90-day follow-up letter to your client.
Write a letter to your client after you perform a home inspection. Make it 90 to 100 days later - just to make sure that they’ve moved in. Or (do what I did) get the closing date information and use that date as a guide.
The follow-up letter should say stuff like, “Hi, I’m your inspector. Just wanted to congratulate you on your new house… Blah blah… I had fun inspecting it. Hope all went well… How’s everything working? Any problems? Any roof leaks? Ha Ha… I’m going to contact you in about a year to schedule your annual maintenance and safety check-up. Contact me anytime… Blah Blah.”
Purpose 1: It shows that your not a hit and run kind of service company. You are genuinely interested in their experience with their new home and their well-being.
Purpose 2: If they are experiencing any problems with their new home, you’re already contacting them - and that places you on the high-road. They’re likely to call you about a problem anyways - why not beat them to the punch?
Purpose 3: Most important reason to write this letter. You put into your clients minds that they need to schedule your services at least every year (if not more often). Annual inspections. Annual inspections! Don’t just do an inspection for a client, and leave them alone. Call them up. Tell them about how important it is for you to come back every year and inspect their house.
My recent book enforces the idea of hiring an inspector every year - as part of a home owner’s maintenance plan. Check it out at http://www.nachi.org/now You give this book to your client, and they’ll call you to do inspections every year (if not more often than that).