The battle for consumers’ discretionary dollars is one that never ends. In this age of social media, digital content, and the glut of advertising, consumers are beset with what has become bothersome and noisy. They tend to tune out.

And that’s where branding comes in. By the way, some people think branding means having the coolest logo or snappiest jingle. Truth be told, that IS important, but branding goes way beyond.

It is like a subliminal message that consumers ‘hear’ when they need help. Basically, it’s the brand that guides how customers perceive you. So, here are some key branding points worth considering.

What Does Branding Provide?

  • Recognition. People tend to do business with companies they are familiar with. Your brand is how you start to attract people to your company. This makes you stand out from the crowd, which is key in the HVAC universe because there is just so much competition
  • Business value. A strong brand brings solid leverage when it comes to generating future business. It doesn’t matter if the need is for borrowing money for expansion or creating new products and services such as Air Upgrades, Duct Renovations, and Airflow Testing and Diagnostics
  • New customer generation. Can you say, ‘referral business?’ People love to tell others about the brands they like. A strong brand provides a strong image or impression in the marketplace. This makes it easier for people to positively talk about and choose to do business with you, especially if you are recognized as THE expert in solving comfort and efficiency issues your competition doesn’t even know about
  • Employee pride and satisfaction. When employees work for strongly branded companies, they tend to be more satisfied with their jobs and have higher degrees of pride in the work they do. What is stronger than being able to perform static pressure testing and solving longstanding issues customers may not realize they have?
  • Creates trust. A brand that is consistent and clear puts customers at ease because they know exactly what to expect. It really represents your ‘promise’ to them. Performance-Based Contracting’ services go way beyond anything your competition can provide.

The High-Performance HVAC Brand

Think about the idea of measuring, testing, and diagnosing customers’ comfort systems, combined with your reputation. Add in your ability for delivering what you promise — and proving it. That is a brand that can shine brighter than all other brands combined.

Think about your maintenance agreements. Do you differentiate them from your competition’s by going beyond a simple clean and check?

Every marketing pundit and consultant will tell you that your brand is key to dominating your marketplace and owning your success.

It’s not easy. Nothing worth doing ever is. It is an investment in training, practice, and time. It’s cultural. But the benefits are simply awesome!

In this issue, read my article on why Performance-Based Contractors invest in training (page 27) which contributes to their brand. From a sales standpoint, Tom Piscitelli discusses principles of measurement in sales, and Dominick Guarino goes further into the ABCs of High-Performance Contracting with a step-by-step approach to sale.

These are just some things successful contractors do to assure they outshine the competition in their marketplace. So what are you doing to build your brand?