What is the best way to start researching a B2B industry that you are unfamiliar with?

Check out your successful competition. You can learn a bunch of stuff from reading their copy and seeing how they market to companies in the HVAC industry.

Ideally, you'll figure out what your prospects are thinking. Also would be good if you develop a point of differentiation.

Alex

Hellor Wheelstb,

Go out and meet the men and women who run local HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) companies in your area.

These are tradesmen and women. They get their hands dirty. They crawl around in attics, under homes, on top of roofs, in small crawl spaces.

They get frantic calls from freaked out customers in the wintertime when the heater isn't working, or in the summertime when the air conditioning won't cool the building...

...or when a critter has died in the ventilation duct-work...

Introduce yourself and tell them you are doing research on the HVAC industry. Just have your questions ready.

Ask them if the state requires licensing, what type of insurance, worst kind of calls, best kind of calls, the most horrible thing they've every run across.

Also ask them as part of your research if they offer ride-alongs. If they do take a day and travel with them. See what they do. Listen to the interaction they have with their clients. Become part of that world for a day or two.

Let's also not forget there are local, state and national associations, conventions, and tradeshows. Do any of these companies belong to or go to any of these events.

...not to mention distributors, manufacturers, autos, residential, commercial...

...but most of all what gets them up in the morning to do the work they do.

Chinchilla

Is your copy B2B, targeting HVAC businesses, as it would be for suppliers, distributors, insurance companies, business service providers, trade associations, etc.
or
is it targeting HVAC installers' customers, either commercial or residential?

Knowing their target market (and thus yours) is essential here.