Are cheap competitors actually your fault?
This is probably going to rub some people the wrong way, but I think it’s worth talking about. A lot of service business owners complain about cheap competitors. I get it. There is always someone willing to do the work for less. In my industry, I’ve seen people charge prices that make no sense once you factor in drive time, labor, supplies, fuel, insurance, taxes, and the actual time it takes to do the job right. But I also think we have to be honest as business owners. If the only thing a customer understands about your service is the task itself, they are going to compare you against the cheapest version of that task. For us, that would be: “They scoop dog poop.” So the customer starts comparing: price frequency who can come sooner who seems cheaper That’s a weak position to be in. The customer has no reason to value the difference because we haven’t explained the difference well enough. That’s where positioning matters. For us, we had to get much better at explaining what the customer is actually paying for: proactive communication reminders before service on-the-way messages gate photos after every visit waste hauled away thorough multi-pass yard checks professional invoicing and scheduling reliable weekly service trained and background checked technicians a company that shows up consistently Those things matter to our best customers. And when we looked through our reviews, customers were already telling us that. They were saying things like: “worth every penny” “like clockwork” “one less thing to worry about” “they text before they come” “they send a picture of the closed gate” “they take the waste with them” “our last company left the gate open” That changed how I thought about cheap competitors. Some customers will always choose the cheapest option. That’s fine. But if too many good-fit customers are comparing you only on price, your message may not be doing enough work. Your marketing should make it clear why your service costs what it costs before the customer ever asks. That means talking about: risk trust reliability communication safety convenience consistency the cost of hiring the wrong company The cheaper competitor may still win some customers. But I don’t want to lose the right customers because I failed to explain why we’re different. Are cheap competitors hurting your business, or is your positioning making it too easy for customers to compare you on price?
Jobber Campaigns Tips and Tricks
I love the Campaigns feature. I build a newsletter with it every month and I only sent it to clients to haven't booked with us for over 4 years at first, then each month I drop the months since serviced section down to raise the number of past clients reached. I do this so I don't overwhelm the phone lines, and eventually I will just have all the clients get it each month. I also tag my unsubscribe clients so they will never get a newsletter in the future, since right now each month is a one off campaign. I can adjust the filters to keep them out of the loop. I wish there was a way to add a gif file though. I add Before and After pics that I edit together on Canva, which is doing the trick for now to get the point across. One more tip that I've been playing with for my newsletters is using Dall.e on Chat GPT to create a header image that will be specific to our industry. I'd love to hear any other tips and tricks!
How can Jobber help me grow my business?
I am a fairly new business and I am still finishing the detail of my operations. I have been using the basic plan from Jobber for my bookings but I did not find myself using the Marketing suite very much when I first purchased a plan. I believe it is because I was still figuring out how to run my business operations. My question is, what is the best marketing move for me to do as a relatively new business owner using Jobber with limited resources like funds and a small client base.
Referral Feature - Choosing incentive structure
What incentive option are you all finding works best; percentage-based vs. set dollar amount? I'm curious about what others are doing to spread the word about this new referral system to existing clients and prospective clients (aside from the email campaigns within Jobber)How Referral Systems Are Changing the Home Improvement Game
Referral programs aren’t new, but they’re becoming a huge part of the home improvement world. Homeowners want trusted pros, and contractors want more jobs—referrals make that happen. Why They Work People trust word-of-mouth over ads. A referral from a friend or neighbor carries weight, and when companies reward that, it’s a win-win for everyone. How People Are Using Them Homeowners save money – Discounts or perks for referring friends. Contractors grow their business – More jobs without spending big on ads. Loyalty programs – Earn rewards for multiple referrals. Community referrals – Nextdoor, Facebook groups, and forums are full of trusted recommendations. Make It Work for You If you're a contractor, a solid referral program can bring in quality leads without the heavy marketing costs. Try something simple—offer $50 off the next project for both the referrer and the new client when they book. It’s an easy way to keep customers coming back while bringing in new ones who already trust your work. Are you currently using a referral program with your business? Drop a comment!Is your follow-up helping you close, or annoying your leads?
This is one I had to learn the hard way. Speed-to-lead matters. If someone fills out a form, asks for a quote, or reaches out with interest, the business that responds fast usually has the advantage. A fast response can be the difference between closing the job and losing the customer to the next company they call. Quote reminders matter too. People get busy. They forget. They compare options. They need a little nudge. A good follow-up system can recover a lot of sales that would have gone cold. But there’s a point where follow-up stops feeling helpful and starts feeling pushy. That line matters. I learned this lesson from my only 1-star Google review. It wasn’t because of the service or because we did a bad job scooping. It came from a lead who didn’t want to receive any more messages, and because of technology issues with our automations, messages kept going out after they should have stopped. That one stung because it was preventable. It also taught me that automation can make you look organized when it works, and careless when it doesn’t. A follow-up system should never make someone feel trapped in your sales process. If a lead says they’re not interested, asks you to stop, or opts out, that needs to be respected immediately. No excuses. No “just one more reminder.” No system glitch that keeps poking them after they already said no. For us, that means paying closer attention to: how many quote reminders go out how close together they are what the wording sounds like whether the lead has a clean way to opt out whether the automation actually stops when it should whether a real person needs to step in before another message goes out The goal of follow-up is to reduce friction, not create resentment. A good reminder should feel like: “Hey, just checking in in case life got busy.” A bad reminder feels like: “Why won’t you answer me?” That difference affects your brand. Especially in local home services, where trust matters. People may not remember every detail of your quote, but they will remember if you made them feel pressured, ignored, or annoyed before they even became a customer. I still use automation. I still believe in follow-up. I still think most businesses lose money because they don’t follow up enough. But now I also think your follow-up system needs brakes. It needs opt-outs. It needs timing rules. It needs limits. It needs someone checking that the customer experience still feels human. Because closing more jobs doesn’t matter if the process damages your reputation with the people who don’t buy. How many times do you follow up on a quote before you stop? And do you have a clear opt-out process for people who don’t want more messages?How to land 10X bigger jobs (without more leads)
🎙️ In this episode of Masters of Home Service, PhilRisher shares: How to get your techs to land bigger jobs Ways CSRs can set up easy upsells How checklists and happy calls turn great service into more sales ❓Question: What’s one thing your team does to spot more work while on the job? Drop your best tip in the comments. 🚀 Want to put these tips into action? Download our free upselling and cross-selling scripts pack. Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
