Upselling Tips: How One Electrician Tripled His Earning on One Service Call

Service Detectives is a family-owned and operated electrical company dating back to 1968. Jason and Shanya Shadowen are the third generation owners, and they’ve crafted a seamless service call process to upsell efficiently, offer great customer experiences, and create lifetime customers.  

Through his trusted process, Jason was recently able to turn an $89 evaluation into a $3,207 ticket along with a one-year home protection plan. 

Here’s how he did it.

One of Jason’s customers initially did a quick Google search for a specific type of wiring. The first link that popped up was a blog on Service Detectives’ website, which showed the customer that Jason’s team is highly qualified to complete this type of job. 

“Marketing is extremely important,” Jason said. And getting in front of customers’ common queries is a great way to win jobs—Housecall Pro can help you get consistent bookings from the top of Google’s search results through our partnership with Google Local Service Ads.

Jason also recommends Facebook posts, branded truck wraps, offering online booking, and making sure your company’s website is easy to navigate.

Jason always calls the customer before going out to the service call. “I think of the customer as having a balloon. As they get anxious about things, the balloon inflates,” Jason explained, “How can I help deflate that balloon to make that call go that much easier?”

Instead of a transactional conversation with the customer, prioritize making them feel comfortable over the phone. “It’s very important that the customer has a great first impression with the person they’re talking to,” Jason said. 

Sometimes Jason will get coffee or water for the customer. Jason explained that small gestures like this “help deflate that balloon even more” and create a smoother process when he shows up to the customer’s house. 

Once arriving at the homeowner’s property, Jason introduces himself and talks with the customer before starting the diagnosis. “It may seem cheesy,” Jason said, but finding commonalities with the customer and showing them you care about making them feel comfortable helps build trust. 

Once the customer sees that Jason is trustworthy and personable, he transitions into the issue at hand. 

“I take all of my information from Housecall Pro before I get there and place it on my work order,” Jason said. Showing up prepared instantly conveys competence and efficiency. First, Jason asks his “above the line” questions, then asks “below the line” questions. 

Above the line questions:

90 percent of the time, Jason finds that the customer does have other issues to be addressed.

After asking the “above line questions”, Jason repeats the information back to the customer to ensure everyone’s on the same page. This includes the price for evaluating the initial issue along with addressing the other concerns that the customer mentioned. Then Jason asks “below-the-line questions,” where he provides multiple solutions to the customer. 

Jason gives the customer a Home Owner’s guide to look through while he does the diagnosis. This folder includes a guide with information about Service Detectives’ company, multiple services that they offer, home protection plans, guarantees, and club memberships. The folder also includes a copy of Service Detectives’ certificate of liability and their quarterly newsletter.

Once the diagnosis is complete, Jason comes back to the customer with multiple solutions and additional concerns to talk about. At this point, the customer may be overloaded with all the information, and it could be helpful to take a break. Jason will leave a paper copy of the evaluation with the customer and step out of the house to grab pricing plans for the customer. 

Offering a variety of solutions gives the customer a say in the work that will be done, and ensures they’re making the most informed choice for their needs. Jason refers to his

Price Book in Housecall Pro

and gives the customer a menu guide to look through the multiple options.

“It’s all about listening to the customer,” Jason said. Make the process easy for the customer by first reiterating their concerns, then explaining the solutions. 

By consistently building trust with the customer and letting them into the process, they are more likely to listen to Jason’s suggestions. Sometimes the customer will ask Jason, “If this was your house, what would you do?” This type of question reaffirms that the customer trusts the judgment of the Pro. 

The variety of options should have different prices to ensure that the customer can choose based on their preference. Offering payment plans can also motivate the customer to choose a more robust option. “Customers don’t want to be locked into one option,” Jason said. Offering multiple solutions can prevent customers from searching for other bids.

Adding on maintenance agreements is another good way to upsell a service call while creating a lasting customer. It’s important to ask customers what works for them, instead of telling them what they should get. Jason offers four different maintenance plans so his customers can choose the one that best suits their needs.  This allows the customer to upsell on their own. 

Jason recently had a medical complication that altered his day-to-day life. He had to cut back on work and could not lift his tool bag. “It changed my perspective on life,” Jason said. He has been an electrician for 24 years and asked himself, “Do I want to spend the next 24 years doing this?” His answer to the question was “No,” which has led him to be particular about service calls. 

“I've quickly learned that my relationship with my life and family is more important than making a buck,” Jason explained. 

Finding the right balance between work and personal life will help you build a sustainable career and continue to love the work you’re doing.

Through great customer service, Jason builds genuine trust with his customers that often leads to upsell opportunities. The question he asks himself every time he leaves a customer’s house is, “Did I make the home safer?” Maintaining this purpose, and building strong relationships, shows customers that Jason is a true resource for them. To Jason, that is what measures success.