Dear HVAC Business Owner,
Thank you for your attention.
I do not take it lightly and I will do my absolute best to keep it and earn more of it.
Contained within, please find the best model for building a wildly profitable HVAC business...
That’s it!
Enjoy!
Karim Ghaddar
Founder, Cedrus Agency
1)Lead Generation & Conversion
1)Lead Generation &
Conversion
1.1)How to Get Website Visitors to Click & Call!
1.1)How to Get Website Visitors
to Click & Call!
Getting a lot of traffic to your site is important, but it doesn't mean much if website visitors don't DO anything when they are there. But how do you get a visitor on your site to hire you? How to do you get them to call your or click on some service?
You need to include elements on your site called CTA - which stands for Call To Action. These are things that effectively are desirable to your potential customers and give them all the reason they need to call you!
SITES I REALLY LIKE
CALL TO ACTION
This is a FANTASTIC example of how to offer a compelling CTA and make money in the process!
https://www.brothersplumbing.com/
This is actually pretty clever. If somebody clicks on ‘get this coupon’ they are taken to a page where they have to give up their name, address and email to get the coupon. Once somebody gives up this information, I guarantee they are getting reminder emails about clean and checks in the fall and spring, filter reminders, specials they are running and who knows what else.
Yes, they are offering a great coupon, but its more than paying for itself in the long run.
https://www.brothersplumbing.com/online-coupon/?cid=35321
Below is the email I got.
This is a BIG FAIL. A customer trusted them with their personal info and they send them "Thank you for applying for an online coupon, you can download or print your coupon(s) here!"
Instead, they should send an email with a picture of the team waving or an attractive image of some kind!
https://www.goldenwestph.com/plumbing-offers/
23 OFFERS ON ONE PAGE JUST FOR PLUMBING!
23 OFFERS ON ONE PAGE JUST
FOR PLUMBING!
23 OFFERS ON ONE PAGE JUST FOR PLUMBING!
https://summitheatingco.com/
https://www.serviceexpertsdenver.com/offers
https://www.dalcohvac.com/
https://lakesideheating.com/
https://www.controllingsystemsco.com/specials/
https://www.logichvacr.com/
https://www.customhpaces.com/
https://www.ars.com/colorado
https://strikeforceac.com/coupons/
https://www.metroacs.com/specials
https://www.metroacs.com/specials/financing
https://bakerbrothersplumbing.com/baker-brothers-lifetime-warranty-air-conditioning/
https://www.stark-services.com/communities/dallas
https://uniquehvac.com/specials/
https://www.altitudecomfort.com/denver-hvac-promotions.php
CLICK TO CHAT
1.2)Marketing Tactic to Get Every Replacement Job
A New Way to Market for Furnace & AC Installs
The HVAC Replacement Install marketing idea is this: Every year, send a birthday card NOT to the person that lives there (in case it’s not the same people), but send a birthday card to the equipment. That’s right. A “happy birthday to your furnace” card!
Let’s take me, for example. I’ve been in my house five years. I would really get a kick out of receiving a birthday card every year and it’s addressed to my HVAC system.
And you can have some fun with this. When an HVAC system is 10 years old, you’re not going to send a card that says “happy 10th birthday” to that system. Because in furnace years, that’s getting up there. You’re celebrating that system’s 10-year birthday, but the card itself could speak to how the system is really getting up in years, nearing retirement.
So when a system gets to be 15 years old, you’re celebrating your golden years.
Be the HVAC Company New Homeowners Turn To
Be the HVAC Company New
Homeowners Turn To
Be the HVAC Company New Homeowners Turn To
Someone moves in a new house, and within a few months they get a card giving them important information about their HVAC system (how old it is), but also WHO installed the system. Homeowners will easily opt for using the installers of equipment they need serviced, often assuming you would be the best company to handle it.
If you didn’t already miss out on that replacement job, you’re looking at a system that’s 15 or 16 years old, so you’re in a really good situation. And the more of these cards you get out there, the more you are putting yourself in those good situations over and over.
1.3)The Only 3 Things You Need to Know About Marketing
1.3)The Only 3 Things You
Need to
Know About Marketing
Be honest. When that email comes in from your marketing rep, how much do you dread reading it? How much are you thinking it’s going to be a whole bunch of information that you:
Do not really understand
Do not have the time to deal with it
All those stats and figures your marketing agency sends you don’t just seem too confusing. They are. They may explain that marketing in a digital world must be complicated. That you need their help to translate it for you.
No, it really isn’t. And also you really shouldn’t.
Good reporting should give you exactly the information you need to have in order to know whether your marketing money is being well spent.
At Cedrus Agency, we developed a simplified reporting system to clearly show the 3 most important things any digital marketing effort should achieve.
How we look at reporting at our digital marketing agency has changed. Over the recent years, it has gone through a big evolution.
There are TONS of analytics and data we can gather and pile onto our clients to show them nearly every ounce of information that exists with a website and digital activity. But who wants a novel-sized book every month of every single data point that exists?
No one has time for that.
Knowing your marketing efforts and money is working should not be a full-time job in itself.
Having worked with dozens of service business owners, we know what our clients want. And we also know what they don’t want.
Let’s be real – most service business owners do not want to understand analytics, SEO, and clicks and click-through rate and conversion rates.
Our clients are great at running a successful HVAC business. They are passionate about what they do, and skilled at what they do. They work hard at it and spend more time than they wish at the office making sure everything is going right.
So, bottom line: we do not waste their time.
Over the years, we have revamped our reporting to clients. We have begun to look at reporting in a little different way than most marketing agencies.
For our digital marketing reports, we look at three main things.
Are more people finding you online?
Are more of them taking action than they were before?
How does that connect to your bottom line?
From the get-go with any new client, that is the roadmap that we are on.
Every decision we make, every piece of work we focus on, the important SEO we do, the targeted effort is to get all the pieces in place so we can move the needle on those three key points.
We focus on the work that results in growth in these three areas: Are more people are finding you online. Are more of them are taking action. And how can we connect that to the bottom line.
1.4)Marketing for Multiple Service Areas
1.4)Marketing for
Multiple Service Areas
It’s a common problem among service company websites. They are doing this one particular thing in order to rank well for ALL the towns they provide service to. But this one thing will get them penalized for Google. That means their website won’t rank well for any of those little towns and probably not for the main city as well!
Cedrus Agency works with heating and air companies across the country. Many have just one location that serves communities outside of the main city. Others operate out of multiple locations servicing dozens of nearby towns.
Whether you have one location that serves multiple towns or you have multiple locations in several cities, be advised there is a right way and a wrong way to do marketing for multiple service areas.
When it comes to multiple locations, the big thing is you will look at a website and see somewhere at the bottom a dozen (or sometimes much more!) links to pages for different towns. Or they could be for neighborhoods, or perhaps suburbs or parts of Dallas and all around Dallas. This company may look like they are actually in these 28 different cities and suburbs and communities of Dallas.
Google Penalizes Doorway Pages
These are called doorway pages, and it is a terrible way to go about trying to rank well for multiple service areas.
Several years ago, Google started penalizing these doorway pages.
Doorway pages are just really, really thin pages. They are essentially all the same content, you just changed the title, the name of the city, but it’s pretty much all the same kind of content.
Having 15 or 20 or 30 thin location pages of essentially duplicate content where you are just changing out the city name is a recipe for getting penalized by Google.
If you haven’t been penalized for that, you could be at any time. It’s a recipe for disaster to have 20 or 30 pages like this.
Best Marketing Strategies for Multiple Service Areas
How do you get around it? Well, you do not try to just copy/paste your way into convincing Google you are the service provider for dozens of different places. It would be better to find a way to show Google you genuinely do provide good service to each town.
Perhaps it’s renting a $200 office in that city 30 minutes away. Better yet, get your company involved in that community by sponsoring a race or attending a local parade. Post some technician photos or highlight some jobs you did in that city. Actually put some legs underneath your claim that you service that town or area.
That’s the way to rank for different cities.
If you’d like to learn more about what we do, who we serve, and how we bring them value, check out what our HVAC clients have to say about the work we do for them.
2)Google Reviews & Reputation Management
2)Google Reviews &
Reputation Management
In this section we explain:
How to Get Your HVAC Company to 1000 Google Reviews (in less than 4 months)
Few things will do more to get customers to call you vs. the other guy than an impressive number of glowing reviews!
Few things will do more to get customers to call you vs. the other guy than an impressive number of glowing reviews!
Few things will do more to get customers to call you vs. the other guy than an impressive number of glowing reviews!
Which company do you think your customers would call?
Which company do you think your customers would call?
Which company do you think your customers would call?
In this guide, I will show you how to put human psychology to work for you so your techs are HAPPY to ask for reviews and your customers are HAPPY TO GIVE ONE!
In this guide, I will show you how to put human psychology to work for you so your techs are HAPPY to ask for reviews and your customers are HAPPY TO GIVE ONE!
In this guide, I will show you how to put human psychology to work for you so your techs are HAPPY to ask for reviews and your customers are HAPPY TO GIVE ONE!
