You want more clients for your home inspection business, but what’s the best way to get them?
You can advertise, and you probably do. Having a website is critical. But the single most important tool you may have for growing your home inspection business is word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is a common way for companies to get more business, but the success of this method is sometimes dependent on the type of business.
Homes are usually inspected when they are sold. Most people don’t sell a home that frequently, and when they do sell, they often move out of your service area. So the potential for repeat business is low.
Real Estate Agents Can Help with Your Home Inspection Business
For client word-of-mouth to work in your favor, you would need someone who moved to town to tell people who are moving to or within your area about your services. While this certainly does happen, there is another source to get good word-of-mouth referrals.
How?
Make friends with real estate agents. They live in your area and they encounter people who need a home inspector every day. Real estate agents make recommendations for home inspectors all the time, and the more agents you can get to recommend you, the more customers you’ll get, the Inspection Support Network confirms.
Of course what’s really important is that you do a good job, but all else being equal, the inspector who takes the time to curry favor with real estate agents will come out ahead.
How to Get Real Estate Agents to Choose You
So how do you get real estate agents on your side?
- Make sure they know who you are. Introduce yourself whenever you see a real estate agent at the home you’re inspecting — or anywhere else for that matter. Have business cards at the ready to hand out.Don’t wait to run into an agent to introduce yourself. Send email greetings or cards via snail mail, and include a pen, pencil, magnet, or another promotional item with your name and number on it. Follow up with a phone call to make sure the agent got it.
- Make them aware of your skills and qualifications. Keep some stats on your website, such as what types of certifications you have, what professional associations you belong to, how many houses you’ve inspected, and how many years you’ve been in business. Make notes — and ideally, blog posts — about happy clients. You saved them money by noticing the mold under the carpet or the extremely sooty chimney that was a fire hazard. Let people know how thorough you are.
- Be nice to them. At the very least, be warm, friendly, and respectful. Or go the extra mile and bring a basket of fruit or box of candy to their office — or every office in town. Don’t let up on this strategy; make sure they see your face at least once a month. Eventually, they’ll look forward to it and begin to expect it, and that’s when they’ll be thinking of you even when you’re not there.
Your home inspection business is sure to profit if you can get the approval and recommendation of real estate agents. To learn more tips and tricks about the home inspection business, check out our website today!
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