Every tradie has a list of people they have already done good work for. They liked you, they trusted you, they paid you. And most of them have not heard from you since. That list is the cheapest source of new work you have, and it costs nothing to use.
Why it works
A stranger has to be convinced. An old customer already is. A quick, friendly text at the right time reminds them you exist, right when something needs doing. No ads, no lead fees, just a nudge to people who already rate you.
A text that does not feel salesy
Hi [name], it is [your name] from [business]. It has been about a year since I sorted your [job]. Worth a quick service check before summer? Happy to swing by. No rush either way.
That is it. Warm, specific, easy to say yes or no to. Send it to people you have not heard from in 6 to 12 months and you will be surprised how many reply.
Ask for the referral too
Happy customers will pass your number on if you make it easy. A quick "if you know anyone who needs a hand, I would appreciate the referral" at the end of a good job, or at the end of that win-back text, does more than any ad.
And give them a real reason to hear from you: a seasonal check before summer or winter, the thing you spotted on the last job but did not do yet, or an annual service or safety check. Each one is a genuine reason to reach out, not a sales pitch.
The catch
To do this properly you need to know who to text, when they were last in, and what they had done, then write each one and actually send them. By hand, across a few hundred old customers, that is a weekend you will never get back, so it never happens.
None of it is hard. It is just one more thing to do at nine at night, which is why it does not happen. If you only automate one message, though, make it the one you cannot send at all: the reply to the call you just missed. When you can't pick up, BizEdge texts the caller back in seconds from your own BizEdge number. Here is how it sets up on your mobile: a few standard codes, then one test call.
A tool like ChatGPT can write the text for you too: how tradies can use ChatGPT.