Libby shares her insights on effective communication during uncertain times, the importance of transparency, and the role of automation in enhancing business efficiency. She emphasizes the significance of empathy in leadership, the challenges women face in male-dominated industries, and the power of saying "no" to maintain focus.

Key Takeaways

• Being open and honest with your team during uncertain times
• Showing stability as a leader by being consistent and reliable
• Using automation to enhance efficiency without losing the human touch
• Viewing empathy is a strength in leadership, not a weakness

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 02:17 Leadership During Uncertain Times
• 06:17 Self-Awareness and Self-Improvement
• 11:03 Transparency and Financial Information
• 21:18 Delegating Tasks and Trusting Others
• 25:49 Harnessing the Power of Automation
• 30:36 Technology and Focusing on Customer Experience
• 52:00 Data-Driven Decision Making and Emotional Intelligence
• 55:39 Advantages and Challenges for Women in Business
• 58:15 The Importance of Saying No
• 01:09:20 Women in Male-Dominated Industries
• 01:14:29 Documenting Processes and Empowering Your Team

Show Links

• Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!: 4 Keys to Unlock Your Business Potential by Greg Crabtree & Beverly Herzog

The post Empowering Your Team Through Technology With Libby DeLucien appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Key Takeaways

• Wrapping your trucks for better visibility
• Staying memorable with consistent branding
• Using strong branding to generate leads
• Focusing on customer experience to drive referrals
• Utilizing marketing automation for better engagement
• Addressing customer pain points with brand storytelling
• Maintaining data hygiene practices for effective marketing campaigns
• Prioritizing a quick-loading, mobile-friendly website
• Enhancing brand identity with custom photography
• Improving customer service efficiency with AI

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

• [00:00] Intro
• [03:12] Standing Out in a Competitive Market
• [06:02] Brand Consistency
• [08:58] Specific Lead Gen Strategies
• [11:55] Building a Strong Brand Identity
• [14:50] Utilizing Marketing Automation
• [17:48] The Role of Customer Experience
• [21:07] Brand Storytelling Techniques
• [23:52] Leveraging Data for Targeting
• [26:59] Website Essentials
• [29:55] Customer Engagement Strategies

Making a Local Impact

Eddie and Michelle emphasized the importance of making a strong impression at the local level.

A key takeaway was the power of wrapping trucks—essentially turning vehicles into rolling billboards that visually speak to your brand. Beyond this, providing an exceptional customer experience is crucial for generating positive word-of-mouth and strong online reviews, which in turn helps businesses get found in local searches.

Developing a value-based sales narrative that focuses on what customers truly care about (their homes, families, finances, and time) rather than just the technical aspects of the service was also highlighted as a way to stand out.

Consistency is Key

Michelle stressed the significance of consistent messaging and brand image across all marketing efforts, from broadcast radio and TV spots to websites and physical collateral. Inconsistency can dilute brand recognition and require more exposures for customers to remember a business.

Clever Lead Generation

While transactional lead generation has its place, the experts discussed the benefits of building a strong brand to supplement these efforts. A strong brand can lead to better SEO performance and lower costs for branded keywords in paid search campaigns. They also touched on:

• Outbound sales motions: Converting CSRs to follow up on things like warranty expirations or past service calls to create more opportunities for the sales team.
• Lead gen channels beyond Google: Exploring platforms like Facebook (Meta) lead ads and Yelp leads, noting that while Meta leads require more salesmanship to convert, they can be effective for reaching consumers where they spend a lot of time.

Avoiding Pitfalls and Low-Cost Strategies

When building a brand, Michelle advised against stretching resources too thin. Instead, businesses should concentrate and dominate in a specific area or media channel, building frequency with their target audience before expanding.

For low-cost, effective strategies, digital options like digital radio, podcasts, and streaming TV were suggested, allowing for specific targeting by zip code, homeowner status, and income. Eddie added Meta video views ads, Google demand gen ads, and YouTube ads as powerful channels for increasing visibility at a low cost per view.

The Power of Short-Form Video and Educational Marketing

Short-form video on platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok was identified as a strong play for creating brand awareness, especially for business owners with a good on-camera presence.

For those less comfortable on camera, creative alternatives like animated videos or hiring actors can be used.

The concept of educational marketing—providing valuable tips and information to consumers for free—was also discussed as a way to build authority and trust, ultimately weeding out DIYers and attracting those who prefer professional help.

Brand Storytelling

Setting your brand apart through storytelling involves identifying your true differentiators beyond the industry's table stakes (like being family-owned or local).

By focusing on the four things customers care about (homes, families, finances, and time) and connecting your service to these, businesses can create a compelling narrative.

Making the customer the hero, defining their problems, and presenting your business as the solution with a clear call to action tied to their needs and your value stack (rebates, warranties, maintenance plans, etc.) are key elements of effective brand storytelling.

Leveraging Data and Marketing Automation

Eddie and Michelle highlighted the importance of a clean and valuable customer database. This first-party data can be used to build custom audiences and lookalike audiences on platforms like social media and streaming digital platforms, allowing for highly targeted marketing campaigns.

Marketing automation was emphasized as crucial for retaining customers beyond the initial transaction by using the database to send reminders, offer maintenance plans, and continually earn their business.

Website Essentials

Your website is a critical owned asset. Key ingredients for a website that wows include:

• Fast loading speed and mobile-first design: Consumers won't wait long for a site to load, and Google prioritizes mobile.
• Custom photography and videos: Differentiating your brand from competitors who use generic stock photos.
• Fluid user experience: Making the phone number and appointment scheduling button easily visible at all times to remove friction.
• Easy-to-read content: Aiming for an eighth-grade reading level to ensure content is scannable and easily digestible for online readers.

Creating Exceptional Customer Experiences

Finally, the conversation circled back to customer experience. The core needs of a customer are simple: they want you to pick up the phone, they want the tech to be on time, they don't want to feel cheated, and they want their service to work. They also want to feel heard. Removing friction in these areas is key.

Examples included using AI voice solutions for phone systems to handle calls efficiently, automating notifications about tech arrival times, using technology on-site to explain recommendations and show value, and monitoring and responding to online reviews to show customers they are heard.

By implementing these strategies, field service businesses can effectively navigate the competitive landscape, build a strong brand, and drive consistent lead generation.

Show Links

• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@Mediagistic
• WEBSITE: https://www.mediagistic.com
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mediagistic
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mediagistic_/
• LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mediagistic
• TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@mediagistic
• X: https://x.com/mediagistic

Related: Scaling Back Services to Scale Up With Matt Green

The post REPLAY: Turn Branding Into Sales: Tactics From Mediagistic appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Here's a summary of the key takeaways:

• Efficiency and profitability are crucial in service offerings, especially during challenging times.
• Understanding internal client needs and creating a positive work culture is vital.
• There's value in strategic partnerships for referrals, and niching down services can lead to enhanced customer satisfaction.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:00] Intro
• [02:05] Matt's Journey
• [05:59] Transitioning to Business Ownership
• [09:56] The Shift in Business Strategy
• [13:49] Streamlining Services for Efficiency
• [20:07] The Importance of Focus
• [26:04] Team Dynamics
• [31:18] Service Reduction Strategies
• [32:51] Training & Development in the Field
• [37:20] Recruitment & Retention Challenges
• [39:12] Strategic Partnerships & Referrals
• [47:29] Enhancing Customer Satisfaction through Specialization
• [52:57] Taking the Leap: Niching Down Services

Humble Beginnings

Matt's story began when he was nine years old, facing financial hardship due to his father's illness. This led him and his brothers to start a lawn care business with minimal resources, including using scissors as weed eaters and a broom as a blower. These early struggles instilled a strong work ethic and a determination to succeed.

The College Detour and Return

Despite early success, Matt pursued college and entered corporate sales, gaining valuable "sales training". However, he felt a calling to return to the lawn care industry, believing he could apply business principles to outperform competitors. He quickly realized the industry was more sophisticated than he anticipated, but this spurred him on.

The Million Dollar Milestone and a Pivot

Blue Duck Lawn Care reached a million dollars in revenue within five years. Yet, Matt felt unfulfilled and realized the business wasn't as profitable as he thought. This led to a critical decision: to pivot and focus on more profitable services.

The Three Service Rule

Inspired by a mentor, Matt decided to drastically reduce the number of services offered. He learned that focusing on just a few services would allow for greater specialization, better service delivery, and higher profit margins.

Choosing the Right Services

Matt and his team evaluated each service based on profitability, employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency. They eliminated services with low revenue, high turnover, and scheduling nightmares. The focus shifted to fertilization, weed control, pest control, and Christmas lights, allowing for better training and consistent revenue.

The Kolbe Test and Team Dynamics

Matt emphasized the importance of understanding team dynamics using the Kolbe test. This helped him recognize different working styles and manage his team more effectively, leading to improved morale and productivity.

Strategic Partnerships

Matt cultivated relationships with other businesses, referring services they no longer offered in exchange for referrals of their specialized services. This created a network of support and increased customer acquisition with reduced costs.

Training and Customer Satisfaction

By focusing on fewer services, Blue Duck could invest more in training, leading to knowledgeable staff and exceptional customer service. This resulted in higher customer satisfaction, lower cancellation rates, and positive reviews. Matt even creates personalized video updates in dispatch notifications.

Key Strategies for Niching Down

• Analyze Revenue: Review financial reports to identify low-revenue services.
• Gather Team Feedback: Ask employees about their favorite and least favorite tasks, and any that experience high turnover.
• Identify Pain Points: Pinpoint the biggest frustrations and challenges in the business.
• Consider Subcontracting: Explore outsourcing less profitable services to trusted partners.
• Start Small: Begin by eliminating one or two services, then gradually scale down.

Conclusion

Matt Green's journey demonstrates the power of strategic focus and the importance of adapting to business realities. By scaling back services, Blue Duck Lawn Care achieved greater profitability, improved team satisfaction, and enhanced customer experiences.

Show Notes Links

• YOUTUBE
• WEBSITE
• FACEBOOK
• INSTAGRAM
• LINKEDIN
• TIKTOK
• X
• MENTIONS: KOLBE TEST

Related: From Hustler to Entrepreneur With Tommy Mello

The post Scaling Back Services to Scale Up With Matt Green appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Tommy explains how he transformed from a hustler to an entrepreneur. He shares the importance of branding, learning from mistakes, and the necessity of reinvesting in your field service business.

Discover the value of transparency and accountability within your company culture, the role of competition in driving success, and the mindset required for effective sales.

Additionally, you’ll explore the impact of AI on business and the key metrics for measuring success, while also highlighting community engagement and upcoming events.

We cover some great topics, including:

• How to turn technicians into sales superstars
• The importance of company culture and leadership
• Using technology to grow your business
• The power of branding in home services
• And so much more!

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 From Hustler to Entrepreneur: Tommy Mello's Journey
• 07:19 Transforming Technicians into Sales Superstars
• 11:00 The Art of Recruitment: Finding the Right People
• 18:27 Motivation and Leadership: Building a Winning Culture
• 26:19 Leveraging Technology for Growth
• 28:46 Building a Strong Brand for Success
• 31:08 Learning from Mistakes and Taking Risks
• 33:53 The Importance of Reinvestment and Delayed Gratification
• 35:58 Creating a Culture of Transparency and Accountability
• 39:12 The Role of Competition and Market Positioning
• 42:17 Sales as a Daily Practice and Mindset
• 44:55 Embracing AI and Future Trends in Business
• 46:48 Key Metrics for Measuring Success
• 51:40 Upcoming Events and Community Engagement

Tommy's Story

Tommy's journey to success is a true American dream story. 

Born and raised in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Tommy learned the value of hard work at a young age. 

With divorced parents and a mom working three jobs, Tommy started mowing lawns and shoveling snow to earn money as a kid.

At age 12, he began washing dishes under the table at a local restaurant, and that hard work laid the foundation for his future success. 

Tommy moved to Phoenix at 16 and started a landscaping company. 

By 20, he was earning $30,000 a month from various hustles, including bartending and flipping cars.

Tommy eventually landed in the garage door industry by painting garage doors for a friend. 

He started his own business (A1 Garage Door), making every mistake in the book along the way, but eventually grew his company to $200+ million in revenue. 

Turning Technicians into Sales Superstars

Tommy believes that selling is a natural part of human interaction and that technicians don't need to become stereotypical "salespeople."

Tommy focuses on teaching his technicians to:

1. Smile and make eye contact
2. Say "thank you" and show appreciation
3. Listen actively to customer needs
4. Provide options and educate customers
5. Treat customers like family

He emphasizes that sales is about being a good human and helping customers make the best decisions for their homes.

The Power of Company Culture

Tommy has built a strong company culture based on transparency and meritocracy. 

He shares all company financials with employees and encourages healthy competition. 

Technicians can see each other's performance metrics, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

To motivate his team, Tommy uses a "dream manager" approach. 

The company helps employees discover their personal dreams and goals and then ties those aspirations to their work performance. 

Leveraging Technology for Growth

A1 Garage Door Service uses a variety of software to streamline operations and improve customer service. 

Some key tools include:

• Business intelligence software for data analysis
• AI-powered call analysis to improve customer interactions
• Advanced dispatch systems to optimize technician routes
• Social media management tools for marketing

The Importance of Branding

One of Tommy's game-changing moves was investing in proper branding. 

A strong, consistent brand across all touchpoints - from trucks to uniforms to marketing materials - has helped A1 Garage Door Service stand out in a crowded market.

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Tommy's advice for those looking to grow their service businesses to the next level is:

1. Invest in yourself and never stop learning
2. Surround yourself with successful people in your industry
3. Focus on building a great team and company culture
4. Use technology to streamline operations and improve customer service
5. Don't be afraid to take calculated risks

Learn More About Tommy Mello

Want to learn more about Tommy Mello and his approach to business? 

Be sure to check out his podcast, "Home Service Expert," and keep an eye out for his upcoming events and speaking engagements. 

Related: From Zero to Hero With Roger Wakefield

Originally published Sept 4, 2024 11:31 AM CT, updated May 9, 2025 3:43 PM CT

The post REPLAY: From Hustler to Entrepreneur With Tommy Mello appeared first on Service Autopilot.

He talks about the importance of organic SEO, consistency in content creation, and the mindset of abundance in business. Plus, Roger dives into the essential tools for business growth as well as the importance of marketing in hiring. From compelling recruitment strategies, to measuring KPIs, and strong company culture—Roger covers it all in this episode.

Also joining us in this episode is special guest co-host Mike Callahan, entrepreneur and owner/president of SimpleGrowth with 25+ years of experience as a successful business owner.

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

• [00:00] Intro
• [02:03] About Roger
• [05:38] Getting to the First $1M
• [08:33] The Importance of Consistency
• [11:34] Content Creation Is Key
• [16:34] SHARING the Secret Sauce?!
• [18:48] Using Your Phone for Content
• [22:16] Taking SEO Beyond Words
• [26:46] Leveraging the Power of AI
• [31:31] Tools to Help You Scale
• [33:34] STEAL THIS Hiring Ad!
• [35:49] Mastering Your KPIs
• [39:48] Business Owners: PAY YOURSELF!
• [46:50] The Power of Knowing Your Numbers
• [49:00] Core Values: No Excuses
• [52:52] Outro

Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation with Roger:

Taking Control of Marketing

Roger started his plumbing career in 1980 but faced a significant hurdle —wasting thousands of dollars on ineffective marketing. Frustrated by deceptive marketing companies, he decided to take matters into his own hands and learn digital marketing, focusing on social media and, most importantly, YouTube.

