A marketing budget session gives you a number to spend, a reason for that number, and a way to tell within about 90 days whether it's paying off. Ali builds it from your job values and your crew's capacity, then helps you decide which channels earn the first dollars.
Who this session is for
This session suits three kinds of owner. The first is spending money every month on ads, directories or an agency, and can't say what it returns. The second is about to sign a marketing contract and wants an independent second look. The third has never spent much on marketing, relied on referrals for years, and has noticed the phone getting quieter.
If your jobs are underpriced, more leads will only make you busier for the same money. Ali will say so, and point you to the pricing and margin session first.
How Ali builds the budget, step by step
The method works backwards from capacity. Here's an example with round numbers:
- Spare capacity. Your four techs could handle about 40 more paid calls a month in the shoulder seasons.
- Mix of those calls. From your history, roughly 1 in 8 repair calls on older equipment turns into a replacement quote, and you win about 40% of those.
- Value per call. Average repair of $420 and average replacement of $9,500 give an expected value of roughly $420 + (1/8 × 0.4 × $9,500) ≈ $895 per call.
- Affordable cost per call. If you're willing to spend 15% of that expected value to win the call, that's about $134.
- Monthly budget. 40 calls × $134 ≈ $5,360 a month, before you know which channel can deliver calls at that price.
That figure isn't a target to hit on day one. It's a ceiling. The test plan decides how much of it to spend, and where.
What's included
- the capacity-based budget above, with your own figures
- a review of what you spend today and what each line returns, as far as it can be traced
- a short list of channels to test first, usually two, chosen for your market and season
- clear checkpoints: what each channel should show by week four, month two and month three
- if you have one, a line-by-line review of an agency proposal with the questions to ask before signing
How results are measured
Ali insists on measuring calls and booked jobs, not clicks or impressions. That means tracked phone numbers, a simple way to note the source of every booked job, and a monthly comparison of spend against booked revenue. The approach mirrors the HVAC marketing work behind HVACDeal.ca, which produced 500+ leads at a 12:1 ROI, and CombiBoiler.ca, which reached 300% ROI. Those results came from sustained, measured work, and the results page explains what an owner can take from them.
Ali also asks you to log missed calls for a few weeks, because a channel can look weak simply because nobody answered the phone.
Mistakes Ali sees most often
- Starting five channels at once. You won't learn what works, and none of them gets enough budget to prove itself.
- Judging SEO after six weeks. Search content builds over months; paid search shows results faster. Different channels need different checkpoints.
- Measuring leads, not jobs. A cheap lead that never books is the most expensive kind.
- Cutting the budget in the first cold week. Peak demand is when competitors bid hardest, but it's also when your best customers are searching.
- Signing a long contract before a test. Ask for a trial period or a short initial term, and get the terms in writing.
After the session
Some owners run the plan themselves; others hand it to a provider. If you'd like it carried out by HVAC.Agency, see the plans on our pricing page. Either way, the guides are worth a read before you start. Then call, text or email Ali with your current monthly spend and how many techs you run.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a right percentage of revenue to spend on marketing?
Percentages are a rough sanity check at best. Ali prefers to start from the number of extra jobs you can handle and what each one is worth, because a busy company and a quiet one with the same revenue need very different budgets.
Can Ali review an agency proposal I've received?
Yes. That's a common reason for this session. Ali will go through what's included, what's measurable, and which questions to ask before you sign, whoever the agency is.
Will Ali try to sell me HVAC.Agency services?
The session stands on its own. If you want marketing carried out afterwards, HVAC.Agency plans are listed on the pricing page, and you're free to take the plan to any provider or run it yourself.
How soon will I know if the spend is working?
For paid search, the early signals show within weeks. For SEO and content, expect several months. The session sets a checkpoint for each channel so you aren't guessing.