THE TACTIC

Most service businesses run on one-time projects. You finish the website, the tax return, the kitchen remodel, the brand design, and you move on to finding the next client. Every month starts with some version of the same question: where will next month’s income come from?

Meanwhile, the clients you finished with still have needs. Websites need updates and security fixes. Books need a mid-year review. Gardens need seasonal care. Brands need refreshed materials. Some clients come back for that work on their own. Most don’t, until something goes wrong, and by then they might call someone else.

Why it works

A check-up service turns occasional, unpredictable work into scheduled, predictable work. If twenty clients each pay for a quarterly review, you know at the start of every quarter that twenty jobs are coming, without any selling.

It’s also good for the client. Problems get caught early, before they’re expensive. They don’t have to remember to call you or wonder whether something needs attention. And because they already know and trust you, saying yes is easy.

Finally, it keeps you in touch. Each check-up is a natural conversation, and those conversations are where bigger projects come from. A client who sees you four times a year is far more likely to hire you for the next big job than one you haven’t heard from in two years.

How to run it

Find the natural follow-up. What do your clients typically need three, six or twelve months after the main project? That’s your check-up.

Define it clearly. List exactly what’s included: what you’ll review, what you’ll fix, what you’ll report back. Keep it tight enough that you can deliver it efficiently every time.

Set a fixed price and schedule. A flat fee per visit, or a yearly price paid upfront or in installments. Give it a simple name, like “Quarterly Website Check-Up” or “Mid-Year Books Review.”

Offer it at the end of every project. This is when the client is happiest and most aware of what they’ve invested in.

Most clients find that things drift a little after the first few months. I offer a quarterly check-up where I review everything, make small fixes and send you a short report. It’s $X a quarter. Want me to put the first one on the calendar for January?

Offer it to past clients too. Send a short note to everyone you’ve worked with in the last two years introducing the new service.

The mistake most people make

Making the check-up too vague. “Ongoing support” sounds like unlimited work for a fixed price, which leads to resentment on both sides. Define what’s included and what isn’t. The other mistake is pricing it so low that it isn’t worth your time. It should be priced as real work, because it is.