Outline
Introduction – Not All Inquiries Are Equal
In the home services world, not every inquiry deserves your full attention — and that’s where lead qualification becomes your best friend. Before you jump into scheduling calls or quoting prices, you need a simple system that helps you identify which prospects are worth pursuing and which ones will only waste your time. With a few strategic questions and a structured approach, you can sort, prioritize, and convert more high-quality leads into paying customers.
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You Need To Sort Your Incoming Leads
Question: “Do you want to work for every homeowner that calls your Home Services Business?”🤔
Answer: “No way, Steve! After all, some callers live too far away, other prospects want services we don’t provide and some homeowners simply can’t afford us!”
Well answered and a good analysis! And yet… how much time do you waste with prospects that simply aren’t good potential customers? (Even worse is scheduling an onsite pre-inspection that is a complete waste of time!)😲
So, I strongly recommend to all my Home Service Business clients (and you too) that they…
Implement a lead qualification system to “sort” how to respond to homeowners when they reach out to your company.
NOTE: Notice that we say “reach out to” instead of “call” your company. After all, aren’t many of your leads arriving by text, email, Facebook or website chat? But never fear, in my online “Winning over your caller!” seminar I share Response Options to sort and convert these prospects… no matter how they reach out to you! Learn more HERE…
Lead qualification can be as complicated of a science as you wish it to be. Let’s stay focused on your potential incoming residential service customer inquiries.
Remember, homeowners don’t know much about the services you offer. (After all, this is WHY they’re contacting you!) So, many times their first question will be, “How much do you charge to…?” But no matter how your prospect opens the conversation “take ownership” of their question by replying…
“I can help you with that. May I ask you a few questions?” Only a total idiot will reply “No, I refuse to answer your questions” and who wants to work for an idiot homeowner? However…
99% of your prospects will gracefully answer, “OK.” BINGO!👍 Now you have their permission to ask a series of pre-scripted sales qualifying questions. These must be Valid Business Questions (VBQ’s), not just selling questions. NOTE: I share an entire menu of different VBQ’s in my “Winning over your caller!” online seminar.
As your staff asks these VBQ’s they’ll be A) displaying their “care and concern”, B) gently forcing their prospect to invest time in this transaction and C) be mentally deciding (sorting) how to best “convert” this lead into a booked job!
Use Lead Qualification Questions
For most residential service companies I recommend four “prospect sorting” lead qualification options:
1. Previous client. This one will be a slam-dunk! The secret? Use VBQ’s to identify these loyal returning customers early on and switch your LRO.
HINT: When your caller answers yes to your, “Have we worked for you before?” VBQ immediately warmly reply, “Welcome back!”😍
2. An onsite pre-inspection. Sadly, some of you are still calling them “estimates”. Sure, a firm price is a valid part of your prospect’s “buying equation”. But the better term “pre-inspection” won’t focus the process ONLY on price!💲 (We should talk about this soon.)
3. Give an approximate price. You’ll definitely lose more leads with this option.😰 But even so, asking VBQ’s before quoting a price will dramatically increase your Lead Conversions. But my favorite all-time option is…
4. A remote video pre-inspection. This LRO truly is the “best of all worlds”! Thanks to the pandemic most of your prospects have become skilled at connecting on Facetime, Zoom or even by WhatsApp video calls. So, now your salespeople can efficiently clearly define expectations for a customer with a remote video pre-inspection… without leaving the office! (Let’s address this topic soon.)
With these four Lead Qualification options you’ll be able to silently and even sneakily decide how to convert each prospect into a booked job! CONGRATULATIONS!💖
Summary – Less Dead Ends = More Conversions
When you put a smart lead qualification system in place, everything about your sales process becomes easier. Your team gains confidence, your closing rates rise, and your schedule fills with the right kind of customers. The goal isn’t to chase every lead—it’s to qualify the best ones and respond in a way that wins trust and builds long-term value. Start training your staff to ask the right questions, and watch how quickly your service business gains traction.