HVAC Business Growth: The Complete Guide

When you first started your HVAC business, you probably felt a rush of excitement with every new customer. Word about your company may have spread quickly at first, but after a while, things likely started to fizzle out.

If you’re experiencing a plateau with your HVAC company growth, we can help. Check out our 14 tips for how to get more customers for your HVAC business.

1. Make a Business Plan

Whether you’re a brand new business or an established HVAC company, if you don’t have a business plan, we recommend you create one right away. Every successful HVAC company has a business plan to help guide their hiring decisions, marketing plans, service prices, and more. Even if you don’t have a business background, a little internet research can help you create a detailed business plan.

If you haven’t taken this step yet, this stage also includes deciding how you’re going to legally structure your business. A limited liability company (LLC) is one of the most common HVAC business structures, but there are different options as well. We recommend you look into the most common business types so you can pick the best for your company.

2. Hire the Right People

The second step to HVAC business growth is hiring the right talent to help you get there. Consistent, quality service is a vital part of your business, and since you can’t do everything yourself, you need experienced individuals to help you do the job. Conduct thorough interviews and background checks to make sure you’re hiring the best HVAC professionals out there.

3. Use HVAC Answering Services

If you’ve ever struggled to manage all of your appointments or incoming calls, HVAC answering services are just the fix. By hiring a reputable call center to handle some of your day-to-day tasks, you’ll have more time and resources to grow your business. HVAC answering services can help your company by answering calls quickly, providing customer tracking services, setting appointments, and creating call reports to give valuable insights on how to improve your efforts. Another benefit? 24-hour service is available, which means your customers know they can always reach your business in case of an emergency.

4. Invest in the Right Tools

No matter how talented you and your team are, you won’t get very far without having the right tools and equipment. And in the modern world, the right equipment goes well beyond a basic tool belt. Make sure your company is investing in the best technology to aid in making a sale, submit invoices, and help customers get financing.

5. Stay Organized

As with any industry, organization skills are key to effective HVAC business management. If you’re not naturally an organized person, take a course to learn how to become one. Compile a calendar with color-coded labels, conduct regular planning meetings to talk about upcoming business, and create systems for keeping customers engaged with your business.

6. Plan for Slow Seasons

Most industries have their slow seasons, and HVAC companies are no exception. In the spring and fall, when the weather is mild and most customers aren’t using their AC or heater very often, there’s likely going to be a lull. Prepare for these slower seasons by creating appealing maintenance packages and membership plans to keep you afloat during the break in business.

7. Optimize Your Website

Are you using the power of SEO to boost your Google rankings? If not, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful tools for HVAC business growth. Hire a digital marketing agency or SEO specialist to help you optimize your website for search engines, and you’ll quickly see how the internet plays a major role in your growth.

8. Engage on Social Media

Hopefully you’ve already set yourself up on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But if you’re not regularly engaging with customers on these platforms, you’re not getting the full benefit out of them. Check in on your social media accounts every day to respond to customer comments, even if it’s just to say thank you.

9. Register Your Google My Business Page

By registering for a Google My Business page, you’ll show up on Google Maps, get a higher search ranking, and be able to collect Google Reviews. Each of these strategies is essential for any HVAC company to thrive in today’s competitive industry. Make sure you thoroughly fill out your profile by listing business hours, including photos of your staff, and linking to your website.

10. Create a Referral Program

Your existing customers are your best source for bringing in new customers. Word of mouth still reigns as the most effective form of marketing, but sometimes your customers need a little motivation to spread the word about your business. Incentivize them by offering a generous referral program. Consider giving out cash, offering free services, or giving discounts as part of your referral program. 

11. Differentiate Your Business

What makes your business stand out from the competition? If you can’t easily answer that question, it’s time to start brainstorming more HVAC business ideas to set your company apart from all the others. Maybe you invent a quirky mascot for your branding, or maybe you decide to host monthly community events. Get creative—the more unique your business is, the more likely customers will be to remember you.

12. Ask for Customer Reviews

Reviews are the modern version of word-of-mouth marketing, and companies with a positive online reputation will beat out the companies with a poor (or non-existent) online reputation. Don’t expect your reviews to roll in naturally. It takes hard work and persistence to keep the reviews flowing. Send out regular emails asking for reviews and ask for them at the end of your service appointments to increase the amount of feedback you’re getting.

13. Deliver the Highest Quality Service

Of all the things you can do to grow your HVAC business, the most important is to deliver the highest quality service to your customers. No referral program or website optimization can make up for poor service quality, so do everything you can to ensure consistent, reliable service for all of your customers. Offer extensive training for your employees, then incentivize them to uphold those standards.

14. Take Advantage of Analytics

A CRM (customer relationship management) system is an excellent source of data that you can use to improve your business. Create reports to find patterns in customer demographics, when customers most often schedule services, what incentivizes customers to come back, etc. You can also conduct customer surveys to learn even more about what makes your customers tick.

Watch Your HVAC Business Grow

Hard work and dedication to these strategies is all you need to see your HVAC business start to grow. Be creative and never stop looking for ways to innovate. Your persistence will pay off in the form of a flourishing business.