In Part 2 of our conversation with Dennis Yu, Netrocket founder Daniel Dramshev looks at HVAC Quote AI, an online quoting tool for HVAC contractors. Dennis explains why showing prices online matters, how instant quotes can bring 40% to 45% more leads from the same ad traffic, and what has to be in place for the tool to pay off.
In Part 1, Dennis showed how an AI agent can audit an HVAC company, compare it with competitors, and build a plan to outrank them.
About the guest
| Name | Dennis Yu |
| Product | HVAC Quote AI, an online quoting tool for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies |
| Customers | 350 HVAC companies signed up in the last year |
| Pricing | $350 a month, month to month, no setup fee |
Homeowners want to see the price
“Consumers when they come to the website, they have one question. What’s the price?“
Many HVAC companies don’t want to show prices online, but Dennis says they lose 40% of their customers when they don’t. Bigger companies already know that a replacement unit often costs $25,000 to $30,000. When homeowners get a price range online, they’re already prepared for the price by the time someone comes out, instead of expecting something like $10,000.
How the quote tool works
The quote widget goes on the contractor’s website. The homeowner answers a few basic questions, and the tool shows a quote:
- Type of system, like heating and cooling
- Electric, gas, or dual fuel
- Heat pump or package unit
- Size of the home in square feet
- Number of units
To get the quote, the homeowner leaves an email and phone number, so the quote also works as lead capture. Then a person or an AI agent should call right away.
“You’ve got to call them within one minute because if you don’t, you wait an hour, they’ve already shopped around at two or three other places.“
The tool works for plumbing and electrical too, but Dennis says HVAC is the best place to start because the tickets are higher. Even when homeowners come in for a repair, you can often move them to a replacement.
From $150 to $90 per lead
Cost per lead from Google and Facebook varies a lot, but Dennis says contractors usually get 40% to 45% more leads from the same traffic. In his example, if you’re paying $150 per lead, your effective cost per lead could drop to about $90. The tool doesn’t change your cost per click. It turns more of your existing visitors into leads, because configuring a quote is a stronger reason to leave contact information than a regular landing page.
Follow-up makes a big difference:
- If you’re very responsive and call right away, the lift can reach 45% or 50%
- With an AI agent that calls right away or a decent email system that follows up right away, it may be a little over 40%
- Without follow-up, it may be 25% to 30%
Daniel adds that if lead generation costs stay at 10% to 15% of the sale, the business can handle it.
Traffic comes first
Dennis says the tool works best for companies running Google and Facebook ads that send a steady stream of people to the website. Without much traffic, there won’t be much return. The return depends on how good your ads already are and how good you are at follow-up.
He also sees many contractors send all their PPC traffic to the homepage. Paid campaigns need separate landing pages, so HVAC Quote AI added a builder that scans your website and creates a landing page from a template that already converts. Need help with ads and landing pages? See how Netrocket handles HVAC PPC.
Daniel and Dennis also look at the Facebook Ads Library, where you can see what ads any competitor is running, where they send traffic, and whether they offer an online quote. Once you can quote instantly, you can run ads that say “get an instant quote.”
Integrations and tracking
Because HVAC Quote AI integrates with ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, and Jobber, it can track leads all the way through and show how much incremental revenue the tool drove. It also includes an AI agent homeowners can chat with. Dennis says it passes pricing data back to Google too, since Google now shows prices online and its AI agents can call businesses to shop for prices on behalf of consumers.
Why simple beats more AI features
Dennis keeps the product focused on one thing: converting the traffic you already pay for. In his view, homeowners don’t want to deal with voice agents and video agents, and the data shows most people don’t want chatbots, because most chatbots are terrible. Sometimes people just want to go online, click a couple of buttons, and see the price.
Pricing and when it pays off
HVAC Quote AI costs $350 a month, month to month, with no setup fee and no contract. Dennis says they lose money for about the first three months with a new customer, because once contractors see the results, they keep paying. You can book a demo at hvacquote.ai.
His rough math: 100 visits could generate five to 10 quotes. You might close two or three of them, and one or two could be replacement jobs. After-hours traffic can also become profitable once you can quote instantly.
“The math is easy. You don’t need many phone calls to justify paying $350.“
Dennis adds that the tool’s cost is a rounding error compared to ad spend. The real efficiency comes from tuning up your advertising, and that’s where contractors need a good agency. If you’re not sure your marketing is set up to bring in profitable jobs, learn more about digital marketing consulting for HVAC companies.
Transparency in HVAC marketing
Dennis believes AI and digital marketing are making things more transparent and easier to audit. In his view, reputation and real results should count, not tricks to get ChatGPT to recommend you. He says Daniel is one of the few people who want HVAC owners to see exactly how digital marketing is done.
“Running ads and doing SEO is not magic.“
Subscribe on 8-Figure HVAC Brands Podcast
New episodes of the 8-Figure HVAC Brands Podcast come out every week, so subscribe on YouTube to catch the next one.