Today, Roger has built the largest plumbing YouTube channel in the world, with over 650,000 subscribers and 125 million views. His success underscores the importance of mastering online presence and leveraging organic content for business growth.

The Organic vs. Paid Advertising Debate

One of Roger’s main marketing strategies is prioritizing organic reach over paid ads. While many businesses focus on paid advertising, he emphasizes the value of SEO, YouTube content, and organic search rankings to create sustainable, long-term visibility.

However, he also acknowledges the importance of balancing both strategies, using ads to boost visibility when necessary while maintaining a solid foundation of organic marketing.

The Road to Your First Million

For small business owners aiming to hit their first million dollars in revenue, Roger highlights the importance of consistency and patience in marketing efforts.

His approach includes:

• Content Consistency: Posting at least once a week on YouTube and other social platforms.
• SEO Optimization: Making sure content is discoverable through proper tagging and keywords.
• Brand Trust and Awareness: Establishing credibility through informative, value-driven videos.
• Tracking Results: Understanding where leads come from and doubling down on what works.

Overcoming Common Business Fears

Many service business owners hesitate to share their expertise publicly, fearing that competitors will copy them or that customers will use the information to DIY their own projects. Roger dismisses this fear, advocating for an abundance mindset.

By sharing valuable knowledge, he has built trust with his audience and positioned himself as an authority, leading to increased business rather than lost customers.

AI and the Future of Home Service Businesses

Roger is forward-thinking about AI’s role in business. He suggests using AI-driven tools such as automated customer responses, CRM-integrated chatbots, and marketing automation to streamline operations and enhance customer interactions.

Business owners who adopt these technologies early will have a competitive edge in efficiency and customer engagement.

Financial Education and KPIs for Business Growth

Roger emphasizes that many business owners fail to grasp their financials. He highlights the importance of tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as labor costs, overhead, marketing spend, and profitability.

Understanding these numbers helps entrepreneurs make informed decisions, adjust pricing, and scale their business effectively.

Building a Winning Company Culture

Culture is a critical component of business success. Roger believes in hiring employees who align with company core values and delivering exceptional service. He also stresses the importance of training and investing in employees to build a strong, motivated team.

The Roadmap to Success

Roger Wakefield’s journey is an inspiration to any business owner looking to scale their company and establish a lasting brand. His story proves that embracing digital marketing, leveraging organic growth, understanding business finances, and fostering a strong team culture are all essential ingredients to achieving sustainable success.

If you’re a business owner struggling with marketing or growth strategies, take a page out of Roger’s book—get online, create valuable content, track your numbers, and build a business culture that stands the test of time.

Related: Field Service Industry News With Ryan Yelvington

Originally published March 21, 2025 3:50 PM CT

The post From ZERO to HERO With Roger Wakefield appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Ryan will give you the latest rundown on the biggest key topics shaping the industry right now. From the NOSHA Act to new tariffs, we’ve got you covered.

Since we’ll be covering a wide variety of industries and topics, we’ll be providing the timestamps so you can jump to wherever you need.

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• [00:00] Intro
• [01:13] The NOSHA Act
• [02:31] Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
• [04:20] DHS H-2 Visa Lawsuit
• [05:37] HVACR Efficiency Postponements
• [06:27] Refrigerant Phase Out
• [09:06] New Tankless Water Heater Rule
• [10:52] Outro

General Field Services

[01:13] The NOSHA Act

On January 3, 2025, the NOSHA Act, a bill to abolish OSHA, was reintroduced to Congress. Regardless of whether or not it passes, this bill will likely challenge how OSHA standards are created—impacting service businesses like yours.

[02:31] New Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum

Beginning on March 12, 2025, there will be a new 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum exports. However, the repercussions of this are already starting to be seen in the service industry—with distributors paying more due to an increased demand before the tariffs begin.

[04:20] New Lawsuit Over DHS H-2 Visa Rules

Allied industry groups (including FEWA, NALP, SEA, and others) have filed a joint lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) over a rule that governs H-2A and H-2B guest worker visa programs.

HVACR

[05:37] Postponing HVACR Efficiency Standards

As of February 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) postponed all future HVACR efficiency standards, which includes: central air conditioners, walk-in coolers and freezers, gas instantaneous water heaters, commercial refrigeration equipment, washers and dryers, general service lamps, and air compressors.

Note: Keep in mind, there are currently no finalized air conditioner efficiency standards to delay—meaning this doesn’t undo the standard that went into place 2 years ago.

[06:27] Refrigerant Phase Out

There’s been some buzz around the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dropping some eco-friendly bombshells on the HVAC/R industry. Brace yourselves for two major rules under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (or AIM) Act, designed to kick hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to the curb and make our air a little fresher. Keep in mind, some of these rules might change with the change in the new administration.

HVAC and Plumbing

[09:06] New Rule on Tankless Water Heaters

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has introduced a new rule that could change how tankless water heater installations are done. This rule will ban non-condensing gas-fired tankless (instantaneous) water heaters starting in 2029. HVAC companies like yours need to understand this change to prepare for its impact. Though, keep in mind that this rule might see some changes with the new administration.

Show Notes—Links

Key resources to check out:

• The NOSHA Act
• Refrigerant phase out
• New tankless water heater rule

Did you know, we have a new YouTube channel? Be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast on all channels so you never miss an episode!

• YouTube
• Apple
• Spotify

Got questions you want answered? Interested in becoming a podcast guest? Just email us at: profitroadmap@xplortechnologies.com

Related: The Latest Hiring Trends and Insights in Field Services

The post Q1 2025 Field Services Industry News With Ryan Yelvington appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why timely payments are critical for cash flow
• The benefits of modernized payment solutions
• How to overcome common objections to payment processing
• PCI compliance and data security best practices
• Strategies for managing high-ticket transactions and recurring revenue

About Heather and Jonathan

Heather Price (Field Integrated BDR at Xplor Pay) has spent her career helping businesses streamline operations and save money through innovative solutions. Her experience ranges from medical office management to sales, and now she focuses on empowering merchants with tools to grow their businesses efficiently.

Jonathan Novoa-Miralles (Product Enablement Manager at Xplor Pay) brings a ton of expertise in software sales and payment processing. As part of the Xplor Pay team, he helps sales organizations by implementing effective market strategies and making sure clients have access to cutting-edge resources.

Together, they provide valuable insights into how service businesses can optimize their payment processes while maintaining strong relationships with customers.

The Reality of Payment Challenges in Service Businesses

One of the biggest pain points for service business owners is getting paid on time. As Heather explained, "The most common [issue] that we hear is that it takes way too long to get paid." Lots of companies still use paper invoices, which often sit forgotten on counters and then don’t get paid.

This payment delay can cause cash flow problems, and this is especially true for smaller businesses. Mike Callahan shared this feeling going back to his days running a lawn care company: "Things fell through the cracks... If the guys were taking cash in the truck, it would literally disappear."

The Keys to Financial Success Through Modernized Payments

In order to make sure your service business gets paid quickly here’s what Jonathan and Heather recommended:

1. Implement Credit Card File Policies

Why It Works: Requiring credit cards on file guarantees payment and simplifies billing. "Literally if you ran all the cards... everything from last week, this Tuesday, the money was in the bank," said Mike.

Action Item: Use a system where customers can authorize automatic payments for recurring services. This reduces admin work and improves cash flow predictability.

2. Use Technology for Faster Payments

Tools to Use: Platforms like Xplor Pay offer things like next-day funding, automated reminders for expiring cards, and secure portals for customer payments.

Quote to Remember: "You're going to see that in your bank account on Wednesday" for jobs completed on Tuesday, Heather noted. This rapid turnaround helps businesses manage expenses better.

3. Focus on Security and Compliance

PCI Compliance Matters: Storing sensitive information improperly can lead to legal issues and loss of trust. Heather emphasized, "We don't ever see that full credit card number... It's all encrypted."

Best Practice: Avoid writing down credit card details or storing them insecurely. Instead, use tokenization and encryption technologies to protect customer data.

Overcoming Common Objections to Payment Processing

Many business owners hesitate to adopt digital payment systems because of concerns about fees and complexity. However, Heather and Jonathan shared compelling reasons to make the switch:

Addressing Fee Concerns

Build Fees Into Pricing: Treat payment processing costs as part of your overhead recovery budget. "It's not something that's surreptitious," Ryan Yelvington pointed out. Customers won’t feel misled if fees are transparently accounted for.

Save Time, Make More Money: By reducing manual invoicing and collections efforts, you free up time to focus on growing your business. "That's gonna give you more time back in your day to maybe cut two more lawns," Heather said.

Simplifying Implementation

Modern Solutions Are User-Friendly: Gone are the days of clunky integrations. Today’s platforms integrate seamlessly with existing software. "There's an all-in-one solution," Ryan highlighted. "You don’t even have to change apps."

Key Takeaways for Service Business Owners

Adopt Recurring Revenue Models: Whether you’re mowing lawns or installing HVAC units, setting up subscription-based agreements builds long-term value and attracts higher acquisition multiples.

Prioritize Customer Convenience: Offering multiple payment options (credit card, ACH, etc.) enhances satisfaction and loyalty. "We're doing everything we can to help you," Heather said.

Stay Compliant and Secure: Protect both your business and your customers by adhering to PCI standards and leveraging encrypted payment systems.

Learn More

Xplor Pay’s team offers personalized support and tailored solutions designed to meet the unique needs of service businesses. To learn more about streamlining payment processes and boosting operational efficiencies, check out the following links below:

• Website
• YouTube
• Facebook
• X
• LinkedIn

Related: Achieving Profitable Growth in Your Business With Jason Noel

The post Boosting Cash Flow With Heather Price and Jonathan Novoa-Miralles appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why financial resets are sometimes necessary for business growth
• How to balance cutting expenses while investing in growth
• The critical importance of understanding your numbers
• Leadership's role in financial success
• Creating sustainable financial strategies for 2025
• Building a culture that supports profitability

About Jason

Jason Noel brings a TON of experience in the plumbing and home services industry, having served in leadership roles at multiple successful companies. After helping businesses achieve significant profitability improvements, including a 90% increase at ARS Indianapolis, Jason joined CEO Warrior as a master advisor. He's spent the last three years helping service business owners scale their operations and build sustainable, profitable companies.

The Reality of Service Business Finances 

One of the biggest insights Jason shared is that revenue isn't everything. "Just because somebody says they're a ten million dollar business doesn't mean they're making money," he said. Many business owners get caught up in the "shiny object syndrome" of top-line revenue while forgetting profitability.

The Keys to Financial Success 

Jason outlined several key areas that service businesses should focus on:

Cash Flow Management

• Use a 13-week cash flow projection
• Track both P&L and actual bank account activity
• Plan expenses strategically instead of day-to-day
• Consider timing for major purchases like vehicles

Pricing Strategy

• Build proper billable hour and day rates
• Don't fear charging market-appropriate prices
• Focus on building value rather than competing on price
• Train teams to communicate value effectively

Leadership and Culture 

True financial success starts with leadership. Jason emphasizes that most business challenges are leadership problems at their core. He recommends:

• Embracing humility as a leader
• Building a team with complementary strengths
• Understanding that you won't find "10 people like you"
• Creating and living by clear core values

The Financial Reset Process 

When businesses need to adjust their financial strategy, Jason recommends:

1. Start with realistic goal-setting based on historical data
2. Focus on profitability over revenue
3. Analyze department-specific metrics
4. Include the leadership team in budget planning
5. Look for efficiency improvements before cutting costs

"Most challenges are done in the cost of goods and in your margin and just your efficiencies and your pricing and things like that," Jason explains. "Typically, the last answer is cutting overhead."

Common Financial Mistakes 

Jason highlighted several pitfalls service businesses should avoid:

• Throwing money at marketing without tracking ROI
• Living day-to-day off the bank account
• Neglecting to understand key performance indicators
• Focusing solely on revenue growth
• Not properly tracking department profitability

Key Takeaways for Service Business Owners

1. Know Your Numbers: "Whether you like the numbers or not, you have to know them," Jason emphasizes. Understanding your financial metrics isn't optional for business success.
2. Build Strong Leadership: Focus on developing your leadership team and creating a strong culture based on core values. Success comes from having the right people in the right roles.
3. Plan Strategically: Use tools like 13-week cash flow projections and departmental budgets to make informed decisions rather than reactive choices.

Learn More 

To learn more about financial planning and business growth strategies, consider attending CEO Warrior's Service Business Live event in Nashville on March 6th and 7th, 2025. This two-day event offers insights into building a more profitable service business and includes hands-on business planning.

• CEO Warrior
• SimpleGrowth

Related: The Latest Hiring Trends and Insights in Field Services

The post Achieving Profitable Growth in Your Service Business With Jason Noel appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why traditional rewards aren't working anymore
• The importance of instant recognition
• How to create genuine employee engagement
• Measuring the impact of employee retention
• Building sustainable business practices

About Our Guest

Bear Duplisea has spent nearly 25 years working with small and medium-sized business owners. After building Service Autopilot's sales department for over a decade, he moved to Applause to help businesses solve their employee engagement challenges.

The Changing Face of Recognition

Bear highlights a big shift in employee motivation: "The paycheck is enough to get us to come to work... but beyond that, to do the above and beyond to be exceptional, there needs to be some other incentive."

He says that today's workforce expects immediate feedback and recognition: "We're used to this instantaneous result. And because of that, the carrot no longer works."

Measuring Success Through Retention

"One of our companies saw over a 10-month period, a 26% drop in employee turnover," Bear said. For large companies, this can mean six or seven-figure savings in hiring and training costs.

The Impact of Instant Recognition

Bear explains how immediate feedback affects performance:

• Creates instant dopamine hits from customer appreciation
• Builds a customer-obsessed culture
• Helps employees think like business owners
• Reduces callback rates and improves quality

Culture Building Strategies

"If you feel really good about your culture and everything like that, and you've put everything out there for the prospective employee and they don't want to work for you... then let them," Bear advises. He emphasizes that culture fit is more important than filling positions quickly.

The Hidden Cost of Callbacks

Bear also mentioned that revisits are not just a cost of doing business: "People, business owners I talk to all the time chalk that up as the cost of doing business. Good business owners understand, like that's a huge gap."

He breaks down the real impact:

• Every callback is pure loss—fuel, labor, wear-and-tear
• It affects employee overtime and scheduling
• Impacts customer satisfaction and retention
• Reduces overall profitability

The solution? Better employee engagement leads to better customer communication: "Their technicians are now taking the time to explain to customers... They're like, 'I better explain this to this customer because I don't want them to complain.'"

Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime of Service

Bear shared powerful insights learned from his father's 50-year career in business:

"Sales is easy, super easy, because you can be part of the solution or you can be part of the problem. Just don't ever be part of the problem."

This philosophy goes beyond sales to all aspects of business leadership:

• Focus on solutions rather than problems
• Take ownership of outcomes
• Lead by example in customer service
• Build genuine relationships with both employees and customers

He also talked about the fundamental truth about business relationships: "People don't give a sh*t how much you know until they know how much you care." This principle drives successful employee engagement and customer satisfaction.

Key Takeaways:

1. Focus on Immediate Recognition

• Implement systems for instant feedback
• Create visible celebration channels
• Connect customer satisfaction to employee rewards

2. Measure What Matters

• Track retention improvements
• Monitor callback reduction
• Calculate cost savings from reduced turnover

3. Build Authentic Relationships

• Create genuine connections with employees
• Give ownership in outcomes
• Listen and respond to feedback

Quote Highlights

"If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. If you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you."—Isaac Jaffe, Sports Night

"People don't give a shit how much you know until they know how much you care, so just care."—Bernie Duplisea, sales expert & entrepreneur

Show Notes—Links

To discover more about employee engagement solutions for your field service business, visit applausehq.com.

