Be honest about the level of the fix when you go out to a site. You are the professional. This person or company trusts you and your professional opinion. Of course you could go out there and “over fix” the issue. You could also over sell some things. The extra parts or time you sold will make you more money that day, but this is very short term thinking, not to mention wrong.
There is a simple standard to follow when deciding what level to fix or replace something: What would you do if this were your property?
If you would not do the service for yourself, why are you doing it for a customer? Because they really need it? Or because you’d like to make a little extra that day? Don’t get us wrong. It’s an awesome feeling when you sell a little extra. And who doesn’t love extra money?
But be careful. That little extra may cost you a customer. I took my car to a repair shop about 20 years ago. The starter on my Toyota needed replacement again. I knew the symptoms and asked the repair shop to replace it. When I came back to pick it up, they had not replaced it. They told me my floor mat had slipped forward, which kept the clutch from depressing fully. When that happens, the starter does not engage. The repair shop made nothing on me that day, but they have had a dedicated customer for the last two decades.
Moral of the story? If you treat them right, they will treat you right. They will ask you to come back. Or they will refer you to friends and family because they know you will treat them right. Plus, you have integrity with the customer if you can honestly say, “I would have fixed it that same way, or done the exact same thing if it were mine.”
The bottom line is: treat your customers the way you would like and expect to be treated. Having a long term customer is much more valuable to a business than the “one and done” customer.