3 concepts essential to understand before I get to the good stuff:
The closer you can get to the moment a customer is thrilled that their problem is solved, the more likely they will leave a review. This is very powerful and important. The more time that elapses after the service is complete, your chances of getting a review drop like a rock in the ocean. This is key!
‘Because’ is a magic word when you want to get people to do something. They did a study at Harvard in 1978 with a line of people waiting to use a copy machine. When the word ‘because’ was used when asking to cut in line, for example, Excuse me, may I use the copy machine because I’m in a rush or because I only have five pages,” the compliance was 94%.
Few things will motivate your guys to ask for reviews more than seeing somebody they work with taking home a giant TV for making a minimal effort! Envy can be a powerful motivator!
I will provide links to the research behind WHY these three concepts are so powerful at the end of this guide. The more you can embrace and drive these three principles, the faster you will get to 1000 (or 10,000) reviews!
WHAT YOU NEED TO GET STARTED GETTING GOOGLE REVIEWS
You will need a big whiteboard.
You can spend hundreds of dollars on one or go to Home Depot and get a white 32×96 hardboard white tile board. They are meant to be shower walls but work perfectly as a dry-erase board for less than $20.00.
Then set up the board similar to this, with one line for each technician you have in the field.
You will want to mount the whiteboard in a place all the guys will see it with all their names on it and announce a contest.
Then go on Amazon and buy a cheap 4K TV for just over $300.
Whoever is responsible for bringing in the most Google reviews
this month wins the TV!
Whoever is
responsible for
bringing in the
most Google reviews
this month wins the TV!
Whoever is responsible for bringing in the most Google reviews
this month wins the TV!
Before you think something like, “We tried this before,” or “We had a contest before,” ask yourself these questions:
Did I ever train the guys HOW to ask for a review in a way that guaranteed results?
Did I, in a very public and visible way, show the contest results so everybody could see who was beating them?
Did I run the contest for 3+ months? THIS IS KEY! (if you only do this for one month, don’t do it!) This whole thing’s power comes in months two and three (and beyond).
When you announce the contest, make it a BIG DEAL!
Get some balloons, bring bagels in the morning, announce the push to get to 1000 reviews by the end of the year, and put reminders up around the office and in the vehicles where they will see them.
HOW TO TRACK WHO IS WINNING:
The big thing is to update the whiteboard often and ideally daily.
It might help a lot to assign ONE person that is responsible for updating the board.
It’s pretty easy to match up most of the reviews to actual names of service calls the guys just ran.
If somebody on your team was responsible for 2-3 years yesterday they will let you know those reviews were theirs!
(We can help coordinate keeping track if you’d like help. Contact us to let us get started!)
Guess what will happen. You are right, most of the guys won’t give a care about the contest. It’s hot out, they are in a hurry, they have things to do and no time to worry about some stupid competition and a TV they probably won’t win.
Be patient. This WILL work, but it takes a little time to get traction.
When you roll out the contest, you teach (and demonstrate) how to ask for reviews so that your customers are HAPPY to give them one!
HOW TO ASK FOR GOOGLE REVIEWS
Ask! Just ask! Opening your mouth and asking will do more than anything else to get reviews
Asking as close to the moment you let the customer know their problem is fixed – this alone will DRAMATICALLY make a big difference!
Use a ‘because’ will make this a homerun
“Do you mind leaving us a review on Google?
We are having a contest, and it would really help me out a lot.”
“Do you mind leaving us a review on Google real quick? We have a contest running and…”
“Hey, do you mind dropping us a review on Google? We are… “
If you put up the whiteboard and they see the TV, some of your guys will care and put in some effort.
They have to SEE the whiteboard of them being last, who is first, AND the actual TV somebody will take home.
MONTH TWO
This is where things get interesting. The give-a-care factor went up for the guys that didn’t try during month one, and the guys who DID try now have to make more than a minimal effort to win again!
IMPORTANT
Like most things, 80% of the results will come from 20% of the guys who are trying so making it nice and visible will really push them!
Different things motivate different people but nobody wants to be last!
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the power of the male ego.
You must DRIVE the contest for the best results.
At the of the month, regardless of how many reviews you got, you will want to award the TV to the ‘winner’!
MONTH TWO
This is where things get interesting. The give-a-care factor went up for the guys that didn’t try during month one, and the guys who DID try now have to make more than a minimal effort to win again!
IMPORTANT
Like most things, 80% of the results will come from 20% of the guys who are trying so making it nice and visible will really push them!
Different things motivate different people but nobody wants to be last!
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the power of the male ego.
You must DRIVE the contest for the best results.
At the of the month, regardless of how many reviews you got, you will want to award the TV to the ‘winner’!
IF YOU DON’T MEASURE IT, YOU CAN’T IMPROVE IT
Month Three
This is where it gets fun.
Roll out another TV!
You want all the guys to see one guy win a TV just for asking customers for a review.
If you have driven the contest, you WILL have the buy-in from every guy that works for you – they will have seen two of their coworkers take home that giant TV!
By now, you have guys having their family and friends leave a review! (Who cares who leaves them as long as they are real people and leave five stars) We helped one of our clients run this contest, I personally got them 14 reviews and almost won the dang TV, and I don’t even work there.
The key to making all this work is what they are winning, and the leaderboard needs to be visible! They need to see them every day when they come to work!
WHAT GETS MEASURED, GETS IMPROVED.
If you have 6 techs in the field running 6 calls daily, that is 36 calls daily. If ONLY 40% of those resulted in a Google review, that is 14 a DAY! That is over 70 a week or 280 a month!
THAT IS OVER THREE THOUSAND REVIEWS IN LESS THAN A YEAR!
3)SEO & Google Rankings
This section has 2 parts:
1. Ranking Well On Google
2. GOOGLE BASICS: SEO 101
Let's get straight into it.
3.1)Ranking Well On Google
WHY IT'S A MATTER OF TRUST
I know marketing online today can seem confusing. Digital marketing, online marketing, SEO – it comes in a lot of names. So lets break down what SEO is and how it’s all about one thing: earning Google’s trust.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. Regardless what you call it, at the end of the day, it’s all about one thing. It’s about Google trusting who you are, where you are, what you do, and why you’re the best at it.
That’s the name of the game.
WHY IT'S A MATTER OF TRUST
I know marketing online today can seem confusing. Digital marketing, online marketing, SEO – it comes in a lot of names. So lets break down what SEO is and how it’s all about one thing: earning Google’s trust.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. Regardless what you call it, at the end of the day, it’s all about one thing. It’s about Google trusting who you are, where you are, what you do, and why you’re the best at it.
That’s the name of the game.
WHY IT'S A MATTER OF TRUST
I know marketing online today can seem confusing. Digital marketing, online marketing, SEO – it comes in a lot of names. So lets break down what SEO is and how it’s all about one thing: earning Google’s trust.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. Regardless what you call it, at the end of the day, it’s all about one thing. It’s about Google trusting who you are, where you are, what you do, and why you’re the best at it.
That’s the name of the game.
Ranking Well on Google: TRUST
Everything that we do as a as a digital marketing agency for our clients is all about earning Google’s trust for our clients. From their website to all the other places their business is referenced on the internet, it is our job to help Google see the vital things that tells it which companies to rank high in searches:
It seems basic, but these are the most important things a company’s online presence needs to show clearly:
who they are (company name)
where they are
what they do
why they’re great at it
But just as we need to prove to Google all those things, we also need to ensure there isn’t any WRONG information that could hurt that trust. If there is – such as an old address listing on an online directory or a misspelling of the company name – we get rid of (or fix) the things that are hurting that trust.
Ranking Well on Google: TRUST
Everything that we do as a as a digital marketing agency for our clients is all about earning Google’s trust for our clients. From their website to all the other places their business is referenced on the internet, it is our job to help Google see the vital things that tells it which companies to rank high in searches:
It seems basic, but these are the most important things a company’s online presence needs to show clearly:
who they are (company name)
where they are
what they do
why they’re great at it
But just as we need to prove to Google all those things, we also need to ensure there isn’t any WRONG information that could hurt that trust. If there is – such as an old address listing on an online directory or a misspelling of the company name – we get rid of (or fix) the things that are hurting that trust.
Ranking Well on Google: TRUST
Everything that we do as a as a digital marketing agency for our clients is all about earning Google’s trust for our clients. From their website to all the other places their business is referenced on the internet, it is our job to help Google see the vital things that tells it which companies to rank high in searches:
It seems basic, but these are the most important things a company’s online presence needs to show clearly:
who they are (company name)
where they are
what they do
why they’re great at it
But just as we need to prove to Google all those things, we also need to ensure there isn’t any WRONG information that could hurt that trust. If there is – such as an old address listing on an online directory or a misspelling of the company name – we get rid of (or fix) the things that are hurting that trust.
3.2)GOOGLE BASICS: SEO 101
3.2)GOOGLE BASICS:
SEO 101
It’s Not Rocket Science. It’s only SEO.
I know that it seems confusing to understand all the technical talk that goes in to explaining SEO, but it really comes down to a few basic components.
First thing, you need to make sure your website makes it absolutely clear what your business is. While that may seem like an odd thing to mention, it is something that a LOT of small service businesses fail at doing.