• Applause
• Surviving Christmas (mentioned movie)
• #ELOsoFumarTakes
  • Apple
  • PodBean

Did you know, we have a new YouTube channel? Be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast on all channels so you never miss an episode!

• YouTube
• Apple
• Spotify

Related: Coaching & Retention in the Service Industry With Chris Crew from Blue Collar

Originally published Jan 9, 2025 5:15 PM CT

The post The Latest Hiring Trends & Insights in Field Services With Bear Duplisea from Applause appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why company culture is your most undervalued asset
• How to build and maintain culture through growth
• The truth about training and employee development
• Strategies for hiring and retaining top talent
• The connection between leadership and company culture

About Our Guest

Chris Crews started as an electrician at age 16, working his way up through new construction before transitioning into service work. He eventually built and sold his own electrical service business, growing it from $3 million to a $30 million operation across five locations. 

Today, he leads the Blue Collar Success Group, helping contractors build and grow their businesses to achieve their dreams.

The Truth About Company Culture

One of the biggest misconceptions about culture is that some companies don't have one. Chris says, "Your business doesn't have a culture? It does. It's either by design or by default." 

He emphasizes that culture is shaped by both action and inaction - what you do and don't do, what you say and don't say.

Chris also said, "If you have a good culture, you don't have to be the top-paying company in town." Alternatively, "If your culture sucks, it's so bad, it's so toxic, you can't out pay it."

Building Culture From the Ground Up

Chris outlines several key steps for building a strong company culture:

• Start with Leadership
  • Look in the mirror as an owner first
  • Model the behavior you want to see
  • Set clear intentions for the culture you want to create
• Define Your Foundation
  • Establish a clear vision and mission
  • Create simple, memorable mission statements
  • Develop and communicate core values
• Hire for Cultural Fit
  • Implement field interviews with top performers
  • Evaluate technical skills AND cultural alignment
  • Don't compromise culture fit for technical ability

Training and Development

Chris challenges the common practice of only training during slow seasons: "Most people feel time during slow times and think that's the best time to train... but it's not the best time to train." 

Instead, he advocates for year-round training because "when you're busy, that's when you need to be increasing performance."

Key Takeaways for Field Service Businesses:

• Culture Assessment
  • Survey your team to understand the current culture
  • Identify areas for improvement
  • Set specific goals for cultural development
• Training Evolution
  • Develop year-round training programs
  • Focus on engagement and practical application
  • Identify and develop internal trainers who want to teach
• Leadership Development
  • Begin with a clear vision and purpose
  • Focus on personal growth as a leader
  • Build systems that support your cultural goals

"Quality questions lead to quality results," Chris said. He encourages business owners to focus not just on knowledge, but on wisdom - the practical application of knowledge to achieve results.

Want to Learn More?

To learn more about the Blue Collar Success Group and their approach to building successful field service businesses, visit their website at thebluecollarsuccessgroup.com.

Show Notes Links

• WEBSITE: https://www.thebluecollarsuccessgroup.com
• YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpa2-93g_w5vjoqV1Pw6RQ
• FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BlueCollarSuccessGroup/
• INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bluecollarsuccessgroup/
• LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-blue-collar-success-group/
• TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@bluecollarsg

Related: Leadership Lessons for Field Service Pros

The post Coaching and Retention in the Service Industry With Chris Crew from Blue Collar appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• Busting common lead generation myths
• The surprising comeback of traditional marketing
• Why speed beats perfection in lead response
• Social media as the new SEO frontier
• Emerging trends for 2025 and beyond

About Our Guests

Marlen Weber brings seven years of marketing expertise to the table, currently focusing on serving lawn care, green industry, and cleaning businesses at Service Autopilot. 

Kayla Fussell leads marketing efforts at FieldEdge, bringing valuable experience from both software and oil and gas industries, with expertise spanning digital marketing, events, and email campaigns.

Busting Lead Generation Myths

One of the biggest myths in field service marketing is that a beautiful website and five-star reviews alone will bring in leads. 

Marlen says, "You have to go out and find your leads and generate a way for them to flow to you. It's great that you have a beautiful website with beautiful reviews everywhere, but your leads won't come to you unless you start a process for them to flow to you."

The Return of Traditional Marketing

While digital marketing is still the leader, traditional marketing methods are making a comeback. 

Print materials like door hangers and yard signs still work, especially when they get modernized with things like QR codes.

Kayla adds that physical marketing materials can have staying power: "We use a mosquito service, and they always put a sign out. Our neighbors recently told me, 'Yeah, we saw that and we called that same one because y'all used it.'"

The Power of Speed in Lead Response

In the field service industries lead response time is huge. "Speed is senior to quality," Marlen emphasizes. "If the winter is coming up and my heater goes out, I'm not going to sit around and wait for the company with the best reviews to get back to me... I'm going to respond to the first company that comes back to me."

Emerging Trends for 2025

Several key trends are shaping the future of field service lead generation:

1. User-Generated Content (UGC)

• Authentic customer testimonials and experiences
• Employee-generated content showing day-in-the-life moments
• Photo competitions among staff members

2. Social Media as the New SEO

• Platforms like TikTok and Instagram becoming search engines
• Proper tagging and optimization for social search
• Focus on video content

3. AI-Powered Tools

• Chatbots for initial customer interaction
• Voice search optimization
• Automated follow-up systems

Show Notes Links

Links mentioned in this episode:

• SoTellUs

Want to learn more about how Service Autopilot or FieldEdge can help your business? Visit serviceutopilot.com or fieldedge.com for information about their field service management solutions and to access free resources for growing your business.

Related: Mastering Local Marketing With Service.ly

Originally published on Nov 20, 2024 5:21 PM CT

The post Modern Lead Gen for Service Businesses With Marlen Weber and Kayla Fussell appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• The true nature of leadership and why it's not for everyone
• How to maintain culture across multiple locations
• The importance of meeting people where they are
• Why the 80/20 rule might be hurting your business
• Strategies for developing future leaders
• The critical role of coaching in field services

About Our Guest

Terence Cummings brings over 20 years of leadership experience to the table. Starting his career in sales, he discovered a passion for developing and coaching others. Before joining Xplor Technologies, Terence spent 15+ years in various leadership roles where he honed his leadership philosophy and approach.

The True Nature of Leadership

According to Terence, leadership is more demanding than most people realize. "Being a leader is exhausting," he explains. "The pressure that comes from driving a business, bringing people along on the journey, and showing up every day to keep people inspired and motivated is a very daunting task."

He compares leadership to being a parent rather than an aunt or uncle: "When you're an aunt or uncle, you get to play with the kids and when they're sleepy and fussy, you get to go home. When you're a parent, there is no going home."

Key Leadership Priorities

Terence outlines three main priorities for any leader: strategy, driving results, and coaching and developing people. The time spent on each priority shifts based on your leadership level. A frontline manager might spend 60% of their time coaching, while a general manager focuses 70-80% of their effort on strategy. 

This flexibility in approach allows leaders to meet the needs of their position while maintaining consistency in their core responsibilities.

Breaking Away from Convention

One piece of traditional leadership advice Terence challenges is the famous 80/20 rule - spending 80% of your time with your top 20% performers. He believes this approach can cripple an organization by neglecting team members who need development. 

In field services, every technician represents your brand and impacts customer experience. When you focus exclusively on top performers, you risk delivering inconsistent service quality across your customer base.

Creating a Consistent Culture

For field service businesses managing teams across different locations, culture must be clearly defined and consistently executed. Terence emphasizes that cultural values should be as natural as breathing - something you do every day without question. 

This means establishing clear expectations and maintaining them across all locations and teams. The key is making these cultural standards non-negotiable and ensuring they're lived out in daily operations.

Coaching and Development

When it comes to developing team members, Terence advocates for a straightforward approach: either coach them up or coach them out. "I've never in my career fired anyone," Terence shares. "People fire themselves. People get let go because there's things within their role that they're not doing at the level that's expected." This philosophy emphasizes the importance of clear expectations and consistent feedback in developing team members.

Key Takeaways for Field Service Leaders

1. Meet People Where They Are: Understanding what motivates each team member and adapting your leadership style to individual needs is crucial for success. Not everyone follows the same path to growth, and effective leaders recognize and accommodate these differences.
2. Create a Safe Space for Growth: Building an environment where team members feel secure enough to make mistakes and learn from them is essential. This includes providing specific, timely feedback and having tough conversations when needed.
3. Maintain Consistent Culture: Culture isn't just about writing values on a wall - it's about living them every day. Define clear expectations, demonstrate them consistently, and never compromise on your cultural standards.

Learn More

Want to learn more about how Xplor Technologies can help your business? Be sure to check out their website at www.xplortechnologies.com for information about their field service management solutions.

Mentioned link:

• The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Related: Stand Out From The Competition with Mediagistic 

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Meeting People Where They Are: Leadership Lessons for Field Service Pros appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• The importance of local SEO for field service businesses
• How to optimize your Google Business Profile
• The role of customer reviews in SEO
• Common SEO mistakes to avoid
• Tools and resources for improving your SEO performance

About Our Guest

Chris St. Jean brings a wealth of experience to the table as the Co-Founder and COO of Service.ly. 

With a background in writing and digital marketing, Chris has been in the SEO game since the early days of Google. 

He's worked with agencies, e-commerce companies, and now focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses improve their online presence.

The Power of Local SEO

Chris talked about the importance of local SEO for field service businesses. 

He explained that while national SEO is becoming more competitive, local SEO still offers great opportunities for smaller businesses to stand out in their markets.

"Local SEO is about making sure that when people in your area are searching for your services, your business shows up," Chris says. 

He recommends focusing on three key areas:

1. Your website
2. Online business listings
3. Google Business Profile

Optimizing Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is like a mini-website that shows up in Google search results. 

Chris shared some tips for making the most of this powerful tool:

• Fill out all the information completely
• Add all relevant service categories
• Include high-quality photos of your work
• Respond to customer reviews promptly
• Use the Q&A feature to answer common questions

"A well-optimized Google Business Profile can really help you stand out in local search results," Chris explains.

The Importance of Customer Reviews

Reviews play a huge role in local SEO. 

Chris suggests making review gathering a part of your company culture. 

Here are some of his tips:

• Ask for reviews after every job
• Make it easy for customers to leave reviews
• Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative
• Consider using AI tools to help manage review responses

"Reviews are like social proof," Chris says. "They show potential customers that you're trustworthy and do good work."

Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid

Chris pointed out some common SEO mistakes that field service businesses often make:

• Not doing SEO at all
• Trying to grow too quickly (which can look suspicious to Google)
• Buying fake reviews
• Ignoring mobile optimization

"Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint," Chris advises. "It's about consistent effort over time."

Tools and Resources for Better SEO

Chris's company, Service.ly, offers tools to help field service businesses improve their SEO:

• A website builder that creates SEO-friendly sites
• Help with setting up and optimizing Google Business Profiles
• Listings in premium local business directories

"Our goal is to make it easy for small businesses to get started with SEO," Chris explains.

Measuring SEO Success

When it comes to measuring the success of your SEO efforts, Chris recommends focusing on practical metrics:

• The number of calls and leads you're getting
• How many views your Google Business Profile is getting
• Whether your overall business is growing

"Don't get too caught up in things like keyword rankings," Chris advises. "Focus on the metrics that directly impact your business."

The Future of SEO

Looking ahead, Chris sees AI playing a bigger role in SEO and he suggests that businesses should start thinking about how they can use AI tools to improve their customer service and online presence.

"AI is changing the game," Chris says. "But at the end of the day, it's still about providing value to your customers and making it easy for them to find you online."

Wrapping Up

SEO might seem complicated, but it doesn't have to be. 

By focusing on local SEO, optimizing your Google Business Profile, gathering customer reviews, and avoiding common mistakes, you can improve your online visibility and attract more customers.

Remember, SEO is an ongoing process. It takes time and consistent effort, but the results can be well worth it for your field service business.

Learn More

Want to learn more about how Service.ly can help your business? Be sure to check out their website at www.service.ly.

Related: Stand Out From The Competition with Mediagistic 

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Published on Oct 24, 2024 at…

The post Mastering Local Marketing With Service.ly appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• How to stand out in a crowded market
• The importance of brand storytelling
• Smart ways to use marketing automation
• Tips for creating an effective website
• How to improve customer experience

Backgrounds

Eddie Childs brings a wealth of experience to the table as the Director of Corporate Marketing at Mediagistic. 

He's been with the company for nearly a decade, starting in copywriting and social media before moving into other areas of marketing like demand generation, email, and inbound leads. 

Over the years, Eddie has taken on a more consultative role, helping clients shape their digital strategies and improve their marketing performance.

Michelle Caston, the Director of Media Planning and Buying at Mediagistic, has almost 20 years of experience in her field. 

She's been with Mediagistic for 14 years, joining the team when she moved to Tampa from Miami. 

Michelle is an expert in helping businesses make the most of their marketing budgets and ensuring they have a strong brand presence in their specific markets. 

She leads a small but mighty team that handles all the mass media and traditional media planning and buying for the agency.

Standing Out in a Crowded Market

Eddie and Michelle share some key tips for making your business pop at the local level:

1. Wrap your trucks: Your vehicles are like moving billboards
2. Offer great customer service: This helps with word-of-mouth and online reviews
3. Tell a value-based story: Focus on what customers really care about
4. Be consistent: Keep your brand image the same across all platforms
5. Educate your customers: Share helpful tips and tricks

Michelle says, "Making sure your brand image is consistent, whether you're doing broadcast radio, that sound, you know, having your tagline in there, or if you have an attached TV spot video, that the logos are the same from the truck to the video, just making sure that whatever efforts you have going on in the local market, they are consistent so that you can remain memorable."

The Power of Brand Storytelling

Eddie says that good brand storytelling is about connecting with what customers really care about:

1. Focus on customer needs: For HVAC, customers care about their homes, families, finances, and time
2. Make the customer the hero: Tell stories that put the customer at the center
3. Offer solutions: Show how your business solves customer problems
4. Highlight your unique value: What makes your business different from others?

Smart Ways to Use Marketing Automation

Our guests also talked about how to use your customer database for better marketing:

1. Clean your data: Make sure your customer information is up-to-date
2. Use lookalike audiences: Find new customers similar to your current ones
3. Target specific areas: Focus on neighborhoods where you already have customers
4. Personalize your messaging: Use customer data to make your marketing more relevant

Michelle says, "You can take your current database, clean it, plug it into a system. We can now use a lookalike audience type tool where you're targeting people in the same neighborhood."

Creating an Effective Website

Eddie shares some key ingredients for a great website:

1. Make it fast: Customers won't wait for slow-loading pages
2. Use custom photos: Avoid stock images that everyone else uses
3. Make it easy to contact you: Keep your phone number and "Schedule Appointment" button visible
4. Write clearly: Use simple language that's easy to understand
5. Make it mobile-friendly: Most people browse on their phones

Improving Customer Experience

Eddie explains that customers want four main things:

1. Someone to answer the phone
2. A technician to show up on time
3. Fair pricing
4. Their problem solved

He suggests using technology to improve these areas:

1. Use AI for phone answering: This ensures calls are always answered
2. Send automated updates: Let customers know when technicians are on the way
3. Use tech to explain pricing: Show customers why you recommend certain solutions
4. Follow up after service: Make sure everything is working well

Wrapping Up

Marketing your field service business doesn't have to be complicated. 

