Well, well, well, 2021… It’s been real.

December is that special time of the year when many of you will reflect. Some of us will even make the ol’ New Year’s resolution. I don’t really care much for these things, and to be frank, I have a problem with it.

What’s my problem with it? I thought you’d never ask!

My problem with reflecting is that you’re looking back, not forward. My problem with making resolutions is that, for the most part, the focus is on the destination or the goal, but not the process.

We need to change the narrative.

This month we’re connecting what happened in 2021 to how your HVAC business’ habits and behaviors should change in 2022. Specifically, we’ll be talking about the success you’ll discover when you are open to change.

1.) Products and People

When you consider all the challenges your business faced in 2021, what sticks out the most to you? Chances are you won’t remember the specifics of a challenge. If anything, you’ll recall how the challenge made you feel.

Any successful HVAC business is built upon a foundation of products and people. When a product is out of stock, or the people involved in and around your business fail you, your solid foundation suddenly feels a tad faulty.

Supply Chain Challenges and Backorders

Did your favorite local distributor ever find a way to get you those HVAC components you needed for that job? Did they find a way to get you what you needed, when you needed it? Did they make a promise they couldn’t keep?

Granted, there’s only so much a company can do about backorders and supply chain issues. So much of this is out of their control. But there is one thing you could or should’ve done to not keep your customers waiting. Partner up with new manufacturers and distributors.

By aligning your business to new products, you instantaneously reduce these risks. Your business provides your community with home services. When you can’t provide that service due to a hiccup in inventory or lack of workforce, you drive your loyal customer base to competitors that can help them right now.

Attract and Retain Your Workforce

Your ability to attract and retain talent is a critical element to any HVAC business. Without them, you:

• can’t efficiently service as many customers
• will be forced to do things you don’t enjoy doing
• won’t be able to focus on growing your business

The fact is, you need them to grow and maintain a profitable business. The Great Resignation has 1000% affected the HVAC industry. In a recent article by the Havard Business Review, resignation rates were higher among employees who worked in fields that had experienced extreme increases in demand due to the pandemic, likely leading to increased workloads and burnout.

If you aren’t providing your staff with value and purpose, they will leave. There has been a shift in power, and to attract and retain your staff, you need to:

• establish a company culture
• create opportunities for professional growth
• focus your job posting on the candidate, not your company

Fortunately for you, we created an article that covers approximately 92% of these pain points here.

2.) Be Open to New Things in 2022

Historically speaking, the HVAC industry has been slow to evolve, adopting and incorporating new ideas and trends at a snail’s pace. The whole “this is the way we’ve always done it” line doesn’t work anymore, and quite frankly, it’s dangerous.

The truth is, HVAC businesses have it almost as rough as the restaurant industry. Half of you will fail by year 5. 90% will fail by year 10. It’s extremely hard to be successful without adding new services, trending products, or new marketing strategies to your business.

So you might be wondering… “Okay, well what new shiny things should I be open to in 2022?” Loaded question… Behold: Your laundry list:

Online Training – It’s much more effective than in-person training. Why take your tech out of the field for half of the workday when they can learn the same thing online, whenever they want? Here are some online courses you can try out right now ➡

IAQ – This market continues to grow. Homeowners and businesses are looking for IAQ experts to help them breathe cleaner air. It’s not enough to be an HVAC company that dabbles in IAQ. You and your team need to actually know how to have a meaningful conversation with your customers about mechanical ventilation, filtration, purification, and humidity control. This means:

1. Getting your team trained to properly investigate and analyze homes
2. You need to partner with the right IAQ manufacturers and distributors
3. Adding these services to your website and online directories

It’s a huge commitment with lots of moving parts, and we can help you get started in the IAQ business ➡

Digital Marketing – It all works to get your business in front of the right person at the right time. You need to align the services your business provides with your customers online. The #1 reason many of you don’t focus on the marketing aspect of your business is lack of time. Shameless plug time: We provide HVAC industry digital marketing services ➡

Community Engagement – It’s not enough to post on social media or add your business to Yelp or Google. You need to be monitoring them in real-time and join the conversation. Responding to every comment, review, email, and DM gives your business depth. Too many of you make the mistake of focusing on casting a wide net, but not focusing on the people engaging with you right now.

Create Content – Creating valuable content and sharing it on your website and social media channels establishes you as the expert in that field. The best thing you can do is to first create a video. Why? Because it’s the most popular content type right now. The best thing about video is recycling and repurposing the content. That video can be cut up into short videos, memes, articles, and social media posts. Need some inspiration? Here you go ➡

Technology and Software – If you’re not actively looking for new technology to provide for your customers, your business won’t age well. Customers will simply call and work with competitors that have what they want, whether it’s IoT or smart home devices. Software can help to speed up any of your manual daily tasks, giving you more time to focus on growing your business.

Related Links to Resources, Content, Videos, and More

• Improve your HVAC business workflow with software. Here’s how!
• Have you been on the fence about whether or not you should join an IAQ association? We have some thoughts on this subject here.
• Since we’re talking about creating more content in 2022, here’s some content for you to play around with.
• We sat down with Ben Reed, Haven IAQ’s VP of Product on REPTalk. In the episode, we talk about the business benefits of adding central air quality monitors and controllers into your customer’s homes. Listen or watch now!