Build the list from what you already have
The list exists; it is just scattered. Pull from invoices, job sheets, the booking system, old email threads and the phone.
For each past customer, get:
- Name and phone number
- Email address if you have it
- What work you did, and when
- Anything you noticed at the time — equipment age, a recommendation not taken up, a second issue they deferred
That last field is what makes a reactivation message specific rather than generic, and specificity is the whole difference in response rate.
Segment before writing anything
Do not send one message to everyone. Sort by how long since you saw them and what you did:
Six to eighteen months. Recently enough to remember you. Highest response rate.
Eighteen months to three years. Need reminding who you are. Still viable.
Over three years. Many will have moved or found someone else. Worth a light attempt, expect little.
Recommended work never done. The highest-value group by a distance, regardless of age. You already identified a specific job at their specific property.
Start with the last group, then the first.
Give a real reason for the contact
Generic reactivation performs badly because it is transparently about you. A reason performs well:
- Time-based: "Your system was serviced in March last year — most need it annually."
- Condition-based: "When we were out, we noted the water heater was near the end of its life."
- Seasonal: "Before the summer load starts, worth checking the unit."
- Practical: "We are working in your street next week."
That last one is genuinely effective for a compact area like Pasadena, where a technician is often nearby anyway and the travel is already covered.
Pick the channel to match the segment
Phone for high-value customers and anyone with recommended work outstanding. It converts many times better than anything written.
Text for short, time-sensitive prompts, where you have consent.
Email for volume, where the message is genuinely useful rather than promotional.
Post for older customers and higher-value work — it is rare enough now to be noticed.
Be careful with consent. Rules govern marketing calls, texts and emails, and what applies to your business is worth checking with your own adviser rather than assuming.
Do not lead with a discount
Discounting a reactivation trains customers to wait, and it lowers margin on people who would have paid full price. Lead with the reason and the convenience. If you need an incentive, make it something that is not a price cut — priority scheduling, a free check as part of a booked visit, a longer warranty.
Run it small first
Take fifty names, run the campaign, and record what happened. Response rate, booking rate, revenue. Then adjust and run the next hundred.
A campaign to the entire list at once wastes the list if the message is wrong, and you only get one first attempt with each person.
Then make it continuous
The mistake is treating reactivation as a one-off when a quiet month arrives. A standing rule — everyone contacted twelve months after their last job — turns it into steady baseline revenue rather than an emergency measure.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the list come from?
Invoices, job sheets, the booking system, old email threads and the phone. Capture name, number, email, what work you did and when, plus anything you noticed at the time — that last field makes the message specific.
How should the list be segmented?
By recency — six to eighteen months responds best, eighteen months to three years still works, over three years is a light attempt — plus a separate group for anyone you recommended work to who never had it done.
What reason should the contact give?
Something real: an annual service due, a condition you noted at the time, a seasonal prompt, or simply that you are working in their street next week. Generic reactivation is transparently about you and performs badly.
Should I offer a discount?
No. It trains customers to wait and lowers margin on people who would have paid full price. Use priority scheduling, a check included with a booked visit, or a longer warranty instead.
How large should the first campaign be?
Fifty names. Record response rate, booking rate and revenue, adjust, then run the next hundred. You only get one first attempt with each person, so do not waste the whole list on an untested message.