Industry guides
Referral marketing for trades: a practical guide
ReferralLoop Team 3 min read
Trades work runs on trust. People are letting you into their homes and spending real money, so a recommendation from someone they know carries a lot of weight. This guide covers how plumbers, roofers, electricians, builders, heating engineers and landscapers can get more of those recommendations without changing how they work.
Why recommendations matter so much in the trades
Choosing a tradesperson can feel risky. Homeowners worry about quality, reliability and price. A friend saying "use them, they were great" answers all three at once, which is why referred customers often arrive ready to book rather than shopping around.
Trades work is also visible. A new driveway, fence, roof or garden is seen by neighbours and passers-by, so every finished job is a natural conversation starter.
When to ask
- At handover, when you show the customer the finished work.
- When they pay, especially if they've said they're pleased.
- When a neighbour comes over to ask about the job.
- In a follow-up message a few days later checking everything's working.
- At annual services, such as a boiler service, when you've built a relationship.
Suggested reward structures
Most trades jobs are occasional, so cash rewards paid once the referred job is complete tend to be the easiest to explain. The amounts below are illustrative starting points, not recommendations for every business. Set yours based on your own job values.
- Plumber: a cash thank-you for a referred job, or money off the next call-out.
- Heating engineer: cash for a referred installation, or a discounted annual service.
- Electrician: cash for referred work over a minimum value.
- Roofer or builder: a larger cash reward for referred projects, reflecting higher job values.
- Landscaper: cash for referred projects, or a free maintenance visit.
Message examples
Most customers will share through WhatsApp or text. Send them a message they can forward without editing.
Where to put your QR code
A QR code lets someone go from seeing your name to getting in touch in a few seconds. For trades, the best spots are places customers and neighbours already look.
- On the van: neighbours often notice the van before they notice the work.
- On invoices and receipts, next to a single line about the reward.
- On business cards and leave-behind cards after a visit.
- On a site board or sign outside larger jobs, where appropriate.
- On a sticker near the boiler, fuse box or meter, for service trades.
Invoices
Invoices are one of the few documents every customer reads closely. Adding a short line and a QR code costs nothing and reaches customers at a moment they're thinking about your work.
Vans
A van parked outside a job is effectively a sign for the whole street. A clear QR code with a short line such as "Recommended by your neighbours? Scan to get a quote" turns curiosity into an enquiry. Make sure the code is large enough to scan from a few steps away.
Completed jobs
Every finished job is an opportunity. Take a moment at handover to ask, leave a card with the QR code, and follow up with a message containing the link. Over time that small routine adds up.
Keep track
When you're busy on site, it's easy to lose track of who referred whom. Record each referral as it comes in and update it as the job progresses, so you always know which rewards are owed. Paying on time is the best way to make sure customers recommend you again.
Key takeaways
- Recommendations reassure homeowners on quality, reliability and price.
- Ask at handover and follow up with a forwardable message.
- Cash rewards paid on job completion suit most trades; set amounts from your own job values.
- Put a QR code on the van, invoices and cards, and track every referral.