One of the biggest challenges HVAC contractors face is trying to differentiate ourselves from the myriad of other HVAC contractors that are out there. When I talk with contractors, it seems that, regardless of the size of their markets, there are always a large number of competitors in the area. For example, here in St. Louis, even though we are not a growing metropolitan area, there are more than 725 listed heating and air conditioning contractors, and that doesn’t include the moonlighters or those who have gone in business since I began writing this article. It is definitely a challenge to find ways to differentiate your company in this crowded marketplace.
Some contractors are wrapping their vehicles with a unique style of wrap to differentiate themselves. Some of these are very good and make the company’s vehicles recognizable, others became so concerned about the graphics that they forgot to make the name easily readable. While it is important to have graphics that make your vehicles stand out, if your name is not clearly readable, when a customer needs your services, he or she won’t know the name of the company to call. Seldom do people write down phone numbers or websites from trucks. The idea is to make the vehicle recognizable with a very obvious name so that consumers will remember the name when the need arises.