Marketing for Home Inspectors

Complied by Cary Barker, Assit. Editor

Whether you are new to the industry or consider yourself a pro, everyone can use help getting his/her name in front of clients.

Networking
“Try open houses. You might connect with a Realtor who may use you. You may also meet the homeowner and get a chance to double dip– do their house for a pre-sale inspection and the house they are thinking of buying too.” -Jack Feldmann

“Deliver circulars offering presale inspections to potential sellers in surrounding neighborhoods.  Offer incentives to fire, police, military and teachers. Join a local civic group such as Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, etc. Join a church, synagogue, or mosque. Expand your network. Find some way to give to the community. They will give back. Joining KIWANIS was my best decision as a new inspector. Though I joined to give back some of what I’ve been so blessed with, the membership has provided MANY jobs over the years.”  – Thom Walker

Customer Service
“I have some clients who call me to ask my opinion on things or ask for a recommendation for a specific job. They say they trust me completely and they greatly appreciate my help. I help them out and they end up sending me business. You can’t beat that kind of advertising.”  – Wes Owens

“I tell every client at the end of the inspection, ‘If you ever have any questions about the operation or maintenance of your house, please call me. If anything goes wrong with your home I will come back and look at it at no charge.’” – Dan Cullen

“Don’t be afraid to ask for permission to use former clients as a reference. The former clients will frequently toot your horn more loudly than you may be comfortable doing yourself.” – Thom Walker

“Sell exceptional client service.  Deliver top shelf service and your reputation will precede you.” – Steve Gladstone

Internet
“Work on your search engine optimizing. Most of my business is from people who found me on the web. I paid a company a couple of hundred dollars and my site ranks very well when you use anything that has to do with home inspections in Brevard County, Fl.” – Matt Hawley

“I buy words through Google Adwords and Overture. This way I will show up through natural searches and sponsored searches. I have also built town-specific pages to ensure that I have page one rankings for those areas. In a competitive area, you will have to work hard to get on the first page.” – Rick Bunzel

Brochures
“I have done brochures before and update them every two-three months with different offers. I do my own brochures and printing. These look just as good and even better than the other inspectors in my area who pay printers to do them up. My actual cost per three-fold brochure is about 30 cents, including paper and ink.” – Brian E Kelly

“Before I built a substantial client referral base, my best results came from informational brochures I left in the real estate offices and from articles that some of the community magazines allowed me to contribute.” – Thom Walker

Coupons and Specials
“The only coupons I offer now are hand-printed on the back of my business card that I give to my client after the inspection. It’s a simple $25 off offer for whomever they give the card to.” – Thom Walker

“Rather than offer a discount, why not offer an added service at a reduced price. Such as ‘radon test half off with inspection’ or ‘FREE water pressure test with home inspection.’ What you are trying to do is spark interest. A cash discount will do that but so will many other things that don’t take money out of your pocket.” – Jack Feldmann

“I belong to the chamber of commerce which allows me to offer ‘specials.’ The last special I ran was for a 10 percent discount for first time home buyers.” – Jim Dull

Local Newspaper
“I have a photo of my business card in the service section of the local paper which costs me $15 per week. Every time you take an education course, submit a press release to the local paper. Sometimes they will print them and sometimes they won’t but it doesn’t hurt to try.” – Jim Dull

Raising Prices
“Years ago I got ‘smarter’ and gave my prices a push up and found that although I did fewer inspections, I made more money. We experienced three big changes as a result of increasing and holding to our higher pricing. First, we found we were inspecting nicer, larger and cleaner homes. Second, these people believe they are hiring an expert and they believe they get what they pay for. We prove them right by not cutting any corners or excluding items from the inspection. Thirdly, because we do fewer inspections for a higher price point, we have less liability for inspections that might have been performed in a hurry, and reports written in a rush, in homes with a zillion problems.” – Steve Gladstone

“When I find out I’m not the most ‘expensive’ in town, I raise my prices again. So far (going on ten years) it’s been a successful strategy. Each year I do fewer jobs but make more money.” – Thom Walker

“Figure out what you are worth and charge accordingly but don’t forget to build in profit, continuing education, vacations, retirement, and putting your kids through college. These are a reality for most of us and if it’s not planned into your fees it won’t be there.” – Steve Gladstone

Sell Yourself
“Sell yourself before you give prices out but keep it swift so your caller will stay with you. When they ask a price, tell them you offer a superior service and an easy to read and comprehensive report. If they don’t know you yet when they call, make sure you give them your strong points in a quick pitch and then the price, and assure them that the price is reflective of the amount of detail and professionalism that they will get from you.” – Jason Welch

“One thing I do is ask for the client’s email address and send him a sample copy of one of my reports. My reports are very detailed and have good photos embedded. Have a good sample report stored on your computer so you can easily send it out in a timely manner.”  – Eric Shuman

Thanks to Inspectionnews.com.
 
Home Inspector Marketing