Key Takeaways
- Build Privileged Service: Make your HVAC business a necessity, not a luxury, by delivering exceptional value that customers can’t find elsewhere
- Employees Come First: Following Richard Branson’s philosophy – take care of your employees and they’ll take care of your clients
- Set Clear Expectations: Train customers on your service standards early to avoid disappointment and operational stress later
- Know When to Walk Away: Once you’ve built a strong reputation, you have the power to fire problematic customers who don’t respect your value
The Psychology of Training Your Customer
Have you ever thought about training your customer? This sounds like an odd theory but in actual fact it works, and I’ll share a powerful example that changed how I approach customer relationships in the HVAC business.
Making Your Service a Necessity, Not a Luxury
In order to train a customer, you must first accomplish one critical thing: make it a privilege for them to do business with your company. Think about how comfort cooling used to be considered a luxury. Not anymore. We’ve supplied it to so many for so long that we struggle without it.
When HVAC systems fail now, it’s a major crisis. People get sent home from work, health becomes compromised, productivity plummets. These are all real consequences. The lesson here? Don’t make it a luxury for customers to do business with you – make it a necessity. Once you’ve accomplished this, you can begin setting expectations that make life easier for your business and reduce daily operational stress.
Leadership Sets the Standard
Business owners, this is where it starts with you. Leaders are incredibly important in creating a winning environment. Without fantastic leadership, things unravel quickly. Support your team, offer solutions and act on them, provide the resources required to get the job done.
Richard Branson said it best: “Clients do not come first, employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” This philosophy is essential when building the kind of service reputation that allows you to set the terms with customers.
Understanding the Psychology Behind Customer Training
The psychology behind this concept is fascinating. Here’s a simple example: Every day you walk into the same coffee shop at 7:30 AM and order a large coffee with two cream, one sugar from the same friendly barista. Eventually, you’ll notice your coffee is already being made as you walk in – no order needed. Congratulations, you’ve just trained the coffee shop employee.
But what happens if you want tea that day instead? That creates confusion for the barista who’s been conditioned to your routine. We’re all training one another in our daily lives – our spouses, kids, coworkers. The key is being intentional about it in business.
Setting Service Expectations from Day One
Training your customer isn’t unlike training someone to make your coffee. I used to hear a now-retired dispatcher religiously tell customers “eight o’clock” for service arrival times. This used to drive me crazy, especially for large preventative maintenance jobs or quoted repairs.
Most suppliers don’t open until 7:30 AM. After lineups and traffic, it could be 9:30 AM before techs reach the site. I began coaching her to avoid committing to specific times. If customers get used to you showing up at 8 AM every morning, the day you don’t, they become agitated and disappointed.
In a perfect world, we could show up bright and early every day. But in the real world, things happen. Five emergency calls might roll in, or the supplier’s inventory system shows a part available when it’s actually across town at another branch. Setting realistic expectations from the start prevents these situations from becoming customer service disasters.
When you’re scheduling commercial HVAC maintenance, being clear about timing and expectations becomes even more critical, especially during busy seasons.
A Lesson in Consequences: The Server Room Story
My old boss, who I’ve mentioned many times, originally introduced me to this concept of training customers. We had many loyal customers and excellent technicians – it was truly a privilege to work with us. We did significant work for a large server room design/build company, handling their cooling equipment installations and service.
I remember one specific customer training situation that not only worked for that case but came full circle. We were having recurring issues with a server room unit that had no backup cooling. Every time the unit went down, it was a scramble to assess and repair the problem. The customer was repeatedly told that backup cooling was necessary.
One day, frustrated with their lack of action, a service call came in. Instead of dispatching immediately, my boss made a bold decision: “Everyone is out, tomorrow is the earliest we can come.” They had to shut down servers and set up emergency fans to avoid disaster.
Shortly after that episode, backup cooling was installed. Interestingly, most new installations afterward for the same company included 100% redundancy built in. The lesson had been learned.
The Power of Being Indispensable
This approach obviously requires confidence and a sense of privileged service. The customer finally realized they had failed by not providing backup in a sensitive environment, which created more work for our company.
Building a reputation as a trusted HVAC partner means understanding proper system design and communicating those needs effectively to clients. When you become necessary to your customers’ operations, you gain the leverage to set professional boundaries.
I urge you to build a reputation of being needed, trusted, and becoming a necessity to your customers. Once you’ve accomplished this, you won’t need to tolerate non-compliant customers who become a drain on your business. Firing customers becomes an option at this point. And if you’re as good as they say, they might just ask for forgiveness.
As Tony Robbins says: “One of the most valuable things you’ll ever do is fire a customer.”
Building Your Indispensable HVAC Business
Ready to transform your HVAC business into the kind of operation that can set its own terms? Property.com’s ‘Know Before You Go‘ tool helps you pre-qualify customers and showcase your expertise before you even arrive on site. Build the reputation that makes you indispensable while protecting your time from problem customers. Learn how Property.com helps HVAC pros establish themselves as the premium choice in their market.
Moving Forward with Confidence
Training your customers isn’t about manipulation – it’s about setting clear expectations that benefit both parties. When you deliver exceptional service consistently, maintain professional standards, and communicate effectively, you create relationships where both you and your customers thrive.
Remember, this approach requires patience and consistency. Start by focusing on building strong operational foundations, then gradually implement these customer training principles. The result? A more profitable, less stressful business where you work with customers who value what you bring to the table.
The HVAC industry is evolving, and so should our approach to customer relationships. By positioning yourself as an essential service provider rather than just another contractor, you create the leverage needed to build a sustainable, successful business on your own terms.
