Don’t spend another penny on direct mail this year until you’ve read this. Learn how to write a letter that will make customers trust you—and hire you.
No one likes a pushy HVAC technician. It’s stressful enough when your AC is broken. The last thing a customer wants is to wonder whether or not you’re trying to upsell them on service or equipment they don’t need.
And as an HVAC professional, you don’t want to have to spend your time pushing a hard sell either. You’d much rather focus on the job at hand, not bringing in new business.
But the reality is that sales is part of the job for HVAC business owners.
Sometimes you have to sell in person, and other times you have to write letters.
Whether you need to write an HVAC direct mail piece or a prospecting letter to an enterprise client, here’s a formula for selling in a way that feels authentic—but still gets the job done.
Before we get into the framework, we’ll give you what you came here for: the template.
Hi [Customer First Name],
I was working at a house down the road from yours and diagnosed an issue that was costing the owners nearly $50/mo extra in electricity costs.
(It only cost them $150 to fix the issue, so the repair paid for itself in three months.)
To be clear: your air conditioner may not have the same issue. And if you don’t, I don’t want to sell you on something you don’t need.
Just wanted to be proactive and offer to catch any issues early before they become major expenses.
Would it be a bad idea to have my team come and take a look at your AC unit just to be sure?
There’s no risk, we won’t charge you a thing unless there’s work to be done and you want to move forward with our services.
Give me a call or a text at [your phone number] or visit our website to schedule an appointment at example.com.
Best,
[First Name] [Last Name]
[Owner], [Company Name]
[Phone Number]
Let’s break down the template above line-by-line.
Too many marketers write sales letters with the goal in mind, instead of the customer.
A free way to get a clear picture of what is on your customers’ minds is to look at Yelp reviews of HVAC companies. Not just yours, but your competitors’ too.
This gives you a window into what makes customers tick.
I was working at a house down the road from yours and diagnosed an issue that was costing the owners nearly $50/mo extra in electricity costs.
(It only cost them $150 to fix the issue, so the repair paid for itself in three months.)
Take a look at the review below. The customer is upset because they had to pay $259 just to have the technician take a look at the issue, with no guarantee that the problem could be solved.
This is a genuine fear customers have.
Notice how our template talks about cost right away. Don’t try to hide how much you charge, just show your prospects why it makes sense for them to pay for your service.
We also close off the template with a reassurance that the customer won’t be charged unless they need work done on their HVAC system.
There’s no risk, we won’t charge you a thing unless there’s work to be done and you want to move forward with our services.
To be clear: your air conditioner may not have the same issue. And if you don’t, I don’t want to sell you on something you don’t need.
Just wanted to be proactive and offer to catch any issues early before they become major expenses.
You’ve heard the horror stories of dishonest repairmen. There are countless hidden camera videos of HVAC “professionals” claiming entire air conditioning units need to be replaced when all that’s really needed is a basic cleaning.
This is what’s on your customers’ minds when they read your sales letter.
How can you put them at ease? Tell your prospect openly and honestly that they may not need your services.
This puts their guard down.
Plus, it’ll help you stand out from the competition.
Just look at this review from a customer who was told by two major companies that her new unit needed to be replaced.
Who’d she go with? The one who offered to fix it instead.
Would it be a bad idea to have my team come and take a look at your A/C unit just to be sure?
This tip comes directly from ex-FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss.
Most people try to lead sales letters with questions that push the reader into saying yes.
“Do you want to save money on your A/C bill?”
The problem with questions like these are that they make people feel pressured. Your prospect immediately becomes closed off when they feel like they’re being tricked into saying yes.
Instead, flip the script and with a question that can be answered with a no.
As Voss puts it, “When you say ‘no,’ you feel safe and protected. You feel like you’ve made no commitment at all.”
Here’s another five-star HVAC customer service review where the client mentions not once, but twice that the no-pressure approach of the company put him at ease.
Make your customers feel free, not cornered.
Every HVAC direct mailer out there ends with a phone number. But what if you land in the mailbox of a person who doesn’t like making phone calls?
Even worse, what if they check their mail at a time where your staff isn’t around to pick up a call?
That’s where business texting comes in.
It provides an easy, asynchronous way for customers to get in touch.
You can use SMS message new leads and even provide confirmation texts, which is another big plus for customers:
Vogel Heating & Cooling based in St. Louis, Missouri used texting to cut down on costly phone calls by 50%.
Every business is different, HVAC marketing ideas that work for one company may not work for another.
However, the concepts above (transparency about cost, honesty, the power of no, efficient communication) can be applied to just about every HVAC sales situation.
Dig deep to understand your customers and adjust our template based on your location and the season. Be sure to add your own personal touch.
Alfredo is SimpleTexting's brand manager. He's passionate about using his 10+ years of marketing experience to help small businesses grow.
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