The next 30 days: last leaves, first freeze and the ice dam calls
Mid-November to mid-December is the last cleaning push before winter in most of the country. A 30-day plan to finish strong, catch freeze calls and book spring.
The last of the leaves are coming down this week, and half your customers have not booked their fall cleaning yet. In a few weeks the ground freezes, the ladders get slick, and the calls change from "can you clean my gutters" to "there is ice hanging off my roof."
The next 30 days decide how much of that work you get, and how full your spring calendar looks before the year ends. Here is how to spend them.
Week one: the last call for fall cleanings
Plenty of homeowners waited for the trees to finish. Many are now ready to book. Make it easy.
Send one text to every customer you cleaned last fall or last spring who has not booked yet:
"Hi Ellen, this is Jake with Clearline Gutters. Most of the leaves are down now, and we have a few cleaning spots left before the first freeze. Want me to put you on the schedule for next week? Same price as last time."
Short, specific and tied to the weather. If you raised prices, say the new price. Do not surprise anyone at the door.
On your Google profile, post a photo from this week's jobs with one line: "Booking final fall cleanings through early December." Our Google Business Profile guide shows how posts and photos help.
Week two: ask for every review
Fall cleanings are the best review chance of the year. The customer can see full gutters turned into clean ones, and many are home to watch you work.
The ask, said at the door:
"All done. Your downspouts are flowing and I flushed the one in the back. If you were happy with it, would you leave us a quick Google review? I will text you the link right now."
Then send it before you pull away.
Reviews are where a lot of gutter companies are thin. In our data, the median has 6 reviews and 59.6% have fewer than ten. A dozen new reviews this month can move a small company well past the middle of the pack. Our reviews guide has more ways to ask. See where you sit on the benchmark report.
Week three: get ready for freeze and ice dam calls
Once it gets cold, some homeowners will see icicles, ice dams or gutters pulling away from the fascia. Many will search for a gutter company first.
Decide now what you will and will not do:
- Gutter repair and reattachment after ice or snow load.
- Downspout clearing when they freeze up.
- Heat cable installs, if you sell them.
- Ice dam removal, only if you have the right equipment and insurance. If not, have a roofer you can refer.
Add each service you actually offer to your Google profile and to your website. A page called "Gutter repair after ice damage" with your towns on it helps homeowners find you when they search in a panic. Our website essentials guide covers what that page needs.
Then make sure you catch the call. Winter repair calls are often urgent, and homeowners will call the next company if you do not pick up. Set a missed-call text:
"This is Jake with Clearline Gutters. Sorry I missed you. Reply with a photo of the problem and your address and I will get back to you today."
A photo saves you a drive. The missed call calculator shows what missed repair calls add up to.
Week four: book spring before the year ends
This is the step most gutter companies skip. The customers you cleaned this fall are your easiest spring bookings. Ask them now, while you are fresh in their minds.
On the last cleaning of each customer, or in a follow-up text:
"Thanks again, Ellen. A lot of our customers book a spring cleaning now so they do not have to think about it. I can put you down for April at the same price. Want me to?"
If they say yes, put it on the calendar and send a reminder in March. Our post on one-time cleanings versus a twice-a-year plan covers how to turn that into a recurring plan.
What to skip this month
- Do not start a big new ad campaign in December. Cleaning searches drop off as winter sets in. If you run ads, narrow them to repair and guard installs.
- Do not climb in bad conditions to save a job. Reschedule. A fall costs more than a season of work.
- Do not discount fall cleanings. People who still need one in late November are not shopping on price. They want it done before the freeze.
The 30-day checklist
- Text every past customer who has not booked.
- Post a fresh job photo on Google.
- Ask for a review at every door and text the link.
- Decide which freeze and ice services you offer and list them.
- Set up missed-call text-back.
- Ask every fall customer to book spring.
Our slow-season plan covers January through March.
If you want help with review texts, a repair page or any other single service, try it free for 14 days with no card. Text or call (801) 509-9725.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, gutter companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor