Invoice2go CEO, Mark Lenhard, provides four tips to help small HVAC businesses stand out from the crowd.
One of the biggest challenges many small HVAC businesses face is fierce competition from larger companies.
With greater resources, reach and deeper pockets, these businesses are often able to offer lower prices to a higher number of clients - the potential of which is monopolising the market. However, one of your greatest competitive advantages as a small business is your ability to be nimble, flexible and, perhaps most importantly, personable.
What you may lack in resources is made up by your ability to make your clients feel valued. And after all, in an evolving and volatile landscape, this is more important than ever. So, here are four tips to help you differentiate yourself from big businesses.
Personalised client interactions
Customer service is one of the most effective ways to leverage an advantage over bigger competitors. To them, a client is often just a booking reference number, but to you they are a name and face, so ensure you make them feel their value.
Play to your strengths, whether it’s checking in post-project to see how they’re finding their new cooling system, offering more face-to-face time or including a tailored thank you note when sending an invoice. These details may be small, but they add up, make your clients feel valued and will help to build the strong professional relationships that are crucial today.
Local knowledge
Australians are well-known for their strong ‘support local’ sentiment, with many keen to support small, local businesses. As such, making strong connections with your local network is a great way to differentiate your services from larger companies and stay top of mind.
It’s also a great avenue to build a referral network, so consider joining local small business groups so you can find complementary services and trade business cards. Not only will your clients appreciate the trusted recommendations, but it will benefit the extended small business community.
Community involvement
Similarly, making an impact on the local community is another great way to stand out. Whether it’s being a member of the community board or sponsoring a local football team, supporting local events demonstrates that you care about your community, and often, your community will reciprocate. Clients will start to see you as a good neighbour, helping you stay top-of-mind the next time they’re in need of HVAC services.
The person behind the business
At the end of the day, the best way to stand out from large competitors, attract business and make a lasting impression is to be yourself. It’s no secret that starting and running a HVAC business is no easy feat, but the passion that motivated you to strike out on your own is what potential clients will see. Keeping that passion front and center of everything you do will be your best differentiator to large competitors.
The past few months have been challenging, therefore it is more important than ever to ensure your HVAC business stands out from the crowd. But by playing to your strengths - prioritising personalised interactions and playing on your community links – you will be well on your way to standing out against the competition.
Mark Lenhard is the CEO at Invoice2go, the mobile invoicing app that gives small businesses and contractors control over their time and business. For more visit http://invoice.2go.com