HVAC sales are seasonal. You usually have to wait for freezing cold temperatures or extremely hot weather days for your phone to ring off the hook. But, what if there was a creative way to increase your sales during the upcoming HVAC slow season? A way that costs very little and doesn’t take much time.
We’ve discovered some original ways to help you double or triple what you did last fall. Using these five tips, you’ll boost profits, get people interested in working with you and give them a reason to pick up the phone and call you now!
When Is HVAC’s Off-Season?
The HVAC off-season is here now and will return in the spring. It’s that time of year when demand for heating and cooling services is lower. The weather is shifting and just nice enough that doors and windows are left open and HVAC systems aren’t being used. Unless it’s unusually cold or hot, the demand for HVAC services dwindles.
This leaves many HVAC business owners wondering what they can do to boost sales during this time of the year. Regardless of if you’re slow or busy, your employees still want their paycheck and bills to keep the lights on won’t stop coming in. That’s why using this time to increase sales and focus on growth is critical during these times.
5 Tips to Boost HVAC Sales in the Slow Season
The HVAC slow season puts many HVAC businesses in quite the predicament. Even if you crushed sales this past year and planned for the slow season accordingly, this article is still for you. Even the most successful businesses know they should always keep the momentum going and profit year-round.
1. Free In-Home Consultations
Offer a free in-home consultation to show customers how they can save money on their HVAC bills this winter. Also, take this opportunity to upsell when it makes sense. (Or as our Training Director likes to say, offer system enhancements!) Selling points include service agreements, new upgraded filters, furnace maintenance, indoor air quality upgrades, or a combination of all!
The consultation should be thorough and bring your customers true value. Ask the homeowners questions to learn more about their unique needs, and identify pain points that you can service.
2. Offer Exclusive Fall Season HVAC Deals
Fall is the perfect time for HVAC businesses to offer seasonal deals. But what’s so great about autumn? There’s an old saying that goes ‘the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.’ In this case, the best time for them to get an HVAC system installed is now because it will work all year round with little maintenance needed on their part! And if they call before December, you’ll throw in free installation with any new unit purchased. And make sure to highlight the monetary value of the deal (example: $500 value). This is how seasonal HVAC deals are done right.
Take this time to develop relationships and increase lifetime value: To grow a business, customer relationships are crucial. KGG’s Training Director offers insight on how to increase customer lifetime value and create stronger ties with clients for your company’s success in the long run! Watch now ➞
3. Focus on Preventative Maintenance Agreements
The best thing about selling preventative maintenance is that it moves your customers from one of two categories: they are either satisfied and loyal HVAC customers, or new and future prospects. Whether you’re looking for a way to fight off competitors or are just trying to find new sales strategies, follow these three tips this fall for preventing sales loss in the upcoming slow season. Not only will your customers keep coming back for HVAC services, but you’ll find yourself getting referrals as well as seeing high retention rates on your preventative maintenance plans.
A. Sell Preventative Maintenance Packages
You can market preventative maintenance services with different packages. For example, offer an “annual tune-up” (four hours every year); the main change is the number of service visits required to maintain your customer’s system throughout the upcoming fall and spring months. You can also promote energy savings plans or monthly plans for HVAC units that allow you to provide four out of the five scheduled services for one low price.
B. Offer Maintenance Contracts for New Units
When selling new HVAC units during the slow season, it’s important you add services that help keep your business connected to the customer. The goal is to build consumer confidence and trust in your business and the services you provide. Including a free (or significantly reduced) maintenance contract with their new purchase accomplishes this. This way, should anything go wrong with any part of their HVAC system, they know to reach out to you.
12 Pillars For HVAC Contractor Success: Scott Ritchey, a successful author and business coach with the mission to help HVAC contractors across America realize the power of maintenance agreements while running profitable businesses. Listen now ➞
4. Create Marketing Content
This may be the slow season for your HVAC business, but it doesn’t have to be a slow time for content creation. You can still use this time to create great marketing content that will engage your local community and keep your business top of mind.
Create helpful tips for seasonal heating and cooling that you can hand out at events or blast to your email list. Take advantage of social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to share these tips as well. Sharing HVAC-related content, including funny memes and educational short videos, are always a great idea.
Creating and sharing great content on social media or your website pays dividends. You might not see the ROI immediately, but over time you’ll notice an uptick in traffic, leads, and eventually sales. Best of all, these metric upticks don’t cost you anything!
5. Learn and Sell IAQ
Highly consider adding indoor air quality services to your HVAC toolkit. This will provide ample opportunity for growth as people are increasingly aware of the effects poor indoor air quality has on their health and wellness. HVAC and IAQ are complimentary services that work together to improve energy efficiency, comfort, and air quality.
IAQ products and services can be added with minimal investment or training and provide a great return on investment in just a few months. You’ll also be able to charge higher prices than if you were only installing and servicing traditional HVAC systems. You’ll also find less competition from other local contractors in this market niche. Most IAQ installs take less than 90 minutes and are profitable. It can add an extra $5,000, $15,000, $50,000 or more in annual revenue!
The best part, if you decide to get started in IAQ and invest in IAQ training for your team, or if you already offer IAQ… we can help you get free qualified leads. All you have to do is qualify your business for free leads on IAQLeads.com.
