ITA Home Inspection Training Schools - Become a Home Inspector

This month I would like to discuss methods to maintain and build on your existing customer base. Of course, performing an outstanding initial inspection and presenting your findings in an accurate, understandable and positive fashion are key items.

In my experience, finding new customers is more work and of course costs more than keeping existing ones. Here are some techniques I used to obtain revenue opportunities from inspection clients:

While on the initial inspection, provide additional information. I always carried a plastic file bin in my inspection wagon. Inside were information flyers from authoritative sources regarding pool barrier safety, PB tubing and other commonly found important issues. These brochures not only saved me time writing but also were much appreciated by the clients. I provided the information instead of requesting my clients obtain further evaluation or do the research.
Send an evaluation postcard a few months after the inspection. This kept my company name in front of the clients. Part of this postcard included our post-inspection services. These included maintenance inspections, one year warranty inspections if a new house, commercial inspection and construction consulting. We obtained many construction monitoring assignments from pre-purchase clients who later renovated or added onto the house. Additionally, many of our home inspection clients worked for companies that needed commercial inspections and we landed many of these as well.
Be available for follow up phone calls after the inspection. I have had clients call years after the initial pre-purchase inspection. While there is typically no revenue for these calls, the goodwill keeps you in the clients mind for future paying work.
Don’t trash other inspectors. If a potential client calls and we are discussing an item, and "why didn’t my inspector see that?" comes up my truthful answer is: "I don’t know the circumstances at the time of the inspection. The condition may have been concealed or possibly did not exist at the time."

I trust these tips will help, as they did for me in my business.