What Is Your Competitive Edge?

September 26, 2009. A competitive advantage is something your company does that is different or better than what other HVAC contractors in your marketing area do. What value does it present? Why would it cause prospective customers to choose your company?

Here are some examples: In my first HVAC contracting company we established work shifts with both service technicians and inside service support coworkers. This allowed us to answer phones and dispatch techs when our competitors' offices were closed. Although many of them had techs responsible to handle off-hours calls we were doing it just as if it was 10:00 in the morning. We were open for business as usual both in the evenings and Saturdays, and developed and marketed a theme "Longer Service Hours At Regular Service Rates" that was promoted in all of our advertising and collateral material. As a result of the program we were successful in adding many new customers. 

Your competitive edge could be the high quality company training program superior to any training provided by your competitors. It could be the way your technicians and installers present themselves, how they look and what they say when in a customer's home. Or, it could be the constant and consistent clean and attractive appearance of your vehicles. Whatever you choose as your competive edge be sure to consistently market it and most important remember you will never have a lasting competitive edge in price.