By focusing on consistent branding, telling good stories, using your customer data wisely, having a great website, and providing excellent customer service, you can stand out in your market and grow your business.

Learn More

Want to learn more about how Mediagistic can help your business? Be sure to check out their website at www.mediagistic.com.

Related: Mastering Digital Marketing: Insights From One Thing Marketing

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Published on Oct 11, 2024 at 10AM

The post Stand Out from the Competition With Mediagistic appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, we cover:

• The importance of a professional online presence
• How to manage your online reputation effectively
• The power of customer reviews and how to get more of them
• Smart ways to use technology in your marketing efforts
• Tips for creating a strong marketing strategy on a budget

The Digital Storefront: Why Your Website Matters

Ben reminds us that in today's world, your website is your storefront because this is usually the first impression potential clients have of your business. 

Here are some key points to remember:

1. Make it professional: Your website should look clean and well-designed
2. Easy to use: Put important information like your phone number "above the fold" 
3. Showcase your services: Clearly list what you offer
4. Optimize for search: Make sure Google can find and understand your site

Managing Your Online Reputation

Your online reputation can make or break your business. 

Here's what Ben suggests:

1. Ask for reviews: When a customer is happy, don't be shy about asking them to leave a review
2. Respond to all reviews: Whether good or bad, always respond professionally
3. Don't get into online battles: If you get a negative review, address it calmly and offer to make things right
4. Get more positive reviews: If you do get a negative review, focus on getting more positive ones to balance it out

The Power of Customer Reviews

Reviews are super important in today's digital age. 

Here’s why:

1. They build trust: Good reviews make new customers more likely to choose you
2. They improve your search rankings: More reviews can help you show up higher in Google searches
3. They provide feedback: Reviews can help you understand what you're doing well and where you can improve

Ben suggests, "When you provide service to someone, first of all, ask them how their experience was. And if they respond in a positive way, ask them to leave a review."

Smart Ways to Use Technology in Marketing

While fancy new tech is always popping up, Ben recommends focusing on the basics:

1. Have a great website: This is your online home base
2. Use social media: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram can help, but they shouldn't be your only online presence
3. Consider email marketing: It's an effective way to stay in touch with customers
4. Use automation: Tools that send automatic text updates to customers can improve communication

Remember, technology should make your life easier and help you serve customers better.

Creating a Strong Marketing Strategy on a Budget

You don't need a huge budget to have effective marketing. Ben shares some tips:

1. Start with low-hanging fruit: Join local business groups or improve your uniforms
2. Focus on customer service: Great service leads to good reviews and word-of-mouth referrals
3. Be consistent: Keep working on your marketing efforts, even in your off-season
4. Invest wisely: Put your money into things that will bring in leads and sales

As Ben puts it, "You need to focus on reputation management and just be ready to think ahead to that marathon, that long-term investment."

Wrapping Up

Marketing your field service business doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. 

By focusing on the basics—a good website, strong online reputation, great customer service, and smart use of technology—you can attract more customers and grow your business.

Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Keep working at it, and you'll see results over time. As Ben says, "You need to be focusing on all those things together as best you can."

Learn More

Want to learn more about how One Thing Marketing can help your business? Be sure to check out their website. 

Related: Finding Your Company’s “Why” with Drew Larison 

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Mastering Digital Marketing: Insights from One Thing Marketing appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• The current state of the HVAC industry
• Emerging trends in green technology
• The impact of government regulations
• Strategies for workforce development
• The importance of local government involvement
• And so much more!

Kyle's Journey in HVAC Journalism

With a background in journalism and a career in local newspapers, Kyle joined ACHR News in 2004 as an associate editor. 

At that time, his HVAC knowledge was limited to knowing where his air conditioner and furnace were!

Fast forward 20 years, and Kyle is now the Editorial Director of ACHR News. 

His dedication and willingness to learn have made him an expert in this field.

The State of the HVAC Industry

Kyle says that while residential HVAC may feel like it's slowing down, it's actually just returning to pre-COVID levels. 

The pandemic created a surge in home improvement projects, which pulled future business forward. 

On the commercial side, there's been significant growth, with a 13% increase reported recently.

Emerging Trends in Green Technology

The push for greater energy efficiency is driving innovation in the HVAC industry in two key areas.

1. Heat Pumps: These are gaining traction due to government incentives and a focus on decarbonization.
2. Geothermal Systems: While not new, geothermal technology is seeing renewed interest thanks to energy efficiency awareness and government support.

Impact of Government Regulations

Kyle says that it is really important to stay informed about government regulations especially:

1. The refrigerant transition in 2025, moving from R410A to A2Ls
2. New overtime rules that will affect how contractors pay their employees

Strategies for Workforce Development

Addressing the ongoing workforce shortage in HVAC, Kyle talked about a few different strategies:

1. Market to prospective employees like you would to customers
2. Use social media, especially Instagram, to reach younger potential hires
3. Create an attractive work environment with perks like gym memberships or game rooms
4. Offer incentives for current employees to recruit new talent
5. Focus on recruiting veterans and women, two often overlooked groups in HVAC

The Importance of Local Government Involvement

Kyle stresses that local government can significantly impact day-to-day business operations. 

While it might be tougher to find information about local policies, engaging with local governments can be more beneficial. 

Local officials are more likely to care about the jobs you provide in the community.

Advice for HVAC Professionals

For those just starting in HVAC or looking to grow their business, Kyle offers this advice:

1. Join industry associations to network and stay informed
2. Invest in training for yourself and your employees
3. Stay up-to-date with technology and regulations
4. Consider expanding into indoor air quality services
5. Use education as a marketing tool to engage customers

Learn More About ACHR News

To stay informed about the latest HVAC industry trends, check out ACHRnews.com. You can find daily updates, podcasts, videos, and webinars covering all aspects of the HVAC industry.

Also, be sure to check out these links to items Kyle mentioned in the podcast:

• Field Services Academy
• ACCA
• Service Roundtable
  

Related: Navigating Climate Change in the HVAC Industry: Insights from Tim Fisher

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Service Industry News Updates With Kyle Gargaro appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• How to turn technicians into sales superstars
• The importance of company culture and leadership
• Using technology to grow your business
• The power of branding in home services
• And so much more!

Tommy's Story

Tommy's journey to success is a true American dream story. 

Born and raised in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Tommy learned the value of hard work at a young age. 

With divorced parents and a mom working three jobs, Tommy started mowing lawns and shoveling snow to earn money as a kid.

At age 12, he began washing dishes under the table at a local restaurant, and that hard work laid the foundation for his future success. 

Tommy moved to Phoenix at 16 and started a landscaping company. 

By 20, he was earning $30,000 a month from various hustles, including bartending and flipping cars.

Tommy eventually landed in the garage door industry by painting garage doors for a friend. 

He started his own business (A1 Garage Door), making every mistake in the book along the way, but eventually grew his company to $200+ million in revenue. 

Turning Technicians into Sales Superstars

Tommy believes that selling is a natural part of human interaction and that technicians don't need to become stereotypical "salespeople."

Tommy focuses on teaching his technicians to:

1. Smile and make eye contact
2. Say "thank you" and show appreciation
3. Listen actively to customer needs
4. Provide options and educate customers
5. Treat customers like family

He emphasizes that sales is about being a good human and helping customers make the best decisions for their homes.

The Power of Company Culture

Tommy has built a strong company culture based on transparency and meritocracy. 

He shares all company financials with employees and encourages healthy competition. 

Technicians can see each other's performance metrics, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

To motivate his team, Tommy uses a "dream manager" approach. 

The company helps employees discover their personal dreams and goals and then ties those aspirations to their work performance. 

Leveraging Technology for Growth

A1 Garage Door Service uses a variety of software to streamline operations and improve customer service. 

Some key tools include:

• Business intelligence software for data analysis
• AI-powered call analysis to improve customer interactions
• Advanced dispatch systems to optimize technician routes
• Social media management tools for marketing

The Importance of Branding

One of Tommy's game-changing moves was investing in proper branding. 

A strong, consistent brand across all touchpoints - from trucks to uniforms to marketing materials - has helped A1 Garage Door Service stand out in a crowded market.

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Tommy's advice for those looking to grow their service businesses to the next level is:

1. Invest in yourself and never stop learning
2. Surround yourself with successful people in your industry
3. Focus on building a great team and company culture
4. Use technology to streamline operations and improve customer service
5. Don't be afraid to take calculated risks

Learn More About Tommy Mello

Want to learn more about Tommy Mello and his approach to business? 

Be sure to check out his podcast, "Home Service Expert," and keep an eye out for his upcoming events and speaking engagements. 

Related: Mastering Social Media for Service Businesses

Originally published Sept 4, 2024 11:31 AM CT

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Turning Technicians into Sales Superstars: Lessons from Tommy Mello appeared first on Service Autopilot.

They cover:

• The importance of social media for service businesses
• How to create engaging content for your social platforms
• The role of AI in social media marketing
• Tips for getting started with social media marketing
• And so much more!

Why Social Media Matters for Service Businesses

One of the biggest challenges for service businesses today is standing out online, but this is still one of the easiest ways to connect with potential clients.

Paul explained that social media is where people's attention is focused nowadays. He said, "Every marketer is trying to get where the eyeballs are at and they're all in social."

Creating Engaging Content

When it comes to creating content for social media, the guests had some great advice:

1. Be authentic: Marlen talked about the importance of showing your personality and humanizing your brand.
2. Use video: Britany mentioned that video content, especially short-form video, has become super popular.
3. Tell your story: Paul suggested sharing behind-the-scenes content and explaining why you do what you do.

Wondering what kind of content you can create for your field services brand? 

Here are a few popular topics you can use:

• Answering client questions
• Entertaining content that surprises or delights your audience
• Educating your clients on my services/products are important

The Power of AI in Social Media Marketing

The group had an interesting discussion about how AI is changing social media marketing. 

Paul said that his company, Social Jazz, is exploring ways to use AI to help businesses create better content.

Britany shared that she uses AI tools like ChatGPT every day to help with content creation, writing captions for social media, and helping to spark new ideas. 

Even though AI is getting better every day, all of the guests agreed that AI isn't a replacement for human creativity. 

As Paul put it, "The AI is a great tool to help you get there quicker, but ultimately you're still the one driving it and telling it what you want."

Getting Started with Social Media Marketing

For businesses just starting out with social media marketing, the experts had some advice:

1. Start with the basics: Britany suggested focusing on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram to begin with.
2. Use scheduling tools: Paul talked about how Social Jazz helps businesses plan and schedule their social media posts.
3. Take lots of pictures: Paul also encouraged business owners to take more photos throughout their day for content.
4. Don't be afraid to be "cringy": Marlen said, "Everything is cringe until you're successful."

Responding to Comments and Reviews

The group also talked about how important it is to connect with your audience in the comments section. 

Marlen said, "The comment section is your stage. That's where people are looking to see how you present yourself, how you talk, your personality, your voice."

What about negative comments and reviews?

This is your chance to make things right and address these things head on–ultimately they can make a bigger positive impact than a bunch of light 5-star reviews.

Social Media as a Recruiting Tool

Did you know that social media can play a role in recruiting?

Marlen said that potential employees will usually check out a company's social media page to get a feel for the culture and how they treat their customers.

Pro Tip: Be sure to feature your team on your social media pages every now and then.

Tips for Social Media Success

To wrap up the episode, the experts offered some final tips for social media success:

1. Be consistent: Regular posting is key to building an audience.
2. Use trending audio: Britany suggested using popular songs or sounds in your video content.
3. Show your personality: Don't be afraid to let your brand's unique voice shine through.
4. Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and messages to build relationships.
5. Track your results: Use analytics to see what content is performing best and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Learn More

Want to learn more? Check out the websites for SocialJazz (or here for Fieldedge members) and Xplor.

Related: Mowing Down Inefficiency: Jason Thomas’s Tech Revolution at Don’s Lawns

The post Mastering Social Media for Service Businesses With Social Jazz, Marlen Weber, and Britany Cruz appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Brielle talks about:

• The importance of effective onboarding for new employees
• Developing a strong company culture
• Handling workplace conflicts and communication issues
• Budget-friendly ways to train and develop employees
• The role of technology in modern HR practices
• And so much more!

From Target to HR Director

Brielle Ware's journey into human resources began with a simple desire to work at Target when she was 13 years old. 

At 16, she got her first job at Target and worked and her boss recommended her for an HR assistant position at a new store opening. 

This experience led Brielle to change her concentration to human resources, and she's never looked back since.

Now, with nearly 15 years of experience in HR, Brielle serves as the Human Resources Director for Xplor Technologies, the parent company of FieldEdge and Service Autopilot.

Creating a Welcoming Environment for New Employees

Brielle talked about the importance of making new employees feel comfortable even before their first day. 

Here are a few tips she recommends:

1. Stay in touch with new hires between offer acceptance and start date
2. Provide clear information about what to expect on the first day and week
3. Make introductions to team members and stakeholders
4. Assigning a "culture champion" as a buddy for the new employee
5. Use an orientation program to help understand the big picture of the company

At Xplor Technologies, they have the "Explore Liftoff" program, which gives new team members a deep dive into the company's structure, divisions, and products within their first month.

Developing a Unique Company Culture

Brielle defines company culture as "the personality of an organization." 

To develop a strong culture, Brielle says it is really important to involve employees in creating company values. 

This can be done through roundtable sessions with employees from different areas of the business. 

The goal is to establish values that employees can identify with and live day-to-day, and there should be real-life examples that show this.

Handling Workplace Conflicts

Even the best companies can still face internal conflicts between employees.

Brielle recommends understanding that each person prefers to communicate differently. 

She focuses on facilitating introductions and connections between team members to improve understanding. 

When conflicts do happen, it's important to approach them with the assumption of good intentions and take time to understand the situation before reacting. 

Brielle also talked about building trust and maintaining confidentiality in tough situations like this. 

She also recommends using team-building activities to improve understanding and cooperation between team members.

Budget-Friendly Employee Training and Development

To help employees learn and grow without breaking the bank, Brielle recommends creating an interactive orientation program involving employees from different departments. 

She likes to offer job shadowing opportunities and utilize in-house experts for system and software training. 

Partnering junior employees with senior employees for mentorship can be really helpful too.

The Role of Technology in HR

Brielle also talked about several HR tech tools that can make a huge difference including payroll systems with integrated HR modules, employee survey tools for gathering feedback, and performance management software. 

She also mentioned benefits management systems, document libraries for employee files, and Learning Management Systems (LMS) for ongoing training. 

Lastly, Brielle says it is important to have an onboarding system (or bot) to provide new employees with reminders and information throughout their first few months.

The Most Inspiring Aspect of HR

For Brielle, the most rewarding part of working in HR is connecting with people from different backgrounds and unique personalities. 

She finds joy in seeing employees grow in their careers, even when they move on to other opportunities. 

Brielle believes that HR provides a unique opportunity to connect with every employee and help solve problems across different teams.

Want to learn more about Brielle’s work at Xplor? Just visit Xplor’s website to learn more.

Related: Mowing Down Inefficiency with Jason Thomas

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Modernizing HR Practices With Brielle Ware appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Jason talks about:

• Overcoming resistance to change in the workplace
• Using automation to improve client communication
• Innovative tools for gathering client reviews
• Growing revenue without increasing staff
• And so much more!

From Pest Control to Lawn Care

Jason Thomas wasn't always in the lawn care business. 

