If you’re one of those HVAC business owners who eagerly awaits the arrival of shoulder seasons so you can kick back and relax a little bit, you’re probably missing out on a substantial amount of revenue. Top-performing HVAC businesses see shoulder season as a prime strategic window that creates opportunities to solidify their customer bases, keep revenues as strong as possible, and lay the groundwork for success during the next peak season.
Make every minute of shoulder season count
Do you know one obvious difference between the top HVAC pros and the folks at the other end of the scale? It’s how they handle shoulder season. Too many HVAC owners see it as a time to take things slow and maybe take care of all that paperwork on their desk. The top shops view shoulder season as the perfect time to.
- Catch up on deferred maintenance. It’s time to reach out to customers for proactive service calls, tune-ups, and inspections.
- Generate consistent revenue. Reduce reliance on peak season emergency calls for the bulk of your revenue by keeping the dollars flowing all year long.
- Build customer loyalty. Most people don’t spend much time thinking about your business and may not even remember you helped them out of that jam a few years ago, so keep them familiar with your name and brand.
- Train and refine your team. You’ll never get as big a return from an investment than what you’ll get when you invest in your team’s skillset (especially sales skills).
- Prepare for the next peak. It’s getting closer every day, so they want to make sure inventory is where it should be and all systems are working.
Your secret weapon: shoulder season
We’re not exaggerating at all. Instead of treating shoulder season like a pause in business, focus on making it one of your most productive (and profitable) times of the year with strategies like these:
1. Push maintenance plans
The single best thing you can do during shoulder season is convince more of your customers to sign up for your preventive maintenance program. If you’re not making a strong effort to sell them, you’re leaving easy money on the table. Use your ServiceTitan data to pinpoint customers who haven’t joined your plan and are due for a tune-up. You can send personalized emails and postcards, or even have your CSRs use their slow time to make calls. If you want, you can offer a shoulder season-only special with a big discount for new members.
No matter how you promote your plan, don’t focus on what it includes. Instead, focus on the benefits it creates for members. Like better efficiency to lower utility bills, helping expensive equipment perform better and last longer, keeping their home’s indoor air cleaner and healthier, and making sure things are less likely to break down when they need them the most.
2. Focus on systems, not devices
Most in our industry talk about devices all the time. Furnaces, heat pumps, ductless mini-splits. Customers generally do the same, too. When they call, they request, “Please send someone to fix my AC!”
As HVAC professionals, we know that every one of those devices is important, but they won’t keep a customer comfortable on their own. Each works as a part of a total system that creates comfort for people. When your technicians talk with customers, they should discuss the system and not the devices. Teach them how to get customers talking about what isn’t comfortable about their home, like that southwest bedroom. Show them how solving a customer’s problem makes them and you happier. Make sure they know how to explain your financing plan. Position them as trusted comfort advisors who check all aspects of a home’s comfort system. Then watch what happens to your average per-ticket numbers.
3. Teach your team
Slower times like shoulder season provide a perfect opportunity to boost your team’s knowledge and skills. In our experience, priority #1 should be sales training – and not just for technicians, but for your CSRs, too. As they learn that sales isn’t about being pushy, and it is really all about helping other people with their needs, you’ll see changes in attitude and approach. What would it do to your bottom line if your CSRs got just 10 percent better at closing appointments?
Advanced technical training is another great use of shoulder seasons. Whether you bring trainers in to present to the entire staff or send individual techs to specialized courses, keeping your team aware of new technologies and other developments makes them better at their jobs, building customer trust and loyalty. Encouraging technicians who attend outside training to share their newfound knowledge with the rest of the team can be a great confidence-builder, too.
4. Switch marketing to proactive
During peak seasons, your main objective is to make sure potential customers know your name, so when they search for emergency help near them and your name pops up, they recognize and have a positive image of it. After all, it’s tough to handle all the peak season business you already get. But when shoulder season arrives, stop that reactive marketing and move to more proactive strategies.
For example, you can educate customers with content through blog posts, social media updates, and email newsletters. Get in the habit of seeking customer testimonials and use them in your social media marketing. Share friendly advice without strong sales efforts in your social media channels. If readers trust your advice, they’ll trust you, too. Finally, participating in community organizations and events is a great and positive way to build your brand all year long.
5. Get even better
The slightly slower pace of shoulder season is a great time to take a look in the mirror and see whether the way you’re doing business is as efficient and satisfying as it could be. It’s a good time to look at how much you’re really using the capabilities of your customer relationship management (CRM) and field service management (FSM) software and consider new ways you can use that data. Get in the habit of checking your inventory each shoulder season to see what’s moving and what’s covered with dust, then adjust your ordering. Make sure your fleet’s maintenance is up-to-date and techs are paying attention.
It’s also a good time to help your team better understand your business strategies. Don’t be afraid to share detailed financial information with them. Help them recognize how better efficiency and customer service ultimately benefits them. Talk though challenges and bottlenecks, and encourage suggestions for improving the way everyone works together. Keep doing this every shoulder season, and you’ll be amazed at what the next peak season delivers.
Want to hear more strategies like these?
There’s no single magic trick for becoming a successful HVAC company. But there are plenty of proven strategies and approaches that can help you increase sales, profitability, and the value of your business when you’re ready to spend more time golfing or fishing. That’s exactly what having an outsourced Cornerstone marketing team has done for businesses like yours across the nation. Learn more by emailing kerryf@cornerstonead.com, calling 317-804-5640 x108, or by booking a free strategy session with us here. You don’t even have to wait until shoulder season.