669 Calls In 7 Months, And A $1 Million Ceiling Broken

The Results At A Glance

• $1M+ business scaled rapidly using Google PPC and Local SEO
• 669 phone calls generated through Google Pay Per Click Ads in 7 months
• 233% year-on-year increase in organic calls
• Featured on DC News Now during a major winter storm

Breaking Free From Thumbtack: Why Rented Leads Couldn’t Scale

Nero’s Heating & Air had served Prince George’s County and Washington, DC since 2019, reaching $1 million in annual revenue on word of mouth and hustle before hitting a plateau. When they partnered with RS Gonzales in April 2025, they were already a solid business, but their growth was constrained.

Their lead generation relied heavily on third-party platforms like Thumbtack, which created several problems:

• Inconsistent lead quality
• Rising costs with limited control
• No ownership over customer data or brand presence
• Difficulty scaling predictably

Julian Jones and Abdul Elidrissi are savvy entrepreneurs with a long-term vision: build a scalable HVAC company with the potential to become a dominant local brand, and eventually a sellable asset. Specifically, Julian wanted to build an eight-figure HVAC company he could sell within three years.

To do that, they knew they needed to own their marketing channels: a high-trust website, a dominant Google Business Profile, full control over Google Ads and Local Services Ads, and a system that scaled profitably rather than chaotically.

Building A Marketing System That Compounds Instead Of Plateauing

A Website Built To Convert Paid Traffic From Day One

In the first 30 days, we rebuilt Nero’s digital presence from the ground up:

• Launched a brand-forward, conversion-optimized website
• Designed to establish trust immediately for pay-per-click traffic
• Localized messaging for Cheverly, Prince George’s County and DC neighbourhoods
• Structured content to support both ads and organic growth

This step was critical. Even with aggressive pay-per-click, weak websites kill conversion rates. Nero’s invested early in credibility, and it paid off. In June 2025, just two months after launch, Nero’s got 50 phone calls from their Google Business Profile alone — all organic, all free, and all within a 5-mile radius. That kept their small team on service and installs instead of commuting.

Google Ads That Scaled From $50/Day To $300/Day Without Losing Margin

Rather than targeting the entire DC metro area, we focused on Cheverly and surrounding neighbourhoods, adjacent DC areas with minimal drive time, and high-intent service keywords only. To cover every high-intent moment, we ran a coordinated mix of Google Pay Per Click Ads, Local Services Ads and Performance Max.

They started with a modest $50/day Google Ads budget. As results proved profitable, they scaled confidently — $100/day, then $200/day, then $300+/day — all while maintaining strong cost-per-lead performance. This disciplined, data-driven scaling let them grow fast without sacrificing margins. Every dollar of that budget goes to Google; we take 0% markup on ad spend.

How Fast Follow-Up And CRM Discipline Lowered Cost Per Lead

This is where Nero’s truly separated itself. Julian and Abdul communicated with our team multiple times per week, provided real-time feedback on lead quality, fully adopted the CRM to track every lead, and followed up relentlessly and consistently.

This behaviour directly impacted performance. Google rewards advertisers who respond quickly, generate positive reviews, and convert leads into real customers. As Nero’s engagement increased, their cost per lead dropped and lead volume increased — a virtuous cycle.

Turning Customer Reviews Into A Local Ranking Advantage

Nero’s didn’t just ask for reviews. They elevated the process — encouraging customers to include photos and videos, highlighting technician professionalism and pricing transparency, and generating detailed, experience-rich feedback. Google values these reviews significantly more than generic star ratings.

• Stronger Google Maps visibility
• Higher ad trust signals
• Improved organic rankings
• Higher conversion rates across channels

669 Calls, 233% Organic Growth, And Heatmap Dominance Across DC

By early 2026, Nero’s Heating & Air had built a fully integrated marketing system:

• 669 phone calls generated through Google Ads
• 38 charged leads in January 2026 alone
• $114 average cost per conversion
• $3,249 total lead spend for the month
• Heatmap dominance across Prince George’s County and DC
• Consistent growth in organic leads alongside paid traffic

Everything moved together: ads, SEO, reviews, brand authority.

From Local HVAC Contractor To DC News Now Expert

In January 2026, a major winter storm hit the Washington, DC region.

Because of Nero’s strong local reputation and visibility, DC News Now reached out to Julian Jones for expert commentary on protecting homes, heat and pipes during extreme cold.

This media feature delivered a surge in brand trust, increased inbound calls, long-term SEO authority signals, and ongoing credibility Nero’s can build on for years.

Watch the segment on DC News Now

What Nero’s Has To Say About Working With RS Gonzales

Why Nero’s Grew Faster Than Most HVAC Contractors

This success was not passive. Nero’s Heating & Air took ownership of their marketing, communicated consistently and transparently, followed up on every lead, took reviews seriously as a growth lever, and treated digital marketing as one connected system rather than a set of silos.

Their results are a direct reflection of active partnership and execution.