Are you stuck with low-tier home service jobs? You somehow can’t seem to land high-ticket jobs, such as full HVAC installations, large remodels, flooring, and roofing.
If everything checks out—your pricing is spot on, demand for your home services is there, and your service quality is top-notch—take a long, hard look at your online reputation. That’s right. Poor online reputation could be the reason you can’t score high-paying contracts.
It’s time to change how people perceive your business. Let customers know you can handle big jobs. To do that, you’ll need a home services review strategy designed to get more high-ticket leads.
What High-Value Customers Really Look For
What’s the secret to landing high-ticket home service jobs?
The answer is simple: trust. It’s not necessarily about pricing; people shop based on trust, especially in the home services industry.
Trust is a weighty factor in purchase decisions. Up to 81% of consumers will only buy from brands they trust. A recent Edelman study ranks trust among the top three buying considerations, alongside “value for money” and “quality.”
Building Trust Online
Trust is a powerful value proposition. The question is, how do you establish brand trust online? These are the trust signals that high-value customers look for online:
Strong Online Presence
Building trust online starts with establishing a strong online presence. Customers trust businesses they can quickly find through a simple web search, on social media, and online directories like Google Business.
Nearly half (46%) of all Google searches have local intent—people seeking local information and businesses. Even for local home service businesses with no online offerings, a strong presence online is essential for discoverability and trust.
Online availability inspires trust by demonstrating the legitimacy of your business. It builds credibility in your brand. Moreover, online platforms are great avenues for communicating with customers, showcasing your services, and relaying a sense of professionalism.
Consistently Positive Reviews
Homeowners understandably seek service providers with lots of 5-star reviews. The home services business is highly competitive, both online and offline. Although 4-star reviews are good, they’re not good enough if your competitors have 5 stars.
Interestingly, unhappy customers are more likely to leave negative reviews. That’s because bad reviews are prompted by an emotional response. And since customers naturally expect a flawless experience, excellent customer service is rarely rewarded. Besides, it’s in our human nature to air grievances rather than sing praise.
High Review Volume
When it comes to reviews, quantity matters. Actually, review volume trumps stellar ratings. Potential home service customers don’t just count stars. They’d rather see a 4-star average out of 100 reviews than a 5-star average of only 10 reviews.
According to one study, 79% of consumers “always” or “regularly” consider the volume of reviews.
The more reviews a business has, the more trustworthy it seems. On the contrary, just a handful of reviews, especially those with perfect 5-star ratings, are not convincing enough. They may even come across as fake.
Testimonials and Case Studies
Testimonials and case studies are powerful indicators of trust. To begin with, they are more detailed and engaging than typical reviews. Also, they drive social proof and demonstrate your expertise at the same time. And if they wanted to, the reader could easily verify these success stories.
Customers find case studies and testimonials reassuring and somewhat relatable. The goal is to trigger this thought: “If they solved this person’s problem, they can definitely do the same for me.”
Review Engagements
Once customers write reviews, you must do your part as well. Respond to those reviews. Doing so shows that you indeed care about what your customers think and feel. And that earns you extra reputation points.
Respond to all reviews, especially the bad ones. Addressing a dissatisfied customer can turn into a positive experience. A study by Yelp found that 88% of customers are more likely to look past a negative review if they see that the business has responded to it adequately.
Awards and Certifications
Customers appreciate visible signs of competence and authenticity. Much like reviews, certifications, awards, endorsements, and other accolades help build trust. They demonstrate that you’re a reputable business committed to professionalism, excellence, quality of service, and compliance.
Wear all your professional credentials as badges of authenticity. Flaunt them on your website, social media channels, and branding messages.
The Power of Online Reputation
A strong online reputation is your ticket to top-tier home service jobs. There’s no doubt about the role of trust in securing high-value contracts.
Online Reviews Are the New Word of Mouth
Word of mouth is hands down the most effective form of marketing. Nothing beats a recommendation from a friend for a plumber, remodeler, electrician, or HVAC technician.
Today, customer-generated content, such as reviews and testimonials, is the new word of mouth. Here is the proof: 90% of consumers read online reviews before interacting with a business. And most of them (88%) trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. In fact, according to a new survey, 54% of consumers place their trust in online reviews first, above recommendations from friends, family, or influencers.
