I have run service businesses for about 20 years. I started as a fire technician. Around 2007 I started my own security business and ran it for 14 to 15 years. Then I moved into solar. For the last two years I have been learning marketing properly. I want to be clear about that. I do not have 20 years of marketing behind me.
What I do have is 20 years of seeing where work comes from. The answer has never changed. It comes from people who were happy with how the last job went.
Where my work really came from
In solar, at least 60 to 70 percent of my work came from referrals. Before I learned marketing, most of my work came from networking events, testimonials and referrals.
I did not get those referrals by begging for them. I got them from how I did the job and what I did after. I always came back. I always fixed it. And I did not hide from phone calls.
That last one matters more than it sounds. Every tradesperson knows the feeling of seeing a customer’s name light up the phone when something has gone wrong. It is tempting to let it ring. I learned to pick up. A customer with a problem who reaches a real person calms down fast. A customer who gets voicemail does not.
The time I paid to find the fault
I once installed an access control system worth almost R1 million (that is South African rand). It had about 100 access points. The client built transformers for the power utility.
When we switched it on, the software did strange things. The manufacturer, Impro, assumed I had done something wrong. They said they would charge to come out.
I said fine. I would pay. I could not leave my client hanging.
Their senior technician opened every controller box. Every wire was combed, ferruled, crimped and labelled. Nothing was wrong with my work. After almost two weeks they found a firmware fault on their side. A handful of door controllers were out of sync.
They apologised. They trained me and my team on all their courses. Then they recommended me to their clients. That gave me solid work for over three years.
I did not plan any of that as marketing. I just did not want a client stuck. But I cannot think of an ad that did more for me.
Big jobs come the same way
My biggest solar job was a high school. It had a 100 kW inverter, 60 kWh of batteries and 54 panels of 600 W each. They picked me because another school had told them about the work I did there.
Nobody found me through an ad. Another school said, “Call him.”
Later I picked a few brands, got very good at them and only worked with those. Then suppliers started to refer me too. Doing fewer things well made it easier for people to say my name.
Goodwill is hard to see online
Here is the catch. A friend may give your name to a neighbour. Then the neighbour looks you up. Most of us do that before we call anyone.
If your Google profile has only a few reviews, or old ones, all that goodwill is hidden. The people you looked after are happy. But the next customer cannot see it.
So the work is the same as it always was. You just have to help the goodwill land where new customers look. Here is how I would do it without hiring anyone.
Ask when the job is done and working
The best moment is right after the customer sees the result. The AC is cold again. The water is running. The lights are on. They feel good and the job is fresh.
Ask them face to face first. Keep it simple: “If you are happy with the work, would you leave us an honest review on Google? It really helps a small business.”
Say honest and mean it. You are not asking for five stars. You are asking for what they really think.
Ask everyone the same way. Do not pick and choose who you ask based on who you think will be happy. If you only ask the people you expect to praise you, the reviews stop being real. Real reviews also teach you things. A fair complaint tells you what to fix next.
Make it one tap
Most people will say yes and then never do it, because it is too much hassle. Take the hassle away.
Google gives you a direct link to your review box. You can find it in your Google Business Profile. Save it on your phone. Right after you talk to the customer, text them the link with a short thank you.
That is all. They tap, they type a few lines, they are done. Do not ask them to search for your business and find the right button. Every extra step costs you a review.
If you do the job in the morning, send the text before lunch. If you wait a week, the moment has passed.
Reply to every review
When someone leaves a review, reply. Use their name. Thank them. Mention the job in a few plain words, like “Glad the new water heater is working well.”
Short is fine. It shows a real person is behind the business.
The replies that matter most are the ones to bad reviews. This is where my phone rule comes back. Do not argue. Do not hide. Write a calm reply, say you are sorry it went wrong, and give a phone number so you can sort it out. Then actually call.
Think of it as picking up the phone, but in public. Future customers read those replies. They see how you treat people when something goes wrong.
A simple routine
You do not need a system. You need a habit.
At the end of each job, ask in person. Send the link the same day. Once a week, sit down for ten minutes and reply to anything new.
If you do that after every job, your online profile will start to look more like your real reputation. It will not happen overnight. But it adds up, the same way referrals always did for me.
If you would rather not do it alone
Review requests are part of our Google Maps service at AI SEO Local. It covers your Google profile, Maps work and review management. You can add it to the Smart Website or the Follow-Up System, or take it on its own if you already handle new leads fast. It is month to month. We do not promise rankings or a number of reviews. We ask for honest feedback from real customers, and that is all. If you want to talk it through, you can book a Help me choose call.