What is HVAC Sales?
HVAC sales is the process of selling heating, air conditioning, and ventilation products or services to prospects and existing customers through relationship building and brand promotion.
HVAC Sales Strategy
Sales and marketing go hand-in-hand, so it’s essential to have a solid HVAC marketing strategy and a streamlined and structured sales process. Your sales strategy should have a defined goal of closing the deal after a lead passes through the carefully crafted nurturing funnel.
In the following post, HVAC Webmasters outlines HVAC sales tips you can use in 2022. As a marketing agency working with hundreds of HVAC contractors throughout the United States, we know something about the industry. You might think of sales as gimmicks, but the following are HVAC sales gimmicks that work.
HVAC Sales Ideas for 2022
You’ve tried everything, and you’re still not closing enough deals. The good news is that several techniques can boost your sales process immediately. Check out some of the best HVAC sales tips for 2022:
1) Bundle Services
Bundling services is a common sales tactic for many industries, but it can be instrumental in the HVAC business. Think about how often your customers call you for a standalone service: furnace repair, A/C maintenance, vent cleaning, etc.
The great thing about HVAC service is that it is always needed. So why not sell your customers on maintenance services? Signing up existing customers for seasonal check-ups, tune-ups, and repairs is a great way to generate year-round income and offers your customers a valuable service at the same time.
Maintenance packages are a great way to increase sales because it takes the burden of HVAC maintenance off the customer’s shoulders. So the next time you complete a standalone job for your customer, think about selling them on maintenance packages tailored to their specific systems.
2) Create a Sales List
Whether you are selling an HVAC product or service, it never pays to go in half-cocked. No matter your specific pitch, you must ensure that it does not land on deaf ears. Carefully curating a sales list is especially important for HVAC contractors because only a select few of the population will be interested in HVAC services.
There are a few ways to create a sales list. Here are some of the most effective:
- Social Media: You already have your business on social media, so why not start leveraging it to drum up leads? Your followers are likely people interested in HVAC service, so you can pull names, numbers, and contact info from your social media outlets.
- Online Contact Forms: Make sure you follow up with people who willingly give their contact information on your website. These are likely to be your hottest leads.
- Past Customers: Take a look at old invoices. If you haven’t heard from a customer in quite a while, chances are they are due for some HVAC service.
- Paid Leads: If you have the budget, paying for exclusive leads can be a great way not only to build up your sales list but give sales, in general, a shot in the arm.
- Trade Shows: Trade shows are an excellent way to get leads and build a solid sales list. HVAC trade shows are especially fruitful if you want/do a lot of B2B HVAC work.
Creating a sales list of likely customers is excellent, but what do you do once you have your list?
3) Reaching Out
How you reach out to your sales list is essential. For example, suppose your sales list includes retirees or senior citizens in general. In that case, you may want to consider a phone call instead of an email. The opposite is advisable if you are dealing with younger, first-time homeowners.
Basically, be mindful of who you are reaching out to. That being said, reaching out the wrong way is better than not reaching out at all. Following up with your customers is extremely important and can significantly increase your sales numbers.
If you are having trouble with what to say when you are reaching out to people on your sales list, here are a few pointers:
- Loose Script: We advise against having a universal HVAC sales script because people can tell when they are pitched. Instead, we recommend having a flexible script that you can change up from customer to customer.
- Know your Customer: It can be time-consuming, but knowing your customers’ needs before reaching out to them can seriously boost sales. Take some time to research the customer’s area, how old they are, and services they have paid for in the past. Knowing what kind of HVAC services/products leads are likely to need beforehand will make your pitch more alluring.
- Talk About the Problem: Sales are usually not closed in the first outreach. So it can be helpful to avoid trying to sell anything when you first talk to a prospective customer. Instead, talk about the problems that can arise if they don’t invest in your HVAC product/service. This will get them thinking and qualify them even further as leads.
4) Upselling and Cross-Selling
Upselling is when you convince customers to upgrade their HVAC system or product to a higher-end, more expensive model. Cross-selling is when you sell them on a product/service related to one they are already paying for. For HVAC sales, it’s good to employ a healthy mixture of both techniques.
Again, this can include bundling maintenance services. Or, in the case of upselling, you can advise the customer that an upgraded furnace blower or AC unit would save them money on their utility bills.
If you are coming to a customer’s house to clean out their ducts for the winter, consider selling them on a furnace or heater tuneup as well. Look at every service you render as an opportunity to make another sale.
5) Give the Customer Options
Often, people don’t close HVAC sales because they are not presented with attractive options. For example, the customer may need a new AC but ultimately decide to do without because of the limited options in their price range. Therefore, as much as possible, present options that will attract many customers.
This could mean having multiple options for energy-efficient models for those conscious of their impact on the environment. It could also mean having high-end units for people looking for the latest and greatest HVAC systems. And, of course, it never hurts to have multiple service/product options for people with different budgetary limitations.
While offering customers multiple options is a significant first step; it doesn’t mean anything unless you are willing to present them clearly and attractively.
HVAC Sales Closing Techniques
Getting 17 at the blackjack table doesn’t mean you win the hand. Likewise, guessing a curveball and getting it doesn’t mean a home run. The reality is that you can put yourself in a position to close a sale and still not get the job done. However, a few sales closing techniques can further increase your odds. Check them out below:
Assumptive Closer
The assumptive closer is all about assumption, which, as the old saying goes, don’t worry about that here. Essentially, as the salesperson, you assume the deal is already done, which leads you to ask questions about the delivery time, quantity, etc.
The assumptive closing tends to work well if the prospect has already demonstrated interest in proceeding. Of course, there are cases where they will refuse to play along, but they are ready and willing in most cases.
Query Closer
The query closer asks prospects a series of questions like do you feel this service meets your current needs? You have laid the framework for a boxing close if you can produce an affirmative for most of your questions.
In other words, it becomes illogical for the prospect to refuse service when they’ve already logically agreed it’s best for them.
The Helpful Closer
Consider the helpful closer for salespeople who prefer a softer and less manipulative tactic. Repeatedly describe the prospect’s process of becoming a customer without pressuring them to complete it. You must be consistent and vary your terminology because you’ll outline the same operation multiple times.
You will find that many prospects feel most comfortable with this approach since they want to feel like it’s their decision, not yours. Best of all, you can go home with a clean conscience as you did not engage in manipulative tactics and instead relied on the quality of your services or products.
