We’re specific about who we work with — and that’s intentional.
Most marketing agencies will take any client they can get. We cap our roster at 12 businesses — one per state — and we choose carefully. Here’s how we think about who we work best with, and why being honest about it makes us a better partner.
The Client We Do Our Best Work For
You’ve been in the HVAC or plumbing business for more than a decade. You’ve built something real — a solid local reputation, a loyal customer base, and a business that your community trusts. You’re not trying to become the biggest HVAC company in the state. You just want a reliable, steady flow of good work, a growing pool of returning customers, and marketing that runs without you having to manage it.
You probably have somewhere between 100 and 500 Google reviews. You have a Facebook page and a basic website. Your phone rings. But you know your marketing could be better — and you’d rather pay someone you trust to take care of it properly than keep trying to figure it out yourself.
You’re in it for the long run. So are we.
The Specifics
Here’s what our current clients tend to look like. If this sounds familiar, we’re probably a good fit:
- Business type: HVAC or plumbing company (residential focus)
- Annual revenue: $2–5 million
- Years in business: 10 or more
- Location: Outside of major metro areas — smaller cities, suburbs, and regional towns where being a known, trusted local name actually means something
- Owner profile: You’re running the business day-to-day. You know your customers by name. You’re not looking to exit or sell. You want your business to grow steadily and serve your community well for the next ten years.
- Google reviews: 100 or more (this tells us your customers are already happy — we help more people find you and keep coming back)
- Peak season: May through August, with shoulder seasons in spring and fall
- What you want from marketing: Someone who handles it for you, keeps you informed, and tells you the truth — not someone who sends you a 40-page report you have to interpret yourself
The Kind of Work We Love Doing
We love helping established HVAC and plumbing businesses become the obvious choice in their local area — not through aggressive advertising, but through consistent presence, community trust, and keeping existing customers engaged.
The work that gets us out of bed is helping a business owner who has spent 15 years building something good finally get the marketing infrastructure to match. A clean, high-ranking website. A Google Business Profile that actually works. Email campaigns that go out every two weeks without the owner touching them. Monthly promotions that feel relevant. A growing referral network. And every month, a plain-English report that tells you exactly how things are going.
That’s what we do. That’s what we’re good at.
Who We Don’t Work With
We’ll be honest here too, because it saves us both time.
We’re not the right fit if you want aggressive growth. If your goal is to double or triple revenue in the next 18 months, you need a different kind of agency — one focused on high-volume lead generation and paid advertising. That’s a legitimate business goal. It’s just not what we do.
We’re not the right fit if you’re planning to sell to a private equity firm. PE-backed growth requires a different marketing playbook, different KPIs, and a different relationship. We focus on building long-term brand equity and customer loyalty — not short-term metrics for a sale.
We’re not the right fit if you want daily contact. We’re proactive and you’ll hear from us regularly, but we’re not an on-call agency. Our model works because we take care of things without you needing to manage us. If you want a team you’re directing week-to-week, that’s not what we offer.
We’re not the right fit if you’re just starting out. Our model works best for businesses that already have a customer base and community presence we can build on. If you’re in your first few years, come back to us when you’re more established — and we’ll be glad to talk.
One Client Per State
We cap our roster at 12 clients — one per state. That’s not a marketing gimmick. It’s how we protect the quality of what we deliver and make sure no two of our clients are ever competing against each other.
It also means if you’re in a state that’s already spoken for, we’ll tell you upfront and put you on a waitlist if you’d like.
The Relationship We’re Looking For
We want to work with clients for ten years, not ten months.
The best marketing relationships are the ones where we become part of how your business operates — not a vendor you’re constantly evaluating. Over time, we learn your market, your customers, your seasonality, and your community. That accumulated knowledge is worth something. It’s what turns good marketing into great marketing.
If you’re looking for a marketing partner you can trust, hand things off to, and check in with once a month — and you’re planning to be in this business for a long time — we’d genuinely like to talk.
Ready to Find Out If We’re a Fit?
No pitch deck. No sales process. Just a conversation.
Service Marketing Co. 