Using Permit History for Predictive HVAC Sales: How to Spot Opportunities Early

Introduction

Every commercial building has a history, and permits tell the story. For HVAC businesses, tapping into permit history can reveal key insights into commercial HVAC systems that are due for upgrades, system repairs, service, or even replacement.

This is where using tools like Convex to analyze permit history can help you uncover sales leads before they’re even on your competitor’s radar. These insights empower sales to tailor outreach and offer HVAC services to meet the needs of potential commercial clients.

In this article, we’ll equip your sales team with the tools to accelerate sales by spotting in-market deals before your competitors do.

Understanding the HVAC Sales Process

But first, let’s rethink your HVAC sales process because some of these tools will require your team to take a different approach.

What is the HVAC Sales Process?

Traditionally, sales teams would network, do cold outreach (cold calling or emailing), or even drop by commercial properties in the hopes that they’d be able to connect with a decision-maker. Often, their efforts are thwarted by gatekeepers, spam filters, and modern smartphones that block calls and messages from unknown numbers.

How Smart Technology and BAS Have Changed Sales

With the rise of modern data access and smart building automation systems (BAS), the HVAC sales process has evolved into a more efficient, problem/solution-oriented approach.

The fastest-growing companies are leveraging this method to help their sales teams strategically identify potential customers’ needs and provide customized solutions. This not only shortens the sales cycle but also improves closing rates, allowing your business to grow consistently.

Whether you’re transitioning from residential HVAC systems to commercial projects or you’ve built years of credibility in the industry and want to accelerate your growth, adopting this strategic sales process is essential. Success today hinges on reaching the right decision-maker at the right time with the right message.

For HVAC contractors, this sales process demands a combination of technical expertise and strategic communication. Recognizing customer pain points, like the need for improved energy efficiency or compliance with indoor air quality (IAQ) standards, is crucial.

This is where tools like Convex come into play, empowering HVAC sales representatives and HVAC service technicians with detailed property and project data.

By understanding the building’s history and past service work, your team can approach prospective customers with solutions tailored specifically to their HVAC systems, ensuring higher engagement and greater success in closing deals.

Importance of a Proper Sales Strategy for HVAC Businesses

Did you know that according to sales intelligence firms like LinkedIn, the first salesperson to spot a potential customer’s needs and reach out with a personalized message has an 80% higher chance of closing the deal? That’s right, 80%! The second person has only a 10% chance, and the odds of closing the deal drop off steeply after that.

A well-structured HVAC sales strategy that begins with the customer’s needs, not a blind “shot in the dark” (e.g., cold, un-personalized outreach), will have a much higher chance of closing new commercial HVAC systems and maintenance contracts.

Identifying Opportunities with Permit History

How to Use Permit History for Predictive Sales

Going back to our opening, permit history tells the story of a commercial building. Want to know when a building was built? What permits have been pulled for new HVAC system installations? Or, when have major renovations have taken place?

Convex gives you property data, a detailed permit history, warranty data, and the ability to see equipment already in place. As a bonus, you can see what decision-makers are actively searching for, so you can tailor your outreach to property owners, tenants, or facility managers in the market for an HVAC unit or other services.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Analyzing Permit Data to Spot Trends, Patterns and Identifying Potential Customers

With Convex, your team can easily spot trends and patterns in permit history—like buildings that have pulled permits for HVAC upgrades or repairs.

Whether you’re on the lookout for older buildings with outdated equipment to target them with customized HVAC services that focus on energy efficiency and indoor heat management or selling new commercial HVAC systems, our platform delivers insights that offer your sales reps visibility into potential customers’ needs.

This targeted approach ensures you deliver the right solutions at the right time, maximizing your sales opportunities and increasing customer satisfaction.

HVAC System Sales Strategies

Let’s focus on the benefits of using these new strategies for sales.

New Sales Opportunities

Data-driven sales strategies open doors to new opportunities previously undiscovered because you couldn’t “see” them. Data visibility, like permit history, makes this possible. Imagine if you knew that a certain system had a 10-year life span and that in that 10-year timeframe, it would need certain service intervals that your team was perfectly positioned to provide.

Your sales team can use this data to connect with the prospect for a service contract that could eventually turn into a new install when the product needs to be replaced.

Upselling and Cross-Selling Strategies for Air Conditioning Systems

The second benefit that can have a huge impact on your bottom line is upselling and cross selling. Upselling a customer from a basic air conditioning system to a more advanced model can provide them with better indoor air quality and energy efficiency while boosting your revenue.

Cross-selling related products like air filters or maintenance contracts ensure your HVAC business remains a valuable partner for your customers while increasing loyalty.

