Jeremy Grubman
Apr 9, 2026
HVAC

Multi-Trade Dealers Are Everywhere—So Why Aren’t Manufacturers Using Them?

What is a multi-trade dealer?

A multi-trade dealer offers contracting services to residential and/or commercial customers in more than one related trade, such as:

  • HVAC
  • Plumbing
  • Water heating
  • Pool/spa
  • Refrigeration
  • Generators
  • Electrical
  • Building controls/fire protection

Multi-trade dealers can provide more holistic service to the homes or businesses of customers purchasing product from manufacturers that make products across multiple verticals (HVAC, water heater/plumbing, refrigeration, generators). If a customer can find a “one stop shop” for a broad variety of their equipment, that’s preferable to finding multiple contractors.

 

For HVAC manufacturers that sell only air-related products, they often make the mistake of ignoring plumbers and other non-HVAC-specific contractors who are actually able to service those products.

 

HVAC-only manufacturers that do build multi-trade dealer relationships also have a competitive advantage in coverage of service areas. A company with multi-trade dealers in a given zip code has an edge over a company that only is represented by HVAC-specific dealers since there are fewer of those available businesses in the same area.

 

Some HVAC companies also do distribution across water and refrigeration verticals, even if their equipment is solely air. This gives them a boost in direct-to-contractor sales since multi-trade contractors are more likely to buy a broader range of aftermarket/service parts.

For more context on building stronger dealer networks, see Creating HVAC Dealer Programs That Dominate.

 

At Convergence Data, we’ve been scraping the industry’s dealer locators since 2022. We also scrape the services provided by dealers by going to their websites. We consistently see a surprisingly high number of untapped multi-trade dealers across the industry, such as plumbing companies that provide their customers with HVAC services like AC installation and repair, indoor air quality, and more.

 

So where is the real opportunity?

 

As more HVAC manufacturers broaden their catalogs to include water heaters, generators, and other equipment, their biggest opportunity in ensuring customer adoption of those new products is finding and building relationships with multi-trade dealers who can purchase, install, service and maintain the full range of a manufacturer’s product catalog. Non-US-based HVAC and water manufacturers looking to build their US presence need the same kind of dealer network.

 

In summary, customers using a manufacturer’s “find a contractor” locators benefit by:

  • having access to a broader range of contractors in their area,
  • who service more of their needs,
  • who have access to order and install a broader range of parts and equipment on the customer’s behalf,
  • requiring less research from the home/business owner to find multiple suitable service providers

Manufacturers who build the right dealer networks will consistently win these customers, and it starts with having the data you need to make the right decisions about curating your dealer network.

 

Reach out to find more about Convergence Data’s HVAC Dealer Industry Insights program.