Look, the HVAC game in Brisbane is brutal
One week you’re flat out because a heatwave hit and every second person in Chermside has a split system that’s died. The next week? Silence. You’re sitting in the van scrolling through your phone, wondering why the phone isn't ringing.
Most air con blokes I talk to are sick of the feast and famine. They’re also sick of paying for leads that go nowhere. You know the ones—you pay fifty bucks for a lead, call them within three minutes, and they tell you they’re 'just getting five quotes' or they’ve already booked someone else.
It’s rubbish.
I’ve spent a lot of time looking at how local tradies grow. Most of them are doing it the hard way. They’re competing on price, chasing cheap work, and letting Google or some lead-gen site take a massive cut of their profit.
If you want a business that actually makes money—and lets you take a weekend off without stressing—you need a better plan. Here’s how we actually get results for HVAC businesses without the fluff.
Your website is your best salesman (or your worst)
Most HVAC websites are basically just a digital business card. They have a photo of an outdoor unit, a list of brands like Daikin or Mitsubishi, and a 'Contact Us' page.
That’s not enough anymore.
When someone’s air con dies in the middle of a 35-degree day, they aren't looking for a history of your company. They want to know three things: 1. Can you fix it or install a new one fast? 2. Are you going to rip them off? 3. Do other people in Brisbane trust you?
If your site doesn't answer those in five seconds, they’re clicking the 'back' button and calling the next bloke on the list.
First up, your website needs to work on phones. Perfectly. Most of your customers are finding you while they’re sitting on their couch, sweating. If your site is slow or the buttons are too small for a thumb to click, you’ve lost the job.
Secondly, you need to show your work. I’m not talking about stock photos of happy families. I’m talking about real photos of your installs. People want to see that you’re neat, that you tidy up after yourself, and that you know what you’re doing. It’s one of the best ways to win high-paying jobs because it builds trust before you even pick up the phone.
Stop buying leads and start owning them
I’ll be honest: I hate lead-gen sites. They sell the same 'enquiry' to four different sparkies or fridgies. It turns into a race to the bottom on price.
Why would you pay a middleman forever?
Instead, you should be focusing on stuff you own. Google Business Profile (the map thing) is the most powerful tool you have. It’s free. If you’re at the top of the map when someone searches 'air con repair Paddington', you get the call. You don’t pay Google for that click.
To win here, you need reviews. Lots of them. And you need to respond to them. Even the bad ones (we’ll get to that later). If you focus on getting jobs for free through your own reputation, your profit margins will skyrocket because you aren't 'buying' every customer.
Google Ads: How to not burn your house down
Look, Google Ads can be a goldmine for HVAC. But most blokes are doing it wrong and literally burning cash.
If you’re bidding on broad terms like 'air conditioning', you’re paying for people who are just looking for a manual for their remote or people who want to buy a portable unit from Bunnings.
Waste of money.
You want to bid on 'intent'. People searching for 'ducted air con installation cost' or 'emergency AC repair Brisbane'. These people have their wallets out.
Also, please, for the love of god, turn your ads off when you’re fully booked. I see so many guys paying for clicks when they can’t get to a job for three weeks. That’s just giving money to Google for fun.
The 'Service' secret to year-round cash
HVAC has a massive problem: seasonality. Everyone wants you in November. No one cares in June.
If you want to keep your guys busy in the winter, you have to sell maintenance. But don't call it 'maintenance'. Call it a 'Winter Health Check' or a 'Efficiency Tune-up'.
Every time you do an install, you should be getting that customer’s email and phone number. Then, six months later, you send them a quick text. 'Hey, it’s [Your Name] from [Business]. Just checking if your unit needs a clean before the dust builds up.'
This is how you build a real business, not just a job. Recurring revenue is the holy grail. It’s much easier to sell a $200 service to someone who already knows you than it is to find a brand-new customer for a $10k ducted install.
Stop losing the big jobs
I see this all the time. A big residential job or a light commercial project comes up. You quote it. Then you never hear back.
Usually, it’s because your quote looked like a grocery receipt. Or you took four days to send it.
In the high-end market, the way you present yourself matters as much as the price. If your quote is professional, shows exactly what they’re getting, and includes a few photos of similar work, you’ll beat the guy who’s $500 cheaper every time. You have to stop losing jobs to competitors simply because they looked more 'pro' on paper.
What about Facebook and Instagram?
Honestly? For most HVAC guys, Facebook is a bit of a distraction.
People don't go to Facebook to find an air con guy when their house is 40 degrees. They go to Google.
Facebook is good for 'brand awareness' (marketing speak for 'reminding people you exist'), but if you have a limited budget, put it into Google Search first. That’s where the immediate money is.
If you do use Facebook, use it for retargeting. You know when you look at a pair of boots online and then they follow you around the internet for a week? You can do that with your business. If someone visits your site but doesn't call, you can show them an ad the next day saying 'Still hot? We can be there tomorrow.' That works.
The 'Real Talk' on Reviews
You’re going to get a bad review eventually. Someone will be grumpy because you were ten minutes late or because the manufacturer part took a week to arrive.
Don't ignore it. And definitely don't get into a swearing match in the comments.
Reply calmly. 'Sorry we didn't meet your expectations, give us a call and we'll fix it.'
Future customers don't care that you had one bad day. They care about how you handled it. A mix of 4 and 5-star reviews actually looks more real than a perfect 5.0 anyway.
How much should this cost?
I hate it when agencies dodge this question.
If you want to grow, you should be looking at spending about 5% to 10% of your revenue on marketing. If you’re just starting out, it might be more.
If you’re doing $500k a year, spending $2k a month to keep the phone ringing isn't an expense—it’s an investment. If that $2k brings in one ducted install, it’s paid for itself. Everything else is pure profit.
But don't just throw money at it. Track everything. If you don't know where your calls are coming from, you’re flying blind. Ask every single person: 'How’d you find us?'
What should you do first?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, here is your Friday afternoon checklist:
1. Claim your Google Business Profile. Fill out every single section. Upload 20 photos of your van, your team, and your best installs. 2. Fix your website. Make sure your phone number is at the very top and that it works on a mobile. 3. Call your last 10 happy customers. Ask them for a Google review. Send them the link. Don't be shy. 4. Check your speed. If it takes you more than 4 hours to reply to an enquiry, you’re losing money. Speed is everything in this game.
My honest take
Marketing isn't magic. It’s just about being where people are looking and proving you aren't a cowboy.
In Brisbane, the 'cowboy' factor is high in the tradie world. If you turn up on time, wear a clean shirt, send a professional quote, and have a website that doesn't look like it was made in 1998, you’re already ahead of 80% of your competition.
The guys who are killing it right now aren't the ones with the biggest ads. They’re the ones who have built a system that brings in leads while they sleep.
If you want to stop chasing the cheap stuff and actually build something that lasts, let’s have a chat. We do this for local blokes every day at Local Marketing Group. No jargon, just more phone calls.
Drop us a line at https://lmgroup.au/contact and we'll see if we can help you out.