HVAC owner+agency. I scaled my dad's shop to $6M in 3 yrs, now I keep HVAC companies booked year-round and ahead of the PE rollups. Paid/Organic Google + Meta.
San Antonio, TX
Joined May 2025
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🚨HUGE life update🚨
My brother got his HVAC license and him and I are going 50/50 on a HVAC company
I’ve worked with him since 2022 when I started helping my dad and he’s grown into a great tech. Has sold over 250k in a month before and he’s ready to make the leap to be on his own
This allows me to not only continue my agency but have real stake in the game. I may have to hire an assistant lol but life is too short to not have a bio that say I scaled my Dads HVAC company to six million and me and my brothers too 😤💪
Plus, it’s gonna be some great content
Sometimes I see guerilla marketing done so well, I can only tip my hat in awe. This is one of those cases
I know these tweets are long as hell and skipped by most but they do contain some good info and things to ponder about inside your own company 🧠
Your next Google review starts the second somebody answers the phone.
By the time you text the homeowner a review link, she’s already spent hours or days deciding what she thinks of your company. She knows whether you called back, showed up when you said you would and remembered what she told you.
The companies consistently executing on those things are giving customers something good to write about.
Think about this:
The install crew found out about the tight attic, the aggressive dog and the thermostat relocation at 8:03 this morning
The tech who sold the system knew about it last week
Now the crew is figuring out whether they brought what they need, asking the homeowner to put the dog away and calling the office to find out whether moving the thermostat was included.
The homeowner is standing there thinking, “I already went over all of this with your guy.”
She took off work. She moved things out of the way. She thought everybody coming into her house knew what was happening because she already explained it to someone wearing the same shirt.
The service tech should have documented the access, the dog, the thermostat location and exactly what was promised. Photos should have been attached. The crew should have had that information before leaving the shop, with enough time to ask questions and load what the job required.
You’re laying the groundwork for the review right there, before anybody installs anything and the same thing applies to service calls.
If the homeowner spends ten minutes on the phone explaining that the furnace works intermittently, somebody already replaced a part last month and she needs a call before you arrive so she can secure the dog, that information needs to make it to the technician. You should have a phone system that can transcribe the conversation and a process that uses AI to turn that transcript into useful job notes.
Pull out the actual problem, previous work, access instructions, scheduling constraints and anything the office promised. Get those notes attached to the correct service call, have someone verify the important details and make sure the technician reads them.
Keep the customer’s description clear, too. “Homeowner says the previous company replaced the blower motor” is useful context. Your technician still needs to verify what happened. There’s no reason to make the customer repeat the whole conversation because the information got stranded in the phone system.
That handoff affects how competent your company feels before the technician even starts diagnosing anything.
Then think about every other part of the visit:
-Did the office explain the diagnostic fee before booking?
-Did the appointment confimation match what the CSR said?
-If you were running late, did somebody tell the homeowner before she had to call looking for you?
-Did the technician know why he was there?
-Did he explain what he found in a way she could understand, show her the options and get approval before doing the work?
-If a part needed to be ordered, did someone take responsibility for updating her?
You can do excellent technical work and still leave a homeowner frustrated because she spent three days chasing an answer about when you were coming back.
And when she writes the review, she’s going to describe those three days and thats no bueno
Owners sometimes get frustrated that customers don’t appreciate the quality of the installation. But most homeowners can’t evaluate every technical detail of your work. They can absolutely evaluate whether you protected the floor, explained the thermostat, cleaned up and followed through on the thing they specifically asked about.
They also notice when your employees seem to know what’s going on.
Imagine the installer arriving and saying, “I’ve got the photos of the attic, and I see we’re moving the thermostat into the hallway. Before we bring anything in, where would you like us to come through?”
That homeowner gets to relax a little. You remembered. She doesn’t have to manage the job for you. Those are the details that turn into “They made the whole process easy” in a review.
The same goes for how you handle a mistake, too
If something gets missed, acknowledge it, give the customer a clear plan and do what you said you’d do. Don’t make her explain the problem to four people and wonder whether any of them are coming back.
You’re giving her more information about what kind of company she hired, even after something went wrong. I’d read Google reviews in your morning huddles. Look for the specific things customers mention and connect them to what happened on the job.
