Lead with a two-minute audit
Most outreach fails for a simple reason: it asks before it gives. A stranger wants a call, a budget, or a “quick chat” before the business owner has one reason to care.
There's a better order. Find a real, visible gap. Ask permission to send a short video. Then show the gap on their own screen.
Who to talk to
You don't need a bought list. Open Maps, pick a local trade (roofing, HVAC, plumbing, a shop), and look for businesses that clearly do good work — strong star rating, decent photos — but have far fewer reviews than the places next door. Write down ten of those. That list beats a thousand cold names.
The permission message
Keep it short enough that it doesn't need scrolling:
Hey [Name], I was looking at [trade] in [city] and [Business] kept catching my eye. Noticed one thing on your Google listing I think is costing you calls, and it's a pretty easy fix. I recorded a quick 2-minute video walking through what I mean. No charge, nothing to sign up for. Is it all right to send it over?
Send about ten a day. Only record for the people who say yes.
The two-minute video
Screen-share their listing. Praise what's true (the rating, the work). Then show the review count next to a competitor with hundreds. Guess out loud that it isn't worse work — it's that nobody is systematically asking happy customers for reviews. Offer a simple system that asks and follows up so the reviews they've already earned actually show up. Invite a reply. Stop talking.
You're not closing in the video. You're trying to earn one question: “How does this work?”
What we can do this week
- Pick one niche near you and build a list of ten businesses with the rating/review gap.
- Send the permission note before you send any pitch deck.
- Record only for people who asked. Two minutes max. No slides.
- Sell one clear system (reviews, missed-call text-back, or AI Check cleanup) — not a menu of everything you might someday offer.
- Use what we sell on ourselves. If we tell owners to answer fast and show up clearly online, our own listing and site should already do that.
This is the same spirit as the AI Check: prove the gap first, then offer the fix.