I see this a lot with HVAC and service industry websites.
I will pull up a company’s website and give it the quick “Can Google Identify This Business” test.
The “Can Google Identify This Business” Test
There are 5 key components every service business needs to have front and center on the homepage of their website. What you’re going to do in putting your own website through this test is to put yourself in Google’s perspective.
How do you do this?
Well, you first need to realize that Google is not a person. It cannot identify the images (and sometimes the words) in photos, graphics, or logos. It didn’t grow up in your town hearing the jingles your company has paid thousands to get stuck in the head of everyone in your community.
Title tag (the tab at the top of the browser)
URL (the website address)
Logo
Navigation
Images
It’s Not Rocket Science. It’s only SEO.
I know that it seems confusing to understand all the technical talk that goes in to explaining SEO, but it really comes down to a few basic components.
First thing, you need to make sure your website makes it absolutely clear what your business is. While that may seem like an odd thing to mention, it is something that a LOT of small service businesses fail at doing.
I see this a lot with HVAC and service industry websites.
I will pull up a company’s website and give it the quick “Can Google Identify This Business” test.
The “Can Google Identify This Business” Test
There are 5 key components every service business needs to have front and center on the homepage of their website. What you’re going to do in putting your own website through this test is to put yourself in Google’s perspective.
How do you do this?
Well, you first need to realize that Google is not a person. It cannot identify the images (and sometimes the words) in photos, graphics, or logos. It didn’t grow up in your town hearing the jingles your company has paid thousands to get stuck in the head of everyone in your community.
Title tag (the tab at the top of the browser)
URL (the website address)
Logo
Navigation
Images
It’s Not Rocket Science. It’s only SEO.
I know that it seems confusing to understand all the technical talk that goes in to explaining SEO, but it really comes down to a few basic components.
First thing, you need to make sure your website makes it absolutely clear what your business is. While that may seem like an odd thing to mention, it is something that a LOT of small service businesses fail at doing.
I see this a lot with HVAC and service industry websites.
I will pull up a company’s website and give it the quick “Can Google Identify This Business” test.
The “Can Google Identify This Business” Test
There are 5 key components every service business needs to have front and center on the homepage of their website. What you’re going to do in putting your own website through this test is to put yourself in Google’s perspective.
How do you do this?
Well, you first need to realize that Google is not a person. It cannot identify the images (and sometimes the words) in photos, graphics, or logos. It didn’t grow up in your town hearing the jingles your company has paid thousands to get stuck in the head of everyone in your community.
Title tag (the tab at the top of the browser)
URL (the website address)
Logo
Navigation
Images
Let’s say the title tag said “Stewart & Sons | Homepage”
And the URL was www.stewartandsons.com.
And the logo was a dog cartoon with the words Stewart & Sons
And the navigation on the site included: About Us, Our Services, Manufacturers and Contact Us
Google Didn’t Grow Up with Your Jingle
Perhaps Stewart and Sons is the local heating and cooling company who’s been doing business for 75 years, with the same family running it generation after generation. They have dozens of vehicles and three locations. There’s even a catchy jingle on all their TV and radio spots.
Stewart and Sons probably thinks everyone in town is already aware of their company. They are probably right, but that doesn’t matter because…
Google doesn’t have a clue who they are.
Google doesn’t know what they do, who they are, or even what city they are in.
How to Get Google To Know Who You Are
Google has what’s called spiders. These spiders crawl websites. When they crawl the website, they analyze that page. They evaluate those 5 key items (and many more, like image captions and alt tags) to figure out where to file that webpage, where to reference it later. So when someone comes along and searches “furnace is clicking” (and Google can tell the person searching is in Oklahoma City), Google will look for results that are sure to be about furnaces and are in the Oklahoma City area.
There’s no way Stewart & Sons homepage would get ranked well for that search.
When your website has very little content that helps them know what that page is about, Google doesn’t really know where to file that. That makes it a lot harder for them to return that as the best possible result
Maybe if you scroll down the page, you’ll eventually find words or clues to show they do heating and air work. But the less on the page that shows that they do furnace repair or AC installation, the less likely Google will put Stewart & Sons website as a top web result for people searching those services.
I see examples like this all the time, and it’s a huge opportunity to significantly improve a service company’s Google ranking.
Show Google What It Is Looking For
Google looks at such things as the title tag, the URL, the content, and the images.
If you have a page that’s really full and helpful about what to do when your furnace is clicking, and it mentions your city, and you have images of furnaces (with proper alt tags), Google knows exactly where to file that. It knows exactly where they should list your page when someone searches for that kind of search term.
Good content isn’t only about providing potential customers quality information. It’s also vital for proving to Google you should be the number 1 search results when people are searching for the exact work your company does.
We provide excellent content that gets our clients thousands of views each month and knocks their competition out of the water.
Google Didn’t Grow Up with Your Jingle
Perhaps Stewart and Sons is the local heating and cooling company who’s been doing business for 75 years, with the same family running it generation after generation. They have dozens of vehicles and three locations. There’s even a catchy jingle on all their TV and radio spots.
Stewart and Sons probably thinks everyone in town is already aware of their company. They are probably right, but that doesn’t matter because…
Google doesn’t have a clue who they are.
Google doesn’t know what they do, who they are, or even what city they are in.
How to Get Google To Know Who You Are
Google has what’s called spiders. These spiders crawl websites. When they crawl the website, they analyze that page. They evaluate those 5 key items (and many more, like image captions and alt tags) to figure out where to file that webpage, where to reference it later. So when someone comes along and searches “furnace is clicking” (and Google can tell the person searching is in Oklahoma City), Google will look for results that are sure to be about furnaces and are in the Oklahoma City area.
There’s no way Stewart & Sons homepage would get ranked well for that search.
When your website has very little content that helps them know what that page is about, Google doesn’t really know where to file that. That makes it a lot harder for them to return that as the best possible result
Maybe if you scroll down the page, you’ll eventually find words or clues to show they do heating and air work. But the less on the page that shows that they do furnace repair or AC installation, the less likely Google will put Stewart & Sons website as a top web result for people searching those services.
I see examples like this all the time, and it’s a huge opportunity to significantly improve a service company’s Google ranking.
Show Google What It Is Looking For
Google looks at such things as the title tag, the URL, the content, and the images.
If you have a page that’s really full and helpful about what to do when your furnace is clicking, and it mentions your city, and you have images of furnaces (with proper alt tags), Google knows exactly where to file that. It knows exactly where they should list your page when someone searches for that kind of search term.
Good content isn’t only about providing potential customers quality information. It’s also vital for proving to Google you should be the number 1 search results when people are searching for the exact work your company does.
We provide excellent content that gets our clients thousands of views each month and knocks their competition out of the water.
Google Didn’t Grow Up with Your Jingle
Perhaps Stewart and Sons is the local heating and cooling company who’s been doing business for 75 years, with the same family running it generation after generation. They have dozens of vehicles and three locations. There’s even a catchy jingle on all their TV and radio spots.
Stewart and Sons probably thinks everyone in town is already aware of their company. They are probably right, but that doesn’t matter because…
Google doesn’t have a clue who they are.
Google doesn’t know what they do, who they are, or even what city they are in.
How to Get Google To Know Who You Are
Google has what’s called spiders. These spiders crawl websites. When they crawl the website, they analyze that page. They evaluate those 5 key items (and many more, like image captions and alt tags) to figure out where to file that webpage, where to reference it later. So when someone comes along and searches “furnace is clicking” (and Google can tell the person searching is in Oklahoma City), Google will look for results that are sure to be about furnaces and are in the Oklahoma City area.
There’s no way Stewart & Sons homepage would get ranked well for that search.
When your website has very little content that helps them know what that page is about, Google doesn’t really know where to file that. That makes it a lot harder for them to return that as the best possible result
Maybe if you scroll down the page, you’ll eventually find words or clues to show they do heating and air work. But the less on the page that shows that they do furnace repair or AC installation, the less likely Google will put Stewart & Sons website as a top web result for people searching those services.
I see examples like this all the time, and it’s a huge opportunity to significantly improve a service company’s Google ranking.
Show Google What It Is Looking For
Google looks at such things as the title tag, the URL, the content, and the images.
If you have a page that’s really full and helpful about what to do when your furnace is clicking, and it mentions your city, and you have images of furnaces (with proper alt tags), Google knows exactly where to file that. It knows exactly where they should list your page when someone searches for that kind of search term.
Good content isn’t only about providing potential customers quality information. It’s also vital for proving to Google you should be the number 1 search results when people are searching for the exact work your company does.
We provide excellent content that gets our clients thousands of views each month and knocks their competition out of the water.
4)Website & Conversion Optimization
4)Website & Conversion
Optimization
This section has 2 parts:
1.The 1 Biggest Website Mistake Companies Make
2. Your Website Should Never Be Done
Let's get straight into it.
4.1)The 1 Biggest Website Mistake Companies Make
4.1)The 1 Biggest Website
Mistake Companies Make
How to Win Over New Customers AND Google
Forget SEO, analytics, trends, and marketing strategy… the biggest mistake most companies make with their website is the most simple and basic thing to understand.