When somebody praises your communication, figure out what the office and technician did that made it work. When somebody says they had to keep calling, find out where the follow-up stopped.
Use that information to improve the process and recognize the people executing it. Then make the review request part of your normal workflow. Send the link, keep it simple and let customers describe the experience in their own words.
The request matters. So does everything you gave them to write about.
I want the homeowner opening that text already knowing she’s going to mention how the crew showed up prepared, remembered the thermostat relocation and worked around the dog
Your next Google review starts the second somebody answers the phone.
By the time you text the homeowner a review link, she’s already spent hours or days deciding what she thinks of your company. She knows whether you called back, showed up when you said you would and remembered what she told you.
The companies consistently executing on those things are giving customers something good to write about.
Think about this:
The install crew found out about the tight attic, the aggressive dog and the thermostat relocation at 8:03 this morning
The tech who sold the system knew about it last week
Now the crew is figuring out whether they brought what they need, asking the homeowner to put the dog away and calling the office to find out whether moving the thermostat was included.
The homeowner is standing there thinking, “I already went over all of this with your guy.”
She took off work. She moved things out of the way. She thought everybody coming into her house knew what was happening because she already explained it to someone wearing the same shirt.
The service tech should have documented the access, the dog, the thermostat location and exactly what was promised. Photos should have been attached. The crew should have had that information before leaving the shop, with enough time to ask questions and load what the job required.
You’re laying the groundwork for the review right there, before anybody installs anything and the same thing applies to service calls.
If the homeowner spends ten minutes on the phone explaining that the furnace works intermittently, somebody already replaced a part last month and she needs a call before you arrive so she can secure the dog, that information needs to make it to the technician. You should have a phone system that can transcribe the conversation and a process that uses AI to turn that transcript into useful job notes.
Pull out the actual problem, previous work, access instructions, scheduling constraints and anything the office promised. Get those notes attached to the correct service call, have someone verify the important details and make sure the technician reads them.
Keep the customer’s description clear, too. “Homeowner says the previous company replaced the blower motor” is useful context. Your technician still needs to verify what happened. There’s no reason to make the customer repeat the whole conversation because the information got stranded in the phone system.
That handoff affects how competent your company feels before the technician even starts diagnosing anything.
Then think about every other part of the visit:
-Did the office explain the diagnostic fee before booking?
-Did the appointment confimation match what the CSR said?
-If you were running late, did somebody tell the homeowner before she had to call looking for you?
-Did the technician know why he was there?
-Did he explain what he found in a way she could understand, show her the options and get approval before doing the work?
-If a part needed to be ordered, did someone take responsibility for updating her?
You can do excellent technical work and still leave a homeowner frustrated because she spent three days chasing an answer about when you were coming back.
And when she writes the review, she’s going to describe those three days and thats no bueno
Owners sometimes get frustrated that customers don’t appreciate the quality of the installation. But most homeowners can’t evaluate every technical detail of your work. They can absolutely evaluate whether you protected the floor, explained the thermostat, cleaned up and followed through on the thing they specifically asked about.
They also notice when your employees seem to know what’s going on.
Imagine the installer arriving and saying, “I’ve got the photos of the attic, and I see we’re moving the thermostat into the hallway. Before we bring anything in, where would you like us to come through?”
That homeowner gets to relax a little. You remembered. She doesn’t have to manage the job for you. Those are the details that turn into “They made the whole process easy” in a review.
The same goes for how you handle a mistake, too
If something gets missed, acknowledge it, give the customer a clear plan and do what you said you’d do. Don’t make her explain the problem to four people and wonder whether any of them are coming back.
You’re giving her more information about what kind of company she hired, even after something went wrong. I’d read Google reviews in your morning huddles. Look for the specific things customers mention and connect them to what happened on the job.
When somebody praises your communication, figure out what the office and technician did that made it work. When somebody says they had to keep calling, find out where the follow-up stopped.
Use that information to improve the process and recognize the people executing it. Then make the review request part of your normal workflow. Send the link, keep it simple and let customers describe the experience in their own words.
The request matters. So does everything you gave them to write about.
