The Contractor Compass: Guiding You to Growth & Profit in Your Home Service Business

40: The AI Buyer: How Customers Shop for HVAC in 2026 & Why Contractors Are Invisible

AI is about to change the way homeowners find, compare, and book HVAC companies — and most contractors are not ready for it. In this episode of The Contractor Compass, Colton Bjornson sits down with Thomas Murphy and Broc Fletcher to talk through what AI means for home service marketing, sales, financing, SEO, and the customer journey going into 2026. The conversation covers why Google search is moving away from simple keyword rankings, how AI agents may start comparing contractors before a homeowner ever clicks your website, and why companies need more than basic blogs and generic service pages to stay visible. They also get into how AI is changing the in-home sales conversation, why better-educated customers can either help or hurt your close rate, and how financing, credit approvals, call analysis, and virtual selling may look completely different over the next few years. In this episode: • Why AI is changing search for home service companies • Why websites and basic keyword rankings may not be enough anymore • How AI agents may start finding and booking HVAC contractors • Why contractors need content that answers real customer questions • Building content libraries for AI to read, not just homeowners • How Colton’s team is thinking about AI content brains and LLM files • Why homeowners may not need to visit your website in the future • What Google’s AI Mode means for contractors • The difference between PPC, SEO, and AI-driven search visibility • How AI is changing the sales conversation inside the home • What happens when customers use AI to price-check HVAC systems • AI tools that record and analyze technician/customer interactions • How AI could shrink sales training and coaching time • Why AI may hurt smaller companies that cut corners • Why contractors need to clearly explain their value points • Should contractors use AI as a marketing offer or keep selling outcomes? • How AI already recommends HVAC contractors to homeowners • Why unique customer-facing proof may matter more in AI search • How AI could affect financing conversations • Where AI is already showing up in underwriting and credit decisions • How bank data and cash-flow analysis may influence approvals • Could HVAC sales move fully virtual? • The 10% close-rate model built around remote quoting • Virtual closers, AI agents, and the future of HVAC sales calls • Why contractors need to adapt before the market shifts • What healthy HVAC margins should look like • What a good cost per acquisition can look like for new systems • Why fast movers will have the advantage If you own or operate an HVAC company, this episode is a look at where customer behavior is headed next — and why the contractors who build trust, content, sales process, and financing systems around AI will have a major advantage over the ones still waiting to see what happens.

39: The 2026 HVAC Outlook: What's Working, What's Dead, Where the Money's Moving

In this episode of The Contractor Compass, Colton Bjornson is joined by Thomas Murphy and Broc Fletcher for a mid-year breakdown of what’s actually happening inside HVAC companies right now. Summer is heating up, lead volume is moving, and contractors are starting to see where their systems are strong — and where they’re leaking money. The guys talk through what’s working in HVAC lead generation right now, why more leads don’t automatically mean more sales, and how comfort advisors can hurt their own close rate by cutting corners when appointments start feeling easier. They also get into financing, average ticket sizes, tech turns, marketed install appointments, and why the companies that finish the year strong are usually the ones that maximize every call while demand is high. In this episode: • What Colton is seeing across Meta, PPC, LSA, and HVAC appointment costs • Why summer demand can make weak sales habits worse • The mistake comfort advisors make when they start rushing the process • Why smaller HVAC shops struggle to sell higher-end systems • How to use premium options without racing to the cheapest quote • The difference between tech-turn opportunities and marketed install leads • When repair calls make more sense than install appointments • Why financing has to be framed without making the customer feel broke • Thomas’ take on payment-focused selling and pricing around financing • What HVAC owners should focus on heading into the back half of 2026 • Broc’s strategy for turning monthly payments into daily numbers • Why contractors shouldn’t put all their lead flow into one channel If you own or operate an HVAC company, this episode gives a real look at the three areas that decide whether summer turns into profit or just more chaos: marketing, sales, and financing.

38: Why Your Leads Aren't Closing — The Click-to-Close Breakdown

Most HVAC owners think they have a lead problem or a sales problem. The truth? It's almost always a handoff problem — and it's happening at every stage between the click and the close. In this episode, Colton Bjornson (Tier 1 Clicks) and cohost Brock (Limitless HVAC Sales) walk the entire customer journey stage by stage — from the moment a lead comes in to the in-home close — and break down exactly where deals leak, stall, and die along the way. Marketing meets sales, and the two sides finally hash out who's actually to blame when a "good lead" doesn't turn into revenue. What you'll hear: • Speed-to-lead and the 2-minute window that makes or breaks a lead • What a genuinely good lead looks like — and what sales wishes they knew before the call • Where leads die before the appointment ever happens • Why prospects ghost, and how to actually cut your no-show rate • What separates an $8K in-home ticket from an $18K one • The marketing vs. sales blame game — and where the line really gets drawn • The one thing each of us would fix first in a $2M HVAC shop If you're tired of pointing fingers between your marketing and your sales team, this one's a roadmap for finding the exact spot your pipeline is breaking.

37: New Cohost, New Era — The 3 Levers Every HVAC Business Owner Needs to Master

The Contractor Compass podcast returns with a new co-host, Broc Fletcher, who shares his unconventional journey into the HVAC industry and his remarkable success in sales. Tom Murphy, the finance expert, discusses the rebranding of his company and the innovative financial services they offer. The episode also touches on team expansion and operational improvements in the marketing and sales domains. The conversation covers the impact of economic changes on the industry, customer acquisition strategies, the importance of lifetime value, challenges with communication and disqualification, and the effectiveness of private equity roll-ups in the industry. Takeaways * Unconventional Paths to Success * Innovative Financial Services Economic changes impact customer acquisition and sales strategies * Lifetime value of customers is crucial for business success Chapters * 00:00 Introducing Broc Fletcher: A Unique Journey into HVAC Sales * 08:44 Operational Improvements and Team Expansion * 22:00 Impact of Economic Changes * 29:01 Challenges with Communication and Disqualification * 40:31 Effectiveness of Private Equity Roll-Ups

36: One Truck to a Fleet: The HVAC Growth Story of Rafael Diaz

In this episode of The Contractor Compass, we sit down with Rafael Diaz, founder of Anthony & Son HVAC. Rafael shares how he started his company from his home and grew it into a thriving multi-truck operation. We dive into his journey, company culture, leadership lessons, marketing strategies, and the future of HVAC. A must-listen for contractors looking to scale with purpose and integrity.