Most company websites lack heart.
As founder of Cedrus Agency, I have been providing digital marketing for over a decade. I’ve done dozens of in-depth case studies, looked at thousands of websites, and I’ve given presentations to hundreds of business owners. I’ve seen just about every type of website a company can have, and I have seen just about every mistake a website could have.
But, again and again, I see that the biggest mistake company websites make is a “lack of heart.”
What is a Lack of Heart?
This simply means you are missing putting your company’s story for people to see on your website.
Don’t understand why this is so important?
Ranking well on Google is all about trust (which you already know if you’ve read just about any of my other blogs, including SEO Basics 101). Nothing is going to build more trust when it comes to Google than by just being authentic, by being genuine.
How do you do that? You tell your business’ story!
When did the business start?
Who started it?
Why did they start it?
How has it grown?
Those are just some of the questions to start with. But then go even further into what has happened with your company over the years.
How to Win Over New Customers AND Google
Forget SEO, analytics, trends, and marketing strategy… the biggest mistake most companies make with their website is the most simple and basic thing to understand.
Most company websites lack heart.
As founder of Cedrus Agency, I have been providing digital marketing for over a decade. I’ve done dozens of in-depth case studies, looked at thousands of websites, and I’ve given presentations to hundreds of business owners. I’ve seen just about every type of website a company can have, and I have seen just about every mistake a website could have.
But, again and again, I see that the biggest mistake company websites make is a “lack of heart.”
What is a Lack of Heart?
This simply means you are missing putting your company’s story for people to see on your website.
Don’t understand why this is so important?
Ranking well on Google is all about trust (which you already know if you’ve read just about any of my other blogs, including SEO Basics 101). Nothing is going to build more trust when it comes to Google than by just being authentic, by being genuine.
How do you do that? You tell your business’ story!
When did the business start?
Who started it?
Why did they start it?
How has it grown?
Those are just some of the questions to start with. But then go even further into what has happened with your company over the years.
How to Win Over New Customers AND Google
Forget SEO, analytics, trends, and marketing strategy… the biggest mistake most companies make with their website is the most simple and basic thing to understand.
Most company websites lack heart.
As founder of Cedrus Agency, I have been providing digital marketing for over a decade. I’ve done dozens of in-depth case studies, looked at thousands of websites, and I’ve given presentations to hundreds of business owners. I’ve seen just about every type of website a company can have, and I have seen just about every mistake a website could have.
But, again and again, I see that the biggest mistake company websites make is a “lack of heart.”
What is a Lack of Heart?
This simply means you are missing putting your company’s story for people to see on your website.
Don’t understand why this is so important?
Ranking well on Google is all about trust (which you already know if you’ve read just about any of my other blogs, including SEO Basics 101). Nothing is going to build more trust when it comes to Google than by just being authentic, by being genuine.
How do you do that? You tell your business’ story!
When did the business start?
Who started it?
Why did they start it?
How has it grown?
Those are just some of the questions to start with. But then go even further into what has happened with your company over the years.
If a business is doing a million dollars in sales (or three or ten!), there’s a real story behind that growth. There was also probably some struggle. At some point, some really exciting things happened – you took on new types of services, or you got to 10 employees or 100. Or maybe it changed from one generation to the other. How is your business different than those first years you started?
When people come to your website, they are looking for someone to trust. That’s what makes telling your story online and adding some heart a win-win. You’re giving your customers exactly what they’re looking for by letting them see that you’re real people who are good at what you do, you stand behind your work, and you’ve done it for a long time.
Websites with Heart Rank Better on Google
While showing your story is something that customers want to see, there is an added benefit and one that is enormous. You are also giving Google exactly what it’s looking for.
SEO gets a bad rap, and sometimes deservedly. Some people try to “game the system” and try to rank well on Google in nefarious ways. That’s called black hat SEO. You never want to do that because Google is always one step behind it. Once it catches you, Google punishes you and you will be left further behind than ever.
But by telling your company’s story on your website, you are not “fighting” Google or trying to trick them. You are just telling them, “this is who we are.” And that is (effective) white hat SEO.
Get on your website and start adding heart by writing a paragraph (or better yet, a page) about when your company started. Add some photos. If you don’t have photos from those first days, than any good photos of your team will still go a long way in supporting your good story.
Showing customers the history and story of good, locally-owned HVAC companies is what we do. It is really easy for us to find all the ways to brag about a company, because we only work with the best!
SEO gets a bad rap, and sometimes deservedly. Some people try to “game the system” and try to rank well on Google in nefarious ways. That’s called black hat SEO. You never want to do that because Google is always one step behind it. Once it catches you, Google punishes you and you will be left further behind than ever.
But by telling your company’s story on your website, you are not “fighting” Google or trying to trick them. You are just telling them, “this is who we are.” And that is (effective) white hat SEO.
Get on your website and start adding heart by writing a paragraph (or better yet, a page) about when your company started. Add some photos. If you don’t have photos from those first days, than any good photos of your team will still go a long way in supporting your good story.
Showing customers the history and story of good, locally-owned HVAC companies is what we do. It is really easy for us to find all the ways to brag about a company, because we only work with the best!
SEO gets a bad rap, and sometimes deservedly. Some people try to “game the system” and try to rank well on Google in nefarious ways. That’s called black hat SEO. You never want to do that because Google is always one step behind it. Once it catches you, Google punishes you and you will be left further behind than ever.
But by telling your company’s story on your website, you are not “fighting” Google or trying to trick them. You are just telling them, “this is who we are.” And that is (effective) white hat SEO.
Get on your website and start adding heart by writing a paragraph (or better yet, a page) about when your company started. Add some photos. If you don’t have photos from those first days, than any good photos of your team will still go a long way in supporting your good story.
Showing customers the history and story of good, locally-owned HVAC companies is what we do. It is really easy for us to find all the ways to brag about a company, because we only work with the best!
Some examples of how we showed “heart” and a company’s story:
4.2)Your Website Should Never Be Done
4.2)Your Website Should
Never Be Done
How a “Living Website” Helps you Rank on Google
So you spent a fair amount of money to get a great website. It’s got all the pages, it’s interactive, it’s beautiful. Maybe even perfect! Now you can move on from this silly website stuff because it’s completely done, right?
Wrong.
If you want your website to keep giving you traffic and conversions and new customers, you need to keep your website alive.
It’s a BIG misconception that once you get your website “perfect”, it’s done. It’s never done, not if you want to rank well on Google.
Updating your business website with regular, new content and pages is vital for convincing Google to place your site higher in search results. Matthew explains why AND provides many great examples for service companies.
Your website should never be done. People want to wait until they go live with a new website until it’s done… it should never be done. It should be a living thing. It should be part of your business with your milestones, your celebrations, when you start carrying new brands, etc.
The Importance of Regular Web Updates
There’s no doubt you’re going to be richly rewarded if your company website is a living part of your business.
By doing this, you are literally handing Google exactly what they want.
You’re reinforcing over and over and over, that you are an HVAC company in this city. You are doing that with regularly updating your site with information and posts about highlights such as a company party at a local place, an anniversary, a community event you sponsored, an HVAC system you donated to a good cause, etc.
When you’re doing that over and over and over, especially when your competitors’ websites have been the same for several years, that’s a that’s a huge advantage.
The more often and the more clearly you can help google see who you are, where you are, and what you do… THE MORE YOU WIN.
Valuable Updates & Posts for HVAC Websites
Struggling to know what you can be constantly adding to your company’s website? That’s our area of expertise. Me and my team shine at finding those amazing opportunities for our clients to constantly keep their website alive and active.
If you’re a service business, like an HVAC company, here is just a start of a list of items to consider adding to your site as they happen:
Service milestones – perhaps you installed your 100th furnace
Celebrated 20 years in business
You received Angie’s List award or an A+ rating from the BBB
A long-time employee, manager or founder retires
A technician receives a new high level of certification
You win your town’s “Best HVAC Company” award
You gave away a heating system free through a Veterans program
Your company participated in a 5K
You donated to a local organization
Your company threw a Memorial Day party!
You are sponsors to the local college team who won a big game or title
How a “Living Website” Helps you Rank on Google
So you spent a fair amount of money to get a great website. It’s got all the pages, it’s interactive, it’s beautiful. Maybe even perfect! Now you can move on from this silly website stuff because it’s completely done, right?
Wrong.
If you want your website to keep giving you traffic and conversions and new customers, you need to keep your website alive.
It’s a BIG misconception that once you get your website “perfect”, it’s done. It’s never done, not if you want to rank well on Google.
Updating your business website with regular, new content and pages is vital for convincing Google to place your site higher in search results. Matthew explains why AND provides many great examples for service companies.
Your website should never be done. People want to wait until they go live with a new website until it’s done… it should never be done. It should be a living thing. It should be part of your business with your milestones, your celebrations, when you start carrying new brands, etc.
The Importance of Regular Web Updates
There’s no doubt you’re going to be richly rewarded if your company website is a living part of your business.
By doing this, you are literally handing Google exactly what they want.
