Your Biggest Competitor Just Went Bust: How to Capture Their Customers

You hear through the grapevine: biggest plumber in your area just folded. Three vans, 200+ customers, gone overnight. Phone disconnected, website down, jobs half-finished.

Those 200 customers need a new plumber. The half-finished jobs need rescuing. Maintenance contracts need transferring. That's £150K+ in annual revenue up for grabs.

This guide shows you how to ethically and professionally capture those stranded customers before your competitors do—without looking opportunistic or desperate.

The 30-Day Opportunity Window

When a competitor closes, their customers go through predictable stages:

Finding Their Customers

You can't help customers if you can't find them. Here's where to look:

1. Google Reviews (Goldmine)

• Find their Google Business page: Even if closed, reviews remain public
• Filter by recent: Customers who reviewed in last 6 months are active users
• Look for names + context: "Sarah from Ealing - brilliant service fixing our shower"
• Cross-reference social media: Search "Sarah Ealing" on Facebook to find contact details

2. Facebook Groups (Local Community)

• Join local area groups: "[Your Town] Community", "[Area] Recommendations"
• Monitor for panicked posts: "My plumber just closed—who can help urgently?"
• Respond professionally: Don't badmouth competitor, offer help

3. Rescue Job Leads (Urgent)

• Watch for unfinished jobs: Customers posting about abandoned work
• Target commercial clients: Businesses can't wait—they need immediate replacement
• Priority response: Offer same-day or next-day assessment for stranded customers

4. Trade Suppliers (Intelligence Network)

Ethical Outreach Strategy (What to Say)

This is NOT the time for aggressive sales tactics. Empathy + professionalism wins:

For Customers With Unfinished Jobs

For General Customers (No Active Issue)

What NOT to Say

Rescue Job Pricing Strategy

Half-finished jobs are complex. You're inheriting someone else's work, mistakes, and customer relationships. Price accordingly:

The Rescue Job Assessment

1. Free site visit: Never charge for assessment—builds trust immediately
2. Document everything: Photos of current state, what's missing, what needs redoing
3. Identify risks: Bad work that needs fixing, missing materials, unrealistic customer expectations
4. Quote completion only: Don't quote fixing competitor's mistakes unless critical

Pricing Formula for Rescue Jobs

The Goodwill Discount

Building Trust Fast (They're Skeptical)

These customers just got burned. They don't trust trades right now. Overcome this:

1. Prove You're Established

• Business age: "I've been trading in [area] for [X] years"
• Public presence: Show Google reviews, Facebook page, professional website
• Qualifications: Gas Safe, NICEIC, insurance certificates (bring copies)

2. Provide References Proactively

• Don't wait for them to ask: "Here are three recent customers you can call"
• Local references: People in their neighborhood if possible
• Similar jobs: "I finished this exact type of job last month—happy to show you photos"

3. Transparent Quoting

• Itemized breakdown: Show labor, materials, and margins clearly
• Written quote: Never verbal—they need documentation after being abandoned
• Fixed price: "This is the total. No surprises, no extras unless you request changes."

4. Payment Protection

Conversion Tactics: Lock Them In Long-Term

Don't just finish the rescue job and leave. Convert them to repeat customers:

1. The Post-Rescue Offer

2. The Maintenance Contract Pitch

If they had a maintenance contract with the closed competitor, replace it:

3. The Referral Request

Once job is complete and customer is happy, ask:

The Bottom Line

When a competitor closes, 200+ customers need a new provider. If you're professional, empathetic, and fast, you'll capture 30-50 of them in the first month.

Don't badmouth the competitor. Don't look opportunistic. Position yourself as the stable, reliable alternative who's here to help them recover.

The first week matters most. Reach out immediately, offer free assessments for rescue jobs, prove you're trustworthy, and convert them to long-term customers with maintenance contracts and loyalty incentives.