KickStart: Build solid, trusting Reciprocal Relationships with Strategic Partnerships to dramatically increase referrals for your Residential Maintenance Plans.
Let’s play Steve’s Multiple-Choice Quiz game!
Question: After “employees” (which is always #1 on every entrepreneur’s problem list!) what is the second-worst challenge facing residential service companies? (Choose one)
a) Increasing costs
b) Maintaining consistent cash flow
c) High taxes
Not to diss the issues of rising costs or high taxes but if you chose “b”, “Maintaining consistent cash flow” it’s WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER time! 🐔🐔 After all…
When you think about it, while no one is happy with “a” or “c”, if your home services business has a consistent, “guaranteed” cash flow these other problems resolve themselves! Soooo…
Dream with me: Instead of constantly scrambling to fill your techs’ schedules (and pay your bills) a high percentage of your daily jobs have been pre-paid and yes, even pre-scheduled by loyal, long-term, “pre-trained” clients!
Are you swooning with rapturous delight? 💖 You should be! Making the above dream a reality has transformed many of my clients’ businesses and yes, even their lives! This same “guaranteed cash flow” can be yours IF you focus on…
Residential Maintenance Plans (RMP’s)
I highly recommend you develop a subscription model for the services you already provide homeowners. (This is a whole ‘nother KickStart!) But how can you tap into RMP’s for the systems and equipment installed by retailers?
🗝️ Here’s the deal on homeowners: They obsess over pre-planned maintenance as their shiny new system gets installed. BINGO! Install day is the perfect time to sign them up on a Residential Maintenance Plan!
But the guy doing the install? He just wants to pack up his truck and head to the next job. And it’s not just the installer…
Think about it. If a contractor just sold Mrs. Jones a $14,000 HVAC system, the last thing he wants to say on install day is, “Remember, these coils are going to get nasty, the condensate line will clog, and you’ll need to pay someone hundreds of dollars a year just to maintain it!” Talk about killing the honeymoon buzz! 🙄💖🥰😍😘
Ditto on swimming pools, patio paving, tree pruning, granite countertops, hot tubs, new carpets, ceramic tile, garage door openers, home security systems, and the list goes on…
Installers don’t want to be a Debbie Downer 😠 by delivering the “ongoing maintenance” news to an excited homeowner. This means the retailer (or their install crew) won’t pitch your maintenance services unless you give them reasons to do so…
Steve’s Takeaway: Want a reliable pipeline of business referrals for home services? You must first build solid, trusting relationships with the contractors who are already inside your future customers’ homes.
Here are some B2B marketing options to get installers and retailers to actively promote and send maintenance work your way:
1. The “Cold Beer or Donuts” Routine
Dropping off a Monday morning box of donuts or a case of beer 🍻🍻🍻 on a Friday afternoon is the classic “Bubba” approach. This “down-home” strategy can still work great!
🗝️ Friendships in the trades are built MUCH faster over a cold brew than a slick brochure. But sugar and alcohol will only get your foot in the door and they fade fast! What do local contractors really want? For you to make their lives easier!
2. Stop Being a Liability
Let’s be brutally honest: Many (most?) home service companies are a nightmare to deal with. This sad track record means your local plumbing company or swimming pool contractor has been burned before. 😡 Here’s how it went down…
They referred a guy to their client, he didn’t return phone calls, showed up late, tracked mud inside, and basically made the referring contractor look like a clueless idiot! 😮
👍ProTIP: If you want contractor’s leads, you must provide impeccable, 5-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ service. Referral Partners are lending you their reputation. Guard and protect it or you won’t get a second chance!
3. Prove Your Worth on Their Turf
Don’t just promise you’re the best—prove it! Offer to do a free maintenance run on the contractor’s own home.
Whether it’s a free AC tune-up, a complimentary termite inspection, or cleaning their living room carpets, let this contractor (and their spouse) experience your stellar Customer Cheerleader reputation firsthand. Once you prove how your techs treat their home, they’ll feel safe referring your company to their precious clients.
4. Feed Their Ego (and Cover Their Back)
When you get a referral, follow up immediately and consistently.
A) Reach out before the job and sincerely thank your contact for their trust in your company.
B) Then after you finish the work, send your Referral Partner the glowing 5-star reviews you received from their client along with a sincere thank you!
C) If you stumble across a minor mistake the install crew made—like a sloppy caulk line or a loose fitting? Fix it cheerfully, keep your mouth shut, and never, ever throw your Referral Partner under the bus to the homeowner. Instead…
D) Send a heads-up email to your Referral Partner with before-and-after photos you took of the issue, how you resolved it and of course include “at no charge because we really appreciate your referrals!” 😁
To sum this rant up? “Reciprocity” works! Who knew? 🎊🪅🎉🎈😁
PROVE to your referral partners that recommending your services will make them look like a hero! 😎
Want more ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews? Customer delight is the TRUE engine of sales! Teach your team to generate referrals and stop complaints before they start. Register for Live Stream Technician Service Training on October 22. Qualifies for 7 IICRC CECs. No exam required.
Next Week: Delivering Residential Services in Winter: Keep the “Yuck” Outside