The Internet is the digital frontier full of Dotcoms that exploded onto the scene with millions of venture capital dollars backing them.

You’ve heard the names before: yahoo.com, amazon.com, iwon.com, mapquest.com and many others. These companies are all part of the new e-commerce revolution that are collectively making billions of dollars over the World Wide Web. So how can today’s hvac contractor be a part of this e-revolution?

As the Internet continues to change the way businesses operate, contractors need to consider the importance their customers place on obtaining information online. More and more consumers are “doing their homework” on the web before making a selection of contracting services.

It may be difficult to actually close a sale for a 3-ton split gas/electric system over the Internet, but it isn’t too hard to make your company stand out as a professional organization by investing in a good web site. Think of it as an “electronic company brochure.”

In order to sell the equipment, you have to sell the appointment and one of the best ways to sell the appointment is through the Internet. Using the web, you can supply much more information about your company, your products and your services than you could possibly afford to do through newspaper, television, radio or direct mail.

You can make your prospective client much more comfortable with your company by incorporating pictures of your people, your jobs and testimonials from happy customers. You can begin to build a great long-term relationship through an effective web site, even before your sales or service representatives get to the front door.

Once your electronic brochure is up and running, the entire community must be made aware of your web site address — your “www.companyname.com”. Put it on your trucks, your letterhead, your business cards, your invoices, your statements, your billboards, your TV ads, your radio ads, your commercials, your yellow pages ads, your job signs, your brochures, your newsletters — everywhere!

Send out press releases to local newspapers. You can’t simply rely on “search engines” to help consumers find you — you have to let them know where you are located.

That’s one of many ways that today’s HVAC contractor be a part of the e-revolution.

Publication date: 08/21/2000