I want the homeowner opening that text already knowing she’s going to mention how the crew showed up prepared, remembered the thermostat relocation and worked around the dog
If you want your HVAC website to appear in ChatGPT search, make sure it allows OAI-SearchBot
That's the crawler OpenAI uses for search. Check the robots.txt file and the hosting or security settings. A page can work fine on your phone while the server refuses the crawler. OpenAI treats search access and model training separately. You can allow OAI-SearchBot and block GPTBot, which handles potential training content. Check those permissions separately so you're allowing the access you actually want.
Then pick a service page you actually want homeowners to find. Make sure it says what you do, which towns you cover, what the appointment involves and how to book it
I was inspired by this post so here is the job posting for our company that we did on Indeed this morning:
Pay: $22.00 - $30.00 per hour
Job description:
Residential HVAC Installer
No experience required to apply! But there are some requirements:
Valid drivers license and clean driving record the last two years
No criminal history the last 5 years
Currently employed and at current employer for at least 1 year
Starting pay depends on experience but also job history. We want someone willing to learn and consistently show up everyday. Being late or calling off won't be tolerated.
We are a company of four currently. You'll be installing furnaces and air conditioners at people's homes. We will teach you everything and supply you with all the tools and knowledge necessary to continue your career in HVAC or start it.
Must be able to lift 50lbs and be comfortable with tight spaces (crawl spaces and attics).
Most mornings start at 8am. Your end time is not always known but you'll have a general idea the day before.
OT after 40 hours. Time and half on saturdays. We're closed on sundays.
Your resumé MUST be updated. If we interview and your resumé does not reflect your current job or history, we won't be moving forward with your application.
We are a growing, family owned company looking to add another great employee and provide a career for them. All applications are read by a human. If you are looking for a place to grow and make a great living and work for an awesome, local company. This is for you!
The homeowner asking Google whether to repair a 14 year old furnace is doing research and that research can turn into an install.
I'd want a page on my HVAC site that helps her make that decision before another company gets explains it first and that decision can be talked through by technicians that have had this conversation before. Those conversations can be your content on your website, social media videos, youtube, etc.
Have your service manager walk through what he would need to know: the failed part, repair history, warranty coverage, condition of the rest of the system and how long the owner expects to stay in the house. Explain how those details change the recommendation. Use a couple of real examples with the customer information removed
Owners sometimes get frustrated that customers don’t appreciate the quality of the installation. But most homeowners can’t evaluate every technical detail of your work. They can absolutely evaluate whether you protected the floor, explained the thermostat, cleaned up and followed through on the thing they specifically asked about and those are also the things that are going to get them to leave you an amazing google review 😎
Before we spend another month debating whether AI will recommend your HVAC company, let’s get the website to explain whether you service boilers.
Even a human is struggling with that one
An HVAC service page does not need 1,500 words because chat gpt says so. Answer the questions your CSR keeps getting about that service. If the answer takes 600 words, you can stop typing
A homeowner looking at three different prices is trying to figure out whether all three companies quoted the same job. Give her a way to do that.
Your furnace replacement page should help somebody compare estimates. Explain the equipment, labor coverage, venting, electrical work, permits and anything else that changes what they’re buying
I can't help those guys get down from that roof but I can help your HVAC company stay busy year round. See if we're a good fit
ramdigital.co/book
PE is playing the long game and so should you. Here’s what I have in mind for my company and what you should be doing for yours if you plan to be around ten years from now:
My brother and I are putting “Family Owned, Not Private Equity” on the side of our truck. I like it because it tells people something about who they’re hiring, and I think more homeowners are starting to care.
But I’m thinking about what that message will mean after we’ve spent years working in the same neighborhoods. How many people will recognize the truck because we’ve been to their house, installed their sister’s furnace or helped their neighbor?
That takes giving people a reason to call us again. How we handle their house, their money and the problem they called about determines how much that customer relationship is worth over time.
Here’s how I’d build that into the business.
Send mailers twice a year.
Pick neighborhoods you actually want more work in and keep showing up there. Include the customers you already have in those neighborhoods. You worked hard to get them in the first place, and you should have a plan for keeping them.
Plan around your hot and cool times, and give people enough time to book before you run out of capacity. You can even discount the visit as an early special to get some of that work scheduled ahead of the rush.
Use the same name, colors and recognizable faces they see on your trucks. Tell them what you offer and make it easy to schedule.
The homeowner who throws away your spring mailer might need you in October. By then, maybe she’s seen your truck at the neighbor’s house and read a recommendation in the neighborhood Facebook group. Keep giving her opportunities to remember you.
