Webinar Week 4 – Attitude is Everything!
On the 22nd of April 2020 Jennifer Bagley, Founder, and CEO of CI Web Group, Inc. delivered the fourth part of our “Reinvent Your Message, Marketing and Mindset” webinar series together with a team of fantastic panelists.
We discussed the many possibilities that companies like yours can look forward to, given the disruption in traditional service delivery, positioning, and sales. Our team has been focused on helping home services contractors unravel the what, why, and how of the future of marketing and service delivery across HVAC, plumbing SEO company, and Electrical, to name a few.
Our mission is to help contractors improve BusOps and Marketing strategies during this new “normal”. The participants who completed the questionnaires were applauded for their efforts as it is this very thing that provides the information required to create tools and strategies that are perfectly aligned with your needs. After all, each company is unique.
How Are You Feeling?
One of the questions included in the questionnaire was how are you feeling and coping with the new normal. The answer that stood out and was almost unanimous across the board was that most feel that they will come out of this a stronger company.
That is the exact attitude that’s required to excel and grow during this period. It also provides the perfect platform for the training provided during the webinar! This is the time to make a decision. Are you going to own this game or give up? Once, your mindset changes, everything on the outside takes a different shape and form. It’s almost like magic!
Enduring a “crisis mode” makes you question whether you can focus on what has to be done and create legitimate solutions. If you don’t execute you cannot be victorious.
Google – The Go-To Platform For Limitless Organizations
Regardless, of where you are and where you want to take your company in the next 6 months, asking the right questions is always the best starting point. Think about it. Where do folks search for services like yours? Where do they turn to when they need AC repair and installation? What about plumbing inspection costs?
Everybody uses Google. Your neighbors use the platform to find anything under the sun. Search numbers aren’t static, and they change daily in different industries and locations. For some, like entertainment and food and beverage businesses.
The New Normal has been unforgiving. But the companies who operate in the essential services arena can currently benefit from a 100-114% increase in searches – and data don’t lie. There are industries that have been negatively impacted, but for those who are essential to service providers, there is an immense opportunity ready for the taking.
While it seems illogical to hire more staff at present, now is the time you should be doing it. If you decide to step up during this time, your sales are going to multiply. If you wait too long to source materials, stock, or suitable staff members.
You may be left behind and unable to cope with the influx. Most of our clients are moving forward with leaps and bounds, implementing Virtual Sales and Service Solutions, Online Scheduling Systems, and community involvement projects. Those clients who are not waiting are the companies that will succeed during this new “normal”.
During this period there is no such thing as long-term planning. Planning is to be done in short 7 – 14-day surges. Jennifer stressed the importance of being able to channel a powerful and narrow focus, making decisions, and executing in short intervals.
The Social Media Path – Unbounded Digitization
Social media is where customers are living all day, every day. This is the way people are keeping connected while being socially disconnected. If you have not focused on your social media presence, now is the time to take action. Get involved, set up all your notification systems, and stay connected with your clients.
Here at an HVAC marketing company, we’ve already built a great variety of both free and paid tools to help you adapt. Take advantage of our Social Media Publishing Solutions and our cutting-edge AI Chatbots.
Jazmin, our Regional Manager for the West Region, reiterated the importance of social media. Messenger and posts are how clients communicate with you. You need to interact and respond. You don’t want clients to feel as if they are begging for help and everything should be streamlined for your benefit. Social media also gives you an opportunity to show your customers exactly what you do. It’s no longer for the younger generation, it is for everybody. This is how you stay in touch with your customers and how you create the trust that generates sales.
The use of a chatbot is an addition that is invaluable. It works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are not available in person, the bot is there to assist. The bot allows your customers to book appointments online even while you are sleeping.
On your website, it is a good idea to remove your operating times and add a chatbot. In effect, you are open 24 hours a day. This doesn’t mean you are working the entire time. What it means is that your customers are being helped 24 hours a day.
Online Calls – Relentless Innovation
Make use of online call and video call platforms. At a time like this, you don’t have any need to actually, physically visit your customers for assessments and trouble-shooting. Hold walk-through meetings through video calls. Do whatever you can online. It is time to get modern and to do it fast.
The more you can do online, the better service you can provide your customers without putting anybody at risk. The best part is that by removing these barriers folks will gladly give you their money. All they need to know is that you take their health and well-being seriously.
The only time you actually have to visit your customer on-site is to complete the work. What works best for our dealers is telling their customers to go for a walk or quarantine in one room while they quickly complete the work discussed in the virtual inspection.
You need to adjust with the times, the pandemic is here for some time and if you really want to move forward you need to make changes. If you haven’t been doing any of these online activities and are just starting out it is going to be tough but keep pushing. We are here to help you through each and every step of the way!
Social media, online video calls, text marketing, and even making use of your personal platforms are the way to go. Remember that creating a social media page for your business now isn’t going to immediately get you the results you need. It takes time to grow an audience. This is where you will have to make use of your personal pages.
Free Tools Online
CI Web Group is focused on providing contractors with the tools to succeed in the new “normal”. On top of everything else, CIHVAC is a new directory where you can upload your logo, pictures, and company information for free exposure. Make use of this directory, create your listing, and be seen by customers. It’s free for you to use.
You will be provided your own login and you will also have the ability to update it at your convenience.
RAD Website – Rapid Application Development
If you don’t have a website this is by far the best option for you. It’s a powerful site that can be launched within 7 days. It has the basic functionality and can help you get started on the right foot, without wasting time and resources.
Customers can book a service online, request finance, troubleshoot, along with everything else you need to work and efficiently grow your company. Ensure that your open hours or after-hour times are updated. Add in a WhatsApp number for easier contact.
You need to show up in as many search places as possible. Make use of every tool available.
Pressing Million-Dollar Questions
The questions you need to be asking are vital to your success. What do you want to sell? Where do you want to sell it? Are you the easiest to work with? Are you on page one of Google or social media?
Make use of a variety of digital marketing strategies from our 12 Step Roadmap to ensure that you secure your spot in the top ranks of the most important search engines and social media platforms.
Build your content, start collecting reviews, make use of social media, and start conquering the rankings for your most important keywords. There is no time to pause and take a break. Keep pushing forward and hit the ground running. Take ownership of those spots in the listings that have opened up from others bowing out during this time.
It’s as simple as that!
Financing Programs
Easy access to financing programs is vital to sustaining a successful home services business. Your customers need to know that you can offer them payment options that suit their needs and budget. We all know that the economy is on a downward trend and many won’t have easy access to funds, especially where the work is one that carries a higher price tag.
Show your customers you are here to assist them in any way you can by showing them that you care about their financing needs. Get in touch with our team today to learn how you can help your customers explore financing options with easy monthly payments for installing or repairing their HVAC unit.
In the online realm, it is extremely important to be visible in all the right places. People are on the internet throughout the better part of their day. In quarantined times like these, it’s where they are finding things that need to be done around the house and realizing that their HVAC equipment needs to be serviced.
With no option to go out to seek the assistance they are turning to Google more and more often. This is where your business lies. Are you going to seize the day or will you just sit on the bench? The true definition of business growth changes with the times.
Digital technology has become omnipresent in our daily lives and its dominance over work patterns has started to blur some of the lines that were considered unimpeachable in the past. It’s your job to tip the scale to your favor, and it’s our job to make this journey for you as painless and straightforward as possible, so get in touch with our team today.
