For small-to-mid-size service businesses like plumbing and HVAC, a customer calling to schedule a new job is money in the bank. It’s tempting to scoop up every job that comes in — your bottom line can and does depend on it.

But not every job is worth the time, effort, and resources you and your team will spend on it. We’re not talking about small jobs, those can be the bread and butter of a service business. It’s more about how a bad customer or project can turn into a costly mistake.

The good news, you can ferret out problem jobs during the initial call or calls with the customer.

Here are some reasons you might want to think about turning down a job.

Excessive haggling. For most service businesses, the price is the price, period - unless there’s a sale or special going on. When a customer asks for unreasonable discounts or wants something for free, it’s a red flag.

Supplying their own materials. Some shops agree to allow customers to buy their own PEX for a plumbing job or ducts for HVAC work. It’s not a great idea. If they’re buying these products on the cheap, there’s a risk they’ll fail after installation, and you’ll be on the hook for repairs. It can come back to haunt your business.

They expand project scope when your tech is on the job…If your tech gets onsite and is asked to do out-of-scope work — “While you’re here, can you look at my leaky showerhead?” — that can put him or her in a tough position in terms of their available time, your pricing, and more.  

… And they find unsafe or unsanitary conditions. Even with a service contract, there needs to be an escape hatch for your tech if they arrive and find dangerous conditions. Unsafe wiring, an unsanitary environment, structural issues, aggressive pets, or just plain sketchy situations.

Your techs should be empowered to pull the plug on the job if something doesn’t seem right. It creates employee loyalty if they know you have their backs in tough situations.

How to say no

Knowing you don’t want to take a job is one thing. Declining it without burning a bridge is another.

Be honest, but professional. Let company policy be your shield when turning down work. If the issue is haggling, simply tell them the price is the price, period. If they want to supply their own materials, let them know it’s against your company policy to use unknown materials for liability reasons. If it’s unsafe conditions, it’s also about liability for worker safety.

Refer the job, if possible. If the job simply isn’t right for your company, requires expertise you don’t have, for example. The best way to turn down work and not burn a bridge is to refer the customer to someone else. You can say: “Based on our conversation, I don’t think we’re the right contractor for you. But I can give you the names of other companies who you might want to call.” Customers appreciate that level of courtesy and will remember your professionalism.

Bottom line: If the customer comes in arguing from the get-go, it will likely be difficult to turn that around. If your techs aren’t comfortable in the environment, that’s a hard pass. Knowing when to turn down a job can save you time, money, and headaches.