Run two seasonal tune-up SMS campaigns to existing customers and leads who’ve agreed to hear from you.
Your existing customers trusted you enough to let you into their homes. Keep that relationship going. You also have leads who reached out but never booked, and a seasonal reminder gives them another opportunity.
Clean up the list before you send anything. Someone who already booked maintenance shouldn’t get a message asking them to book it again.
Make the message useful, give them a simple way to schedule and have somebody ready to answer. Put these campaigns on the calendar so you’re consistently reaching out before the season, instead of remembering your customer list when the board is empty.
Understand what a comfort plan is worth over several years.
A homeowner joins your plan, sees your technicians regularly and has somewhere to call when something sounds wrong. You get to know the equipment and its repair history. When replacement becomes a reasonable conversation, you can explain it with years of context.
Price the plan so you can afford to deliver what you promised. Know the labor involved, track renewals and cancellations, and make sure those visits actually happen
If you promise priority scheduling, leave yourself room to honor it. People remember paying for a benefit, and you set yourself up for bad news bears if you don’t deliver it.
Look for services your competitors seem uninterested in doing well
Duct cleaning is one I’d consider. Boiler repair is another.
Look at what homeowners in your area have trouble finding help with and whether you can do that work well and profitably. I’d want to know what else our customers are calling around for that we could reasonably help them with.
Over time, you want more of those homeowners to already have your number saved when something comes up. Make getting more Google reviews than the bigger companies a goal you work toward for years. This might be the longest of the long games, especially if you’re starting hundreds of reviews behind.
Ask consistently after completed jobs and text the customer directly. Build the request into your process so it happens during busy weeks, too. Those are the weeks you’re helping the most people, and it’s easy to forget to ask.
Let customers describe their experience in their own words. They’ll often mention the service naturally anyway.
A homeowner explaining that your technician showed up, walked her through the options and cleaned up afterward gives the next person something useful to read. She may mention the air conditioning or furnace work without anybody telling her which keywords to use.
Keep that going for a few years and think about how much of your work a homeowner will be able to read about before she ever calls.
Build a website from the conversations your technicians are already having.
Why does this room stay cold? What changes the price of a furnace installation? When does another repair make sense? What does the warranty actually cover?
Have your technicians talk through those questions using real jobs, with the customer information removed. Those conversations can become service pages, social media videos, YouTube videos and emails.
Add photos and examples from the towns where you work. Keep improving those pages as you learn what homeowners still don’t understand.
Over a few years, you can build a useful body of information that sounds like the people who actually work at your company. Every new job gives you something else you might be able to explain, photograph or come back to when a customer asks the same question.
Stay involved in the neighborhoods you want to serve.
Sponsor something you can keep supporting. Get to know the other local businesses. Follow up after installations. Make referrals easy.
And keep good notes. If a homeowner told you she needed to wait until spring, someone should remember to call her in spring. AI can help skim transcripts and pull out those follow-ups so you can keep track of what you said you’d do.
A lot of this is ordinary work that gets dropped when the phones get busy. Then the season slows down and everybody starts wondering where the next call is coming from.
That’s where I think a family owned company has an opportunity. We can make these things part of how we operate and keep doing them long enough for customers to notice.
“Family Owned, Not Private Equity” will mean a lot more on the side of the truck if they already know the family. By then, I want us to be able to say we were playing the same long game PE was playing, just way better.
And so can you
ramdigital.co/book
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Before you copy a PE company's $49 tune up offer, figure out what your company needs to earn on that call.
You can copy the number on their ad in ten seconds. You still have to pay your tech when the homeowner only buys the tune up
I asked Claude who the best company was to replace my furnace. The top result had a citation that went a 404 page. The 16 sources it pulled from are mostly horrible
Today’s treasure will most likely be tomorrow’s trash. It is interesting seeing a service try and find sources for an answer without using google though
"Heating Solutions" could mean anything from a furnace to a blanket. Call your furnace repair page furnace repair. Put the city you actually serve in the title. She should know she found the right company before she opens the page
Calling an unsold estimate and asking "have you made a decision?" makes the homeowner do all the work. Try asking whether anything was unclear about what you quoted. She might be sitting there wondering why your furnace costs more than the other guys. Explain your value, your warranty and when you can do it