How do you cram everything of value your company embodies into your name, logo, or even on a billboard or the side of a company truck? You can’t. That’s why you have a slogan in the first place, that one statement that neatly and cleverly states your USP (unique selling proposition). But like anything else in the marketing realm, walking around and touting your USP all day will only get you so far. Meaning, eventually you need to tell the world what there is about your company, products, or services, that so seamlessly adds value to their lives. It’s not like their lives lack value without purchasing from you, hence the term “added value.”
If, for example, you own an HVAC company, what is it about your products and services that add value to customers’? Whatever you do, don’t say “we help keep them cool,” which is not a value statement. But these are:
- Provide a better night’s sleep
- Keep excess humidity out of the home
- Help sustain family comfort
And yet, values/benefits like those apply to anyone who installs, services, and repairs HVAC equipment.
How to Add Value to Your HVAC Company
Yes, successful marketing isn’t just about stating the obvious and time-tested benefits of your industry category. People get that. More than that, they expect it. The question, what particular value do you bring to the table that would make someone choose your company over others providing the same core services? Try these on for size:
- Emergency service available
- Annual service plan
- Advanced certifications
- High review count
- High average review rating
- Money-back guarantee
- Family-owned and operated
Chances are there isn’t a single 100% unique value/benefit on that list, but even if other companies offer all or most of them, you can out-value them by making those traits front and center in your marketing so that eventually you become associated with them, and they with you.
Discounting May or May Not Add Value to Your Selling Proposition
Who doesn’t like saving money on something you need anyway? No one, that’s who. But don’t get so carried away with the notion that just because you’re offering $300 off on a fully installed central AC system that more business will automatically come your way.
Just like anything else, there’s a right and wrong way to discount so that the act itself doesn’t erode your value proposition. In fact, the very definition of a value proposition could be: “With all this going for us, we are 100% worth our set price.” Said another way: “There’s nothing more valuable, home comfort wise, than a home equipped with heating and cooling equipment from Acme HVAC Services.” Live up to that promise and you become that promise. And when you become that promise, you are the leader in your business category.
Excessive and frequent discounting, on the other hand, can get people thinking that “maybe they’re not everything they’re cracked up to be.” And that’s the last thing you need to maintain to be successful in your own skin.