Are you wanting more recurring customers for your home service business? Here’s three steps to crafting a recurring service plan for your customers.
Why one-time business stinks
Would you like to spend a great deal of time and marketing money toward gaining one customer, only to serve them once and never see them again? That’s what you’re doing when you sell individual, one-time services. You’re wasting a bunch of time and money to reach them, but doing nothing to retain them.
It’s time to quit … quit selling individual, one-time services and starting selling service packages that feature recurring services.
Gearing your business toward recurring service packages is easier than you think — it just takes a new mindset.
3 steps to creating service packages
Here’s three easy steps you can implement with your home service business to start selling recurring packages over one-time services.
First, define your core service offerings
Ask yourself, “What are my top 2-3 services that I specialize in?”
It’s critical that you know your core services so can share them quickly online or in person, so that every potential customer knows what you specialize in.
When you define your service offerings, also nail down the terminology you’re going to use for your core services, such as whether you’re going to say “window cleaning” or “window washing”. A tool like trends.google.com can be helpful for analyzing which terms are more commonly used online in your area.
Second, create a success path for your customers
I bet you care dearly about your core service offerings. Unfortunately, your customers don’t. Really, nobody really cares about your services — they care about winning and overcoming a problem they have. So instead of just telling customers what services you provide, share with them how your services help them overcome their problems. Here’s some examples using the StoryBrand framework, which you can find out by reading “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller:
- Gutter cleaning: Your customer wants a nice home, but has overflowing gutters. You help them overcome their problem by providing seasonal gutter cleaning. If your customer calls now to schedule an initial cleaning, they can prevent property damage and enjoy a nice home.
- Window cleaning: Your customer wants a clean home, but has dirty windows in hard-to-reach places. You help them overcome their problem by providing seasonal window cleaning. If your customer calls now to schedule an initial cleaning, they can avoid a dirty, disgraceful-looking house and enjoy the home of their dreams.
- HVAC service: Your customer wants a comfortable home, but has a broken air conditioner. You help them overcome their problem by providing seasonal HVAC maintenance. If your customer calls now to schedule an initial service, they can avoid dreadfully hot, sleepless nights and enjoy a cool, comfortable home.
Lastly, create 2-3 recurring service packages or service levels to give your customers options.
Notice that in the examples above, I intentionally used the words “seasonal” and “initial”. The whole idea is to move away from one-time services and move toward selling recurring packages.
Recurring service packages don’t have to be a contract where customers are forced to get service. Rather, this can be a courtesy benefit to your customers — where you’re telling your customers that you’ll conveniently remind them and proactively contact them to book them next season, instead of waiting for them to remember and contact you. Here’s some examples:
- Individual Service Packages: Instead of just offering a one-time gutter cleaning, offer a package where you’ll clean the gutters now, and then guarantee that in 6 months, you’ll contact the customer again to schedule a convenient appointment. Maybe offer a loyalty discount if they book 6 months in advance.
- Combination Service Packages: A lot of home service companies offer combinations of services like gutter cleaning, window cleaning, pressure washing, etc. If that’s you, then create a package that incorporates all of your cores services. For example, you could offer an annual package that starts with gutter cleaning in the fall, followed by spring cleaning of the windows and exterior surfaces.
- Varying Service Levels: You might be able to create different service levels based on your customers needs. For example, if a customer has let the windows get filthy over two decades, you’ll need to spend more time cleaning those windows over a customer who is serviced on a regular basis. So create service levels that match the needs and desires of your customers so it feels like you’re giving them options.
Recapping
So if you’re sick and tired of the roller coaster ride of unpredictable sales and want to move toward more recurring services, here’s what to do:
- Define your core service offerings so that you clearly know services you provide.
- Create a success path for your customers so that they can see how your services help them win and overcome problems.
- Create 2-3 recurring service packages to give your customers options.
Questions or comments? Please contact me.