The Doctor is In: Whole house inspections are moneymakers

Abstract

Whole house plumbing inspections are also great for your company because they give you the opportunity to go back into a customer's home to look for additional plumbing problems. It's a great way to keep your brand in front of the customer and make extra money. But remember, the goal of the whole house plumbing inspection is to take care of the customer's home, not to upsell them to whatever they'll buy.

J ust as we take care of our health by visiting the doctor for checkups, we can take care of our customers' homes by inspecting their plumbing systems with a whole house inspection. Over the past several months I have been teaching you how to create a customer retention program. This month I will conclude the series by talking to you about the whole house plumbing inspection. A whole house plumbing inspection gives your customers peace of mind and helps prevent costly emergency plumbing jobs.

Whole house plumbing inspections are also great for your company because they give you the opportunity to go back into a customer's home to look for additional plumbing problems. It's a great way to keep your brand in front of the customer and make extra money. But remember, the goal of the whole house plumbing inspection is to take care of the customer's home, not to upsell them to whatever they'll buy. Don't ever sell a customer something they don't want, don't need or can't afford.

When a customer signs up for your customer retention program they receive one whole house plumbing inspection for every year they are a member, so if they sign up for a three-year program you complete three whole house inspections. Notify customers of their inspections approximately ten months into their membership year by sending an email, letter or calling the customer. Send the notices toward the end of their membership year so you can sign up the customer for another membership during the inspection. For instance, if they signed up in January, notify them in November or December. Customers who have three-year or lifetime programs should be notified each year of their membership.

When you schedule a whole house inspection send the technician who originally sold the customer retention program. This rewards your technicians for selling the programs and is especially beneficial if you have slow times. Also, the customer already liked the technician enough to buy the program from him, so you should encourage that trusting relationship by sending the same technician.

Before you start offering inspections, create a checklist with all the items you'll inspect. At Plumbing Doctor we inspect the water heater for water leaks and gas leaks, the relief valve and the flue pipe for safety, we inspect all fixtures for leaks and loose handles, we check under sinks for leaks, we check the dishwasher drain and water connections, the disposal, all the emergency shut-offvalves, including the mainline emergency shut-offvalve and we test the water pressure.

As you complete your inspection, make notes on the checklist about the condition of each item you inspect. Our checklist allows the technician to mark whether each item is in good condition, should be repaired or should be replaced and has a place for notes. Contact me if you would like help creating an inspection checklist.

Sit down with the customer and review your findings in order of priority. Be honest with the customer and let her know how serious each item is. If the customer decides to have any work done, fill out an invoice and then begin the work. If the customer decides not to have the work done, leave a copy of the inspection checklist with her. She may review it and decide to have work done at a later date. Keep a second copy on file in your office for your records.

This concludes our series on the Customer Retention Program. You now have enough information to create your very own program that will help you grow your business and maintain a strong customer base. Many companies are already reaping the benefits of a Customer Retention Program - a stable customer base, reduced advertising costs, steady work for you and your technicians and much more. If you haven't started putting together your program, start today. Start now. It is free and easy and will revolutionize your business.

But the Customer Retention Program is only half of the equation. If you want to streamline your bookkeeping, make the money you're worth and take better care of your customers, you also need Menu Pricing. You've probably heard about Flat Rate or Upfront Pricing. It's big news in our industry. You can't turn around without hearing about it. Some people love it. Some people hate it. But most people don't truly understand it. Next month I'm going to start a short series on Menu Pricing and you're going to want to hear what I have to say about it.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions; I'm here to help. The Doctor is out. RJ