An HVAC company wanted to grow its commercial business
Management hired another salesperson, increased the advertising budget and asked the team to generate more leads. Activity increased, but revenue did not move in the same direction
The company’s message was broad: reliable HVAC services for businesses
It sounded reasonable, but it gave customers little reason to act and gave the sales team little guidance about whom to pursue
The company did not have a lead problem. It had an unclear go-to-market plan
“A go-to-market plan explains who will buy, why they will choose you, how you will reach them and what will make them act now”
Who exactly are you trying to serve?
The HVAC company initially described its market as commercial customers
That included office buildings, hotels, hospitals, warehouses, restaurants and industrial facilities. These customers owned HVAC systems, but their needs, buying processes and service expectations were very different
The company eventually focused on regional property managers responsible for multiple office buildings. These customers had recurring maintenance needs, expensive emergency failures and a strong reason to standardize service across their portfolio
The narrower focus made the market smaller on paper but more accessible in practice
The sales team could now build a specific account list, understand the decision-makers and develop an offer around a recognizable customer problem
“The purpose of choosing a target customer is not to exclude revenue. It is to concentrate effort where the business has the strongest reason to win”
What problem are you solving?
Customers do not buy a company’s capabilities simply because they exist. They buy an outcome they value
The property managers were not primarily looking for HVAC technicians. They wanted fewer emergency failures, predictable maintenance costs and faster response across multiple properties
That changed the offer
Instead of promoting general HVAC services, the company developed a portfolio-wide preventive maintenance program with standardized inspections, priority response and consolidated reporting
The technical work remained similar, but the commercial proposition became much stronger because it addressed the customer’s operating problem
Why should the customer choose you?
A value proposition must explain why the customer should choose the business instead of a competitor, an internal solution or doing nothing
Claims such as high quality, great service and experienced people are rarely distinctive because every credible competitor makes them
The HVAC company could differentiate through guaranteed response times, consistent service across every property, one point of accountability and reporting that helped the property manager identify recurring equipment problems
These promises also had to be operationally credible. A guaranteed response time would damage trust if the company lacked enough technicians or scheduling discipline to deliver it
“A value proposition is not what you want to say. It is the promise your customer values and your operation can consistently keep”
How will you reach the customer?
The route to market should follow the way the target customer buys
Residential customers may respond to local search, referrals and immediate offers. Regional property managers may require direct outreach, industry relationships, procurement registration and a longer sales process involving several decision-makers
The company therefore needed account-based selling rather than broad consumer advertising. It could identify priority property-management firms, map their portfolios, build relationships with facilities leaders and use an initial property as the entry point for a wider contract
Marketing still mattered, but its role changed. Instead of generating large numbers of unfiltered leads, it needed to build credibility through relevant case studies, maintenance insights and proof of performance
Why should the customer act now?
A customer can agree that the offer is valuable and still delay the decision
Strong GTM plans identify the event that creates urgency. An expiring service contract, rising maintenance costs, repeated equipment failures, a new property acquisition or an upcoming budget cycle can turn general interest into action
Without a reason to act, opportunities remain in the pipeline for months while the sales team continues reporting positive conversations
The company should therefore ask not only whether the customer has a problem, but what will make solving it a priority now
“A need creates interest. A triggering event creates movement”
Your Better by Monday action
Choose the product or service most important to your growth plan and answer four questions in one sentence each
Identify the specific customer you want to serve, the expensive problem you solve, the reason the customer should choose you and the route you will use to reach the buyer
Then identify the event most likely to make that customer act within the next six months
By Monday, your team should be able to explain the GTM plan without using broad phrases such as increase awareness, generate more leads or target commercial customers
If the answers are unclear, do not increase the marketing budget yet. Clarify where the business intends to win
Until next time …
One practical way to improve your business each week