HVAC Manufacturer Marketing That Wins Bids

Your reps sell it. We make sure buyers choose it.

A full marketing department for the cost of one marketing hire, with the return reported on your P&L.

Book a strategy call

See the results

Ashlei Rolloff, founder of Nerd Herd, HVAC and building products marketing agency

Sound familiar?

You know marketing matters. You just do not have anyone to run it.

Relationship-only pipelineGrowth has hit a ceiling and next quarter is hard to forecast.

Reps winging itNo current sell sheets, launch kits, or product training.

Losing bids on brandYour product is stronger. Their brand looks more credible.

Flat launchesNew products ship with no go-to-market plan.

Every quarter without a plan costs you bids

When nobody owns marketing, the work lands on an EA, a sales manager, or you. Launches slip and reps lose confidence, while the competitor with the stronger brand gets the spec.

Your guide

Built by someone who ran marketing inside a commercial HVAC rep firm

Ashlei Rolloff led a 20-person marketing team across three departments at a commercial HVAC rep firm. The internal agency she built there crossed $1M in its first year and became Nerd Herd in 2015.

We already speak spec sheet, submittal, and distribution channel.

AdFed 32 Under 32
HVAC Leaders podcast host
AHR Expo 2027 speaker

Ashlei Rolloff, Nerd Herd founder, seated in a kitchen holding a coffee mug

Free tool

Turn your spec sheet into a sales kit in minutes

Paste a spec sheet and get messaging for each buyer who decides on your product, plus a 30-day plan for your reps, marketing, and product teams. Every claim is checked against your spec, and we never save it.

Build my sales kit

One spec, many buyers. Messaging for the engineer, the contractor, and the owner.
Every claim sourced. Missing data shows as a placeholder, never a guess.
A plan with the copy. A VP brief on where the product wins and what to do next.

The plan

Three steps to marketing that wins work

Book a strategy call

Thirty minutes. Tell us what you sell and where bids are slipping.

Get your roadmap

One day on site, your roadmap in 48 hours. We map your market and distribution channel, then rank every move by its return.

We build and run it

We run the work month to month and report results in the numbers you already track.

Book a strategy call

Trusted by manufacturers and distribution partners

Ways to work with us

Pick the engagement that fits your team

No marketing team

We run it for you

Your complete marketing function on a monthly retainer, run by people who know HVAC.

See how it works

Coordinator, no strategy

Strategy and plan package

Positioning, a launch framework, and a 12-month plan in 30 to 60 days.

See how it works

Leaders who want hours back

AI for your company

Your team builds its first two AI employees on Claude in a four-week live cohort.

See the AI cohort

FAQ

Questions HVAC and building-product leaders ask us

What does Nerd Herd do?

Nerd Herd builds and runs the marketing function for HVAC and commercial building-product manufacturers that sell through reps and distributors. We create the strategy, sales tools, and campaigns that help your reps win more bids and help your product launches land.

Who does Nerd Herd work with?

We work with HVAC manufacturers, commercial building-product manufacturers, and the distribution partners that sell their lines. That includes commercial plumbing and mechanical, building automation and controls, fire protection, and commercial refrigeration. Most clients have no dedicated marketing manager, or a coordinator with no strategy behind the work.

How much does Nerd Herd cost?

Discovery is a fixed price, with all travel included. We share it on your 30-minute call. Ongoing work runs as a monthly retainer, most between $5,000 and $10,000 a month, and we recommend 12 months so the plan has time to pay off.

How much should a manufacturer spend on marketing?

A common range is 5 to 10 percent of revenue. Companies focused on growth sit near 10 percent, and companies holding steady sit closer to 2 to 5 percent. Discovery shows where that budget pays back first.

How fast will we see results?

Your roadmap is presented within 48 hours of the on-site Discovery day, and some fixes pay off sooner. One mechanical engineering client won two jobs within 30 days of submitting the RFP Nerd Herd redesigned and rewrote.

Why hire an HVAC-specific marketing agency?

Our founder ran marketing inside a commercial HVAC rep firm, leading a 20-person team across three departments. We already know the spec process, the distribution channel, and how engineers evaluate products, so you skip months of onboarding.

Proof

Results from companies like yours

2 wins in 30 days

RFPs that win

A mechanical engineering firm kept losing public-sector bids. We rebuilt its RFP and it won two jobs within 30 days.

Read the story

Valve manufacturer

A website built for reps

Reps select products faster, and engineers trust what they find.

Read the story

185% more form submissions

Marketing that keeps reps in front of buyers

One year of content, email, and LinkedIn run by Nerd Herd for an HVAC rep firm.

Read the story

    
 
 
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   Greg Groppoli 
 May 9, 2024
 
 
  I hired Ashlei and her team to build my first website. I had some very out-of-the-ordinary requests for my site and her team executed this flawlessly. I am a novice when it comes to websites and internet content but Ashlei's communication and professionalism immediately brought me comfort and confidence that I had chosen the right firm. I have since received several complements on my site from customers and it has helped immensely in my goals to grow my business. Would highly recommend!
  
 
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   Nick Meidl 
 February 28, 2024
 
 
  Ashlei and team were so easy to work with and helped with ideas to bring more business. The "Free Estimate" tool they created for my website generated 30% of my first years business. Easy to work with, very professional, and know what needs to be done to get results. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
  
 
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   Tracy Kelly 
 February 16, 2024
 
 
  I’ve worked with the Nerd Herd team and they are great! Highly recommend.
  
 
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   Randy Amborn 
 February 9, 2024
 
 
  Ashlei Rolloff and her colleagues are rapidly building a reputation as the go-to agency for HVACR marketing. She brings experience with a leading rep and a drive to succeed to the table. In my opinion, based on a 40-year career in HVAC marketing, this will deliver superior business results than a larger or less-specialized agency. I'd advise HVAC reps and manufacturers alike to consider Nerd Herd as a marketing partner.
  
 
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   Melissa Kalish 
 January 29, 2024
 
 
  We LOVE NerdHerd, and are so fortunate to have them as part of our Marketing team. The HVAC industry is very niche, especially as a manufacturer's rep, and it would be painful, expensive and time consuming to bring on a marketing firm who isn't well-versed in this industry. NerdHerd eased that pain for us and have helped us tremendously in our market. We are very grateful for the HVAC knowledge of Ashlei, and the PM work of her skilled team (especially Kristine, Eric and Anthony). I cannot recommend NerdHerd enough!
  
 
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   Oxygen8 
 January 17, 2024
 
 
  We had a fantastic time working with Ashlei and the team at Nerd Herd! They took the time to really understand our business and marketing goals, and helped to create tailored and practical marketing plan for our small team.

They were quick to respond and provided transparency throughout the entire process. If you're in the HVAC industry and looking to improve your marketing, we highly recommend contacting the Nerd Herd team!
  
 
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   rob lee 
 April 18, 2023
 
 
  Awesome company to work with.
  
 
  
  
 
 
   Google rating score: 5.0 of 5, based on 7 reviews