Is this a good high converting offer?

If you know that a high percentage care and want to upgrade, no need to qualify.

If you don't know that for a fact, you need to qualify (unless what you sell is so expensive that 1 sale more than covers hundreds of those devices).

Wouldn't you be better off to send an offer (postcard, flyer) for a free tester. The odds that they're interested in upgrading is higher if they request one.

I love the idea!!!!

I do like what DABK said... send a flyer or postcard offering the free tester because people who request it will be more qualified (You could use the USPS's Every Door Direct Mail to send the offers).

Heck, you could always test both ways. Pick an area you want to target and send them out.

Or.... one thing I noticed when I was selling old houses (early 1900s), after the buyers had their inspection on the house they would ask the sellers to upgrade to GFCI where needed, fix reverse polarity, and fix unground plugs (either make ground or switch to two-prong). So, you could target home sellers when their house comes on the market.

Oh, there's another idea... send the outlet testers to Realtors! You could get more than enough business coming from Realtors referring you to their clients.

Just some thoughts!

I would first mail out flyers with the incentive of requesting free testers.

What's the most you would pay to have someone who received the tester call you and ask for you to come take a look/give a quote?

I think the tester is a great tool for lead generation. You're really going to need to figure out how much you're willing to spend to generate leads though for this.

I'd suggest getting a business reply card permit (a couple hundred bucks) and sending out postcards with business reply cards attached, with an offer to receive the free tester ($25 value) to help determine if their current outlets are dangerous.

You could even send this EDDM (to the right neighborhoods) out using a 4.25x11 piece that has a perforated business reply card to it so a 4.25x6 can be torn off and sent in.

Interested prospects will respond via email, phone, or the convenient business reply card, at which point you can collect their info, qualify them, and send them the tester (or ideally... make an appointment to go test them for free yourself).

Edit: I should mention that you're going to need some good copy on your literature... this is going to make or break your response.
2. I'd also suggest giving out testers at home shows, giving them only to qualified people that you speak with at the show. Have them fill out cards for a free tester, and on the card have them write their name, address, homes age, email, home and cell phone numbers, and checkmarks of what kind of condition or age their electrical system likely is. Many will set appointments right there, and the rest you can contact, qualify, and set an appointment or send the tester as a last resort.

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I'd say this is going to cost around $150-$200 per lead; if your closing rate, average sale, and profit margin return a good ROI then go for it.

Thank you everyone for the great info, I learned a lot here.

Like AmericanMuscleTA spoke about, I currently get most of this type of work from new home buyers and realtors. Since they have an inspection done before buying the house, this is where these issues (reverse polarity, no grounding, no GFCI) come up. My idea of using the tester was to get people to do the inspection themselves.

I was thinking of it incorrectly and most of you set my idea straight. I was thinking about just putting this promotion on my website and spreading it via social media, and of course offering it to existing customers, free methods. But everyone is saying to include it in flyers or EDDM, which carry a whole new cost in addition to the tester and the postage to send them out.

With that extra cost, I'm not sure if it's worth it anymore. Many of these jobs are only for a few hundred bucks in order to send an apprentice to the house for a couple hours to change out devices and correct existing wiring.

If we were talking about complete re-wires, that would be different and an acquisition cost of $150-200 would be ok.

I don't see why social media and working with realtors, appraiser, inspectors...
would not work and graduate to post cards as the budget allows - but the ROI should be good
with post cards.

We don't know your budget, or how many people work for you, how much
work can you handle well right now - and then grow into.

In the words of Mr. Wonderful, you idea stinks!

Here's why,

Everything being equal what is the SINGLE most important factor in making a sale for contractors of any kind?

Actually being invited to the home!

Your asking people to perform some sort of electrical inspection that they aren't qualified to do, despite the free gizmo your willing to give away, so your instantly discrediting your own professional expertise!

You said it yourself in your first post, "Maybe" they'll call you.

Maybe they'll let you spend the money on the tool and it will just go in their junk drawer because there's most likely a learning curve to use the thing properly and they'll think to themselves... hmm, Isn't this something a professional electrician should do, why is this guy asking me to do it instead of just asking me if he can come and do it for me? Screw it, I'll call that electrician my friend Ricky just used, he can do it.

Or...

Even worse they let you spend the money on the tester, they do the test and call your competitor who gets the work. Nice you just paid for their lead at great cost to you!

Did you stop to think of what liability you may incur just in case some one gets your free tester, screws it up and end up burning their frigg'n house down?

Isn't this why your trade requires stringent licensing to practice? Your throwing away any leverage power that holds.

Bob Ross has the idea except just get rid of the free tester idea!

If your going to spend the time, effort, and money get people interested, then your goal is to have yourself or one of your technicians to get to the home and do it. Then you have a chance for an up sell!

David is also spot on!

Get the tester in the hands of Realtors who you can partner with!

P.S. On second thought partnering with realtors may also not be a good idea due to liability issues. What "IF" a realtor does the testing and screws that up and says, hey everything checks out, the house sells and it's later determined that everything really didn't check out? We live in a very litigious society so when the law suit comes you'll be named for sure.

P.S.S. And... one more thing. Home owners insurance coverage excludes any damage to a home when worked performed by a home owner is work that is required to be performed by a licensed contractor. So even if it's just testing a CFGI outlet and something were to go wrong, claim denied and you get sued, or... for some crazy reason the claim gets paid and during the course of the investigation by the insurance company the home owner reveals that you sent them the free gizmo the insurance company is going to subrogate and sue you and "IF" your insurance company allows you to file a claim which they probably won't because your test deal isn't covered you'll have zero chance against legal team of the home owners insurance company.

I stopped reading after half the thread so not sure if anyone mentioned this but if you are an electrician you should know you will be putting your name on this cheap tester not causing a fire itself...

notify your business liability to MAKE SURE you are covered for this marketing campaign. that image of a victorian engulfed in flames could be one that you helped cause