But upselling and cross-selling isn’t just about selling more; it’s about filling gaps. Using permit history and other relevant data like buying signals, you can identify what the property owners and managers really need and help them build a complete solution to their unique needs.

Creating a Sales List and Reaching Out to Potential Customers

Finally, these tools will help you create a target avatar list for sales and marketing purposes. This will allow you to find everyone “in-market” that fits your ideal customer profile (ICP) so you can keep track of relevant triggering events and inform sales when they should make contact.

Creating a sales list is much easier with permit history tools that provide contact information and building specifications.

A bonus is tailored proposals on the first touch. Convex customer North by Northwest uses three tools to reach potential customers directly with tailored proposals on the first touch; this has allowed them to increase their win rate by 13% in the last year and book an additional $1.8M for the next couple of quarters.

Building Relationships and Trust with Customers

Ask the Customer for Information First

Many companies are finding that a “listen first” policy is driving more sales. Remember, money tends to follow pain. The more intense the pain, the stronger the motivation to spend in order to alleviate it.

When interacting with commercial clients, it’s crucial to listen first so you can identify that pain and tailor your service based on their unique HVAC system needs. Whether it’s wasted time from constantly maintaining an older system, lost customers from systems that aren’t working, leading to uncomfortable environments, or indoor air quality that’s causing health issues, identifying the customer’s pain points will help establish trust and build a long-lasting relationship.

Financing and Pricing Strategies

As budgets tighten and a potential recession looms, money can be a touchy subject for many businesses. That’s why it’s important to have financing and pricing strategies in place to address these concerns.

Discuss Financing and Money Properly

Many HVAC sales representatives hesitate when discussing costs, but offering consumer financing for commercial HVAC systems can ease the process. Presenting affordable monthly payment options or customized pricing plans, particularly for larger commercial buildings, increases your chances of closing the deal.

Conversely, not offering some type of financing solution can quickly cause you to lose your sales reps’ deals.

Training and Development for HVAC Sales Professionals

Getting Started With HVAC Sales Training

Having the right sales training for your team, including how HVAC service technicians handle conversations that could lead to upselling, cross-selling, or even new sales opportunities.

Ensure that (whatever tools you decide to use) your “reps” and “techs” are equipped with the latest sales strategies, tactics, techniques, and tools so that they’re prepared. Convex’s property intelligence platform would obviously be our #1 recommendation (but we’re Convex, so we’re a bit biased), but whatever your choice, make sure the solution provides the data they need to make informed decisions during the sales process.

Learning From the Highest-Earning HVAC Techs in the Industry

Learning from the top performers in the HVAC industry can also propel your business forward. Use their strategies to fine-tune your HVAC sales tips and apply the lessons of successful sales professionals to grow your team’s expertise.

Common Challenges and Solutions in HVAC Sales

Overcoming Objections and Closing Deals

It’s vital to anticipate objections, such as pricing or uncertainty over HVAC maintenance, warranties, and repairs. Convex can help provide “evidence,” such as permit history, to prove the necessity of your services, leading to smoother deal closures and ongoing customer loyalty.

But you will still face some unique challenges. The more you can document, track, and train for these challenges, the better equipped your team will be to handle them when they arise.

Measuring Success and Improving Performance

Tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in HVAC Sales

Tracking KPIs like outreach conversations, sales revenue, commercial client acquisition, and HVAC service retention is key to understanding your trajectory. Convex provides CRM functions in the platform to track metrics like this, allowing HVAC sales managers and contractors visibility into individual and team performance to track these metrics and make data-driven adjustments to their sales process.

Analyzing Sales Data to Identify Areas for Improvement

• Analyze your sales data to identify trends and patterns in your sales performance.
• Use this information to inform your sales strategy and identify areas for improvement.
• Make data-driven decisions to optimize your sales process and improve performance.
• Train your team on the new strategies, tactics, and tools to overcome shortfalls in your growth.

Differentiating Your Business from Competitors

Finally, differentiate yourself from competitors. HVAC sales (especially at the commercial level) are highly competitive. However, tools like Convex allow you to see more of the factors you need to build a great relationship with potential customers from the first touch.

Providing excellent customer service and staying proactive in your approach will set you apart in a competitive industry. So whether it’s permit history, commercial building data, sales analytics, or buying signals, your HVAC business can use Convex to get ahead of competitors and stay there.

Conclusion

Heating, air conditioning, and mechanical systems in commercial buildings need constant updates, service, and proper maintenance, no matter the economy. HVAC sales are one of the most consistent, reliable growth opportunities in the market.

If you’re willing to take a slightly different approach to HVAC prospecting and sales, you can position your company for rapid growth.

Ready to see how permit history data can revolutionize your sales? Schedule a demo of Convex today!