Podcast Summary

Overview

Podcast: Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service
Episode: The HVAC Growth Path for Trade Pros Using Creative Videos and Bold Marketing with David Cochran
Hosts: Tersh Blissett & Josh Crouch
Guest: David Cochran
Date: August 6, 2025

This episode explores how David Cochran, an HVAC business owner, has leveraged creative video marketing and bold, unconventional strategies to drive business growth and culture. The discussion covers David’s journey from launching his company right out of school, the unique challenges and advantages of his path, how he implemented lessons from outside the trade, and the practical steps he’s taken to transform both his marketing and his team’s culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. David's Unique Journey Into HVAC Ownership

• Non-Traditional Start:

  • David started his HVAC business right after community college, never working for another HVAC company ([05:28]–[07:30]).
  • Family influence: His stepdad cautioned him that he “wouldn’t be good working for others,” instilling early entrepreneurial drive.

• Advantages and Challenges:

  • Not inheriting bad habits from prior companies (“I guess it was an advantage in a way.” – David, [09:00]).
  • Initially faced age-related skepticism and lack of established credibility.
  • Slow, organic growth (“It’s why it took me 15 years to get to the size I am.” – David, [09:00]).

2. Transition from the Field to Office and Growth Pains

• Letting Go of Field Work:

  • David gradually removed himself from field roles to focus on running the business ([14:13]–[15:27]).
  • Faced customer reluctance: clients requested him personally, but as the team proved themselves, this faded.

• Automation and Delegation:

  • Emphasized the need to automate and delegate recurring tasks.
  • “If there’s anything that you do more than twice in one week, you gotta optimize it, automate it, and then delegate it.” – Tersh ([14:41])

3. Bold Marketing & Creative Videos

• Key Influences and Creative Inspiration:

  • Inspired by Jesse Cole (Savannah Bananas): “Do the exact opposite of whatever’s normal.” ([03:35])
  • Modeled playful customer interactions and creative content after Savannah Bananas’ attention-grabbing style.

• Notable Video Campaigns:

  • “Congratulations” Video for New Customers ([20:07])
    • Features funny, over-the-top scenes (installers doing “Mr. Miyagi karate stuff,” security guarding AC unit).
    • “It’s like 30 seconds long and it’s just funny... But it gets the same message across.” – David ([21:03])

• Parody Videos:

  • Recreated classics like “Terry Tate Office Linebacker,” “Say Anything,” and even a 300-spoof for the trades ([32:19]–[33:31]).
  • Videos serve dual purposes: engaging existing customers and attracting new ones through viral humor.

• The Importance of Creative Team Members:

  • Brought on “Jimmy,” a creatively-minded employee, to push the boundaries of video and social media ([28:33]–[31:01]).
  • “I am not an artistic type person... so I needed somebody to be thinking even further.” – David ([28:33])

• Radio and Music Marketing:

  • Created genre-specific jingles (rock, yacht rock, country) and an original song, “Red, White and Blue in the Drive,” with a music video launching soon ([33:41]–[35:59]).

4. Team Engagement & Culture

• Team Participation in Marketing:

  • Team members now excited to participate in videos—initial reluctance gives way when they see others having fun ([37:49]).
  • Emphasis: Don’t force participation, but foster a positive, creative environment.

• Impact on Culture:

  • The video projects and creativity foster team camaraderie and help attract and retain talent.

• Delegation and Elevation:

  • Delegated and elevated team members to roles that match their strengths, not just necessity ([44:27]-[45:33]).
  • “If you constantly are…finding things that someone’s really not that good at, but they just do anyway… you can unlock potential.” – Josh ([44:40])

5. Takeaways on Events, Learning, and Implementation

• Learning from Beyond HVAC:

  • Huge value in attending industry events and learning from speakers outside the trade ([24:52], [26:41]).
  • Emphasis on implementation: “If you want to get something out of it and come back and implement immediately, you will get a ton of value.” – Josh ([24:06])

• The Power of Peer Networks:

  • Importance of owner-to-owner conversations at events like BDR, Spark, and AHR ([25:24], [26:18]).
  • Advice to leverage national networks rather than relying on local/familial feedback.

• Actionable Advice to Trade Pros:

  • “Just do it. Just go for it…You’re never going to have 100% of your time.” – David ([41:36])
  • “You have to find a way to stand out…There’s a lot of different ideas we can bring into the trades.” – Josh ([41:09])
  • Don’t be afraid to “swipe and deploy” creative ideas from HVAC companies in different markets.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’ve never worked for another HVAC company... I probably needed to work for myself.”
  – David Cochran ([05:58])

• “If there’s anything you do more than twice in one week, you gotta optimize it, automate it, and then delegate it.”
  – Tersh Blissett ([14:41])

• On customer engagement:

  • “Every time somebody buys from us now, we send them…this little video... it’s just funny. But I got that from [Jesse Cole].”
    – David Cochran ([20:07])

• On event takeaways:

  • “There’s a nugget, at least one nugget, at every one of them I’ve ever been to.”
    – David Cochran ([41:36], [42:27])

• On team culture & content:

  • “We’re kind of just open…we just have, like, several ideas of things we want to record and do.”
    – David Cochran ([36:58])

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:13 | Meet David Cochran, intro to his approach | | 05:28 | David’s origin story: Starting HVAC right out of school | | 08:02 | Pros/cons of never having worked at another HVAC company | | 12:05 | Biggest pain points: age, credibility, growth | | 14:13 | Transitioning out of field (letting go of hands-on work) | | 14:41 | The importance of automation and delegation | | 15:08 | Challenges with client expectations during transition | | 19:13 | Where creative videos started: inspiration from Savannah Bananas & Jesse Cole | | 20:07 | “Congratulations” video details and customer reactions | | 26:18 | Importance of peer networks, conferences, and implementation | | 28:33 | Bringing on creative help: Jimmy’s impact | | 33:41 | Radio jingles, custom song in the works | | 36:30 | The growing pile of creative ideas | | 37:12 | Team involvement and effects on company culture | | 41:09 | Takeaways for other business owners; inspiration, standing out| | 44:27 | “Delegate and elevate” team growth strategy | | 45:33 | The ongoing challenge and learning curve of scaling |

Conclusion & Final Advice

• Stand Out by Being Different:
  Disrupt normal expectations with creative, bold marketing—especially video—and customer interactions.
• Leverage Your Team:
  Hire for creativity, elevate people into roles that maximize their talents, and foster a collaborative environment.
• Learn and Implement:
  Attend events, embrace new ideas (even from outside trades), and be willing to actually act on what you learn.
• Iterate and Prepare for Growth:
  Delegate repetitive tasks, set yourself up structurally for upcoming waves of business, and continually push forward.

Follow David and Complete Comfort:
Links shared in episode notes—follow their social channels for more ideas and to see forthcoming creative campaigns!

For questions or to dive deeper, connect with David via his social links or reach out to hosts Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch.