Traditionally, as the temperatures start to fall, revenues also fall.
Here are three things you can do to keep your field personnel billable, producing revenues, this fall.
- Offer an “end of summer” maintenance check.
Send this offer as an email, text, or a postcard to two groups (with slightly different messages):
- Everyone whose agreement has expired in the last year
- Everyone who has done business with your company in the past two years who does not own a maintenance agreement. These people have purchased from you at least once. Give then a reason to purchase again.
Do NOT send this offer to people who have never done business with you. Why? Because they don’t know your company and they are not paying attention to marketing messages about air conditioning right now.
- Have an end of summer sale.
This might be a financing offer or a discount on air conditioners or a rebate – depending on what your manufacturer is offering right now. Be creative – I’ve seen “oldest furnace contests” and many other incentives for older equipment. What if you gave everyone a discount if their equipment was 12+ years old? What if you rewarded your maintenance clients with a $50 discount for every year they have been a maintenance client?
Give them a reason to buy cooling equipment now.
- Have a Referral contest – both internally and externally
Give your employees and your customers a reason to refer. Most companies think of giving referrals to customers but forget about their employees. Your employees should have the same opportunity!
Decide how much you are going to reward people for service and replacement referrals (the amounts should be different). Your rewards should be sent in a thank you letter – whether written or electronic. If you send an electronic gift card (i.e. Amazon Gift Card), still send the customer a written Thank You note and mention that the gift card was sent electronically.
Get the word out about your referral program. Send emails, text where allowed, and yes, the old fashioned letter mailed snail mail can work.
Call your customers who installed systems this summer and ask, “Who have you talked to about your new air conditioning system?” They talked with someone. Find out whether that person would be as happy with a new system as the customer is. You have a referral.
Implementing these three ideas could keep your revenues up as the temperature falls.
Visit www.financiallyfit.business to get your business financially fit in less than 10 minutes a month!
Ruth King is well known as “The Profitability Master.” She is passionate about helping small business owners become profitable and stay profitable. For over 40 years she has coached, trained, and helped contractors and others achieve the business growth and goals they wanted to achieve.
Contact Ruth by emailing ruthking@hvacchannel.tv.