In 2016, he and his brother started Bug Bros Pest Control in Kansas and they expanded to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2018. 

Their big move came in May 2021 when they bought Don's Lawns in Oklahoma City.

A Business Stuck in the Past

When Jason took over Don's Lawns, it was stuck in the past, and the business was run like it was 20 years ago. 

The office was still using a desktop-only version of scheduling software, which had recently been upgraded to a cloud-based version. 

Grow Your Lawn Care Business... Faster 
(and with Less Stress)​

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Better scheduling

Manage your clients and employees all in one system

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On top of that, they weren't taking advantage of any mobile applications for fieldwork which meant that communication between the office and field technicians was slow and inefficient.

Paper forms were still being used for job reports, which led to delays in billing and client follow-ups. 

The lack of real-time data made it difficult to make quick decisions or respond promptly to client questions. 

Additionally, the manual processes required a lot of manpower, which limited the company's ability to grow without significantly increasing staff.

Jason realized that what had worked 20 years ago wasn’t working today, and it was even negatively impacting client satisfaction. 

It was clear that a major overhaul was needed to bring Don's Lawns up to speed with modern lawn care businesses.

Bringing Don's Lawns into the Modern Age

Jason saw a chance to make big changes with technology that could lead to more efficiency and happier clients

One of the first things Jason did was introduce new software, Service Autopilot, to help with scheduling, routing, and invoicing. 

The goal was to make everything run smoother and faster, but getting everyone on board wasn't easy. 

To win the team over, Jason showed them how the new tech would make their jobs easier in the long run. 

He explained that it might take a little more time now, but it would save a lot of time later. 

Embracing Innovative Tools

Jason didn't stop there, and he kept looking for new ways to use technology. 

One cool tool he found is called Applause which sends clients a text after their lawn is treated, asking them to rate the service. 

If they give a high rating, it asks them to leave a Google review. 

This has helped Don's Lawns get 3,000 five-star reviews in just three years!

The Applause tool also allows technicians to see their performance on a leaderboard, adding a fun competitive element to their work. 

Technicians can earn bonuses for five-star reviews, which are automatically added to their Applause account which has been a hit with the team.

Automating Client Communication

Another big win was using automation for client communication. 

Now, clients get automatic updates about their appointments and helpful tips about lawn care which keeps clients in the loop and makes them feel valued.

The #1 Way to Put Your Everyday Tasks on Autopilot

Start Software Tour

Jason implemented a system where technicians fill out a "lawn conditions" form after each visit. 

This form checks for things like weed percentage, grub damage, and soil compaction. 

If issues are detected, the system automatically sends the client an email with recommendations and creates a ticket for the office to follow up on potential upsell opportunities.

Reaping the Rewards of Technology

All these changes have paid off big time. 

Since Jason bought Don's Lawns, the company's revenue has grown by 50% without hiring any additional staff.

It was all about using the right software and tools to streamline their business and maximize efficiency.

Jason also mentioned that their accounts receivable have significantly improved thanks to automated collection efforts. 

This has made cash flow management much easier for the business.

Looking to the Future

But Jason isn't done yet, and he has big plans for the future. 

He's excited about using AI to help with sales and client service, and he even imagines a day when lawn care technicians might wear smart glasses to help them do their jobs better.

These smart glasses could allow technicians to easily consult with team leads or managers, showing them exactly what they're seeing in the field. 

Jason also envisions using this technology to record service visits, providing proof of service and a valuable training tool.

Jason's Advice for Others

For businesses looking to adopt new technologies, Jason says that one of the most important things is getting team buy-in. 

He suggests clearly communicating how the changes will benefit each team member personally. 

He also advises starting with a solid foundation which should include scheduling, routing, and invoicing software.

Learn More

Want to learn more about Jason and Don’s Lawns? Be sure to visit their website or give them a call at 405-336-3368.

Related: Increasing Sales and Efficiency in Outdoor Services With AI

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Mowing Down Inefficiency: Jason Thomas's Tech Revolution at Don's Lawns appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Tim talks about:

• Climate change
• Keeping your team safe during extreme weather
• How to adopt new HVAC technology
• And so much more!

Tim’s Background

Tim Fisher is the Market Intelligence Director at HARDI, the leading research and education trade association for the HVAC industry, and his journey into the industry was a "happy accident."

Previously, Tim worked for a trade association in Columbus, Ohio focused on economic development and infrastructure finance. 

With a background in economics, he was looking for an opportunity more in line with his expertise when he came across HARDI on LinkedIn.

Tim joined the HARDI team about five years ago, and has leveled up his HVAC knowledge since then. 

In his role as Market Intelligence Director, Tim oversees HARDI’s market data and research initiatives, helping to provide valuable insights to HVAC professionals and businesses.

Warmer Weather

Tim says that as the weather gets warmer, people will use their air conditioners more. 

This is good for HVAC companies because it means more work, but it also means the government might start looking more closely at the industry. 

They want to make sure the AC units are using energy in a smart way.

To help customers understand why they need a good AC, Tim thinks HVAC pros should talk about the weather getting hotter. 

They can show how this will make electric bills more expensive if the AC is old or not working well. Getting a better AC now, even if it costs more, could save money later.

Weather Safety For Techs

Tim also thinks it's important for HVAC businesses to make sure their workers are safe when it's super hot or cold outside. They can do things like:

• Have water and cooling towels in the work trucks
• Let workers take breaks in the shade or air conditioning
• Schedule jobs for times when it's not as hot if possible
• Have workers team up so they can take turns

Advances in HVAC Technology

Using technology is another big opportunity for HVAC companies. Tim talked about things like smart HVAC systems that are connected to the internet. 

In the future, these could help find problems before they happen as well as provide some diagnostic tools without having to come onsite.

HVAC Financing

As units get more high-tech and expensive, Tim says offering financing is very important. 

Monthly payment plans make expensive units seem more affordable, like how people buy cars. 

He also shared that some governments and utility companies offer discounts for energy-efficient units, and HVAC businesses can help customers find and use these discounts.

The Role of Industry Associations

Tim also talked about how important it is to be part of industry associations and events.

This includes attending trade shows and conferences, participating in peer groups, and staying up-to-date with the latest news and trends through newsletters and websites.

By leveraging the collective knowledge and experience of the industry, HVAC businesses can stay competitive and adapt to the changing landscape.

Looking to the Future

As the HVAC industry continues to evolve, it's important for businesses to stay proactive and embrace change. 

This means investing in the development of their teams, whether it's through technical training or leadership skills.

It also means being open to new technologies and business models. Because even though connected devices may seem foreign now, they also present opportunities for HVAC companies to stand out with great service and expertise.

Ultimately, the future belongs to those who are willing to learn, adapt, and innovate. By staying informed, leveraging data, and focusing on customer needs, HVAC businesses can thrive in the face of any challenge.

Learn More

Want to learn more about Tim and HARDI? Be sure to visit their website to see how this organization can help your business.

Related: Increasing Sales and Efficiency in Outdoor Services With AI

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Navigating Climate Change in the HVAC Industry: Insights from Tim Fisher appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Joel will teach you how to:

• Save time and get more quotes out 
• Leverage AI technology in your business
• Ensure accurate pricing
• And so much more!

About Joel

Joel Northrup, the founder of Deep Lawn, knows the lawn care industry inside and out. 

He’s been in the lawn care industry for over 15 years and got his start in his teens mowing lawns with his brother.

While this started out as an easy way to earn some extra cash for college, it quickly turned into a real business that they ran for nearly a decade.

Identifying Challenges in the Lawn Care Industry

As Joel gained experience in the industry, he noticed several challenges that lawn care companies faced. 

One of the biggest issues was the time-consuming process of providing quotes to potential clients. 

"The old quoting process was very time-consuming. A salesperson would have to drive to the property, measure the lawn with a measuring wheel, and then provide a quote. It could take days or even weeks to get a price to the customer."

We all know that time is really important for closing a sale, and that’s when Joel knew that something had to change. 

He wanted to leverage technology to solve these problems and help lawn care businesses become more efficient and profitable.

The Birth of Deep Lawn: Harnessing AI and Geospatial Data

In 2021, Joel launched Deep Lawn, a cutting-edge platform for lawn care and outdoor service companies to provide instant quotes to prospects directly on their websites. 

By using the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and geospatial data, Deep Lawn can accurately measure lawns and properties using satellite imagery.

"With Deep Lawn, you can just search an address and the AI automatically measures the property and generates a price quote in just minutes. No more driving to the property or manually measuring the lawn."

Beyond Quotes: Deep Lawn's Advanced Features

But Deep Lawn offers more than just quick and accurate quotes. 

The platform also provides tools to help businesses make smarter pricing decisions and target the right clients. 

With "geo-pricing," companies can set different prices based on the location of the property which accounts for things like drive time. 

Since its launch, Deep Lawn has helped hundreds of lawn care companies increase their close rates and boost sales. 

The Future of Continuous Innovation

Looking to the future, Joel and his team are enhancing the platform with even faster AI, more customization options, and seamless integration with Service Autopilot. 

Grow Your Lawn Care Business... Faster 
(and with Less Stress)​

Instant invoicing

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Manage your clients and employees all in one system

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Joel's mission is to keep innovating and providing the tools that empower lawn and outdoor service businesses to thrive in the digital age.

As the lawn care industry continues to evolve, entrepreneurs like Joel Northrup and innovative platforms like Deep Lawn are leading the way. 

By embracing technology and data-driven solutions, lawn care companies can streamline their operations, provide better service to their customers, and ultimately grow their businesses. 

Learn More

Want to learn more about Joel and Deep Lawn? Be sure to visit their website to see how you can use this cutting-edge technology

Related: Building a Better Business with Jason Brassfield

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Increasing Sales and Efficiency in Outdoor Services with AI appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Libby will teach you how to:

• Lead through uncertainty with honesty and consistency
• Create morning routines to provide stability
• Empower teams with technology
• Make data-driven decisions
• And so much more!

About Libby

Libby DeLucian is a serial business owner based in Fort Myers, Florida. Libby has launched several successful businesses in the home service industry, including professional organizing, cleaning, and building epic recruiting services. 

Leading Through Uncertain Times

When leading a team through uncertain times, Libby says it is important to be open and honest. "If you don't know the answers, it's okay to say 'I don't know the answers.'"

That said, Libby recommends being consistent and stable during those challenging periods.

For her, that means having a morning routine that includes exercise, time with her husband, yoga or meditation, learning, and reviewing company numbers. 

Empowering Your Team Through Technology

Libby is a big believer in using technology to empower her team and scale her businesses. 

She documents processes and creates "micro playbooks" that walk team members through different scenarios, from handling customer complaints to preparing for a hurricane.

However, Libby cautions against relying too heavily on automation at the expense of the human touch, "Automation has a place, and we need to make sure we're automating the right thing." Instead of automating customer communication, Libby automates reminders for her customer success manager to reach out personally.

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Self-Doubt

Like many entrepreneurs, Libby has struggled with imposter syndrome and self-doubt. 

"We struggle a lot with self-confidence," she says of female business owners. "It's how girls, and women, are raised."

To combat these feelings, Libby goes back to the strength of her morning routine and a supportive group of peers. 

She also says that ultimately comes down to authenticity. "Authenticity is the new currency. Be yourself. Don't try to be something you're not."

Balancing Empathy and Logic as a Leader

As a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry, Libby has learned to leverage her emotional intelligence while also making data-driven decisions. 

She recognizes that empathy is so important for creating connections and building strong teams.

At the same time, Libby stresses the need to separate emotions from decision-making and the ability to use data. 

"Emotions are great for helping create connection but when it comes to making a decision, we want to use more data." 

Tracking Metrics and Making Data-Driven Decisions

To make informed decisions as a leader, Libby relies heavily on data and metrics on things like customer churn rates, employee turnover, and marketing spend to help her get a solid understanding of the health of her business. 

Lessons Learned from Overcoming Adversity

Libby's journey to success hasn't been easy. She's overcome abusive relationships, divorce, and starting over from scratch. 

That said, she sees these experiences as a source of strength, not weakness.

"We can go through bad things, but it doesn't define who we are," Libby says. 

"It's okay. It doesn't matter what happened to you in your past because it doesn't define you. It actually is one of those things that can actually benefit you because it's how I'm so strong when it comes to difficult moments or difficult decisions."

The Power of Saying No and Staying Focused

As her businesses have grown, Libby has learned the importance of saying no and staying focused on her goals. 

She uses tools like time blocking and the "Perfect Week" framework to ensure she's making the most of her time and energy.

Libby also says it is key to invest in your own team before saying yes to outside commitments. 

"I was saying yes to everybody. I was helping other entrepreneurs. I was helping friends. I was helping other parents. But you know who I wasn't saying yes to? I wasn't saying yes to my own employees."

Learn More

Want to learn more about Libby and her business? Be sure to visit her website to find lots more information about her and her coaching business.

Related:  Secrets to Building a Multimillion-Dollar Cleaning Empire with Debbie Sardone

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Empowering Your Team Through Technology and Empathy: Lessons from Libby DeLucian appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Drew shows you how to:

• Discover your company’s why
• Build core values that matter
• Provide true value through marketing
• And so much more!

About Drew Larison

Drew Larison has been in the marketing agency space for close to 15 years. He got his start working at an agency in his early 20s, where he learned the ropes of the business. 

After three years there, Drew decided to venture out on his own and founded Larison Media in June 2014.

In the beginning, Larison Media helped anyone and everyone but as they grew, they found their niche in serving home service businesses. 

Drew has a passion for helping home service professionals increase their impact in their local communities and beyond. 

He believes small businesses are the ones truly making a difference in people's lives.

The Power of Finding Your "Why"

Drew believes that finding your company's "why" is incredibly powerful, and it becomes your North Star to guide every decision. 

Larison Media went through a "why discovery" process a few years ago to really understand the deeper purpose behind what they do. 

They realized their why is "to partner with small businesses in hopes to increase their impact internally, locally and beyond, so that together we can change the world." 

This drives everything they do - it's written on their walls and comes out of their mouths daily.

Discovering your why makes decision-making so much easier, from hiring to investing in the company. 

If something aligns with the why, you do it. If not, you don't. It's that simple. 

Drew encourages all businesses to go through the process of uncovering their deeper purpose. 

While a nice logo and branding are important, it's the substance behind it - the why - that really matters and motivates both employees and customers.

Your Core Values Matter

At Larison Media, one of their core values is the word "better" because they want better for themselves, their team, and their clients. 

Another core value is "ownership" - they own up to successes and failures with a desire to celebrate or repair. 

Drew says he cares more about how employees respond when they make a mistake than the mistake itself.

Having clear, meaningful core values provides a framework for company culture and operations and helps his team do their best work. 

Grow Your Lawn Care Business... Faster 
(and with Less Stress)​

Instant invoicing

Better scheduling

Manage your clients and employees all in one system

Start Software Tour

Providing True Value Through Marketing

Drew makes a key distinction between advertising (the short game), marketing (the long game), and branding. 

Marketing is any action or idea that increases your brand's positive perception. Effective marketing provides value and makes people think higher of your company. 

It could be how your employees interact with clients, the content you create, or the overall experience you deliver. The goal is to make the customer the hero, not just promote your services. 

People don't buy what you do, but why you do it.

The most impactful marketing solves problems, answers questions, and meets needs. It's not about you, but about them. 

How can you help make their lives better or easier? Share content that educates, informs, and provides tools and resources. 

Lastly, be generous. Building trust and authority through genuinely valuable marketing pays off long-term loyalty and referrals.

