Thanks to modern communication technologies, such as cell phones, voicemail, and email, to name a few, switchboard operators including telephone answering services are going the way of the dinosaur — extinct. However, answering service companies can still provide invaluable opportunities for HVAC contractors.
The No. 1 marketing question we get is, “What do I do next?” The second is, “When do I do it?” After that, you ask us, “How much to spend” and “In what media” and then a whole bunch of stuff we have to charge you for, but, essentially, all the answers are contained under a single umbrella called planning.
Many owners jump at the first opportunity to hire a bookkeeper and start delegating all accounting tasks to someone else. It might be tempting to simply pass it over; wash your hands; and never look back. However, if you choose this path, you might as well literally give them your wallet and the keys to your home, too.
In part one of this two-part series, I explained the importance of email marketing and what contractors and business owners in the heating and cooling industry need to do to effectively set up email accounts. Now that we have covered those points, let’s take a deeper dive into creating and launching a successful email marketing campaign.
Vendors offer a variety of programs that can do everything from calculate heat loss to fully run every facet of a contractor’s business. Here are some examples of what’s available in the market today.
Besednjak tracked down Mindshare Technologies, a company that creates survey systems, and, while it took some convincing, created Customer Care Plus in 2009. Besednjak runs the service with business partner Mark Schmidt.
No one knows your business exists unless you make them aware of it. Proper marketing is essential to the success of an HVAC company, and many contractors have found success using the free advertising space afforded to them on the sides of their vans or trucks.
It is vitally important HVAC companies have a sound business strategy regarding the size and maintenance of their respective fleets of vehicles. Regardless of size, each fleet must make attempts at increased efficiency and proper maintenance in order to have sustained profitability.
The Internet has made it easy to craft and manage a personal brand. If you want to show up high in search engine results when someone looks for you online, a professional biography is fast becoming a requirement for today’s business executive.