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🎯 1. Not All Leads Are Created Equal

The loudest marketing channel isn’t always the most profitable one.

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The Reality:

• That SEO agency talks a big game, but none of the calls convert.
  
  
• Angi’s sending leads—but your close rate’s under 10%.
  
  
• Partnerships sound promising but feel like charity.
  
  

Fix It:

• Track source-to-close, not just clicks or impressions.
  
  
• Measure quality: Is the job size worth the lead cost?
  
  
• Know your Close Rate by channel: More truth, less hope.
  
  

Quick Win: One TradeSworn client dumped a $4K/mo lead service and added $60K in booked work in 60 days by shifting spend to their highest-ROI referral engine.

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Read: Am I Targeting the Wrong Job Types?

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📉 2. You’re Not Actually Measuring ROI

If you can’t tell which channel gave you which customer, you’re not marketing—you’re guessing.

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The Reality:

• Google Ads are running but no job tracking is in place.
  
  
• You’re relying on “how did you hear about us?” and forgetting to log it.
  
  
• Marketing reports look good—but sales still feel slow.

Fix It:

• Assign source tracking on every inbound form and phone call.
  
  
• Connect marketing to jobs closed, not just leads generated.
  
  
• Calculate CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) by channel monthly.
  
  

Stat: Only 1 in 4 commercial HVAC companies can name their highest-performing lead channel. Be the one who can.

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Read: Why Aren't Calls Turning Into Leads?

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🚫 3. You’re Scaling the Wrong Channels

Just because it brings in leads doesn’t mean it scales with you.

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The Reality:

• Low-price lead farms flood your team with tire-kickers.
  
  
• A one-person marketing shop can’t scale when you do.
  
  
• You’re adding ads but ignoring your referral goldmine.

Fix It:

• Rank your lead channels by average ticket size + close rate.
  
  
• Drop anything that doesn’t lead to bankable jobs.
  
  
• Invest in what multiplies: crews, reviews, referrals, repeat work.
  
  

Real Talk: Growth isn’t adding noise, it’s removing friction.

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Read: Is My Marketing Actually Working?

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📞 4. You Don’t Have a Consistent Follow-Up Plan

It’s not just the channel, it’s what happens after the call.

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The Reality:

• Hot leads go cold waiting for quotes.
  
  
• Sales team isn’t logging follow-ups.
  
  
• Marketing’s doing its job. Sales isn’t.

Fix It:

• Set response time goals: every lead touched in under 1 hour.
  
  
• Build a simple follow-up system with 3+ touchpoints.
  
  
• Align marketing + sales teams around revenue, not just lead volume.
  
  

Pro Tip: Don’t scale leads until your close rate is dialed.

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🧰 Final Takeaway:

More leads won’t fix broken follow-up, bad channels, or guesswork strategy. You don’t need more noise. You need a cleaner, smarter plan.

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Ready to cut the waste and find the right leads?

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[CTA: Download the HVAC Lead Channel ROI Calculator]