Have Fun and Humanize Your Brand

On social media, Drew says to stop posting like it's a billboard. 

Entertain, educate, and provide value instead. 

Document the behind-the-scenes of your business in an authentic way that connects with your audience. 

Your website shouldn't just exist - make it an active tool to gain more business through helpful content. 

Most importantly, have fun! This is your chance to humanize your company's brand.

People want to do business with people, not faceless corporations and Drew says the best way to do that is by:

• Sharing employee stories
• Showcasing your company culture and values
• Build real relationships

On AI

While new technologies like AI continue improving, Drew says they will replace tasks, not people.

AI can increase efficiency so humans have more time for what only we can do best - make real connections. 

Marketing still requires creativity, empathy, humor, and heart. 

Focus on the human side of your brand to make the biggest impact.

Learn More

Want to learn more about Drew and Larison Media? Be sure to visit his website to find out more.

Related: Unlocking Growth: Jack Nagy Shares His Field Service Marketing Secrets

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Finding Your Company's “Why” With Drew Larison appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Dawn and Jenny share their valuable insights and proven strategies that will help you:

• Leverage service management software for growth
• Train your team for success
• Discover why trusted partners matter
• And so much more!

Backgrounds

Jenny has spent the last 16 years working in HVAC, but loves working with a variety of different home services industries.

She has seen firsthand how important the right software is for service industries, and how using that software can make a huge difference.

Dawn has a unique background working in several different industries before coming into the HVAC world about 10 years ago. 

She loves helping industries streamline operations and use software more effectively.

The Importance of a Solid Foundation

When using a service management software, Jenny and Dawn both talked about how important it was to have a solid foundation. 

As Jenny said, "It's not just getting the data over and getting live, but thinking through your workflows. What needs to change in order to maximize the software?"

Dawn expanded further and talked about how lots of contractors rush through the implementation process and don’t get much past the basics of the software.

Grow Your Lawn Care Business... Faster 
(and with Less Stress)​

Instant invoicing

Better scheduling

Manage your clients and employees all in one system

Start Software Tour

Ongoing Management and Training

In order to maximize service software you have to have a deep understanding of training and management. 

Jenny talked about how beyond the foundation you have to have a process in place for documentation, training plans, and ways to overcome additional challenges as the company scales.

When you have that all in place it makes it easier to hire new people, serve more clients, and grow the business even faster.

The Role of a Trusted Partner

Jenny and Dawn both talked about how busy service business owners are and how a trusted partner can be a game changer when it comes to software.

That partner can serve as a "fiduciary" for the business, understanding the unique needs and challenges, and providing tailored solutions to maximize the software's capabilities.

As Dawn mentioned, "We do have a phrase here at Powerhouse that I kind of coined, and that's 'ask me how I know.' And that's because we've been there. We do understand, we understand how hard it is, but also we can help get them over that hurdle."

Embracing Emerging Technologies

Beyond the software itself, the Powerhouse team also talked about the importance of leveraging technology to enhance communication, collaboration, and efficiency. 

And even though AI is a huge buzzword right now, it is important for service businesses to brace these new technology trends.

As Jenny said, "Embracing technology, embracing automation and embracing AI, even though it's really scary, at least it is to me, it's a beautiful thing in the industry."

Ultimately, technology is really about helping businesses get more done and leverage their true capabilities.

The Benefits of Optimization

By optimizing service management software and embracing the power of technology, service businesses can unlock new levels of growth, profitability, and work-life balance for their teams.

The Powerhouse team said that the best way to do this is by taking a strategic, holistic approach that puts the unique needs of the business front and center.

From there, it is so much easier to make a plan that will help businesses achieve their goals for revenue, growth, and other important key performance indicators (KPIs).

Improving Communication and Collaboration

One area where technology can have a significant impact is in boosting communication and collaboration within the service business. 

Jenny and Dawn emphasized the value of leveraging features like two-way texting, instant messaging, and shared access to job information.

By improving communication, service businesses can ensure that critical information is shared across the organization, from the office to the field. 

This can lead to better coordination, faster response times, and more satisfied customers.

Maximizing the Ecosystem

In addition to optimizing the core service management software, the Powerhouse team talked about the importance of understanding and leveraging third-party integrations. 

As Jenny said, "If there is not a native ability to do something within the software, where do we go next? Chances are there's a third-party technology partner ready to solve that problem."

By exploring the full range of software and integration options, service businesses can tailor their technology stack to address their unique needs and challenges. 

Ultimately this helps maximize efficiency, improve data visibility, and a more streamlined operation.

The Power of Data-Driven Insights

Finally, the Powerhouse team talked about the massive potential of data-driven insights that come with using the right service management software. 

Jenny and Dawn talked about the importance of establishing proper data management practices and workflows to ensure that the data flowing into the software is accurate and reliable. 

When you do that you can unlock valuable insights that inform strategic decision-making and drive continuous improvement.

Learn More

Want to learn more about Powerhouse Consulting Group? Be sure to visit their website to find lots more information about her and her coaching business.

Related: Unlocking Growth: Jack Nagy Shares His Field Service Marketing Secrets

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Empowering Service Businesses Through Innovative Software Strategies appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Debbie shares her valuable insights and proven strategies that will help you:

• Build a thriving corporate culture
• Accurately price services for profit
• Find and keep the best employees
• And so much more!

From Solopreneur to Founder of Systems

In the early days, Debbie was a one-woman show cleaning houses. She started a cleaning company out of the trunk of her car and grew it from there.

As she grew she faced a challenge that many service businesses still struggle with, hiring employees to keep up with demand. 

In the early days, she saw that some of the people she hired didn’t share her work ethic and business philosophy. 

Debbie said that they would call in sick, quit when they had a bad day, or cut corners.

But from this experience, Debbie was on a mission to systematize her operations and even hired some consultants to help her turn her business around.

In fact, after she did that she grew her business substantially in a very short amount of time.

The Importance of Company Culture

A key part of Debbie's systems-building was establishing a strong company culture. She said "Culture is not cupcakes and parties. It's how people treat each other."

To create the right culture, Debbie didn’t tolerate "C players" (i.e. toxic employees who undermine the team). 

Debbie said "A players won't stay if they see you tolerating C players... It's contagious. C players rub off on everybody. If you want an amazing culture, you have to get rid of the C players."

On that note, one of the biggest challenges companies face is finding and keeping quality employees.

Her solution? She said, "Pay better. Pay is the #1 place to look if you want to attract A players. Don't try to attract A players with C player pay."

Charge for Value, Not Bargain Pricing

Debbie says that it is important that service businesses charge enough for their services.

If you're worth it, don’t be afraid to charge more!

That said, competing on price isn’t the best strategy. Instead, focus on attracting customers based on value. 

Debbie says "The right clients aren't affected by a recession...wealthy people aren't selling their Lexus when there's an economic downturn."

The Power of Recurring Revenue

A major driver of Debbie's success has been the focus on recurring revenue streams versus one-off jobs. 

By implementing systems, building a strong culture, paying competitively, charging for value, and prioritizing recurring revenues, Debbie was able to build a self-running multimillion-dollar business. 

Marketing: The Lifeblood of Growth

While building solid operations and a strong team is crucial, Debbie says that effective marketing is the lifeblood for continual growth. 

Simply put, she says, "If you don't have an automated, systemized way to constantly bring in new business, cold leads, you're never going to grow. You'll never reach your potential."

She recommends spending 5-10% of revenues on marketing, to keep growing. 

But after you get leads from marketing you need to make sure that you nurture those leads into a sale.

The #1 Way to Put Your Everyday Tasks on Autopilot

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Pivoting in Changing Times

When asked about the future of the cleaning industry Debbie pointed out that there isn’t an AI that will clean toilets and pull weeds.

Compared to a lot of other industries, the service industries aren’t experiencing the same level of disruption with technology.

That said, being able to pivot when challenges come up is huge.

By focusing on recurring revenues from clients who deeply value their services, Debbie's company was able to thrive even during the pandemic.

Learn More

Want to learn more about Debbie Sardone? Be sure to visit her website to find lots more information about her and her coaching business.

Related: Unlocking Growth: Jack Nagy Shares His Field Service Marketing Secrets

The post Secrets to Building a Multimillion-Dollar Cleaning Empire With Debbie Sardone appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Learn how Julie's leadership philosophy is grounded in authenticity, purpose, and empowering others. Explore the practical tips and strategies that can help you prioritize the client experience in your own business to:

• Better serve your clients in the coaching and implementation realm
• Strive for hurtful truths over comforting lies to improve
• Learn about training strategies for home service companies

Julie’s Leadership Roots

Leadership is a fascinating and ever-evolving topic, with many different philosophies and approaches. What does it truly mean to lead with purpose and impact others? 

Julie Vena is a thought leader in this space, with two decades of management experience in multiple service industries. Her interview on the Profit Roadmap podcast provided inspiring insights into her leadership journey and philosophy.

Leadership Philosophy

At the core of Julie's leadership philosophy is the desire to serve and leave people better than when she found them. 

She believes that even small gestures, such as smiling at someone in the hallway, can make a big impact. To Julie, leadership is not about the title or position, but rather, about the behavior and actions that inspire others.

Authenticity 

One of the key themes in Julie's interview was the importance of authenticity in leadership. She shared how her work focuses on helping business owners find their own unique voice and style. 

For Julie, being authentic means leading with vulnerability and being willing to make mistakes. She believes that leaders who are not afraid to show their humanity and connect with others on a personal level are the ones who truly inspire.

Knowing The “Why”

Another fundamental aspect of Julie's philosophy is empowering others. She shared how she helps clients identify their employees' "why" and how this knowledge can be leveraged to motivate and retain them. 

Julie also emphasized the importance of leaders knowing their own "why" and communicating it to their team. When employees feel supported and invested in, they perform better and make customers happier, resulting in a more holistic approach to service.

Perfecting The Client Experience

Julie believes the client experience is paramount. Julie's various roles have worked to protect and serve the client experience, a job she’s passionate about. She focuses on coaching and implementation, with a focus on helping clients grow their businesses and improve their leadership skills. 

Training Programs

Julie likes to develop dynamic and intuitive training programs that really focus on all of the positions in a home service company, whether that be CSR, dispatch, leadership, operations and marketing. “It's an incredible curriculum,” Julie said. 

Related: Building a Better Business with Jason Brassfield

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post How to Serve and Impact Others: The Leadership Philosophy of Julie Vena appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Jack shares his valuable insights and proven strategies that will help you:

• Leverage marketing to grow sales
• Improve your SEO and website
• Boost close rates on sales
• And so much more!

Jack's Field Service Roots

Jack brings a unique insider perspective that comes from his decades of experience in the HVAC and plumbing industries. 

He grew up in the family business, working at all three levels - contractor, distributor, and manufacturer.

His background gave him an inside look at the challenges faced by field service companies. 

Jack has taken that experience and created MTA360, his marketing agency, over 20 years ago.

The Foundation for Success

Before you try and massively scale your company, Jack says that you have to have a solid foundation in place. 

Even though every business is a little bit different your foundation should include:

• An optimized website
• Strong SEO and content strategy 
• A review generation process
• Email/ticket integration 
• Chat functionality

Jack says, "It's like building a house - you need to pour that slab and frame it up before worrying about the roof." 

Getting this digital foundation in place allows you to effectively promote your business online.

Generating Leads that Convert

Over the past 20 years, Jack has learned about business and marketing.

And he says that businesses really want one thing from marketing - leads that turn into sales. 

Before you can improve that process you need to take a step back and look at the entire lead conversion process. 

Here are a few things to consider when doing that in your business:

• Monitoring phone calls with AI technology to identify missed opportunities
• Training customer service staff on effective communication 
• Having a strong in-home sales process focused on customer benefits, not product features

Jack's team uses tactics like recording/scoring calls and having staff do role-playing to continuously improve lead handling and closing rates.

Budget Sizes

Field services businesses have marketing budgets of all sizes.

And if you have a small budget, it doesn’t mean that it will keep you from being competitive.

The key is developing the right strategy based on your budget and goals, rather than trying to do too much too soon.

So be sure your “foundation” is in a good place first before rushing into splashy advertising tactics like billboards or radio. 

Also, Jack recommends taking on a tight geographic radius that aligns with your current website authority and budget numbers. 

So instead of trying to take over all of Florida, start by dominating Tampa first.

Jack is big on reminding service businesses to understand where they are at now from a marketing perspective. 

Extending too soon can be disastrous and Jack says, "You have to know point A before you can effectively get to point B."

The Power of Backlinks 

One area Jack is extremely knowledgeable about is backlinking strategies for improving search rankings. 

He explains that backlinks from other websites represent 30%+ of Google's ranking factors because they signal popularity and trustworthiness. 

Investing in a strategic backlinking program has been huge for many of MTA360's clients to dominate their local markets through SEO.

But ultimately, it really is about creating quality content.

This is what Google is looking for and Jack says that it should be written by a human.

He still uses AI at his company and has a full-time person dedicated to testing and model building.

AI is important and will continue to play an important role in business, but right now, quality content is still best created by humans.

Lessons for Today's Economic Climate

With inflation, supply chain issues, and economic uncertainty impacting many service businesses right now, Jack says that it is important to evolve the sales processes.

A big reason behind this is to meet changing customer mindsets and budgets.

Instead of leading with product features, Jack recommends visualizing benefits through storytelling.

He recommends staff roleplay with co-workers to improve presentation and sales skills.

Ultimately, brand visibility and lead generation are even more important when market conditions get tight. 

Learn More

Want to learn more about Jack Nagy and MTA360? Be sure to visit their website or give them a call at 602-767-5111.

Related: The Tradesperson's Guide to Success: Secrets from Industry Expert Roger Wakefield

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Unlocking Growth: Jack Nagy Shares His Field Service Marketing Secrets appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• Create a plan for success
• The difference between training and coaching your team
• The secret to massive growth
• How to achieve work/life balance
• And so much more!

Starting Out

Jason Brassfield got started in his teen years mowing lawns and kept at it after he got his college degree.

For years, it was just Jason and a truck. Those early days were a bit of a grind where Jason was trying to make money.

But after a while, he started to develop some back issues and was looking for a contingency plan.

He knew that he wasn’t getting any younger and he was looking for a way that he could scale his business, and that’s when he attended one of the early Service Autopilot conferences (which is now called Service Edge).

Shortly after that, he joined Field Services Academy which helped him connect with other service businesses who were also committed to growing.

He loved the accountability he found in Academy and it made him a better person.

He knew that if he told his accountability partners that he was going to follow through with something, he would actually do it.

And by doing that, making plans to achieve his goals, and taking action he was able to level up his company.

But on top of all that, he knew that he wasn’t alone as a service business owner and that was very meaningful to him.

Working With the Team

One of the things Jason is committed to is creating a vision for the coming year in his business.

This is something he writes down, creates a plan for, and communicates with his team.

He likes to have these goals up and look at them every day so that he stays accountable.

Jason also works with his team to make sure that they have the coaching they need to grow with the business.

There is a difference between coaching and training and Jason says that coaching goes a lot further than sharing information.

It is about the follow-through, and Jason sees coaching as something that is done continuously. 

Ultimately it is about aligning the team and having them take the unified actions that will advance the company forward.

The Right Software for the Job

Shortly after Jason attended that conference, he started using Service Autopilot.

Even in those early days, Jason attributes his rapid growth to using the right software in his business.

Even with just a few employees, Service Autopilot allowed Brassfield Landscaping to operate more efficiently and take on more clients. 

