Is This Customer Worth Taking On: A Decision Tree
Why this matters
Every new customer is a bet. Say yes to the wrong one and you have signed up for slow pay, scope fights, and a crew that dreads the address, all at a price you set before you knew any of it. The time to make this call is at intake, while saying no still costs you nothing but a booking. This tree walks the yes or no in the order that catches the worst mismatches first.
Start here: three gates before price
Run a prospect through three gates in order. A hard fail on any one is usually a decline, not a discount.
- Can you actually do this work well?
- Can you make money on it?
- Are there red flags in how they are behaving already?
Only after all three clear do you quote in earnest.
Gate 1: Is this your work?
If the job is outside your trade, your license, or your competence, decline and refer. Taking work you are not equipped for is how you earn a callback, a bad review, or a liability you cannot cover. There is no price that makes unfamiliar high-risk work a good bet on a stranger.
If it is your work but at the edge of your capacity, be honest about the schedule. A customer you cannot serve on time becomes an unhappy customer no matter how well they fit otherwise.
Gate 2: Can you make money on it?
If the job is profitable at your normal price, move to gate 3.
If the customer is already pushing to strip your price, treat that as data. A prospect who leads with "what is your absolute lowest" before you have diagnosed anything is telling you how the whole job will go.
If the work is far away, hard to access, or one-off with no follow-on, the cost to serve is higher than it looks. Price for it or pass. See related: The Customer Who Costs More Than They Pay.
Gate 3: Read the behavior
The strongest predictor of a bad customer is how they treat you before you have done anything wrong. Watch for:
- Badmouthing the last three shops who "ripped them off."
- Pressuring you to skip permits, cut corners, or start before paperwork.
- Refusing to discuss deposits or terms.
- Hostility, threats, or disrespect toward you or your staff at first contact.
If you see one mild flag, proceed with clear terms and a deposit. If you see several, or any hostility, decline. Protect your staff first: no job is worth putting a tech alone in an unsafe home, and a prospect who is abusive at hello does not improve once you are on the hook.
When it is a maybe
Not every prospect is a clean yes or no. For the in-between:
- Price the risk in. Shorter terms, a larger deposit, milestone billing.
- Start small. Take one modest job before a large one. A trial job tells you more than any phone call.
- Put it in writing. A tight scope protects both sides and flushes out a customer who never intended to respect one.
The recap
- Is it your work? If no, refer.
- Can you profit at a fair price? If no, pass or reprice.
- How are they behaving now? Several flags or any hostility, decline.
- Still unsure? Take a small job on firm terms first.
The judgment to bank: you are allowed to say no. A booking you decline costs you one job. A bad customer you accept costs you the job, the margin, and the morale.
References
- Trade-standard practice for customer intake and qualification
- OSHA guidance on workplace violence and worker safety in the field
- See related: Spotting a Bad Customer Before You Take the Job, The Customer Who Costs More Than They Pay