How to Answer the Questions Your Customers Aren’t Asking (Out Loud)
Win trust fast! Residential service contractors succeed by answering customers’ unspoken questions with actions that calm fears & build lasting loyalty.
KickStart: 1) Anticipate the 1st time client’s concerns and then 2) program in routine employee actions to answer these fears… silently!
Let’s face it—if you're in the residential services game (Carpet cleaning, plumbing, lawn care, electrical, restoration, HVAC, pest control, you name it), you’re not just installing/ repairing/ cleaning/ servicing stuff.
Instead, you (and your techs) are managing (installing/ repairing/ cleaning/ servicing) the homeowner’s feelings. This is waaaayy more complicated than just installing/ repairing/ cleaning/ servicing their possessions. 🙄
For example, when you step into someone’s home for the first time, they’re not relaxed. Nope. Most homeowners when they first do business with you are on edge. And seriously, can you blame them?
Go ahead, put on your 1st-time customer’s eyeglasses. They’ve suffered through home services catastrophes with your competition. (That’s why they called you this time!) Or your client has heard horror stories from their friends.
The result? When you or your tech knocks on a new client’s door, the homeowner is nervous, unsure, and quietly asking themself, “Is this going to be another disaster?”
In fact, I always remind our HFS coaching clients:
At first, you (or your tech) will always be viewed as a “Tolerated Irritation” in a customer’s home.
Yeah, the above statement stings a little—but it’s true. A 1st-time customer may smile at you, but deep down, they’re fretting that they’ve opened the door to stress, damage, or worse. This means that…
Clients’ “Unspoken Questions” Are Everywhere and you MUST face them!
Sure, you’ll get the obvious verbal questions:
“How much will this cost?”
“What method do you use?”
“How long will the job take?”
“When can you do the work?” (This was my favorite question that I LOVED to hear!)
But what about the questions the homeowner doesn’t verbally ask you?
Think about it. Your customers are silently asking themselves:
“Can I trust this guy? Is my stuff safe?”
“Will they damage anything?”
“Are they going to rush through the job and leave a mess?”
“Am I about to get scammed with some bait-and-switch pricing?”
If you don’t address these unspoken homeowner fears, no amount of explaining your methods or (even worse) quoting a low price will help. You must silently display Unspoken Answers to these questions without them even asking.
How Can You Silently Answer an Unspoken Question?
This is where our HFS Service Engineering kicks in—little pre-programmed Moments of Truth (MOT’s) that calm clients’ nerves and build trust.
Here’s how Service Engineering (SE) works in real life. NOTE: I’ve put the SE Action first and your client’s subconscious reaction in italics:
Your tech shows up on time in a clean uniform with a photo I.D. badge → “This guy looks legit.”
They put on shoe covers without being asked → “Wow, he respects my home.”
Your tech asks for a tour and takes notes on your concerns → “Wow, this fellow really cares about me and his work.”
After the walk-through, the lead tech reviews your concerns, explains the process step-by-step and gives a firm quote upfront → “I won’t be pressured into a huge bait-and-switch price!"
Your team takes obvious care with your home and leaves their workspace cleaner than they found it → “They really care about quality and my home.”
The above sample MOT’s are just a few of the “Unspoken Answers” you must program into your techs' daily routine! They’re small moments that make your customers breathe easier—and that’s what they’ll remember.
Want to Go Deeper? We’ve Got You Covered!
💡 Want to build homeowner trust on every job? We’ve made it easy with our FREE Moment of Truth checklist for your team—from dispatch to techs.
🎯 Struggling to book skeptical first-time callers? Our Converting the "How much...?" Caller course is packed with real-world “lead conversion” tips for calls, texts, emails, chat—whatever channel they come in on.
Steve’s Bottom Line? Customers may not verbalize what they’re worried about—but their feelings about your people and company will drive their future buying decisions.
If you can calm your residential clients’ fears before they voice them, they’ll not only become loyal clients—they’ll become your biggest fans. And that means more referrals and less price resistance. Even more importantly…
When the homeowner develops a close, professional, trusting relationship with your team they will post a glowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ online review about their experience! BINGO!
So, are you ready to be more than just a “Tolerated Irritation” in a customer’s home? Then start your Service Engineering process by anticipating homeowners’ Unspoken Questions—then silently answer their concerns with pre-programmed Unspoken Answers!
Best wishes and let’s “git ‘er done”… together!
 | A guest post by
|