You’re reinforcing over and over and over, that you are an HVAC company in this city. You are doing that with regularly updating your site with information and posts about highlights such as a company party at a local place, an anniversary, a community event you sponsored, an HVAC system you donated to a good cause, etc.
When you’re doing that over and over and over, especially when your competitors’ websites have been the same for several years, that’s a that’s a huge advantage.
The more often and the more clearly you can help google see who you are, where you are, and what you do… THE MORE YOU WIN.
Valuable Updates & Posts for HVAC Websites
Struggling to know what you can be constantly adding to your company’s website? That’s our area of expertise. Me and my team shine at finding those amazing opportunities for our clients to constantly keep their website alive and active.
If you’re a service business, like an HVAC company, here is just a start of a list of items to consider adding to your site as they happen:
Service milestones – perhaps you installed your 100th furnace
Celebrated 20 years in business
You received Angie’s List award or an A+ rating from the BBB
A long-time employee, manager or founder retires
A technician receives a new high level of certification
You win your town’s “Best HVAC Company” award
You gave away a heating system free through a Veterans program
Your company participated in a 5K
You donated to a local organization
Your company threw a Memorial Day party!
You are sponsors to the local college team who won a big game or title
How a “Living Website” Helps you Rank on Google
So you spent a fair amount of money to get a great website. It’s got all the pages, it’s interactive, it’s beautiful. Maybe even perfect! Now you can move on from this silly website stuff because it’s completely done, right?
Wrong.
If you want your website to keep giving you traffic and conversions and new customers, you need to keep your website alive.
It’s a BIG misconception that once you get your website “perfect”, it’s done. It’s never done, not if you want to rank well on Google.
Updating your business website with regular, new content and pages is vital for convincing Google to place your site higher in search results. Matthew explains why AND provides many great examples for service companies.
Your website should never be done. People want to wait until they go live with a new website until it’s done… it should never be done. It should be a living thing. It should be part of your business with your milestones, your celebrations, when you start carrying new brands, etc.
The Importance of Regular Web Updates
There’s no doubt you’re going to be richly rewarded if your company website is a living part of your business.
By doing this, you are literally handing Google exactly what they want.
You’re reinforcing over and over and over, that you are an HVAC company in this city. You are doing that with regularly updating your site with information and posts about highlights such as a company party at a local place, an anniversary, a community event you sponsored, an HVAC system you donated to a good cause, etc.
When you’re doing that over and over and over, especially when your competitors’ websites have been the same for several years, that’s a that’s a huge advantage.
The more often and the more clearly you can help google see who you are, where you are, and what you do… THE MORE YOU WIN.
Valuable Updates & Posts for HVAC Websites
Struggling to know what you can be constantly adding to your company’s website? That’s our area of expertise. Me and my team shine at finding those amazing opportunities for our clients to constantly keep their website alive and active.
If you’re a service business, like an HVAC company, here is just a start of a list of items to consider adding to your site as they happen:
Service milestones – perhaps you installed your 100th furnace
Celebrated 20 years in business
You received Angie’s List award or an A+ rating from the BBB
A long-time employee, manager or founder retires
A technician receives a new high level of certification
You win your town’s “Best HVAC Company” award
You gave away a heating system free through a Veterans program
Your company participated in a 5K
You donated to a local organization
Your company threw a Memorial Day party!
You are sponsors to the local college team who won a big game or title
5)Hiring & Business Operations
Ultimate Guide for Hiring HVAC Techs
Learn how to find, hire, and KEEP quality HVAC techniciansAlmost across the board finding, recruiting, and hiring HVAC techs is almost always the biggest pain point for our HVAC clients. As you already know this is a problem across all the trades all over the country.We put this guide together to help you think about HOW to attract the talent you need in a fresh way.
PERCEPTION IS REALITY
There is a great book called Perception by Dennis Proffitt and Drake Baer. In that book, they show a number of studies that detail how our bodies and ability to move influence how we view our surroundings. For example, researchers found that if you are obese or tired, distances look farther to you. People wearing heavy backpacks see steeper hills in front of them than those without backpacks.
“Put another way: Our walking ability shapes the apparent walkability of the hill, which determines how we see it. You do not see the hill as it is but rather as it is seen by you,” write Proffitt and Baer.
If you are holding something that extends your reach—like a grabber—things appear closer to you, too. In sports, successful baseball batters literally see bigger balls coming at them from the pitcher, and golfers who putt well see bigger holes.
Our body’s energy levels also impact decision-making. In one experiment, participants who drank a sugary drink made better decisions and delayed immediate gratification. Similarly, when judges make parole decisions just before their lunch breaks or the end of their day, they tend to deny parole. That’s because a decision to grant parole requires more careful consideration—and, so, more energy.
The way you think is tied to how you physically feel. So, it’s essential to make sure we (or others we rely on) are not too depleted when hard decisions need to be made.
Now that we know how much perception shapes how we see, hear, understand, process, and take in information our challenge is how we can use that to help you find more, and better qualified, technicians for your HVAC company!
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENTS
This is where I would start with creating a plan for finding, recruiting, and hiring HVAC techs in the world.
If you have a service manager or guys that you would consider great HVAC technicians, I would have them all take the Ennegram Personality Test – it costs $12.
You also want to consider having them take Tony Robbins’ DISC Profile Assessment.
These tests will show you what the ideal result is for a tech you know is going to do the work and a great part of your team. Then, when you have candidates take these same tests, you use those results to compare with the applicants. Do they score high in the same ways as your good techs do?
That is a big indicator that they will be a good hire!
PERCEPTION IS REALITY
There is a great book called Perception by Dennis Proffitt and Drake Baer. In that book, they show a number of studies that detail how our bodies and ability to move influence how we view our surroundings. For example, researchers found that if you are obese or tired, distances look farther to you. People wearing heavy backpacks see steeper hills in front of them than those without backpacks.
“Put another way: Our walking ability shapes the apparent walkability of the hill, which determines how we see it. You do not see the hill as it is but rather as it is seen by you,” write Proffitt and Baer.
If you are holding something that extends your reach—like a grabber—things appear closer to you, too. In sports, successful baseball batters literally see bigger balls coming at them from the pitcher, and golfers who putt well see bigger holes.
Our body’s energy levels also impact decision-making. In one experiment, participants who drank a sugary drink made better decisions and delayed immediate gratification. Similarly, when judges make parole decisions just before their lunch breaks or the end of their day, they tend to deny parole. That’s because a decision to grant parole requires more careful consideration—and, so, more energy.
The way you think is tied to how you physically feel. So, it’s essential to make sure we (or others we rely on) are not too depleted when hard decisions need to be made.
Now that we know how much perception shapes how we see, hear, understand, process, and take in information our challenge is how we can use that to help you find more, and better qualified, technicians for your HVAC company!
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENTS
This is where I would start with creating a plan for finding, recruiting, and hiring HVAC techs in the world.
If you have a service manager or guys that you would consider great HVAC technicians, I would have them all take the Ennegram Personality Test – it costs $12.
You also want to consider having them take Tony Robbins’ DISC Profile Assessment.
These tests will show you what the ideal result is for a tech you know is going to do the work and a great part of your team. Then, when you have candidates take these same tests, you use those results to compare with the applicants. Do they score high in the same ways as your good techs do?
That is a big indicator that they will be a good hire!
PERCEPTION IS REALITY
There is a great book called Perception by Dennis Proffitt and Drake Baer. In that book, they show a number of studies that detail how our bodies and ability to move influence how we view our surroundings. For example, researchers found that if you are obese or tired, distances look farther to you. People wearing heavy backpacks see steeper hills in front of them than those without backpacks.
“Put another way: Our walking ability shapes the apparent walkability of the hill, which determines how we see it. You do not see the hill as it is but rather as it is seen by you,” write Proffitt and Baer.
If you are holding something that extends your reach—like a grabber—things appear closer to you, too. In sports, successful baseball batters literally see bigger balls coming at them from the pitcher, and golfers who putt well see bigger holes.
Our body’s energy levels also impact decision-making. In one experiment, participants who drank a sugary drink made better decisions and delayed immediate gratification. Similarly, when judges make parole decisions just before their lunch breaks or the end of their day, they tend to deny parole. That’s because a decision to grant parole requires more careful consideration—and, so, more energy.
The way you think is tied to how you physically feel. So, it’s essential to make sure we (or others we rely on) are not too depleted when hard decisions need to be made.
Now that we know how much perception shapes how we see, hear, understand, process, and take in information our challenge is how we can use that to help you find more, and better qualified, technicians for your HVAC company!
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENTS
This is where I would start with creating a plan for finding, recruiting, and hiring HVAC techs in the world.
If you have a service manager or guys that you would consider great HVAC technicians, I would have them all take the Ennegram Personality Test – it costs $12.
You also want to consider having them take Tony Robbins’ DISC Profile Assessment.
These tests will show you what the ideal result is for a tech you know is going to do the work and a great part of your team. Then, when you have candidates take these same tests, you use those results to compare with the applicants. Do they score high in the same ways as your good techs do?
That is a big indicator that they will be a good hire!
