Anita W from Fargo, ND. MDU Resources territory. I have been debating whether to offer free preliminary bill reviews as a prospecting tool. The idea: I look at a prospect utility bill for 15-20 minutes, identify any obvious red flags, and present a brief summary of what I see. If there are potential errors, I pitch the full audit. If the bill looks clean, I tell them so and move on. The free review costs me very little time and gives the prospect a taste of the value. But some auditors I have talked to say free work devalues the profession. What does the group think?
Offering a free bill review — does it work or does it cheapen the service
Anita, the free preliminary review is one of the most effective prospecting tools in this business. It is not free work — it is a loss leader. You invest 15 minutes to demonstrate competence and build trust. If you find something, the prospect sees the value immediately and signs the full engagement. If you find nothing, you have still made a positive impression and they will refer you to someone whose bills are not clean. The auditors who say it devalues the profession are wrong.
I have done over 200 free preliminary reviews in 10 years. About 60% of them led to full paid engagements. The other 40% either had clean bills or decided not to proceed. Of the 40% who did not engage, about half still referred me to someone else. The free review is the single highest-converting marketing activity I have.
Mike, 60% conversion is incredible. What is your review process? How much do you tell them in the free review vs holding back for the paid engagement?
I tell them everything I find in the free review. No holding back. If I see a rate classification error, I say your account appears to be on the wrong rate schedule and here is why. I do NOT calculate the dollar amount — that requires the full analysis. So they know there is money on the table but they do not know how much. The curiosity about the dollar amount is what drives the engagement signing.
Anita, I use the same approach in South Dakota. Free 15-minute review, show them what I see, hold back the dollar calculation. The phrase I use: there is almost certainly money here but I need your last 24 months of bills and the full tariff to calculate how much. That positions the full audit as the natural next step, not a hard sell.
Joanne, I like that phrasing. It creates a curiosity gap without being manipulative. The prospect knows there is a problem but does not know the magnitude. The only way to find out is to engage you.
Started doing free reviews last month. Done 8 so far. 5 led to signed engagements. The other 3 had clean bills but 1 of those referred me to a business associate. The approach works. Thanks everyone for the input.