If you’re in the HVAC business - or any business - you probably have an idea of who your best customer is.

Do you also know who your worst customer is?

Knowing your best and worst customers is one of the critical keys to a successful lead gen strategy.

If you don’t know your best customer, you end up spending a lot of time - and money - attracting business that really costs you money in the end.

You know the type. People who are problems from the first phone call.

If you know who your best customer is, you can target your marketing to them - online and offline, and increase the percentage of Best customers while decreasing the number of customers who end up eating up time and resources that simply end up hurting your bottom line.

Plus, by targeting your best customers with good, meaningful offers, you are more likely to convert them to other product offerings you might have- and encourage them to share this with their network, increasing your reputation and customer base at the same time.

Finding Your Best Customer- Questions to Ask

If you ask most businesses- “Who is your best customer?” People will say “Anybody- I can do this for anyone.” But that’s not 100% true, is it?

•  Is your best customer residential or business? 
• What kind of turn around time do they need? 
• Do they need to finance or will they pay in cash? 
• Where are they located? 
• Is the job more complicated because of the type of residence or permits required? 
• How does this fit in with your staff and trying to maximize the work they do, to help maximize your bottom line?

By maintaining that everyone is your best customer ignores the fact that some neighborhoods or areas simply are more difficult to work in than others.

There may be more neighbors in some areas, so work hours and noise issues could be a problem. Parking could be an issue in urban areas.

The local town officials could be a pain in the neck and it takes twice as long to get a permit or inspection than in other areas. Some areas may not be as affluent, and it may take you a lot longer to close a deal and get paid than in other areas. 

 These are probably not your best customers.

As a business owner, you know this stuff, but it’s not written down anywhere. And the information is probably located in your database- or even in the heads of your salespeople. 

So who is my best customer?

Spend some time looking at the best jobs you’ve done over the past year.  Which ones were easy and profitable? Which ones were hard?

In identifying your best customers, you and your salespeople probably have a sense of this. List out the jobs and look for common denominators. 

Are they all in a certain neighborhood or zip code?

Is it in more affluent or middle class neighborhoods? Who is looking to buy upgraded equipment and home automation?

Are there a lot of renovations in up and coming neighborhoods?

What customers are more likely to need additional services, like a tankless hot water heater, generator, home automation or other services you offer- because they value those conveniences?

This sort of customer might also value “Having a guy” who will take care of all their needs- making you the hero they love to brag about to their friends whenever asked.

Other areas might contain a lot of homes about the same age where the neighborhood is ripe for a lot of new installations as equipment reaches the end of its lifespan.

You might know where the best commercial jobs are, and who pays quickly, and which businesses are always slow to pay when you give them an invoice.

When you take a look at the jobs that were the most - and least-profitable- and how jobs in those categories are similar, you’ll know who your best and worst customers are.

I know who my best customer is. What Next?

With this information in hand, you can use this information to find other people just like them and target your marketing accordingly. 

At Comfort Media Group, we help our clients build their email lists to help target and remarket to their best potential customers, and use Facebook and Google ads to help identify “lookalike” audiences that help you get your offers out to customers most like your best customers.

We’ll help you design offers and promotions to attract more of the customers you like, and even dissuade customers who simply aren’t for you.

With targeted marketing programs and marketing automation, we help educate your best customers about you and their needs- which helps make each sales call easier and more successful.

Our research department can also help you look at local trends to help you identify opportunities you never knew about, using demographic and trend analysis tools to help you position your business to maximize the work you want, and diminish the calls for work that just ends up eating away at your profits and your sanity.

Just give us a call at (215) 698-6900 and see how we can help make your business more successful with our tried and true methods.