Looking for ways to win more bids and grow your HVAC business? For businesses, HVAC costs – including repair, maintenance, and replacement – are often some of their biggest facility management costs. So naturally, facility managers scrutinize HVAC bids more closely to ensure they’re getting the most value for their money.
Follow these tips to improve your processes and win more bids.
Bid Selectively
It’s better to spend more time creating 5 high-quality proposals than shooting off 20 generic ones. Only bid on jobs that are in your niche and that you know you can price fairly while providing the highest quality work. Further, if you’re already busy, short-staffed, or having a hard time getting parts and materials, don’t bid on a job that you will inevitably fall behind on (see the last point about building your reputation).
Bid Beyond Price
The lowest-priced bid is not an automatic shoe in for the job. Especially with today’s trend in rising facilities management costs, businesses are looking for vendors that will give them the biggest bang for their buck. Consider your HVAC business’s value proposition – what sets you apart and makes you a better candidate for the job? What value-added services can you include that cost you little, but the customer will appreciate?
Send Bids Directly To Decision Makers
Do your research and find out who makes the actual purchasing decisions at a company. Ideally, before you submit your first bid, you start reaching out and building a relationship. Perhaps pay them an in-person business to drop off a card and some swag, or engage the decision-maker digitally with newsletters, social posts, and content that help them manage their facility maintenance needs and costs. When it’s time to submit your bid, you can send it directly to the decision-maker with a personal note.
Break Down Bid Elements & Include ROI
A more detailed bid helps facility managers compare proposals and understand exactly what’s included in the bid. Break down parts and materials, labor, and include a specific timeline. Also include any warranty information, both from the manufacturer and your own guarantee for the work. Since HVAC replacement can be so costly, it’s also a good idea to include ROI data to help facility managers see the long-term value (i.e. energy savings, lower repair costs, etc.).
Embrace Technology To Lower Costs
If you can find ways to save your customers money, they will ultimately reward you with future business. One easy way to save money on HVAC costs is to switch from proactive maintenance to condition-based maintenance. While you may have long touted the importance of proactive maintenance to find and fix minor issues before they become costly repairs, with the introduction of IoT (Internet of Things) HVAC sensors, your customers can monitor the health of their system in real-time and only schedule repair and maintenance when they need it. While this may temporarily impact your regular maintenance revenue, those customers will appreciate your help saving them money and turn to you when they do need repair and replacement.
Look At Objections As Opportunities
It’s impossible to be a service provider and never hear an objection to a bid. Whether it’s the price is too high, the timeline is too long, or the warranty isn’t thorough enough — you’ve likely heard it all. While there are some things you simply can’t change, don’t accept an objection as a rejection and carry on as if you’ve already lost the bid. Talk to the facility manager to try and understand the root of their concern. If you have a good rapport, ask them about your competitor’s bids and how you can make yours more favorable next time. Finally, sometimes persistence, when meted out strategically, really can pay off. Follow-up throughout the bid process. Maybe the facility manager got equally lackluster proposals from your competitors, and by reaching out and asking how you can earn their business, you can work to overcome their objections.
Build Your Reputation
The reality is, reputation matters — especially with the current shortage of tradespeople, the increase in construction demand, and the rising cost of labor and materials. Businesses want to hire an HVAC company that they can count on to get the job done on time, on budget, and as promised. If two bids are similar, the company with the better reputation will get the job; some facility managers will even choose the more reputable vendor regardless of price. As you build your reputation, you’ll find you will be able to incrementally increase your rates because businesses know they can depend on you and are willing to pay for the value you bring to the table.
Finally, remember that it’s easier (and cheaper!) to retain existing customers than to acquire new ones. While only you can track the data from your new and current customers, there are countless statistics about customer retention versus customer acquisition. Successful HVAC companies have found the balance between marketing to new customers and nurturing relationships with existing customers to foster loyalty and repeat business.
Partner With SimpleBids To Reach More Customers
SimpleBids is a marketplace that connects local service providers with businesses that need service, repair, or replacement. Commercial facility service customers want a fast and simple way to find reliable service providers in their neighborhoods, but they’re often inundated with ads paid for by big companies that may or may not be qualified – or even local.
When you create your free business profile on SimpleBids, you gain immediate access to new work if your location and services match customer needs. You can join SimpleBids now for free and be one of the first service providers in your area, get in front of new customers at no cost to you, and get exclusive invitations to bid on new projects.
