As an HVAC service contractor, you’re likely up to date on your knowledge of equipment, technical training, and pricing. But if you’re still losing contracts, chances are there are a few things you’ve neglected. 

 

Relationships can make or break you

 

We’ve all learned that healthy relationships are essential to a strong company, but we often focus on our staff dynamics and forget about what a healthy relationship with the client looks like. If we walk into a customer’s office with a one-size-fits-all plan, it means we’re more focused on what we can sell them rather than what they need.

 

Setting up a meeting with one or more consultants in the facility and listening to how they operate is essential. If you want to be in this for the long haul, the best thing you can do is take the soundest relationship advice there is to heart–shut up and listen.

 

Keep asking questions. Typically, your questions will be unique to each building. In a walkthrough, make sure you know every detail. Is the equipment located on a rooftop? In a mechanical room? Is it below ground? Is there equipment above multiple rooms in hard-to-reach spaces? Do they have a maintenance staff who will be doing some of the upkeep? Before you can draw a contract that is perfect for your customer, you must come to an understanding of what they need, and asking questions is the fastest way to get there.

 

 

Get Creative

Typically, HVAC companies don’t think of themselves as creative types, but if you’re not tapping into that side of the brain, your business can suffer. 

Really understanding and knowing the geographics in your service area is something you can use to set you apart from competitors. Let’s say every June and July you notice an influx in condenser fan repairs. Some of the issues your clients face could be as simple as needing oil regularly. Find creative ways to offer this service to your customers as a bonus, a standard, or at a discounted price.

Perhaps you have a river valley with high humidity in your service area, maybe you’re in a rural area that has only dirt road access, whatever the geography, create a service you can include to keep your customer’s system running, and them happy.

Find the niche within your service. If you are making relationships a priority, you know that referrals are the most powerful form of trust-transfer there is. Finding a niche like being the best HVAC service company for schools in your area is another creative way to set yourself apart. Think outside the standard HVAC box.

 

 

 

 

Be willing to pay a small price for a big payoff

You might be thinking that it will cost you too much to offer repairs and upkeep as an included or discounted service, but the important fact to highlight both in your company and to your clients is that emergency service is always more expensive than maintenance. When you have a client who has a system that would cost a million dollars if one of their lines goes down, cleaning condenser coils once a week as part of their maintenance package isn’t going to seem like too much of a price to pay. And a weekly fee that you get to include into their plans ensures that your company will not have to experience loss. 

It goes back to your relationship. If your client is going to auto-renew their contract with you, there’s a lot you need to say upfront. Things like long-term planning, percentage increases for inflation rates, and the understanding of how much high dollar value a contracted plan can be for them, need to be spelled out as much as possible. 

Develop a long-term plan

Let’s call this the next phase of your committed relationship. Begin by setting up the frequency of engagement. Annual reviews and a five-year plan should be your contract standard. Repairs, maintenance and replacement are all included when you establish this partnership. 

Remember to discuss how old the equipment is, what their current needs are, and what their desire for upgrades will be in the future. Keeping ongoing communication should also be a priority. Having a touchpoint with more than one executive helps ensure their company understand its own needs. If you’re only talking to the CFO who’s concerned about signing a deal, there likely won’t be an understanding about why these supplies and services are in the company’s best interest. Invest in knowing multiple people within the facility.

If someone likes you enough to sign a contract with you, it’s probably because you’ve invested the right amount of time in them. If they jump ship and sign a contract with the next guy, it could be that you are the one who dropped the ball. We’ve all suffered from breakups but being authentic and upfront about things from the start with the other person’s long-term best interest at heart is the best way to gain trust and retain the customers you serve.