How to Boost Sales in HVAC Slow Season?

Every industry has its own slow season, and HVAC is no exception. It can be hard to stay profitable in the slow season. If you are part of the HVAC business, you know that with the weather cooling way down, the number of HVAC service calls is also cooling way down.

Right now, you are probably wondering what to do when the HVAC business is slow in the off-season. Most HVAC businesses battle the winter doldrums from October to February. With that said, the HVAC slow season doesn’t have to be a terrible time. It can be a great time to lift your sales. But how do you do that? Read ahead to find out.

5 Tips to Boost Sales in HVAC Slow Season

The HVAC season can be likened to the sales season in any other industry. The industry has a slow season that lasts almost 3 months. Understanding this can help you plan sales and increase marketing efforts during this period. 

As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, sales for HVAC slow down. However, there are best practices to overcome this and bring in more business. Here is a list of some HVAC slow season tips that you can use to help boost sales in the HVAC slow season.

1. Try providing special deals

HVAC businesses often experience a slowdown in sales during the colder winter months. As a result, many service companies offer discounts during this time to try and boost business. Slow seasons are the perfect time to run a sale on your services! This is the time of year when people are looking to save money on their heating and cooling bills, so they’ll be more likely to take advantage of deals.

• First, make a special deal for system checks, preventive maintenance, and/or upgrades, such as replacing water heaters or air conditioning units.
• Second, involve your office staff in the process of networking with those who are interested via email or calls before making a special visit.
• Third, make sure you advertise the deals in a way that will reach your target customers. Use social media, email marketing, and any other HVAC marketing strategies to get the word out.

2. Try incentivizing people to sign up for your services

HVAC System is one of the most important purchases a homeowner can make, and they are also one of the most expensive. As a result, many homeowners wait to purchase preventative maintenance plan packages until the slow seasons, when prices are typically lower.

• One way to incentivize people to purchase your services during the slow season is to offer discounts or coupons. You can also offer free installation or a free preventative maintenance service call with purchase. Whatever incentive you choose, make sure it is significant enough to encourage people to buy during the slow season.
• In addition to discounts and coupons, you can also offer financing options to make your product more affordable. Many people put off purchasing preventative maintenance packages because they can’t afford the upfront cost. Financing options can help make your product more accessible to potential customers.
• Finally, you can also offer a free consultation to help people understand the benefits of your product. Many people don’t know much about the HVAC system, and a free consultation can help educate them about the importance of purchasing an air quality system.

Offering incentives is a great way to encourage people to purchase your product during the slow season. By offering discounts, coupons, financing options, and free consultations, you can make your product more appealing to potential customers.

3. Use referral programs to attract new customers

As an HVAC contractor, you know that business tends to slow down during the slow time. To help offset the slower sales during this time, you can use referral programs to attract new customers. There are a few ways to go about this. 

• First, you can offer a discount to customers who refer new business to you. This can be a percentage of their next HVAC service call or a free service call after a certain number of referrals.
• Another way to use referral programs to attract new customers is to offer a prize for the customer who refers to the newest business. This can be a gift card, a free customer service call, or something else that would be of value to your customers.
• Either way, offering a referral program is a great way to attract new customers during the slower winter months. So be sure to promote your referral program to your existing customers and make it easy for them to refer new businesses to you.

There are a few things to keep in mind when setting up a referral program.

• First, make sure the discount or incentive is something that will motivate people to refer others to your business. 
• Second, make the program easy to understand and easy to participate in. 
• Third, promote the program to your existing customers so it helps you build public awareness of it and can take advantage of it.

If you follow these tips, you can use referral programs to attract new customers, even during the slow season.

4. Plan events that will boost your sales

Sales in the HVAC business tend to slow down during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall. To give your business a boost during these times, consider hosting special events that will appeal to your target market.

For example, you and your office staff could host a seminar on energy-saving tips for homeowners or a free HVAC inspection event. Promote your events through social media, your website, and local print and online publications. Make sure your events are well-organized and run smoothly to ensure a positive experience for your guests.

5. Form strategic partnerships

If you’re in the HVAC business, you know that the slow season can be a tough time to make ends meet. But there’s a way to give your sales a boost during this time: form strategic partnerships with other businesses in your area.

• You could partner with a local home improvement store. They could promote your services to their customers, and you could offer a discount or you can create special deals for customers who mention the store. 
• If you’re a residential HVAC company, teaming up with other local businesses could result in increased sales. The home builder could recommend your HVAC companies to their customers who need HVAC services like home heating, and you could offer a discount to the home builder’s customers.
• You could partner with a real estate company; they could refer their clients to you for their HVAC needs.
• Teaming up with a local business or local hardware store or plumbing company, or home improvement center can help you reach a wider range of potential customers. You can also offer special deals and promotions to customers who purchase your products through these partner businesses.

There are many other businesses that could be potential partners for you. The key is to find businesses that complement your own and that serve the same target market. By forming strategic partnerships, you can tap into new markets and increase your sales during the slow season and peak seasons.

Although the slow season may be a little more challenging for your business, you can still be optimistic. Make adjustments and get ready to make a comeback once the season picks up.

Conclusion

We hope you found our article about how to boost sales in the HVAC slow season insightful. With this knowledge, we know that you can boost sales in the off seasons and stay ahead of the curve. If you are one of those HVAC companies who are going through manual tasks, then you must consider this HVAC service scheduling software, FieldCamp.

FieldCamp can help every HVAC business by providing a streamlined way to manage daily operations and customers, track HVAC technicians, prepare invoices, accept payments, and create reports. The software helps businesses to assign jobs to technicians, track the status of those jobs, check available technicians, and schedule jobs accordingly. Start your 7-day FREE Trial and know how it benefits your business.