The cheapest new customer for a home-service business lives within a few blocks of the last one. They've seen your truck, they can see the finished work, and your customer next door is a reference they can walk over and ask. So within 24 hours of finishing any job, run the same short routine: a sign in the yard (with permission), door hangers on the nearest 10 to 20 houses, a postcard to about 100 homes around the address, and a post on the neighborhood network. The routine costs roughly $115 a job in this example, and it pays for itself if about one in every four jobs brings in one more.

Why the next customer lives near the last one

People hire from people they know. A neighbor who watched a crew replace a roof in a day, with no mess, is a warm lead: the proof is in front of them. They also share the problem. Homes on the same street were often built in the same years by the same builder, so the water heater, the gutters and the siding age together. A fresh job is your best sales material for about two weeks, and then the memory fades. That's why the timing is "within 24 hours."

Ask the customer before you put up a sign

Start with the customer, not the street. At the final walk-through, say: "Would you mind if I put a small sign in the yard for two weeks and hang a note on a few neighbors' doors saying we worked here? You can say no." Most say yes, and some offer to mention you to a neighbor. Ask for a review in the same conversation; how to get more Google reviews has the wording. Don't use the customer's name or photos of their home in a flyer without their agreement. If they say no, skip the sign and do the rest with a general line.

The nearest 10 houses

Door hangers go on the 10 houses closest to the job, and 20 if the lots are small: both sides of the street and the houses across. Put them on the door handle, not in the mailbox. In the US, federal law reserves a mailbox for postal mail, so a flyer in a mailbox can bring a fine.

A short hanger works:

We just replaced the water heater at 14 Alder Court. Same street, same house age. If yours is over 10 years old, we'll check it for free this week and tell you honestly if it has life left. Dana, Birchfield Plumbing, 555-0142. License #4410. Ask the Mehtas at 14 Alder Court how it went.

Put "ask the Mehtas" only if they agreed to be a reference. Include the street name, what you did, one concrete offer and a phone number a person answers. Time to hang 20: about 45 minutes with a bag of hangers.

A postcard to a 100-house radius

A postcard goes to about 100 homes around the job, which in a suburban street is a radius of roughly a couple of blocks. Use a short list from your printer or the postal service's local routes, check with them on current prices, and send it within a week of the job. Put a photo of the finished work (with permission) on the front, "Just finished on your street: Alder Court," and one offer on the back. Illustrative cost: about $0.60 per card with printing and postage, so $60 for 100, plus about 30 minutes to design from a saved template and order. A postcard doesn't bring a flood; it keeps your name in front of a street you already work on.

The neighborhood network post

On a neighborhood network like Nextdoor, the best post is a recommendation from your customer, not from you. Ask them to post a line about the job; you can send a template. If you post yourself, follow the platform's business rules, say you're the owner, post the work and an offer, and keep it factual. Don't reply to every thread with a pitch. See how to get customers on Nextdoor for the rules and wording.

Local rules to check

  • HOAs often limit yard signs: size, number, how long they can stay. The homeowner may need approval; ask them to check.
  • Cities regulate signs in public right-of-way, usually banning them on utility poles and medians. Keep signs on the customer's property.
  • Some cities require a permit for door-to-door solicitation, and a hanger is often treated differently from knocking. Check your city's rules, and respect any "No Soliciting" sign.
  • Leave nothing in the mailbox.
  • If you send mail, include your business name and address, and honor any request to stop.

This is general information, not legal advice. A call to the city clerk takes five minutes and prevents a fine.

What it costs per job, and how to count it

Costs for one job, illustrative:

  • Yard sign: $15 (reused several times; count the full cost for the first use).
  • 20 door hangers at $0.20: $4.
  • Your time hanging them, 45 minutes at $25 an hour: $18.75, about $19.
  • 100 postcards at $0.60: $60, plus 30 minutes of time, $12.50.
  • The neighborhood post: 10 minutes, $4.

The total is about $114. If your average job brings $400 in gross profit, you need about 0.29 of an extra job per run to break even, which is one new job for every 3.5 jobs you do. Record where every new inquiry came from ("saw your sign," "got a postcard," "neighbor told me") by asking on the first call, and write the source on the job card. After 10 jobs you'll know which piece is worth keeping. Some will be a waste in your town.

When a call comes in, answer it quickly: Google Business Profile leads and direct mail for small business help. If you've just moved into a market, getting customers for a new business in a new town covers the start. The same cost-first thinking applies to your prices: see lawn mowing prices by route, where a tighter route is the same idea as a tighter neighborhood, and junk removal pricing.

Neighborhood marketing works on the street you just served. For the rest of your area, Rocketship finds the buyers by name, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and both Launch and Frontier start with a 7-day free trial, card required.