Your $79 tune-up ad gets the form. The next 5 minutes decide the visit.

Jack

20 hours ago

4 min read

Furnace season is here. You've got a tune-up ad running with a price in the headline. A homeowner sees it, taps it, fills out the form.

Good. The ad did its job.

Now she's waiting. What happens in the next few minutes decides whether you end up in her basement this week, or whether somebody else does.

Why price alone doesn't set your ad apart

Scroll through Facebook this time of year and you'll see tune-up ads one after another, each with its own price in the headline. Yours might be $79. The next one has a different number.

When every ad has a price, the price stops doing the work. A homeowner can't tell you apart by the number alone. What she will notice is who gets back to her, and how easy they make it.

Price doesn't separate tune-up ads. The reply does.

And here's how I look at a tune-up offer. You're not really in it for the tune-up. You're in it for the visit: getting in the door, meeting the homeowner, and being the company she calls next time. That only happens if the lead turns into a visit.

What your offer needs besides a price

If you keep the price, keep it. Just don't let it carry the whole ad. Here's what I'd add:

Where you go. Name the towns or the area you serve. "Parker, Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch" tells people right away if you're their company, and keeps people outside your area from filling out the form.
When you can come. If you really have openings this week, say so. If you're booked two weeks out, say that. Only say what's true.
What's included, in plain words. Not a list of technical steps. Just what she gets for the price and what would cost extra. No surprises in her kitchen.
What happens after she fills it out. "We'll text you to pick a time." One line, and she knows what to expect.

Then keep the form short. Name, phone, address or zip, and maybe one question like "Which days work best?" Each extra question is one more thing to fill out before she hits submit.

What the reply should say

This is where the visit gets won or lost. Here's how I put it on calls with owners: whoever responds to them first plays a big role. If they don't hear back quickly, a lot of times they'll go and find another service provider.

So answer fast, even if it's short. And make the first reply do one job: get a time on the calendar.

Here's an example text:

"Hi Linda, this is Mike with ABC Heating. Got your tune-up request. I've got Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon open. Which works better?"

Why it works:

It's fast. She knows a real company got her request.
It uses her name. It reads like a person wrote it to her.
It gives two choices. Picking between two times is easier than "When are you free?"

If she doesn't answer, text again later that day or the next morning: "Hi Linda, still want that tune-up? I can hold Thursday afternoon for you." Then call. Keep going for a few days until she picks a time or tells you no.

If you're on a job when the lead comes in, send a saved text that says when you'll call, then call when you said you would.

An example

Say 30 people fill out your tune-up form this month. You answer 25 of them the same hour. The other 5 sit until the next morning, and by then they've booked with someone else.

At $79, that's $395 in tune-ups. Not a huge number.

But that's not the real cost. The real cost is 5 homes you never got into, 5 homeowners who now call somebody else, and whatever work those visits would have led to this winter and next.

That's why the reply matters more than the price.

Do it yourself, or automate it

Do it yourself: save that first text as a shortcut on your phone, turn on notifications wherever your leads land, and decide who answers when you can't. You, your office person, whoever. Write it down.

Automate it: the text goes out on its own while you finish the job you're on. When we run the follow-up for an owner, a new lead gets a text in under a minute, and the follow-up keeps going until the lead replies or says no.

Either way works. What matters is that she hears from you before she hears from anyone else.

I wrote more on what to do right after a form comes in, for any trade: What happens in the first 5 minutes after someone fills out your form.

FAQ

How do I get more furnace tune-up leads from Facebook ads?

Make the offer clear beyond the price: the area you serve, when you can come, and what's included in plain words. Keep the form short. Then answer every lead fast, so more of those forms turn into visits.

Should I put the price in my tune-up ad?

If you have a set price, say it plainly. Just don't count on the price alone to set you apart. Add your area, your real availability and what happens after someone fills out the form.

How fast should I respond to a tune-up lead?

As fast as you can, even with a short text. A quick message with two times to pick from tells the homeowner a real company is on it and gives her a reason to wait for you.

What should I text a new tune-up lead?

Use her name, say you got her request, and offer two specific times. For example: "Hi Linda, this is Mike with ABC Heating. Got your tune-up request. I've got Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon open. Which works better?"

What if a tune-up lead doesn't answer?

Text again later that day or the next morning, then call. Keep going for a few days until she picks a time or tells you no.

Want to see where your tune-up leads are going?

If you want me to look at your ads and how your leads get answered, and tell you where the leaks probably are, grab a free Marketing Analysis here: Get your free Marketing Analysis.