At Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning, we have been offering home-performance services for many years. But, how do we do it, and what exactly are we doing?

At this point, the Internet and smartphones have taken over the business marketing scene and that means it is in the best interest of HVAC contractors to consider showcasing their skills and services appropriately.

Ultimately, the purpose of a magnet is to keep people away from the Internet the next time they need a contractor. Just make sure they’re compelling enough to earn a prominent, long-standing position on the refrigerator.

The important thing we contractors have to remember is that not only are we helping ourselves by selling these accessories, but we are making our customers’ homes more comfortable and livable.

The reality is, we spend a great deal of time at work; the people we deal with and the relationships that result are ultimately what keep us coming back every day. I know there are a few computer geeks out there who might disagree, but, to me, our relationships with others are paramount.

Performance-based contracting is also changing the business model for the HVAC industry. Combined, they can be an unstoppable force. Don’t you want to be part of that?

Contractors, please carefully look at how you do business. Please don’t resort to tactics that set our industry back to the 1950s. We are an industry that does the public a tremendous service. It’s unfair to our customers, and the industry as a whole, if we lower ourselves to these unethical sales standards.

For many service businesses, marketing is broken. Service business owners should be in the business of marketing, but they often barely give their marketing enough thought. They should be strategic about their marketing, but, instead, they spend more time putting out staffing fires or dealing with less important issues.

Each day, my goal is to help owners. I do this by speaking to audiences and publishing as many articles as possible to protect them from making the same costly mistakes we did — even though my team was one of the lucky ones that cashed out and successfully passed the baton to our fourth-generation management team.

When a promise is made, the path starts out and you have a choice. Is your customer going to wander down the desperately hoped-for path of relaxation and ease, or are they headed for a white-knuckle roller coaster ride?