Hey there, Ken Summers here.
With Memorial Day behind us, summer is in full swing. Typically, it’s a busy season for HVAC contractors with homeowners needing help with their air conditioning.
However, there’s more to being a successful HVAC contractor than simply riding the seasonal demand such as repairing/replacing an AC unit that breaks during the summertime. I hear feedback from Comfort Institute (CI) members, who are mostly HVAC contractors, that HVAC seasonality is big challenge for their businesses.
Recently, a group of CI members from all over the country and myself gathered together for “shop talk” about this challenge and how contractors can overcome HVAC seasonality, stay busy all-year-around, and truly help homeowners’ needs.
These talks are formally known as CI Mixed Group Training. Only CI members get to participate in these regularly scheduled mixed group discussions, but we had such a great conversation, there were a few points that were too good not to share. I’ve outlined them below.
#1: Stop Just Selling HVAC Equipment.
Successful contractors do more than just sell HVAC equipment. They sell equipment merely as a means to truly help meet homeowners needs (contractors can also help their homeowners in more ways than just selling equipment).
When you think about it, homeowners don’t necessarily want to buy HVAC equipment. They purchase HVAC products when they are needed. They typically buy when they want to fix a problem with the heating or air conditioning of their homes. In the mixed group training session, our members shared invaluable insights into what “stop selling HVAC equipment” actually means in practice and how it helps grow their businesses and provide better services to homeowners.
#2: Empathize with Homeowners.
Similar to point number one, expressing genuine empathy towards homeowners is also critical to growing your business and satisfying your customers. However, empathy is not always top of mind for contractors. In the mixed group training, our members collaborated unique ways how to show genuine empathy towards homeowners effectively.
#3: Leverage Sales Promotions.
Whether it’s financing, rebates, coupons, or something else, sales promotions are a win-win for contractors and homeowners. When we dug into this topic during the training, I was impressed at the creative and innovative thinking of our members for how to execute sales promotions in their businesses.
#4: Know Your Audience.
This final point is last for a reason because it relates well to all of the previous points. As a contractor, knowing your audience should be one of your highest priorities. It’s critical you understand what your customers truly need and how you can genuinely help them. Once again, our members shared incredible insights into the realities of how they go about understanding their customers and their needs.
#5: Build Relationships with Local Utility Companies.
Another way contractors can overcome HVAC seasonality is strategically working with local utility companies. It might feel like a pain as a contractor to work with the government, but our members have identified some untapped growth opportunities leveraging the local utilities in their service areas.
Are you a contractor reading this post? We’d love to chat with you about how the Comfort Institute membership can help your business overcome HVAC seasonality, stay busy all-year-round, and truly satisfy homeowners. Call us 800.933.5656, email us, or leave a comment below.
Interested in being a part of future mixed group training discussions? Call us 800-933-5656 or email us to speak with a representative about becoming a Comfort Institute member.
Are you a homeowner? Don’t settle for any HVAC contractor. Find a CI-certified contractor near you who will help you with your heating and cooling needs with the proven Comfort Institute whole home approach to HVAC.