STOP ADVERTISING FOR HVAC TECHS
We will start with an easy, but powerful, differentiator, when running help-wanted ads for technicians. Stop advertising for ‘technicians.’ Start advertising for MANAGERS.
I got this one from my dad who ran giant car dealerships for almost 50 years. He never advertised
for salespeople. He advertised for sales MANAGERS. If you advertise for sales managers, you get GOOD
salespeople who think they are good enough to be a sales manager but, for whatever reason, don’t have
that opportunity where they are currently.
STOP ADVERTISING FOR HVAC TECHS
We will start with an easy, but powerful, differentiator, when running help-wanted ads for technicians. Stop advertising for ‘technicians.’ Start advertising for MANAGERS.
I got this one from my dad who ran giant car dealerships for almost 50 years. He never advertised
for salespeople. He advertised for sales MANAGERS. If you advertise for sales managers, you get GOOD
salespeople who think they are good enough to be a sales manager but, for whatever reason, don’t have
that opportunity where they are currently.
STOP ADVERTISING FOR HVAC TECHS
We will start with an easy, but powerful, differentiator, when running help-wanted ads for technicians. Stop advertising for ‘technicians.’ Start advertising for MANAGERS.
I got this one from my dad who ran giant car dealerships for almost 50 years. He never advertised
for salespeople. He advertised for sales MANAGERS. If you advertise for sales managers, you get GOOD
salespeople who think they are good enough to be a sales manager but, for whatever reason, don’t have
that opportunity where they are currently.
The same concept applies to you. Instead of an ad for hiring an HVAC tech, if you advertise for a lead guy or, better yet, if the situation applies, a lead guy who could potentially work up to being an owner in the business, now you are appealing to a whole new audience.
The difference is subtle, but the impact can be huge.
APPRENTICE PROGRAM
Depending on the requirements of your state, this may be potentially huge for your business and the idea behind this guide initially!
This idea really hit home for me. I have worked exclusively for HVAC owners for close to five years now, spent hours and hours in the field with their guys, tagged along on new installs, taken hundreds of photos, been in meetings at the office, driven and flown to spend time with HVAC owners and not even I knew that it was possible for a young man (or woman) to start as a helper, work for two years, take a test and be certified as an HVAC technician able to run service calls, diagnose and fix residential units and make really good money in the process. With NO need for insane student loans, spending years in college, and no need for a trade school or vocational training.
The same concept applies to you. Instead of an ad for hiring an HVAC tech, if you advertise for a lead guy or, better yet, if the situation applies, a lead guy who could potentially work up to being an owner in the business, now you are appealing to a whole new audience.
The difference is subtle, but the impact can be huge.
APPRENTICE PROGRAM
Depending on the requirements of your state, this may be potentially huge for your business and the idea behind this guide initially!
This idea really hit home for me. I have worked exclusively for HVAC owners for close to five years now, spent hours and hours in the field with their guys, tagged along on new installs, taken hundreds of photos, been in meetings at the office, driven and flown to spend time with HVAC owners and not even I knew that it was possible for a young man (or woman) to start as a helper, work for two years, take a test and be certified as an HVAC technician able to run service calls, diagnose and fix residential units and make really good money in the process. With NO need for insane student loans, spending years in college, and no need for a trade school or vocational training.
The same concept applies to you. Instead of an ad for hiring an HVAC tech, if you advertise for a lead guy or, better yet, if the situation applies, a lead guy who could potentially work up to being an owner in the business, now you are appealing to a whole new audience.
The difference is subtle, but the impact can be huge.
APPRENTICE PROGRAM
Depending on the requirements of your state, this may be potentially huge for your business and the idea behind this guide initially!
This idea really hit home for me. I have worked exclusively for HVAC owners for close to five years now, spent hours and hours in the field with their guys, tagged along on new installs, taken hundreds of photos, been in meetings at the office, driven and flown to spend time with HVAC owners and not even I knew that it was possible for a young man (or woman) to start as a helper, work for two years, take a test and be certified as an HVAC technician able to run service calls, diagnose and fix residential units and make really good money in the process. With NO need for insane student loans, spending years in college, and no need for a trade school or vocational training.
How many other young people or adults for that matter have no idea they could be, not a helper, but a PAID APPRENTICE, with no need for formal training or education?
Not just young people, but there is a lot to be said for being in the trades. And there is a real opportunity for HVAC owners to appeal to the unemployed during this ‘great resignation’ time. People that would make fantastic technicians that might not have considered it before might very well be open to the idea now.
Again, perception is reality. We are appealing to the same group of people but if we say essentially the same thing but in a different way it sinks in. It clicks, it resonates with them.
This idea would be downright simple to test and implement. You could run a Facebook ad that would have a lot of appeal. The point of an initial ad is NOT to get a ‘lead’ or applicant.
The point is just to get them to CLICK ON THE AD. That’s it.
How many other young people or adults for that matter have no idea they could be, not a helper, but a PAID APPRENTICE, with no need for formal training or education?
Not just young people, but there is a lot to be said for being in the trades. And there is a real opportunity for HVAC owners to appeal to the unemployed during this ‘great resignation’ time. People that would make fantastic technicians that might not have considered it before might very well be open to the idea now.
Again, perception is reality. We are appealing to the same group of people but if we say essentially the same thing but in a different way it sinks in. It clicks, it resonates with them.
This idea would be downright simple to test and implement. You could run a Facebook ad that would have a lot of appeal. The point of an initial ad is NOT to get a ‘lead’ or applicant.
The point is just to get them to CLICK ON THE AD. That’s it.
How many other young people or adults for that matter have no idea they could be, not a helper, but a PAID APPRENTICE, with no need for formal training or education?
Not just young people, but there is a lot to be said for being in the trades. And there is a real opportunity for HVAC owners to appeal to the unemployed during this ‘great resignation’ time. People that would make fantastic technicians that might not have considered it before might very well be open to the idea now.
Again, perception is reality. We are appealing to the same group of people but if we say essentially the same thing but in a different way it sinks in. It clicks, it resonates with them.
This idea would be downright simple to test and implement. You could run a Facebook ad that would have a lot of appeal. The point of an initial ad is NOT to get a ‘lead’ or applicant.
The point is just to get them to CLICK ON THE AD. That’s it.
Questions like: Are you good at working with your hands? Good at figuring things out? Love to know how things work? Ever taken apart a fridge or tv to see if you could fix it yourself? And actually succeeded at it? If so, this opportunity might be perfect for you!
There you have it. Now you are appealing to a MUCH wider audience, in a much more appealing way, and then it is just a matter of filtering out the individuals that aren’t a good fit.
It’s easier to create a fantastic offer first. Then after it’s working (aka producing applicants for you), you introduce friction (be pickier about who you want applying) vs. making a so-so offer and trying to tweak and improve your hiring funnel with very little results to go off of.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER
Do you have a formal program for your best guys to refer friends, people they know that might be a good fit for your team?
Pro: People tend to hang out with people who look and act like them. If you have a performer, then you would do well to hire their friends. Your employees want to work with good people. Very few employees will choose an incentive over poor work relations as a long-term strategy. They are more likely to bring in quality candidates.
Con: You have to make it rewarding to bring people in, meaning: plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs need not worry about having less work by recruiting for you. If they work less as a result, the incentive failed. And make your company an environment they will want to refer into! If everyone is worried about being fired or the next change, they won’t bring their friends into that environment.
RECRUITING BONUS
Most of us have built pay-for-performance environments in the residential service industry. It’s natural then that giving them an incentive to recruit goes a long way.
I like to encourage retention on this. The referring plumber or tech can get $2,500 after 90 days and then $1,000 for each year their referred plumber or tech stays. I only use this incentive for technical roles.
Here is an ad that helped one of our clients use their staff to recruit more techs.
Questions like: Are you good at working with your hands? Good at figuring things out? Love to know how things work? Ever taken apart a fridge or tv to see if you could fix it yourself? And actually succeeded at it? If so, this opportunity might be perfect for you!
There you have it. Now you are appealing to a MUCH wider audience, in a much more appealing way, and then it is just a matter of filtering out the individuals that aren’t a good fit.
It’s easier to create a fantastic offer first. Then after it’s working (aka producing applicants for you), you introduce friction (be pickier about who you want applying) vs. making a so-so offer and trying to tweak and improve your hiring funnel with very little results to go off of.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER
Do you have a formal program for your best guys to refer friends, people they know that might be a good fit for your team?
Pro: People tend to hang out with people who look and act like them. If you have a performer, then you would do well to hire their friends. Your employees want to work with good people. Very few employees will choose an incentive over poor work relations as a long-term strategy. They are more likely to bring in quality candidates.
Con: You have to make it rewarding to bring people in, meaning: plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs need not worry about having less work by recruiting for you. If they work less as a result, the incentive failed. And make your company an environment they will want to refer into! If everyone is worried about being fired or the next change, they won’t bring their friends into that environment.
RECRUITING BONUS
Most of us have built pay-for-performance environments in the residential service industry. It’s natural then that giving them an incentive to recruit goes a long way.
I like to encourage retention on this. The referring plumber or tech can get $2,500 after 90 days and then $1,000 for each year their referred plumber or tech stays. I only use this incentive for technical roles.
