Buyer Journey
Your buyer journey starts the moment a homeowner searches for help, and on most home service websites, it ends at a phone number. That gap is exactly where Sneaky Leaky loves to hang out, because you paid for them to visit, and the customer left without a price. GSM Services in Charlotte closed that gap by letting customers get online upfront pricing, and the leads that came in were already close to a decision.
I sat down with Paul Redman of Contractor Commerce, a software company that helps contractors sell online from their own websites. Paul walks through how customers want to shop today, how fast you can set it up, and how to handle the calls that still come in. Keep reading to see how a customer buying journey on your site can change what happens to your bottom line.
The Short Answer
A buying journey is the path a customer follows on your website, from the first click to a price and a booked job. Paul says customers now expect to see pricing before anyone comes to their home. Home service businesses that offer that pricing online keep that demand on their own site.
Paul’s customers see higher close rates and bigger tickets. It fits big jobs like HVAC systems, water heaters, generators, and roofs. Know that online pricing doesn’t replace the visit to the home, though.
What You’ll Learn
- Why customers now expect pricing online before they ever pick up the phone
- How a better buyer journey keeps leads on your site
- How GSM Services turned online upfront pricing into booked jobs
- What a price range does to your close rate before you arrive
- The way ChatGPT and AI search change what customers expect from you
- Why you shouldn’t tell callers you can’t give a price by phone
- What Paul calls the gap between how you sell and how customers shop
- The marketing leak hiding behind a website that’s hard to buy from
Key Moments…
[0:58] What Contractor Commerce Does For Home Service Websites
[10:05] How A Buyer Journey Keeps Customers On Your Website
[12:58] How GSM Services Used Online Upfront Pricing
[18:32] How Fast You Can Get Started
[23:02] Why A Price Range Raises Your Close Rate
[24:42] Getting Your Pricing Into ChatGPT And AI Search
[32:00] Why Saying No To Phone Pricing Costs You Jobs
[34:28] The Hidden Profit Leak In Your Marketing Spend
What Is The Buyer Journey On A Contractor Website?
A buyer journey is the path a customer follows on your website, from the first click to a price and a booked visit. Paul’s company calls its version ‘Buying Journeys’, and he says the name fits because it’s a buying journey for the customer.
Contractor Commerce started with air filters, because customers were buying them on Amazon and contractors were losing that business. Then contractors asked to sell bigger jobs too. Paul says customers can now see an estimate, compare a quote they already have, or make a down payment. They do it all on the contractor’s own site instead of going to HomeAdvisor or Angie’s List.
Contractors still install the big items the way they always have. The takeaway is simple: the demand you already paid for stays on your site.
Why Do Customers Expect To See Pricing Online?
Buying a major home repair is stressful, so customers want to cut the uncertainty before they let anyone in. Paul says most of them would rather get online pricing and move through the purchase journey without a stranger standing in their home. He calls the mismatch between that wish and what most contractors offer “the gap.”
Two things make the gap bigger. Customers now use ChatGPT and other AI tools to research, and Paul says those tools couldn’t see contractor pricing until recently. Paul also pointed to car dealers. From 2010 to 2012, they feared a race to the bottom if they posted prices. Customers now expect auto prices online and still visit the dealer.
Paul doesn’t want you to post your whole price book. What you show needs a strategy and a look at your competitors.
What Does Online Pricing Do For Sales?
Paul says customers who see pricing first close at a higher rate and buy bigger jobs. A range like $300 to $30,000 has already shown them the low and high end, so the price in their home doesn’t shock them. For an HVAC system, he says customers may see $10,000, $13,000, and $20,000 options and often pick an $18,000 system.
GSM Services (the Charlotte company I mentioned) shows how this plays out. They didn’t have enough salespeople to quote every job, so they built online pricing for gutters, dryer vent cleaning, and other services. Paul says they were the only contractor in their market doing it. Customers found them through search and came in already close to making a commitment. Paul says GSM Services added new sales in the millions of dollars.
Paul also believes instant estimates on your front page can double the share of website visitors who reach out. Every step of the customer journey funnel, from search to booked visit, works harder when the price shows up early.
How Hard Is It To Get Started?
Paul says it’s quicker than most owners expect. The technology lives on your own website with your branding, colors, and voice, so you don’t build a new site or landing pages. Setup looks like this:
- A couple of meetings with Paul’s team
- Choosing your settings and sharing your pricing parameters
- Fine-tuning before you go live
It doesn’t take weeks or months. One customer was live within a couple of hours of signing up and got leads while still on the onboarding call.
‘Buying Journeys’ connects to ServiceTitan directly. Paul says it also works through its own API and Zapier. If you use Housecall Pro or Jobber, he says to tell his team and they’ll work on it. His team doesn’t build websites or run marketing, so you keep your own site and ad providers. You can test an e-commerce customer journey without rebuilding anything.
What Should I Say When Customers Call For A Price?
Don’t tell them you can’t give a price over the phone. Paul says customers will believe you, then go to ChatGPT or call someone else. Walk them through your online buying experience instead. Let them see three price levels for their home.
He also says to stop sending trucks to houses where you’re the second or third opinion. Give a range like $14,000 to $18,000 first, then book the visit. Customers are more likely to hire you because the price shock is already behind them.
Paul’s answer to my closing question about hidden profit leaks was marketing spend. You pay to bring people to your website, then lose much of it because the site is hard to buy from. Customer journey optimization starts with making that first price easy to find.
Paul still wants you in the home to see the job and confirm the price.
Here’s what he suggests:
- Put an instant estimate for a big item like a water heater or generator on your front page
- Walk callers through the online process instead of saying no
- Give the range, then book the visit
About Paul Redman:
Paul Redman is the President of Contractor Commerce, a company that builds online stores for HVAC and other home service contractors. He spent a decade at Lennox in field sales, territory management, and digital marketing before moving into e-commerce. He is known in the trades as “Tall Paul.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this only work for HVAC contractors?
No. Paul says it started with HVAC and now covers plumbing, electrical, generators, septic, garage doors, exteriors, siding, roofing, and even locksmiths.
How long does setup take?
Paul says a couple of meetings, not weeks or months. One customer was live within a couple of hours.
Will it work with my software?
It connects to ServiceTitan directly, and Paul says it can connect to other customer tracking software (CRM) through its API or Zapier. For Housecall Pro or Jobber, tell his team.
Do I have to post my whole price book online?
No. Paul says you need a strategy and a look at your competitors before you decide what to show.
Will posting prices start a race to the bottom?
Paul says car dealers feared that in 2010 to 2012. Customers now expect prices online and still visit the dealer, and he expects home service customers to do the same.
How much will it raise my revenue?
Paul didn’t give one percentage. He says it depends on how much website traffic you convert, and his customers see higher close rates and bigger tickets.
Connect With Paul Redman:
Visit Paul’s Website
Connect with Contractor Commerce on LinkedIn
Follow Contractor Commerce on Facebook
Follow Paul on ‘X’
Access Paul’s form here to schedule a live demo of his system on your website
Diane’s Resources:
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