Do you find your business shackled to the same sort of non-productive marketing firm every couple of years? Time and time again, we hear stories of heating and cooling professionals regretting their relationships with shady sales-oriented marketers. Despite this, HVAC technicians continue to fall for the same old tricks.
Let’s try to put a stop to that today! Jason and Nolen discuss the story of an HVAC professional who never seems to escape from lousy marketing deals. Listen in for helpful lessons on finding a capable online team!
Key Lessons to Learn for HVAC Professionals
- Marketing teams that hard-sell results tend to provide none.
- Accountable pricing and billing make for stronger marketing results.
- It’s rarely a good idea to sign on for annual or year plus contracts.
Something’s Shady
We’re back with another “Bob” for this story. Bob finds himself with a very well-to-do HVAC company. However, he’s continually unsatisfied with his marketing firm’s results. As he shops around, he contacts a familiar page 1 company: our team at HVAC Webmasters.
As Nolen answers, he quickly recognizes Bob. He’s already talked with him three times before!
A Familiar HVAC Marketing Ride
It turns out, Bob had called the Webmasters multiple times before, only to turn to a firm with a more flashy sales routine. We’re fine with contractors partnering with other firms, of course. Bob however, was finding himself in the exact same situation: unsatisfied with his current results.
Clearly, his criteria for choosing the right firm to handle his HVAC company marketing clearly wasn’t working. Bob isn’t alone either!
How to Spot a Sham
Thankfully, there a plenty of red flags that can help you spot a marketing sham when so many others buy it hook, line, and sinker. Many firms resort to the same old tactics to extract a profit without putting in the effort to grow their clients’ businesses. Here’s a few ways they do it:
Ways to Spot a Shady Marketing Company
- They’re quick to bundle everything together in one package, one price.
- They push hard for annual contracts with upfront payments.
- The company salesforce is larger than the rest of the business.
- All your interactions begin and end with a sales specialist or relationship manager.
- You hear buzzwords in every other sentence, and you rarely understand them.
- The company guarantees precise levels of traffic or leads.
Look closely at your next marketing company prospect. Examine how they talk, how they price, and how they bundle.
They Speak in Weird Buzzwords
Sales professionals tend to speak in a buzzword-heavy, high-energy routine that’s quick to promise results. You might hear phrases like “social fortress” that sound flashy, but never get fully explained. Most digital marketing salesmen have just enough knowledge to sound like they know what they’re talking about.
The most dependable professionals can easily explain their services, in clear terms.
They Promise Specific Search Numbers
Have you ever spoken with a marketing professional who promised an exact return on your investment? While some marketing fields can use predictive fields to determine an estimated ROI, no one controls Google Search. That means that even the smartest, most-experience industry professionals cannot deliver an exact number of website visitors, click-throughs, or sales.
The next time some guarantees a set volume of traffic to your website, courteously shake their hand, thank them for their time, and walk out the door. They aren’t worth the time or money.
They Only Offer Annual Package Deals
While it’s probably too much to claim that every annual marketing package is a bad deal, almost every annual marketing package is a bad deal! We hear time and time again how contractors sign up for an annual contract, get results for a few months, and never hear from their marketing management again for the rest of the year. You can bet they’ll be ready to talk you into another year, but results seem to come up short every time.
The most dependable companies price month to month, and they offer clear pricing guidelines so you know what you’re paying for.
Finding Great Results
Don’t let your heating and cooling business get sucked into a long-term marketing bust. Keep these red flags in mind as you move forward, and you can avoid those painful experiences that so many HVAC businesses suffer each year. Everything changes when you find the right marketing firm for your team!
At HVAC Webmasters, we have the experience, reputation, and results to earn your business. We skip the annual contracts in favor of month-to-month pricing, so you can rest assured we’re working hard to grow your company and online brand. Through custom web design, local SEO strategy, and crisp reputation management, we’ve managed to help hundreds of businesses find the online success they crave!
To learn more about our services, talk with one of our experts at (800) 353-3409.
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