Creating Proposals for HVAC Maintenance Contracts

No matter how skilled you are at selling, your proposal can make or break your ability to get prospects to sign on the dotted line. Here are some proven tips for creating proposals for HVAC maintenance contracts that will improve your close rate AND your ongoing relationships with customers.

7 tips for creating proposals for maintenance contracts

1. Make it personal

While you probably start creating proposals using a template, don’t make the mistake of making them boilerplate. Your potential new customer wants to know that you understand their specific needs and their goals for working with you, and how your HVAC maintenance contract will help. 

Before you even begin creating proposals for new contracts, always be sure you know what the customer wants most. Think through the following questions:

• What problems is the customer experiencing? They might complain about inconsistent cooling, ongoing repair problems, or high energy costs.

• Why did they reach out to you? In addition to current problems, they might be concerned about preventing business downtime, or prolonging the life of their equipment.  

• How will your contract solve the problem? How will your HVAC maintenance contract solve the customer’s problems and alleviate their concerns?

When creating proposals, the introduction (and other parts of the proposal as appropriate) should reference and answer these questions.

Also, include information about the customer’s equipment items that you’ll be servicing under the contract, and the current condition of each item. This practice not only adds personalization to your proposal, but protects you as well.

2. Use the right language

Too many contractors make the mistake of creating proposals and contracts using technical and legal terms that customers can’t understand. 

Lack of clarity creates confusion and distrust. It’s worth the effort to write in layman’s terms and avoid using industry jargon. 

TIP: You can use a technical term if you include a way for the customer to learn more about it. For example, you can list tasks that are included in a PM visit, with a link to a website page that explains (in layman’s terms) what these tasks are and why they are important.

3. Be clear about what’s included 

Help the customer to compare your proposal to others. Explain exactly what you’ll do at each maintenance visit, and what charges are included in the price of the contract.

It’s also a great idea to specify anything that’s NOT included. That might include travel time or parts/labor for any additional repairs above and beyond maintenance. Including this information prevents misunderstandings and disputes later on. Being transparent in this way also helps the customer to see you as honest and trustworthy.

4. Answer common questions 

Chances are, you hear the same questions all the time about your HVAC maintenance contracts. Save yourself some time and improve communication with the customer by answering these questions proactively in your proposals. 

If it’s a short answer, rewrite your proposal language to be more clear. If the answer requires more explanation than you can provide in the proposal or contract document, then link out to a separate website page. 

For example, if your proposal lists duct cleaning or coil cleaning as an optional service, provide a link to a website page that explains the service (again, in layman’s terms) and its value for the customer.

5. Set expectations

It’s best not to leave any aspect of your proposal or contract open to interpretation. In addition to specifying the specific equipment and services covered, you’ll want to let your customer know what to expect from working with you.

Be sure to set expectations about your response times (how far ahead will they need to schedule maintenance?), notification practices (will you let them know when it’s time for service?), and other practices that your customers might be concerned about (do your techs wear booties to avoid making a mess in their space?). Also, detailing your COVID-19 protocols can encourage potential customers to trust you.

Also, make sure the customer understands their own responsibilities, such as protecting their own space and making equipment accessible for service.

Setting expectations also serves to protect you and prevent disputes later.

6. Offer options when creating proposals

People like choices. Especially when you know your prospect will compare your proposal and contract with those of your competitors, it’s in your best interest to offer ways to differentiate your service.

When it comes to service options, it’s a great idea to share additional content that explains them, or to go over the contract with the customer and do so verbally. Options might include:

• Adding service labor and/or parts to the contract
• Add-ons such as coil cleaning that might not be needed at every service visit
• Providing extra filters that customers can replace themselves between visits
• Extending the contract length and offering a discount
• Offering flexible payment terms, such as paying quarterly or monthly

7. Be professional

This last one might seem obvious, but you’d be amazed at some of the unprofessional contracts and proposals out there. Take the time to make the document look neat and professional:

• If you don’t have anyone with graphic design skills, use a Microsoft Word or Google template.
• Make fonts, headings, and spacing consistent and easy to read.
• Check spelling and proofread for grammatical errors.

More HVAC & Refrigeration business advice

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Thanks to Michael Rosone of Arista Air Conditioning for sharing his expertise for this article.

HVACR Career Connect NY was created to promote the exceptional quality-of-life benefits of a career in HVAC and Refrigeration service, and also to provide a clear path for getting started in the profession. In doing so, we serve as a resource for employers in the New York City metro area to find and hire smart and capable new technicians. We also serve as an educational resource to support business growth and to help service technicians succeed in their chosen profession.