Work/Life Balance

Jason recommends finding some balance between work and life.

As a Biggest Badass Winner, Jason took his winning and was able to visit several countries and take a vacation.

This allowed him to get away from the business and see how things operated when he wasn’t there.

He actually learned this from Academy and made sure to leave a checklist behind for both his office and field staff.

The checklist shows the team members and the business owner a chance to see where the bottlenecks are and provides direction where improvements can be made.

Learn More

Want to learn more about Jason and Brassfield Landscaping? Be sure to visit their website or give them a call at 405-550-2070.

Related: The Tradesperson's Guide to Success: Secrets from Industry Expert Roger Wakefield

See how Greg Wallace improved his operations

Hear Jason Brassfield experience using Service Autopilot

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Building a Better Business with Jason Brassfield appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• Tips for growing service businesses
• Why the trades are so important
• Getting the courage to create content
• How to sell a service business
• And so much more!

Roger’s Story

Roger is a humble guy who will tell you that he has been a plumber since 1980. He fell in love with plumbing in high school and quickly realized this was the field for him.

He quickly realized that although there was a state licensing program for plumbers, there wasn’t a lot of formal training on the other parts of the business like customer service and how to use social media.

Roger attended a conference about 5 years ago and learned how much YouTube plays a role in marketing. He took a ton of notes and started making videos.

Roger spent years building his company and was proud of the work his team was doing and their reputation. His efforts were so effective that he was able to sell his company and focus on social media. 

Additionally, because Roger has worked in many aspects of the trades and construction, he shares a wealth of knowledge and experience on YouTube and social media.

Advice for Selling

The service industries have changed quite a bit over the years, and a lot of business owners are curious about potentially selling their companies.

Roger says that one of the best things you can do is become a great businessperson. Part of that comes from being able to know your numbers and having the right resources before you consider selling.

Mindset is also key here, and when Roger coaches business owners, he tells them that they should build a company that they wouldn’t want to sell.

It seems like a bit of a catch-22, but what Roger is saying is that when you build a great company, that’s when people want to buy it and will pay a premium to get it.

Simply put, that comes from making your company valuable and generating lots of revenue. That said, you should be at a place where you are enjoying the work and don’t feel totally burned out.

Building Your Brand on Social Media

Roger recommends that every service business that is serving residential customers should be using social media.

Yet, that can feel intimidating for lots of service pros, especially if they are concerned about creating amazing content.

Roger tells people to go back and look at the first videos he made. He had some learning to do, and had to figure a few things out.

He leaves these videos up to show people how he started, and to prove to them that if he could do it, so can they.

So turn your camera on, start making content, and share it with the world! And like most things that may be new, be patient, as it will take some time to hit your stride.

Advocating for Trades

Roger learned early on that being a teacher can be a great thing, and helped train apprentices throughout his plumping career in union training programs.

He knew that most of them came from a background with a lot of pressure about going to a traditional college and getting a degree.

He helped show apprentices that they could have a great career that was also very rewarding financially. 

Ultimately, people who work in field services and the trades, should work on continuing to improve their skills, learn more about the industry, and level up their communication strategies too.

After a meeting with Michael Gerber, the best-selling author of the E-Myth, Roger learned that lots of schooling is focused on teaching people how to be doctors, lawyers, and other jobs, but very little about building a business.

He also recognized this was equally true of the trades, and it takes conscious effort to keep learning and growing after you’ve got your license or opened your business.

Roger is a big advocate for the next generation joining the trades. There are a lot of job openings in all field service industries and this is a great career path that doesn’t require a college degree.

Interviewing in Field Service

Roger has some great advice for anyone interviewing for a position in field services.

He recommends that you look good with starched jeans, work boots, a tucked-in shirt, and that you smell good.

You want to create an image of yourself that is professional, friendly, and shows that you are the right person for the job.

He also says to leave your cell phone in the car so you can be fully focused and present.

Most interviews have a chance where candidates get to ask questions and Roger recommends that they say something like:

“What needs are you trying to fill right now? And by the answers I've given you today, do you think that I could fulfill that position?”

He says that this lets them know you are serious and interested and you can add follow-up questions about the growth and training opportunities that could be provided to you.

This shows companies that you are ready and willing to learn.

Learn More About Roger Wakefield

Want to learn more about Roger Wakefield? Be sure to visit his website and keep an eye out for his upcoming app!

Related: Field Service Marketing Trends for SEO with Tony Ricketts of Lawnline Marketing

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post The Tradesperson's Guide to Success: Secrets from Industry Expert Roger Wakefield appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• Latest marketing trends
• Steps to consider before ramping up growth
• The importance of data analysis
• The role of AI in marketing
• And so much more!

What is Lawnline Marketing?

If you haven’t heard of them before, Lawnline Marketing is a unique marketing company that helps companies in the lawn and landscaping industries.

They also offer complete marketing services instead of just piecemealing things out. They take a holistic approach to marketing including websites, SEO, paid ads, and even social media management.

Why the lawn and landscaping industry?

Tony admitted that the lawn and landscaping industry isn’t known for being sexy, but this was a booming industry that he was familiar with.

When he was in college, he was on a landscape crew and did a lot of softscape installations and landscape management.

Tony was looking for an edge, and his knowledge plus a desire to help the companies he worked with see quick results led him to choose lawn and landscaping.

One of the unique things about this industry is that the cycle from lead to client is pretty short–you can run a few paid ads and then get a customer quickly. 

Tony also liked that there wasn’t a lot of competition in this space, as there weren’t very many marketing companies solely focused on green industries when he got started.

But the biggest factor for Tony was that he realized trying to scale a marketing agency that worked with all types of business was really tough, and by putting his focus on lawn and landscaping he could really grow his own company.

Trends in Marketing

The trends in marketing are always changing, but there are a few important things Tony says you should focus on this year.

Analyze Your Channels

Looking at your data and analyzing your numbers is key to finding the best channels for you.

For example, Tony noticed that the cost of Google ads had gone up significantly over the past year.

It was still a good platform for ads, but the smart move was to shift marketing dollars to other platforms.

Some of the latest platforms he’s noticed are TikTok and Nextdoor, and he has done quite a bit of testing on both.

He’s looking to see what is working on these platforms to boost conversions and then make that a repeatable process.

Hone in on Targeting

That said, even though platforms like TikTok are newer, they don’t quite have the audience targeting dialed in like Facebook or Instagram do.

Check out different targeting options in ad platforms for different channels (like Google, Facebook, etc) to find your ideal audience.

He says that there is a lot of information that can be found in how effective your strategies are, and for a lot of lawn care and landscaping companies this can be tough… especially since it takes so much time!

This is a unique skill set, and many companies don’t have someone in-house to take care of that, which is why he recommends working with a professional company.

Growing Your Company

The types of companies that Lawnline works with are looking to grow. 

That means they have money to invest in marketing, and they are able to take on new clients.

Tony says that the majority of businesses that work with Lawnline are getting 200+ leads per month, and if you’re not a place to take on lots of new business, it can be difficult.

That means having the right team, software, and processes in place to serve more of your community.

Tony talks about how he recommends Service Autopilot to his green industry customers as it is easy to keep track of your clients and leads and make sure that data is going to the right places.

For example, imagine someone fills out a quote form on the website. If they use an SA form, that data doesn’t have to be reentered and it is associated with the client’s account in SA to easily take the next steps.

Field Service Marketing and AI

As we like to do on the Profit Roadmap, we asked Tony his thoughts on AI.

He said that AI is a misunderstood technology that does have some major limitations.

Tony compared AI to a tractor used by farms–it didn’t replace farmers, but it did make them a whole lot more efficient.

Simply put, AI is a tool, and Lawnline has even developed some of their own technology to help with content creation.

That said, they still use human editors to go through AI-generated content and make sure that it is correct and is in the correct voice. 

Learn More About Lawnlline

Want to learn more about Lawnline Marketing? Be sure to visit their website or give them a call at 813-733-5376.

Related: Boosting Employee & Customer Satisfaction with Applause HQ

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Field Service Marketing Trends for SEO with Tony Ricketts of Lawnline Marketing appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• Solving complex problems
• How to overcome unforeseen challenges
• Simple ways to scale your business
• One simple trick to deliver a better customer service experience
• And so much more!

Nikki’s Origin Story

Nikki is a mom of four kids who helped her husband (John DeCausemaker) open Little Johns Lawns back in 2012. The company grew quickly, and Nikki felt like she wanted to pursue other career avenues.

They hired a local answering service to help them scale their lawn care. She quickly realized that adding this additional service was great to help them grow and could be used for more than just answering calls.

They quickly realized that using this same method they were able to take this model and apply it to help other businesses grow.

And from those early days of scaling up their team, CallBoss was born. Like many new companies, those initial days are proving grounds, and eventually, they reach a tipping point.

Nikki had to make a decision to eventually put more of her time and effort into taking CallBoss from a side project to a new opportunity. That was in 2019, and even though they had plans to take the traditional office path, they pivoted after the pandemic and were able to move forward with remote work.

Early Challenges

When they first started out, it was difficult to forecast all the potential challenges they would face.

There was no IT department when they kicked things off which meant that Nikki had to learn how to get people set up on a variety of different technology platforms. This required a flexible mindset and learning a lot of things on the fly.

Like most challenges in life, they learned to adapt, grow, and move forward.

Smile Through the Calls

CallBoss has a motto that they live by: “Smile through all the calls.” 

Even though you can’t see the face on the other side of the phone, being able to smile provides a warmth that can be felt and it creates a better overall experience.

This is a HUGE tip that all service businesses should add to their phone trainings.

With that, it is important to know how to deal with angry clients and when to ask for reviews from some of your best clients.

The CallBoss team knows that the businesses they serve, and the clients affiliated with those businesses, deserve the best experience and they aim for that every step of the way. It starts with a smile and they deliver amazing service at every touchpoint. 

Day to Day With CallBoss

For lots of entrepreneurs and business owners, they are stuck wearing several hats so to speak. 

A customer service and answering team like CallBoss can take away some of those responsibilities and free up some time by answering the phones for entrepreneurs.

Simply put, they provide that first line of defense on the phones and always answer with a smile. From there they can do things like answer questions, provide estimates, and help close sales.

They can also help “de-escalate” some of the clients who are tougher and come with an issue they need solved right away.

They work with a variety of service businesses ranging from lawn care to garage door installation and everything in between.

For some businesses, this provides some extra cushion for all-hands meetings, or when more of the team needs to be in the field. CallBoss ensures that the phones are always taken care of.

Learn More About CallBoss

Want to learn more about CallBoss? Be sure to visit their website or give them a call at 602-560-2582.

Related: Inside Secrets to Success With Jonathan Pototschnik

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawkLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Smile Through the Calls with Nikki DeCausemaker at CallBoss appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• Measuring and Improving Customer Satisfaction
• Reporting Features
• Incentivizing Employees with Digital Tips
• Increasing Reviews
• And Much More!

Employee Engagement Software That Works

Applause is focused on helping companies supercharge their team’s performance so they can win more lifelong customers. Ragar believes that through automated, real-time incentives, companies can motivate their employees to:

1. Grow the business by increasing Google reviews and new sales

2. Retain more customers by improving NPS and customer service

3. Become more engaged in company success and stick around longer

The purpose of the software is to motivate employees to act like the owner at every door and every service. “Applause is one way we can help them act like owners through reminders.” 

Measuring and Improving Customer Satisfaction

Joel said that to measure customer satisfaction, the company sends text messages to homeowners after service, asking for feedback using Net Promoter Score (NPS). This approach helps build a scorecard and ensures continuous improvement.

The feedback could be as simple as asking the customer to rank the service from 0 to 10 with a question “How likely are you to refer this individual?”

 “That feedback helps us build a scorecard on every employee. It also builds us a scorecard on every customer. Applause helps drive that feedback on every single service.”

Reporting Features

Applause features a full dashboard that keeps track of employee performance. 

The dashboard scorecard for the employee displays information such as: 

• How many services are they completing?
• What's the conversion of people leaving feedback?
• What is feedback rating?
• How many are generating Google Reviews?
• How many are generating tips?

These stats allow for transparency for the employees and the business. 

Joel said that from the dashboard you can see at a glance who your best performers are, who may need to be placed on an improvement plan, who needs more coaching, even who may need to be terminated.

This data is clutch for having one on ones with your employees.   

“Sit down with employees–pull up Applause and here's the scorecard of your service.” 

Clients know it’s a review software–how do we retain and empower these employees to act like owners? We want it to be looked at as an HR tool. Tipping and reviews are a big part of this.  

“How do you set yourselves apart from (the competition)-It's about service.”

Incentivizing Employees

Instant feedback and voluntary digital tipping depending on the industry is another big software feature. 

 “Many customers would ask up how can I tip this crew or individual?”

Every employee has an Applause wallet and when a tip comes in on their behalf it is sent instantly to them. Immediate job feedback is also sent to them. 

An employee may be on job #3 for the day and they receive positive feedback or a tip from the first job they completed. 

This instant access reminds them there is an opportunity on every job to put in 100%. Constant reminders and tips. And the tips are separate from their paycheck where they may just overlook it. 

Get More Google Reviews 

Applause seeks and drives Google reviews. To further incentivize employees, the company rewards them for positive customer reviews. 

Applause will tell a customer that we will give their employee a $10 tip if they leave a Google review. This shows the customer that Applause stands by their employees and rewards a job well done. The customer is much more likely to spend the time on a review.  

“This humanizes the company in the eyes of customers.”

The company also actively manages online reviews, addressing negative feedback promptly and using it as an opportunity for improvement. This proactive approach reinforces the company's commitment to customer satisfaction.

Learn More

If you want to learn more about Applause and their latest technology innovations be sure to visit their website.

Related: Beating Hiring Bottlenecks and Building a Winning Culture With Libby DeLucien

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon...

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Boosting Employee & Customer Satisfaction with Applause HQ appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• How to invest in yourself and your business
• How to avoid burnout
• The keys to discipline and increased success

About Lawnscaping Solutions

Wes and AJ are both from Nebraska and run the successful company, Omaha Lawnscaping 

Solutions. They love serving their community and are proud of the growth they’ve achieved in the Midwest.

Forging a Path to Success

Over the past year, AJ and Wes made a dedicated effort to improve their personal growth. Like most business owners, they were stuck in a loop where they would simply work and sleep. There wasn’t much balance, and that can take its toll.

They found that by being intentional with their activities they could bring more balance to their lives. And with diet and exercise, they were not only taking better care of themselves but were also in a position to better tackle the challenges they faced at work.

Before they started doing this, the challenges would feel tougher than they actually were. The day-to-day problems would lead to this sort of downward spiral that spilled out into all areas of their life.

A rough day would lead to taking it out on clients and team members. It was a snowball effect where one bad thing early in the day affects everything else.

Simply put, they knew if they got up early and went to the gym, they were also ready to handle the stresses and challenges that come with running a service business. It gave them the positive mindset they needed and the knowledge that they could get through whatever happened.

Avoiding Burnout

Wes and AJ both talked about how easy it is to work long hours when you have your own business. They put work before time with their families, and always felt like they were putting in so much.

That kind of work ethic is something a lot of service business owners can relate to, and they also know that if you keep going at that pace it can lead to burnout.

In addition to making changes to their diet and exercise, they also made a big mindset shift. They refer to it as taking care of their physical and mental health.

They have a plan, take care of themselves, and perform better at work and at home. They also don’t feel that same stress like they used to and that has removed those feelings of burnout too.

