Where do most your customers come from?

General Inspection Topics General Inspection Discussion
1

I’m looking into joining the Internachi community and becoming a home inspector. I was curious, where do you guys get most your customers? Is it a job where people will search online for one? Or is it mostly referrals and word of mouth?

2

  1. Realtors

  2. Website

  3. client referrals

3

(1) client referrals

Retired 5 years and still get calls got one last Night .

  1. Name on my Truck .

(3) My radio show .

(4) Website

(5) Realtors

4

I guess for people with website referrals it would depend greatly on if they rank high or not. I guess a good question would be, those that rank at the top of Google, how much of your business is directly from it.

Thanks for the replies.

5

NAHI and ASHI members who get tired of not having a real inspection trade association.

6

Referrals
Internet
Realtors

7

Seriously though. Your question can be answered but the answer is meaningless to you. For example: If a home inspector has distributed 10,000 professional-looking brochures into his/her local market, then those brochures will be pumping traffic to his/her inspection site, good traffic. You can have the worst google rank ever, but if you have taken steps to drive consumers to your site… why care about SEO?

8

In todays ever-changing world and the Internet, your web presence is far more important than any print advertising,.

Best referrals for us.

  1. Websites and overall Web presence.
  2. Referrals and Connections with other related trades people, ie mold premeditators, radon mitigation companies, Builders, remodelers, flippers, Doctors, Lawyers…etc…
  3. News and Media (I got lucky with that one):slight_smile:
  4. Print Marketing
  5. Realtors that find us, as we do not market direct to any realtors.

Jim

9

Referrals and word of mouth, followed by website/social media.

But even most of the people who find me online were directed there by referral.

10

When I started 100% was from websites.

5 years later guessing a little over 50% was websites.

After about 11 years 10% is websites and a even split between past Client and Agent referrals with maybe 5% from Mortgage Brokers,Lawyers,other Inspectors.

No Marketing Budget 0% ] other than website hosting fees and never any visits or pleas to Broker offices for work,no gifts,no kickbacks,… but average increase of business at around 10% annually from the year before.

Never even marketed my Member of the year award as of yet. still amazingly honored ] and equally so at the Local award from my friends and brethren at Nachi Chicago .I can never thank NACHI enough for the great educational opportunities or the Forum in its past incarnation before every question was greeted with sarcasm and belittlement other than in jest.

Try and avoid getting suckered into being stuck partnered with leeches that suck your profits by feeding off you and keep working hard for the Client is the best advice .

The more you help others the more they will want to partner with you or use your services .

11

Same with me, Bob and Ian. My #1 is client referrals. About 80%. 10-15% from agents, 5% corporate companies. Most marketing tools can be placed on your web site, so the days of posting brochures and flyers in RE offices are done. Most every REA works from home, and may go into their office once a month to get their mail, if that. Spread your business card around: restaurants, business, church bulletins, school ads, all have worked in the past. I can count on my hands how many referrals I have received from my web site: almost 0. The web site comes in after I make the inspection appointment with the client, and direct him/her to my site for lots of HI information.

You must take care of your client at the inspection. Most all clients like small stories and maintenance information given to them for later reference. Despite twitter, facebook, and other social sites, talking and communication with your client is #1. I do not do any social media of any kind. There is just no need.

12

Lenders
Church
Sexworld Swingers Club

13

Eh…visible to public …or are you advertising ?..LOL

14

Oh my!
On the other hand maybe I should leave it as is.

15

Almost all of ours come from real estate agent referrals. Because I kiss their ***
. However I don’t do soft reporting.

16

Your a new inspector then. So don’t count on past clients and agents, because you have none yet. Do what I tell you. Get our marketing department to make you a killer brochure: www.marketing.nachi.org and then blitzkrieg your market area. Make it so you can’t throw a dead NAHI member around without hitting one of your home inspection brochures. Those brochures will get you clients, get your name out to agents, cause your phone to ring, and drive traffic to you website.

Bombs away!

P.S. Order a minimum of 10,000 brochures. 20,000 is better. It’s a numbers game.

17
  1. Realtor referral
  2. Website
  3. Word of Mouth from past clients or repeat client business.
18

Ohio…

19

I have clients from Ohio too (yesterdays inspection clients were Buckeyes), and every other state this side of the Mississippi many states out west, many clients in Canada, and many other countries on 3 other continents. Todays inspection clients live in Connecticut. They were referred to me by their friends from NY.:smiley:

20

Last 2 years:

  1. 19% referrals from other inspectors (we do something they don’t)
  2. 28% Referrals from past clients
  3. 22% Off Specialty Web Sites of FHA, Exterior Design Institute, NRSB, etc
  4. 6% from Home Inspection Association Web Sites
  5. 8% from Attornies … Usually a Law Suit related
  6. 6% From our own Web Sites
  7. Everything else from Realtors, Lenders, Insurance companies