Everyone knows the key to dominating your market is being able to separate yourself from the competition. This does not mean simply explaining to customers that you have great people. I have news for you: Every one of your competitors is preaching the same thing.

Information contained in these graphs is courtesy of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

Just like customers expect a doctor to be an expert in health care, a lawyer to be an expert in law, and a banker to be an expert in finance, they expect their HVAC technician to be an expert in IAQ.

The economy is constantly changing, and though experts predict a good year for HVACR contractors in 2018, many of them are adding or expanding services to help combat the unpredictability of consumer spending habits.

“My company has high service sales and yearly growth, but it doesn’t translate into bottom-line profits. I don’t know why it’s happening or how to fix it.”

It seems our industry is becoming “commoditized,” and we are unintentional accomplices. We’re too comfortable swapping equipment and installing silver bullets while moving away from providing true comfort.

Contractors, dealers, and other customers are changing their attitudes toward the whole sales process. Further, process, industrial, and institutional customers, along with larger dealers, are growing harder to reach.

One of the biggest challenges I see with contractors is a failure to understand how our beliefs and expectations of the sales function impact our business success.

For the year ending December 2017, sales of HVACR equipment showed solid mid-single-digit growth. That is according to Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).