Rick owned an HVAC company in a market with 500 competitors. He stopped posting generic price promotions and started making videos that answered customers' actual questions. Within nine months, his engagement and perceived authority climbed so much it helped him sell the business.
Rick had a successful H VAC business, yet he knew he could do better. So he began using social media like Facebook and Instagram to get out there more. Unfortunately, instead of resulting in more leads and sales, it only sucked more time away from doing what he loved, which was growing his business and working with his team. Then, during a network meeting, he heard something that seemed to make sense from another business owner who. Who also was a member of the same networking group. So Rick, after the meeting, reached out and asked if they could meet well. During the meeting, Rick discovered why he was doing well, but also was now aware of why he was bumping up against this glass ceiling. You see, in rick's Industry H Vac, there are over 500 licensed competitors in his area doing the same thing he does. Or so his potential customers thought. Meaning, while he and his team were outstanding, their messaging and advertising had way too many similarities of those other 500. This made it difficult for his company to really stand out as the choice when it came to buying a new air conditioner or calling a plumber. Now, in the meeting, he was shown a new way, a much more effective way to not only stand out, but in the process, be the answer when his ideal customers did Google searches or seek answers on YouTube. Now, when Rick first heard this method, he was excited, but he was a little leery too. You see, to Rick, it had almost nothing to do with selling. One of the biggest lessons from this first meeting was realizing if Rick's customers were buying a new air conditioner and they were comparing a certain model, let's say in Amana, then every other company being shopped would have that exact same unit. So if the units were exactly the same in the customer's mind, what's the one thing that sets one of them apart to be their choice? Price. And Rick already knew he did not want to compete on price alone. He knew if he did this or continued to do this, he would just be a commodity and it would erode his potential profit margins and his growth. So after the meeting, he decided, let's give this a try, this new plan. He was a bit unsure of changing his conversation, though, from a buy me to. To let me answer your question approach, which, as he made new videos, took a few takes to get it right. But his commitment to this path began almost immediately to yield results. His post, instead of getting 20 to 30 views and maybe a comment or two, now saw hundreds and thousands of views and shares and comments. Why? Because he now was different. He separated himself from his competitors who were promising the lowest price and using gimmicks to get the prospect's attention. You see, in the first meeting, he learned that 88% of people will do all their research before they ever pick up a phone to speak to a salesperson. This included walking into Rick's business. Rick decided now to make content to answer these research questions instead of just promising low prices. And in the eyes of his potential customers, he became the authority, the trusted resource, in Rick's words. I was able to see how I was stacking up against my competitors by the reports from Swingpoint Media, and we were clearly beating our competitors to the point it felt like an unfair advantage. Now let's fast forward. Rick calls me on a Friday afternoon, about nine months into our relationship to share some good news. Rick's company was being sold and Rick wanted to share a It was insisted due to his new digital footprint. In fact, the new owner was saying he found him because of what he was doing and knew he wanted to buy his company and expand his own brand. It was an exciting day for Rick and his family because it allowed him now to move to Arizona and begin the next chapter of their life. Rick will tell you his goal was to sell his company, but by doing what he learned in that first meeting, it accelerated. Accelerate the timeline by several years. If you're struggling to stand out and you're not interested in every time someone calls, they just want your best price. Maybe it's time to do what Rick did. Contact Swingpoint Media. We can help you. Congratulations, Rick and Rachel.
