The Question Every Customer Asks That You're Not Answering
One pool company answered it honestly. It generated $6 million in sales.
Marcus Sheridan had a pool company in Virginia called River Pools and Spas. In 2008 the financial crisis nearly destroyed him. Three contracts cancelled in a single day. The marketing budget was gone.
He couldn't afford to buy attention anymore, so he decided to earn it. He started answering every question a customer had ever asked him, honestly and publicly, on his company website. Including the question every pool company in America refused to answer: how much does a fiberglass pool cost?
That one article generated over $6 million in attributable sales.
Why silence costs you money
When a customer searches "how much does pest control cost" or "lawn care pricing in my city," they're not looking for an exact quote. They're looking for a ballpark. They want to know if they're in the right neighbourhood before they pick up the phone.
"Call for a free estimate" is not an answer. It's a wall. And every time someone hits that wall on your website, they click back to the search results and find someone who did give them a number.
What to do today
Go to your website right now. Can a stranger figure out roughly what your services cost without calling you? If the answer is no, you're probably losing customers to the competitor who said yes.
Write one paragraph. Not a rate sheet. A plain-English explanation of what affects the cost and a range for your most common service. "Quarterly pest control treatments for a typical three-bedroom home start at $125 to $175, depending on the size of the property and the type of treatment plan."
That sentence takes thirty seconds to write. Post it today. You can refine it later.
Here's to one more client this week.
R.J.
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