick repair job, or installing and calibrating units on a new build? The answer to this question will inform the approach you take when trying to attract leads.
Where are they based?
It’s a good idea to start by targeting people close by. Most potential customers will be more open to hiring a local builder so that they have someone nearby to call on when needed.
When will they hire you?
Consider when you want to offer your services, so you can hunt down leads that suit your desired style of work. Are you a technician who wants to be head down tools up all week long, or would you prefer a 4-day workweek peppered with plenty of holidays? Is a long-term commercial job that takes months or even years up your street, or are you the type to hop from job to job quickly?
Why will they hire you?
Having a good point of difference is key when beating out the competition. Offering something genuinely unique and valuable makes you an easy choice for potential customers.
A point of difference can come in many forms, and it’s essential to think outside the box, but here are a few ideas:
- Price - Price yourself competitively to win more work.
- Bespoke Jobs - Tackle unique, one-off jobs that could require a bit of extra planning and problem-solving.
- Customer Service - Make service with a smile your thing.
- Speed - Get the job done faster and better than your competitors.
2. Finding leads
By answering the questions above, you’ll begin to get a pretty good idea of where your potential customers will be hanging out — both online and offline.
For instance, if you’ve decided that your target market is middle-aged locals with high incomes, then you could drive around nice neighbourhoods and drop flyers in letterboxes or simply talk to people.
If your target market is a little younger, you can try digital marketing or social media.
3. Attracting leads
Proactively seeking out sales leads is a textbook way to target potential customers, but these kinds of leads are usually ‘cold’, meaning that the person you’re talking to may not need your services at all. They may even respond poorly if you try to sell to them.
If you want leads that have the best chance of turning into a sale, then ‘warm’ or ‘hot’ leads are what you’re after. These are leads that are already in the market for HVAC services, so the deal could be part-way in the bag before you even start your pitch.
Exposure is the name of the game if you want to generate these kinds of leads. Start with trade directories, a decent social media channel, a website with a proper enquiries page, and some good old-fashioned posters and flyers.
- 🇺🇸 US trade business directories
- 🇬🇧 UK trade business directories
- 🇦🇺 Australian trade business directories
- 🇳🇿 NZ trade business directories
Trade tip: Leads are all around you. Make sure you’re prepared if you find one in the wild with a top-quality business card!
4. Sealing the deal
Once you have a decent list of quality leads, there’s nothing left to do but sell! While it can be tricky to get in the sales groove at first, just keep your head up and push on — it’ll only get easier with time! Just make sure you have a decent sales process in place.
5. How to prepare for a boost in business
The next big question you need to ask yourself is whether you have a plan for when you start turning leads into sales. As your number of jobs increases, will you be prepared to deal with all the admin?
While it may seem plausible to use spreadsheets or a notebook to sort your admin, the reality is that this kind of system is outdated and will only cost you time and energy in the long run.
By getting ahead of your admin early with solid job management software like Tradify, you’ll free up time and make life easy.
Tradify features:
- Quoting and estimating - create quotes and estimates quickly from any device — on-site, on the go, on the couch, or in the office.
- Invoicing - create professional-looking custom invoices quickly, so you can get paid faster.
- Scheduling - get a real-time view of project schedules, active jobs, and the locations of staff or subcontractors for real-time collaboration.
- Job tracking - keep track of time spent on jobs, organise work, and create individual tasks for your staff or subcontractors. Make team collaboration easier than ever before.
- Timesheets - create and submit digital timesheets, and use the live job timer to record hours and track time.
- Enquiries - respond to enquiries wherever you are and whenever you like.
- Automated payment reminders - automatically send follow-up emails for unpaid invoices and get paid faster.
- Subcontractor management - connect with subcontractors, organise jobs, and send or receive important job information.
- Creating an Instant Website - create a custom website tailored for your business and potential customers.
Try it free for 14 days or see the app in action in one of our live demo webinars.
