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The 10-minute job that brings back old customers: a text

Updated 15 Jun 20262 min readAll trades

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.

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.

This is the bit BizEdge handles for you: it works out who is due, writes the message, and sends it for your approval, on repeat. That is the Reach Out part of the system, and it is built to pay for itself with a single won-back job. It is cheaper than the time it would take you, and far cheaper than buying new leads (more on that in is hipages worth it).

A tool like ChatGPT can write the text for you too: how tradies can use ChatGPT.

// common questions

Common questions

Why text old customers?
They already trust you and have paid you before, so a stranger has to be convinced but an old customer already is. A quick, friendly text reminds them you exist right when something needs doing. It is the cheapest source of new work you have.
What should I text a past customer?
Something warm and specific. For example, remind them it has been about a year since you did their job and offer a quick service check, easy to say yes or no to.
When should I send a win-back text?
To people you have not heard from in 6 to 12 months, ideally timed before a season when their job might need attention.