These are the questions owners and general managers of multi-branch heating companies ask us most often, answered plainly. The short answers are above. Below, a few of the bigger topics get more room, because they decide whether an engagement works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does multi-location marketing cost?
HVAC.Agency's published plans run from $2,998 to $8,998 per month, and websites from $3,500 to $12,500 one-time, plus GST/HST by province. Work beyond those plans, such as an acquisition handover, is quoted in writing.
Do we have to sign a long-term contract?
No. There is no lock-in. Notice periods and payment terms are set out in writing in your proposal so there are no surprises.
Who owns the website, profiles, numbers and ad accounts?
Your company should own every one of them, in company-controlled accounts with at least two of your managers as owners. We work inside your accounts and set ownership up that way from the start. Specific ownership terms are confirmed in writing in your proposal.
We tried an agency before and it didn't work. Why would this be different?
Often the previous agency was judged on company totals, so nobody could see which branch improved or slipped. We start by counting calls and booked jobs per branch, so you can judge our work by the same numbers we use.
How long before we see results?
Branch-level reporting is usually running within about six weeks. Fixes to profiles and call handling can show up within a season. Organic rankings for new location pages take months.
Can you promise more calls for a particular branch?
No. Rankings, leads and results are never promised here. We do show you every month how each branch performed and what we changed.
What reports will we get?
One page per branch each month: calls, answer rate, booked jobs, marketing cost and cost per booked job, plus a company summary. Weekly reporting is available on higher plans.
Can we keep our current agency and use you only for strategy?
Yes. We can write the branch standard, design routing and reporting, and review your agency's work against it each month.
Do we need a separate Google Business Profile for every town we serve?
No. Google's guidelines allow one profile per real location. Towns you serve from a branch go in that branch's service area and on your website, not in extra profiles.
We're buying another heating company. When should we call?
Before closing, if possible. The marketing inventory of phone numbers, profiles, domain and accounts is far easier to secure while the seller is still engaged.
Do you work with companies in Quebec?
Yes. Quebec branches bring French-language rules for advertising and websites. Our Quebec page explains what to plan for and links to the Office québécois de la langue française.
Are you a heating contractor?
No. We never install, repair or service equipment. HeatingConsultants.ca advises on marketing and business management for branch networks; that is not engineering, mechanical design, inspection or code-compliance services.
How quickly do you reply?
We usually reply within one business day, Mon–Fri 9–6 Pacific.
Price and what it covers
Our published prices are HVAC.Agency's plans: Starter $2,998, Growth $4,498 and Elite $8,998 per month, plus website packages from $3,500. Canadian clients add the GST or HST for their province. Multi-location work is rarely a perfect fit for a single plan, so the proposal sets out exactly which branches, profiles, numbers and reports are included.
A useful test before you compare quotes: ask each provider how many branches the price covers, how many Google profiles they will manage and whether the monthly report splits by location. If those three answers aren't written down, the quotes aren't comparable. Full details are on the pricing page.
Ownership and control
Every account that carries your customers' trust should belong to your company: the domain, the website, every Google Business Profile, every tracked number, every ad account and the CRM. It is common for a seller's profile to sit in a former employee's personal account, or for an agency to have created a branch profile under its own login. Both are painful to undo later.
Our rule is simple. Company accounts, company payment methods, at least two company managers as owners, and a written register of every account. Our acquisition guide includes the full inventory checklist.
"We tried an agency before"
Most owners who say this were not let down by effort. They were let down by measurement. When results are reported as company totals, a good month at one branch hides a bad month at another, and nobody can tell whether the agency's work helped.
We start with call routing and reporting by location so that, from the first full month, you can see each branch's calls, booked jobs and cost per booked job. If our work doesn't move those numbers, you'll see it as clearly as we do.
Timelines and results
Expect three speeds. Measurement takes weeks. Fixing profiles, routing and answer rates can show up within a heating season. Organic visibility for new location pages builds over months. Our published results show what happened for specific Canadian heating clients, and they are evidence of method, not a forecast.
Branch managers and head office
A frequent worry is that a multi-location engagement will turn into head office versus the branches. It shouldn't. Branch managers usually welcome clear rules and fair numbers, because the alternative is arguing for budget without evidence.
How we keep it constructive:
- Every branch manager is interviewed before the branch standard is written, so local knowledge is built in.
- The allocation rule for shared costs is agreed and written down before the first monthly statement.
- Each manager sees their own branch report, in the same format as everyone else's.
- Local marketing, such as a hockey sponsorship in a branch's town, keeps a protected budget within the rules.
When managers can see that the numbers are fair, the conversation moves from "why does head office get to decide" to "how do we get our cost per booked job down".
A last point on this: managers who joined through an acquisition often need the most reassurance. Walk them through their first branch report in person or by video before it is shared more widely.
Scope and limits
We are a marketing and business consulting service. We are not a heating contractor, and we give no engineering, mechanical design, inspection, code-compliance, legal, tax or securities advice. For anything regulatory, the areas pages link to each province's regulators so you can go to the source. If your question isn't here, call, text or email; the contact page explains what to include.