Here is an ad that helped one of our clients use their staff to recruit more techs.
Questions like: Are you good at working with your hands? Good at figuring things out? Love to know how things work? Ever taken apart a fridge or tv to see if you could fix it yourself? And actually succeeded at it? If so, this opportunity might be perfect for you!
There you have it. Now you are appealing to a MUCH wider audience, in a much more appealing way, and then it is just a matter of filtering out the individuals that aren’t a good fit.
It’s easier to create a fantastic offer first. Then after it’s working (aka producing applicants for you), you introduce friction (be pickier about who you want applying) vs. making a so-so offer and trying to tweak and improve your hiring funnel with very little results to go off of.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER
Do you have a formal program for your best guys to refer friends, people they know that might be a good fit for your team?
Pro: People tend to hang out with people who look and act like them. If you have a performer, then you would do well to hire their friends. Your employees want to work with good people. Very few employees will choose an incentive over poor work relations as a long-term strategy. They are more likely to bring in quality candidates.
Con: You have to make it rewarding to bring people in, meaning: plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs need not worry about having less work by recruiting for you. If they work less as a result, the incentive failed. And make your company an environment they will want to refer into! If everyone is worried about being fired or the next change, they won’t bring their friends into that environment.
RECRUITING BONUS
Most of us have built pay-for-performance environments in the residential service industry. It’s natural then that giving them an incentive to recruit goes a long way.
I like to encourage retention on this. The referring plumber or tech can get $2,500 after 90 days and then $1,000 for each year their referred plumber or tech stays. I only use this incentive for technical roles.
Here is an ad that helped one of our clients use their staff to recruit more techs.
GET THIS PAGE ON YOUR SITE ASAP!
We have had great success with some clients by getting a really strong career/hiring page on their websites.
Very often if somebody is considering applying with your company they are going to look at your website and online presence.
Some things you want to make sure your website has are:
Involvement in the community
Photos of actual smiling people (no stock photos)
A team page with some bio information
GET THIS PAGE ON YOUR SITE ASAP!
We have had great success with some clients by getting a really strong career/hiring page on their websites.
Very often if somebody is considering applying with your company they are going to look at your website and online presence.
Some things you want to make sure your website has are:
Involvement in the community
Photos of actual smiling people (no stock photos)
A team page with some bio information
GET THIS PAGE ON YOUR SITE ASAP!
We have had great success with some clients by getting a really strong career/hiring page on their websites.
Very often if somebody is considering applying with your company they are going to look at your website and online presence.
Some things you want to make sure your website has are:
Involvement in the community
Photos of actual smiling people (no stock photos)
A team page with some bio information
SO CHEAP BUT SO IMPACTFUL
You have how many branded vehicles out on the roads and all over town every day?
Adding a graphic similar to this one could cost $20-40 each and potentially be seen by thousands of people a week!
A lot of those people have spouses, older teens, friends, relatives, hell themselves even that might be looking for work. To make it REALLY powerful, put your impactful apprentice ad to work!
PLANT SEEDS
Build community relationships to find the best HVAC hires.
Ron Smith, an HVAC consultant and coaching pioneer who’s owned 24 HVAC companies at various times during his career, suggests beginning the HVAC recruiting process at local schools.
“Form a relationship with the leaders of your community’s high schools and vocational schools, and ask if you can speak to the students in group sessions,” says Smith, author of the bestselling book HVAC Spells. “After building relationships, these groups are more likely to keep you in mind when they graduate from school and are looking for jobs. Your education will help them understand the employment opportunities
available in the HVAC industry and can assist in your recruiting efforts.”
HIRING A RECRUITER
For many of you, I know that hiring a person to only recruit is difficult because of your company size. However, if you have good management, you can hire someone for around $13/hr. You can look to fill the position on a part-time basis. Maybe someone in school would be a good fit?
Benefits of hiring a recruiter:
Really follow up with all the applicants that come in
Coordinate having the better applicants take an assessment, and make sure they are worth a damn before you meet them
Meeting and keeping in touch with local trade schools, colleges, vendors, and supply houses and letting (the whole world) know you are hiring!
Help drive and coordinate the apprentice program
Help drive the retention ideas listed below!
Conduct exit interviews to know of any issues leading people to leave your team
I am sure they could do 20 different things on this list if it was their ‘job’. If you spent $2-3k a month and they helped you bring on 3-4 techs, that helped generates $250k a year in revenue each. That was a damn fine investment.
Better yet, hire somebody to help in this area and give them a fair base with a generous incentive plan for each technician hired and an additional amount for every quarter that guy stays on. That makes them motivated to find you guys that will stay AND they are motivated to make sure those guys are happy and let you know about issues that might be festering that you don’t know about!
Pro: This person can grind for you! Cold calling is not for everyone. If you find someone who can deliver on par or better than you, then it’s a perfect situation. Managing all the channels above isn’t easy while trying to run a business. A dedicated recruiter will relieve some of the hiring pressure for you. This person can handle the grunt work, leaving you to be the face who meets with prospective people (if that is your desire).
Con: It’s hard to find this person — someone who has the ability to make something from nothing. I have found that people who are good with phone sales have this something-from-nothing ability. The cost is not beneficial if it’s not done right. Like many things in our businesses, it becomes an overhead headache. A super-dynamic person or a pretty good person, coupled with super-strong leadership, is the key to
success here!
OTHER GREAT HIRING RESOURCES
Job board at the local VA
Craigslist
In many ways, this is my secret weapon of choice, but I’ll spill the beans here.
Posting is fine and it’ll bring you candidates; however, calling people who are offering plumbing, HVAC or electrical service is where you’ll really excel. I cold-called them all every week. I told them, “I just want to tell you what our company is all about.” More on this in a bit. These people aren’t job hunting, but they do feel alone. They don’t have a network of people who can empathize with their situation. Many of them would actually sit down with me because I was in the industry.
Pro: I hired many people from my cold-calling efforts. Not everyone worked out. Sometimes they had a hard time wrapping their mind around the price or the pay structure, but the quantity made it work. I had one major success: he was a million-dollar service plumber and the best in the company at sales, work ethic, and attitude.
BirddogHR
This is not a magic bullet either. This is mostly a CRM/pipeline in my mind. It’s a great tool for posting, too. More importantly, it is a great place to track and house all the applicants in your company. The most important part of recruiting and using this tool — or the similar Zip Recruiter — is making sure you follow up with every single lead. (More on that later.)
Pro: This is such an easy way to post for jobs. It hits Indeed and a few dozen other random sites. You can refresh job postings every 30 days with zero effort and refreshing them is important. You will see huge influxes at the beginning of these refreshes because it pops to the top of all the boards. It is a great way to house all your applicants, easy to search them, and organize what you’ve done with each one.
Con: Maybe it works too well as an always-running piece of recruiting because I’ve noticed that it almost becomes white noise if you don’t make it a priority. Be deliberate about checking this all the time so you don’t leave any applicant wondering. They almost tote this product as a one-stop shop. I would argue that it might be this way for many businesses, but it’s not for our industry.
SO CHEAP BUT SO IMPACTFUL
You have how many branded vehicles out on the roads and all over town every day?
Adding a graphic similar to this one could cost $20-40 each and potentially be seen by thousands of people a week!
A lot of those people have spouses, older teens, friends, relatives, hell themselves even that might be looking for work. To make it REALLY powerful, put your impactful apprentice ad to work!
PLANT SEEDS
Build community relationships to find the best HVAC hires.
Ron Smith, an HVAC consultant and coaching pioneer who’s owned 24 HVAC companies at various times during his career, suggests beginning the HVAC recruiting process at local schools.
“Form a relationship with the leaders of your community’s high schools and vocational schools, and ask if you can speak to the students in group sessions,” says Smith, author of the bestselling book HVAC Spells. “After building relationships, these groups are more likely to keep you in mind when they graduate from school and are looking for jobs. Your education will help them understand the employment opportunities
available in the HVAC industry and can assist in your recruiting efforts.”
HIRING A RECRUITER
For many of you, I know that hiring a person to only recruit is difficult because of your company size. However, if you have good management, you can hire someone for around $13/hr. You can look to fill the position on a part-time basis. Maybe someone in school would be a good fit?
Benefits of hiring a recruiter:
Really follow up with all the applicants that come in
Coordinate having the better applicants take an assessment, and make sure they are worth a damn before you meet them
Meeting and keeping in touch with local trade schools, colleges, vendors, and supply houses and letting (the whole world) know you are hiring!
Help drive and coordinate the apprentice program
Help drive the retention ideas listed below!
Conduct exit interviews to know of any issues leading people to leave your team
I am sure they could do 20 different things on this list if it was their ‘job’. If you spent $2-3k a month and they helped you bring on 3-4 techs, that helped generates $250k a year in revenue each. That was a damn fine investment.
Better yet, hire somebody to help in this area and give them a fair base with a generous incentive plan for each technician hired and an additional amount for every quarter that guy stays on. That makes them motivated to find you guys that will stay AND they are motivated to make sure those guys are happy and let you know about issues that might be festering that you don’t know about!
Pro: This person can grind for you! Cold calling is not for everyone. If you find someone who can deliver on par or better than you, then it’s a perfect situation. Managing all the channels above isn’t easy while trying to run a business. A dedicated recruiter will relieve some of the hiring pressure for you. This person can handle the grunt work, leaving you to be the face who meets with prospective people (if that is your desire).
Con: It’s hard to find this person — someone who has the ability to make something from nothing. I have found that people who are good with phone sales have this something-from-nothing ability. The cost is not beneficial if it’s not done right. Like many things in our businesses, it becomes an overhead headache. A super-dynamic person or a pretty good person, coupled with super-strong leadership, is the key to
success here!
OTHER GREAT HIRING RESOURCES
Job board at the local VA
Craigslist
In many ways, this is my secret weapon of choice, but I’ll spill the beans here.
Posting is fine and it’ll bring you candidates; however, calling people who are offering plumbing, HVAC or electrical service is where you’ll really excel. I cold-called them all every week. I told them, “I just want to tell you what our company is all about.” More on this in a bit. These people aren’t job hunting, but they do feel alone. They don’t have a network of people who can empathize with their situation. Many of them would actually sit down with me because I was in the industry.
Pro: I hired many people from my cold-calling efforts. Not everyone worked out. Sometimes they had a hard time wrapping their mind around the price or the pay structure, but the quantity made it work. I had one major success: he was a million-dollar service plumber and the best in the company at sales, work ethic, and attitude.
BirddogHR
This is not a magic bullet either. This is mostly a CRM/pipeline in my mind. It’s a great tool for posting, too. More importantly, it is a great place to track and house all the applicants in your company. The most important part of recruiting and using this tool — or the similar Zip Recruiter — is making sure you follow up with every single lead. (More on that later.)
Pro: This is such an easy way to post for jobs. It hits Indeed and a few dozen other random sites. You can refresh job postings every 30 days with zero effort and refreshing them is important. You will see huge influxes at the beginning of these refreshes because it pops to the top of all the boards. It is a great way to house all your applicants, easy to search them, and organize what you’ve done with each one.
Con: Maybe it works too well as an always-running piece of recruiting because I’ve noticed that it almost becomes white noise if you don’t make it a priority. Be deliberate about checking this all the time so you don’t leave any applicant wondering. They almost tote this product as a one-stop shop. I would argue that it might be this way for many businesses, but it’s not for our industry.
SO CHEAP BUT SO IMPACTFUL
You have how many branded vehicles out on the roads and all over town every day?
Adding a graphic similar to this one could cost $20-40 each and potentially be seen by thousands of people a week!
A lot of those people have spouses, older teens, friends, relatives, hell themselves even that might be looking for work. To make it REALLY powerful, put your impactful apprentice ad to work!
PLANT SEEDS
Build community relationships to find the best HVAC hires.
Ron Smith, an HVAC consultant and coaching pioneer who’s owned 24 HVAC companies at various times during his career, suggests beginning the HVAC recruiting process at local schools.
“Form a relationship with the leaders of your community’s high schools and vocational schools, and ask if you can speak to the students in group sessions,” says Smith, author of the bestselling book HVAC Spells. “After building relationships, these groups are more likely to keep you in mind when they graduate from school and are looking for jobs. Your education will help them understand the employment opportunities
available in the HVAC industry and can assist in your recruiting efforts.”
HIRING A RECRUITER
For many of you, I know that hiring a person to only recruit is difficult because of your company size. However, if you have good management, you can hire someone for around $13/hr. You can look to fill the position on a part-time basis. Maybe someone in school would be a good fit?
Benefits of hiring a recruiter:
Really follow up with all the applicants that come in
Coordinate having the better applicants take an assessment, and make sure they are worth a damn before you meet them
Meeting and keeping in touch with local trade schools, colleges, vendors, and supply houses and letting (the whole world) know you are hiring!
Help drive and coordinate the apprentice program
Help drive the retention ideas listed below!
Conduct exit interviews to know of any issues leading people to leave your team
I am sure they could do 20 different things on this list if it was their ‘job’. If you spent $2-3k a month and they helped you bring on 3-4 techs, that helped generates $250k a year in revenue each. That was a damn fine investment.
Better yet, hire somebody to help in this area and give them a fair base with a generous incentive plan for each technician hired and an additional amount for every quarter that guy stays on. That makes them motivated to find you guys that will stay AND they are motivated to make sure those guys are happy and let you know about issues that might be festering that you don’t know about!
Pro: This person can grind for you! Cold calling is not for everyone. If you find someone who can deliver on par or better than you, then it’s a perfect situation. Managing all the channels above isn’t easy while trying to run a business. A dedicated recruiter will relieve some of the hiring pressure for you. This person can handle the grunt work, leaving you to be the face who meets with prospective people (if that is your desire).
Con: It’s hard to find this person — someone who has the ability to make something from nothing. I have found that people who are good with phone sales have this something-from-nothing ability. The cost is not beneficial if it’s not done right. Like many things in our businesses, it becomes an overhead headache. A super-dynamic person or a pretty good person, coupled with super-strong leadership, is the key to
success here!
OTHER GREAT HIRING RESOURCES
Job board at the local VA
Craigslist
In many ways, this is my secret weapon of choice, but I’ll spill the beans here.
Posting is fine and it’ll bring you candidates; however, calling people who are offering plumbing, HVAC or electrical service is where you’ll really excel. I cold-called them all every week. I told them, “I just want to tell you what our company is all about.” More on this in a bit. These people aren’t job hunting, but they do feel alone. They don’t have a network of people who can empathize with their situation. Many of them would actually sit down with me because I was in the industry.
Pro: I hired many people from my cold-calling efforts. Not everyone worked out. Sometimes they had a hard time wrapping their mind around the price or the pay structure, but the quantity made it work. I had one major success: he was a million-dollar service plumber and the best in the company at sales, work ethic, and attitude.
BirddogHR
This is not a magic bullet either. This is mostly a CRM/pipeline in my mind. It’s a great tool for posting, too. More importantly, it is a great place to track and house all the applicants in your company. The most important part of recruiting and using this tool — or the similar Zip Recruiter — is making sure you follow up with every single lead. (More on that later.)
Pro: This is such an easy way to post for jobs. It hits Indeed and a few dozen other random sites. You can refresh job postings every 30 days with zero effort and refreshing them is important. You will see huge influxes at the beginning of these refreshes because it pops to the top of all the boards. It is a great way to house all your applicants, easy to search them, and organize what you’ve done with each one.
Con: Maybe it works too well as an always-running piece of recruiting because I’ve noticed that it almost becomes white noise if you don’t make it a priority. Be deliberate about checking this all the time so you don’t leave any applicant wondering. They almost tote this product as a one-stop shop. I would argue that it might be this way for many businesses, but it’s not for our industry.
RETENTION PLAN
A trillion dollars.
That’s what U.S. businesses are losing every year due to voluntary turnover.
The annual turnover rate in the U.S. in 2017 was 26.3% based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Not having a PLAN to retain your team in this day and age is just plain irresponsible and dangerous. The biggest factors according to a 2009 McKinsley Quarterly Survey found that praise from one’s manager, attention from leaders of the company, frequent promotions, opportunities to lead projects, and chances to join fast-track management programs are often more effective than cash.
As the owner of an HVAC marketing firm, I am invested in completely understanding the industry of my clients. In some ways, I’m in a unique position to gain insight on hiring since I don’t run an HVAC company myself. I’ve joined many online HVAC groups full of HVAC techs. When I ask if they would leave their current job for $5 an hour more in pay the answer was a resounding, almost unanimous NO.
Staff retention doesn’t have to be complex and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It just has to be a priority. Trust me, I know you have 100 priorities on your plate but this one deserves a spot at the table.
I am sure you agree that losing a couple of your best guys unexpectedly would qualify as important and urgent! We want to help you avoid that.
Here is just a handful of ideas you can offer that can make a world of difference when it comes to keeping the guys you have (for years to come)
Offer professional development
Make a great culture a real priority
Encourage feedback!
Support them in ways outside of work
Provide feedback and recognition
Setting them up for success with a great onboarding process
Mentorship programs
Wellness program
Flexible work arrangements
Acknowledgment of milestones, big and small
Involve them in important decisions (sometimes)
Training and education
ESOP (Employee stock ownership program) can have fantastic tax benefits!
Sabbatical program (take 6 weeks off)
Altering work responsibilities periodically
Encourage open communication
Celebrate employee tenure with a service yearbook
Profit sharing
Team building exercises
Have leaders (not bosses) Few people want to be leaders, but everyone wants to be the boss. Remember, though, that people follow leaders, while they abandon bosses. A boss is a dime a dozen while leaders are rare.
Be a brand they can be proud of
Find a pain point of your techs and help get rid of it!
Scopely celebrates failures by holding a “Fail of the week” session, where team members share some ‘epic fails’ and what they learned from them. This weekly meeting shows employees that Scopely encourages them to take risks and doesn’t punish constructive failures. As a result, employees are more likely to experiment fearlessly.
Conduct regular ‘stay’ interviews.