Homeowners Buy Trust
Trust is so valuable that 87% of customers are willing to pay more to purchase from a brand they trust. That says it all. Customers will almost always choose a more reputable home services provider than a less reputable one.
Even when the price is high, customers will pay in the name of trust. In short, trust sells.
Good Brand Reputation Makes Your Business More Visible
Google pays close attention to reputation markers such as positive reviews, high review volume, and review engagement. Its search algorithm is more likely to rank home service businesses with these trust signals.
About 80% of consumers admit to searching local businesses online at least once a week. Homeowners undertaking both small and large projects will likely check Google first.
Better online visibility means more home service leads. Subsequently, the more the leads, the higher the chances of landing top-tier jobs.
Why Your Online Reputation Determines Job Size
Does online reputation really dictate job size?
Yes, it does.
A poor online reputation might be the only thing standing in your way to big contracts. There’s a strong connection between reputation and job size. Let’s look at that connection from three perspectives:
Bad Reviews Scare Off Customers
Studies show that 87% of customers will not consider a business rated below 3 stars. It makes total sense. Why would you offer a job to a 3-star contractor and look past a 4.5-star brand?
Good reviews build confidence in high-ticket leads. A homeowner looking to spend a small fortune on a remodel will definitely go for a remodeler that checks all the boxes. And one of those critical boxes is glowing reviews.
Strong Reputation Sharpens Your Competitive Edge
A strong online reputation gives you a huge competitive advantage. While other contractors battle on price, speed, or branding, you can focus on trust. And as we’ve learned, trust is the biggest gun you can bring to the fight.
The trust driven by your online reputation elevates you to a unique vantage point. Your business becomes a magnet for quality home service leads.
Reputation Justifies the Price
We saw earlier that most customers are willing to pay a premium for trusted brands. Take advantage of that to land high-paying jobs.
Large home service jobs can seem costly, which might deter some potential clients. Others will dig deeper, looking for price justifications. Luckily, your good online reputation reassures such clients that the spend is worthwhile.
The pulseM Advantage: Turning Customer Trust into Revenue
According to BrightLocal, 96% of customers will gladly write a review for your business. However, most people have to be asked to leave a review, which they will do (if asked nicely). You don’t want to seem too forward, assertive, or desperate when requesting customer feedback. Customers dislike feeling ambushed, guilt-tripped, or solicited for reviews.
You must be clever about how you request reviews. That’s where pulseM comes in.
pulseM is a robust platform for contractor reputation management. It automates and streamlines review management, driving customer engagement and trust. Here’s how it works:
- Quick check before the technician arrives
After scheduling an appointment, the system logs all the relevant customer details and even sends them a reminder as the date approaches. On the day of the service, the client receives a text alert with the technician’s bio. This helps build a rapport and establishes trust before the job begins.
- Smart, automated review requests
After the job is completed, pulseM directs the client to write Google reviews for contractors. Clients can also leave feedback on the socials and other platforms. The review request is thoughtful, timely, and non-intrusive.
Once posted, the reviews are collected in one place. A scoreboard keeps track of team reviews, fostering a sense of personal responsibility toward customer experience.
Reputation = Visibility = Value
The premise of how a strong online reputation helps you get more high-ticket jobs is pretty simple.
A good online reputation makes you more visible in local searches for home service businesses. That visibility earns you more leads, including potential top-tier clients. The reputation also establishes trust among homeowners with high-paying jobs. And your strong reputation helps you justify premium pricing for big home service contracts.
Final Thought – Build a Reputation That Attracts the Right Jobs
Online reputation is not just about customers showering you with praise. A strong online reputation is a powerful growth engine. It enables you to reach clients you otherwise never could.
High-ticket home service jobs always go to businesses that seem trustworthy and credible. And that’s exactly what you get with a good online reputation.
However, it takes quite some effort to cultivate an online reputation. But with a tool like pulseM, building trust is easy, fast, and effective.
Take the load off and automate reputation management with pulseM. Book a free demo to see pulseM in action.