Your Plumbing Business: Promote Pre-Season Service

The leaves are turning, the weather is cooling, and your customers are calling to schedule pre-season or end-of-season service…

Actually, they probably won’t call unless you remind them since most facility managers and homeowners are reactive rather than proactive about calling a plumber.

This is the time to contact all customers from the last three years via phone, email or U.S. Postal Service. Start an email or mail message with a fall checklist for the homeowner or property manager. Start your phone call with an offer to send the checklist.

Then go on to promote a fall special that includes a system checkup and credit towards future service calls.  Alert office staff that when scheduling service calls, they should close the conversation with, “Be sure and ask your service technician how to save 10% by purchasing a maintenance contract.” (Or whatever your promotion involves.)

Below is a sample customer checklist. You will want to customize it for your market. If you are in a southern state, include a statement that your region periodically experiences freezing temperatures – maybe a photo of a frozen orange grove.

• If your heating system uses a boiler, pump, hot water or steam radiators, all valves and pumps should be checked by a professional.
• Drain and store outdoor hoses and turn off the water supply to outdoor faucets.
• Wrap pipes in unheated areas of the property, including crawl spaces under mobile homes.
• Consider purchasing a freeze-alert alarm that will call you if the building temp drops.
• Drain your water heater. Schedule this annual maintenance as part of your fall prep so it never gets missed. We will be happy to take care of this for you.
• Be sure your furnace filters are clean and your thermostat is working.
• *If your building will be unoccupied for even a few days, drain the pipes, blowing them out with an air compressor. An unnoticed leak or frozen pipe can cost thousands of dollars in repairs. We can install a valve that will simplify the process. You still may want to have our service technician take care of this for you.

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