Most service calls end with a handshake and nothing else. Dan Kennedy calls "next" the most valuable word in a business: a customer who finishes a job should always have somewhere to go from there. In a trades shop that means the last ten minutes of every job include a few fixed steps. Book or note the next visit, ask for a review, ask for a referral, and follow up in writing so none of it depends on memory.
What does a dead end look like?
The AC's running. The tech packs up, the customer says thanks, and that's the last they hear from you until the next time something breaks. If they remember your name then.
Kennedy walks through one ordinary service visit, a carpet cleaning, and counts eight chances it missed. A few of them:
- no attempt to book the next visit
- no referral request
- no thank-you note
- nothing left for the neighbors
An HVAC service call or a roof repair misses the same ones.
Which steps matter most?
Start with three. They're cheap and they fit any job.
| Step | What it sounds like |
|---|---|
| The next visit | "Your unit's due for a check in the spring. Want me to put you down for April?" |
| The review | A short text after the job with a link to your Google page. |
| The referral | "If a neighbor needs a roofer, we'd be glad to help. Here's a card." |
If you only add one, make it the next visit. It's the one most tied to your calendar.
How do you make it stick?
Put it on the job checklist, next to "clean up the work area." Then have the office follow up in writing the same day. The tech mentions it on site, while the customer is paying attention. The written note makes sure it doesn't evaporate.
And keep it light. One useful next step, said once. The last ten minutes of a job aren't the time for a sales pitch.
Where the crew fits
The crew already drafts a Google review request after every won job or paid invoice, waits for your office to approve it, and never asks the same customer twice in ninety days. The next-visit reminder and the referral ask are still yours for now.
If you're within an hour of Austin, the assessment shows what your finished jobs could lead to that they don't today.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't this just upselling?
Only if you push. Noting that the water heater is twelve years old, or that the unit needs a spring check, is useful information. Say it once, write it on the invoice, and let the customer decide.
What if the job doesn't have a natural follow-up?
Almost every trades job has one: an annual check, a filter change, a flush, a gutter cleaning before the next storm season. If there's truly nothing, the review and referral asks still apply.
Who should do this, the tech or the office?
The tech mentions it on site, because that's when the customer is paying attention. The office follows up in writing, so it doesn't depend on anyone's memory.
Sources
- Dan S. Kennedy, Almost Alchemy (ForbesBooks, 2019). "NEXT" as the most valuable word in a business, and the eight chances an ordinary service visit usually misses.