Picture yourself at Cabela’s.

You’re looking for a new pair of work boots.

You check out every boot they have in stock.  Strange thing is – they’re all the same.

Same color.

Same stitching.

Same sole.

Even the same price.

So how do you choose which to buy?

That’s easy – it doesn’t matter – they’re all the same!  Just pick a random pair of boots that fit and away you go.

Ok, so a year goes by.  You wear those boots out.  Back to Cabela’s.

Once again, the boots are all the same… except for one thing this time.

Their price.

So now you actually have to make a choice.  Do you buy the cheapest, the most expensive, or a pair somewhere in the middle?

Well, the boots are all identical, so it would only make sense to buy the pair with the lowest price, right?

Be unique or be judged on price.

Another year goes by.  Work boots are done.  Back to you-know-where.

This time, the boots are all different from each other.

Different colors, different stitching, different soles.  There’s a lot of variety.

And the prices vary quite a lot as well – from $50 a pair to $360 a pair.

Now how do you choose?

You compare the stitching and the soles.  You try on a few pairs to see how they feel.

Obviously, the $360 pair must be of higher quality.  But the $50 pair are only 1/7 the price.

If the $360 pair of boots don’t do a good job sharing what makes them unique, why in the world would you buy them?

But wait!

Once you learn that the $360 pair of boots are American made, triple-stitched, have Gore-tex, Vibram, and 1000-denier nylon, they’re guaranteed to be the most comfortable boot you’ve ever worn, their soles are guaranteed to last 10 years, and on Cabela’s website they have 258 5-star reviews, well… these may be the boots to get.

They do cost 7 times as much as the cheap pair, but man, they are so worth it.

You’ll never buy another pair of boots.  Done and done.

Here’s the summary of the 3 boot buying experiences.

Purchase #1 – All work boots were the same.  A random pair was chosen to buy.

Purchase #2 – All boots were the same in every way except for price.  The least expensive pair of boots was the logical choice.

Purchase #3 –  The boots were all different.  There was variety in materials, quality, and prices.  A tough decision had to be made.  The most expensive work boots had to show how they were unique and worth the added cost if you were to buy them.

You can eliminate the competition by doing this.

Let’s bring this full circle to your HVAC business.

Situation #1 has your HVAC company being the same as every other HVAC contractor in your city.  You all give free estimates.  You all have trained technicians.  You all service the same city.  Your hourly and service rates are all the same.

Who does the customer chose when their HVAC equipment breaks down?  If they don’t already have experience with a local contractor (good or bad) that influences their decision, their choice will essentially be random.  There is no difference between contractors – there is nothing unique about any one business.  If your HVAC company is not unique in some way, you’re basically rolling the dice when it comes to winning customers.

Situation #2 has your HVAC company being the same as the other HVAC service businesses in your city, except that your service rates are all different from each other.  The customer with the broken HVAC equipment will call a few contractors, see that they are all the same (except for service rates), that there is nothing unique about any of them, and then will chose the lowest priced contractor to fix their problem.

You know what this is right?

It’s a race to the bottom.

The business with the lowest service rate gets the service call.

No one wins when it’s a race to the bottom.

Situation #3.  Your HVAC company does a great job sharing what makes it unique and different from every other HVAC contractor in town.  You’re able to set your business apart from the others.  There is something unique in the service your business provides, and your service rates can reflect this.  You’re business isn’t fighting to have the lowest service rates in the city.

Now, when a potential customer is comparing contractors, they aren’t just comparing apples to apples.  They’re comparing crab apples to Sekai-ichi apples!  They can see the added value that your business gives during each service call.  This is how you can increase your service rates and increase your revenue without sacrificing customers.

You’re now in control of the fate of your business.  No longer do you need to hope for service calls or lower your prices to compete with everyone else.

I hope this has helped explain the importance of your HVAC business having a USP and sharing it effectively.

Are you looking for examples of a USP for an HVAC company?  Check out our blog post at http://digitaltraffickr.com/37-usp-examples-hvac-business/.  You may come away with an idea that’s perfect for your company.

Give me (Steve) a call at 1-866-836-9626 if you need some help putting together a USP for your HVAC business.  We can brainstorm what makes your business unique so you can get your company moving in the right direction.

Make it a great day,

Steve