Becoming a Multimillion-Dollar Company

Ultimately AJ and Wes knew that in order for them to run a multi-million dollar company they needed to develop themselves as leaders. They also wanted to have fun while they were doing it.

In order for them to be their absolute best, they needed to invest in themselves first. This allowed them to take conscious actions to achieve the goals they wanted to hit. If they didn’t they would be stuck going through the motions. 

They also understood that by taking ownership of their own personal lives, they were in a better position to say goodbye to all the excuses of why they couldn’t do something. Those excuses aren’t helpful and typically lead to more of the anxiety and stress they were feeling before.

By learning to be their best selves through discipline and self care AJ and Wes are on the path to improving all areas of their life!

Learn More

Be sure to learn more about Wes and AJ by visiting Omaha Lawnscaping.

Related: Inside Secrets to Success With Jonathan Pototschnik

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Maximizing Mindset for Exponential Growth With Omaha Lawnscaping Solutions appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• Solutions for a greener future
• Advanced HVAC technology
• The refrigerants of the future
• And much more!

Enjoy the episode, and be sure to check out the show notes for more information.

Got questions you want answered? Just email us at profitroadmap@xplortechnologies.com. We look forward to answering your questions in future Q&As!

http://www.ServiceAutopilot.com

Lawn Care Millionaire Blog

http://lawncaremillionaire.com/

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ServiceAutop...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/svcautopilot

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon...

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Advancing Technology With Carrier appeared first on Service Autopilot.

On this episode of the Profit Roadmap, we welcome back Naylor Taliaferro to the podcast! Plus, Bear Duplisea (an original Profit Roadmap co-host) RETURNS as a guest co-host, alongside co-host Bekah Spencer.

At Service Edge Conference 2023, we covered some great topics including:

• How to find work-life balance
• Community importance
• Pressing the hard reset
• Finding flow states
• And more!

How Naylor Got Started in Lawn Care

Naylor talks about how he got his start in the lawn care industry. Even before owning a business, he was always a homeowner with a love of lawn care for his own personal benefit.

Since there was no YouTube when he first started his business, Naylor went through a lot of trials and tribulations. He would buy books from big box stores and then trial and error. Through all these hardships and troubleshooting, he just really fell in love with lawn care. 

Also, during that time he was in retail management, which lasted for about 15 years. By the end of it, he really wanted a different path in life because it was consuming everything about his life—even going as far as to change his personality. 

He wasn't as calm and enjoyable to be around. He was grumpy, depressed, tired, and sick all the time because he was overworked and burned out. To top it all off, he wasn't spending the time he wanted with his young kids and wife. 

Due to all of these struggles and hardships, Naylor had to press the hard reset button on his life in order to drastically change gears—starting his own lawn care business.

During all of this time, YouTube was quickly growing, which was how he found Jonathan Pototschnik, founder of the Lawn Care Millionaire YouTube channel and co-founder of Service Autopilot.

At first, Naylor began as a part-time lawn care business because he was still full-time in retail management. For about a year, he was mowing 7-8 lawns with his push mower, big box store trimmer, and a super low-key hand blower.

Also, he didn’t have a truck; just a Jeep Compass. He literally went to work with a change of clothes. And after a 12-hour day, if there was still some daylight, he would mow as many yards as he could until dark.

Mental Health and Work-Life Balance

Shortly after starting his part-time lawn care business, Naylor went from being sick all of the time to feeling more like himself.  He largely attributes this to the stress relief and mental clarity that he gained from being outside as well as being able to be his own boss with his own schedule. 

During that time, Naylor was rebuilding himself by listening to self-help books, motivation, business, podcasts, and audiobooks.

Due to his career in retail management, he developed all of these terrible physical manifestations from the stress he was immersing himself in.

After getting married and having kids, Naylor quickly realized that his life was going one way, while retail was going another.

As a result, Naylor was forced to take a step back, rethink things, and press the hard reset button. He didn’t like who he was becoming. He was edgy, sarcastic, resentful, and spiteful.

Making the switch to lawn care gave Naylor the freedom and peace of mind he’d been longing for all of those years. Also, it allowed him to access so many opportunities that he never knew existed before.

Every time he’d listen to an audiobook or a podcast where someone said something, it would unlock something else in his mind—instantly changing his mindset. Naylor believes if you think it, you can make it, create it, and conquer all.

Managing Lawn Care, Podcasting, and Speaking Opportunities

Naylor compares mowing lawns to a meditation he does while also trying to grow his network on YouTube, where he connects with more people. However, he admits it’s hard to do both. 

He says it's hard to have his lawn care business at the capacity that he wants it to be without the right people to run it. Plus, being able to continue putting on these events, creating the content, and doing all of the stuff that he truly loves is a constant balancing act. He likes mowing lawns, but he also loves connecting with the lawn and landscape community—hanging out with everyone here and telling stories like this as well as sharing and helping everyone grow.

He can impact thousands (versus hundreds) of lawn care and landscape clients. He wants to help them get their minds in that flow state… Which he believes unlocks something in your mind, not your brain. Your brain is the muscle. Your mind is your consciousness, everything that makes you.

The Mind and Flow States

Naylor says the mind is a term for us. Think of it as your spirit, all these things to talk about who you are, and you need to unlock that. When your brain, just like any other muscle that's fatigued, if you fatigue your arm muscles, you can't lift things or push things as well.

Your brain is the same way. You can overwork your brain, and then you're not thinking so well. You're not thinking clearly, you're foggy, you're not able to come up with good ideas, you're tripping, you're stumbling, and maybe you're extra sarcastic and edgy with people. It's because you're overworking your brain.

He says you can unlock that, be free, and exercise your mind. Just like you exercise the rest of your body at the gym or outside to get stronger physically, you will get stronger mentally. Then, you can all of a sudden start thinking of all these crazy ideas with big events.

Naylor talks about how he gets into flow states by doing things that are repetitive and don’t require a lot of critical thinking—walking, mowing, running, etc.

But as soon as you're doing something new and have to pay attention, you're not in that flow state anymore because your mind is focusing on different things. Your brain is doing more work than your mind.

Common Misconceptions About Mental Health and Getting Help

Every content creator has a different group of people. Naylor says everyone who talks to him always thanks him for the content he creates. He focuses a lot on the mental aspect and shares the ups and downs on his podcast and social media. It's not all highlight reels; he tries to be as transparent as possible 

The Journey Leading Naylor from Lawn Care to Podcasting and Speaking

Naylor talks about how he’s had this realization that he believes comes from being an only child.

His mother worked multiple jobs to support them, and they still relied on government assistance. His father was not in the picture and Naylor was home alone a lot. His extended family was not close either.

Naylor had a few close best friends over the years of growing up. He had lots of acquaintances too, but he always had this deep desire for community. He wanted to feel like he had a family. 

He wanted to be a part of a family in that sense of community because, at the core, he believes that's what we all want as human beings. We're not meant to be isolated. 

Even when he was in retail, he was around a lot of people, which made him feel a little bit better. However, the stressful environment took a lot away from all of that. 

When he made the jump to lawn care, the online lawn care community was just getting started. He was glad to be part of that growth from the very beginning. And now, that’s the driving factor for Naylor. It is his desire to be a part of something bigger and part of a family.

This is where Naylor just keeps pushing hard to continually grow the community.

Closing Thoughts

Naylor believes not everything can be solved by an audiobook or a podcast, but getting your mind right is where it all starts. These are the things that changed everything for him.

While he admits his life isn’t perfect, his goal has been to try to live as long of a life as possible after all the stress that he put himself through in retail management. Naylor doesn’t want to cut my life short by being so stressed out. 

He wants to do everything that gives him energy and positivity. He wants to fill himself with all the good stuff, good vibes, and healing. Naylor’s goal is to impact as many people as he can while he’s here.

Want to learn more about Naylor? Check out his links below:

• Facebook Page
• Spotify: LCR Media
• YouTube: Lawn Care Rookie
• LCR Media Group: Road to Equip!

Related: Growing Your Brand on Social Media With Naylor Taliaferro

Originally published Nov 9, 2023 6:00 PM CT

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Mental Health & Mindset in Business Featuring Naylor Taliaferro & Guest Co-Host Bear Duplisea appeared first on Service Autopilot.

We cover some great topics, including:

• How to invest in yourself and your business
• The secret to mergers and acquisitions
• How to level up through “buying time”
• Secrets to having a great conference experience

Marvin, what is your background?

So I'm a first-generation business owner. My primary business is a landscaping company. I started it over seven years ago. Before that, I was a majority shareholder in another multimillion-dollar landscape company, but me and my business partner weren't really seeing eye to eye. And it was best for me and my company and my family for me to walk away and start over. And so that's what I did. I walked away.

And in the last seven years, I've built that company from nothing to a little over $5 million in sales last year. Beyond that, we have been named on the Inc 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies in America list the last two years in a row. About a year and a half ago, I went out and bought a mechanic shop.

We did about a million in sales last year with the mechanic shop. And then about eight months ago, we took over a hot rod restoration company called Rodfathers Customs. And we restored classic hot rods from the ground up. I've also got a small real estate company. And I do some business coaching on work with about 22 or 23 different companies.

And then about a month and a half ago, we actually rebranded our landscape company to what it is today. It's now Salcido Home Solutions, and in addition to all the lawn and landscaping, we now also offer house cleaning, garage door repair and installation, home remodeling, and HVAC services.

SEC23 is coming up! What has your experience been like with the Service Edge Conference?

In every one of the Service Edge Conferences that I've been to, I've never failed to come away with something that not only pays for my conference but allows me to go back and increase my revenue or increase my efficiency. I always come away with some sort of nugget to implement in my business and make a ton of money.

But the thing is, you gotta just go, gotta pay attention, take some notes, and you’lll find some nuggets too.

My favorite part is that I can get together with other business owners, people that I haven't seen in a year. I love talking to these people because a lot of times there are some really great ideas that come just from those conversations.

But even if you don’t know anybody at these events, I’d encourage you to get out there and meet some new people. Let’s face it, it’s lonely being a business owner!

And when you can get around other people who are like-minded, it helps not only expand your mind, but you can build relationships with people that you can rely on throughout the year. And when you are struggling, you can call them up and say, “Hey man, I'm struggling. I need somebody to talk to right now.” And you can just blow off some steam. But if you don't build those relationships, it's so easy to feel isolated and alone.

What about if someone is new to service industries?

Even if you’re a new business owner or new to a specific service industry I would encourage you to get in there, and gather some knowledge. 

Everybody that I coach, I encourage them to at the bare minimum, to once a year go to a conference. But especially the bigger you get, once a quarter, get out there, get away, and get some knowledge because when I go to these conferences, I find information that's going to come back that I'm going to take back with me and that's going to make me $10,000, $50,000, $100,000. I gathered a nugget from a little mini conference last year that netted me a million dollars last year.

When you go to events, do you bring your team?

So if you're able to, bring some or all of your team, or at least some of your higher level people in the company. These events will help expand their mind, and to be honest, it is so easy to get lost in the weeds. They're stuck in the day-to-day grind, they're answering phone calls, and dealing with clients. They may not necessarily see the big vision of where you wanna go with the company.

I had somebody that I took with me to a couple of these conferences throughout the year. And after this last one that we went to, she came up to me and she said, "'Okay, now I see what you're doing.'" And it took several of these conferences for her to see where my end goal was. And then something clicked. And you know what? She's on board. Come hell or high water, she's there with me.

You were a Biggest Badass Winner, right?

I am the only one who has won first, second, and third place over the course of a few years.

I really wanted to show how I had grown. Not just as a business owner, or the business itself, but me as a person too. 

And when I was putting my videos together, of course, I have a crazy story, and if you've never heard it, I mean, I'd love to tell you sometime. But just how, the hurdles that I had to go through in order to restart my business. 

And then, we grew crazy fast and we continued to grow. We're putting on pretty close to about a million a year right now in growth revenue. And as we add on these other services, I think it's going to ramp that up even faster. I'm anticipating hitting $20 million in the next three years.

It's a great time for you to brag about yourself, brag about your company, and just tell the other business owners what you've done. But ultimately it is about encouragement to those other business owners that are out there. 

Because like I said before, it's lonely out there, and sometimes you feel like you're the only one going through your problems. But there are other people that are going through the same exact crap that I'm going through. And you know what? Here's how they did it. And they made it through. Now look at them. And if they can do it, I can do it.

What will you be talking about when you take the stage at SEC23?

Yeah, I'm super excited. I'm going to be talking about mergers and acquisitions at SEC23. And oh man, I love it. In my lifetime, I've done about 24 buyouts and then I've also helped negotiate on behalf of others for quite a few more.

So I'll tell you this, mergers and acquisitions are expensive because you are buying the most expensive commodity on earth, and that's time. Because if you grow organically through traditional advertising (Google ads, Facebook ads, etc.), you are growing slowly and have no debt.

This is great, because it can really set you up as a very stable business, but it is slow. And you know what? I'm like Ricky Bobby, I wanna move fast. 

The way that I look at it is if I can spend the money and I can buy years of somebody else's time, then why not leapfrog myself forward in time? 

I'm only gonna be here for so many years. I only have so much time on this Earth. And I want to build a legacy so that I can leave generational wealth behind.

And I know that there's no way for me to do that, at least with the services that I'm offering. If I'm doing it slowly, yes, I'll build a good business. Yes, I'll build something that I can sell one day, but I won't be able to leave generational wealth. I want to take care of my family, my kids, and my grandkids. And the only way I can do that is by moving forward fast, buying other people's time.

That being said, there are a bunch of different strategies as far as why you're buying a company. My biggest strategy is that I want that client list. I want that book of business, and I want to leap forward. Obviously, it's great that it's going to come with clientele. It's going to come with employees. It's going to come with management staff, all of that stuff that's going to help me to move forward faster.

Learn More

Be sure to learn more about Marvin by connecting with him on Facebook or visiting Salcido Home Services.  

And remember you can learn more about the Service Edge Conference and purchase tickets here.

Related: Inside Secrets to Success With Jonathan Pototschnik

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Growing Fast & SEC23 Preview With Marvin Salcido appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to create a positive corporate culture
• Why community outreach is important
• How to inspire your team
• And much more!

How Brian and Brad Got Started

Brian and Brad were friends from a young age and got their start in lawn care by cutting their neighbors' lawns as they were growing up. Brian started by using his parents' lawn mower and then moved up to purchasing his own equipment and mowing lawns between classes. 

Brad got his start in landscaping and even worked at a Christmas tree farm in his early teens. He made the shift to being a chef and everyone told him it would be tough and he’d be in a restaurant all the time. He had enjoyed his past experience in landscaping and went back to that.

Serving The Community

Today, New Castle Lawn and Landscape has 91 employees and is serving the Eastern Pennsylvania area.

In addition to the lawn trimming, landscaping, and hardscaping they do they are also very focused on community outreach.

When they first started talking about the idea of community outreach, it seemed tough. With margins being tight, it didn’t feel like they could make it a reality. But then, during the COVID shutdowns of 2020, they felt the need to make it happen and give back to their community.

They started out by simply driving for a local food bank. They did this without any publicity because their whole focus was on giving back and not helping out for notoriety.

But they also realized that they wanted their team to be part of this too, and to see how good it felt to give back to the community. They decided to pivot and make this into a movement.

They also started making daily videos and sharing them on social media which led to a substantial increase in their following. These videos helped provide some joy in a very unique time when everyone was isolated.

Not only have they been able to impact the people of their community, they’ve also encouraged other businesses in the area to start similar programs.

Additionally, they serve on several non-profit boards in their area. Most people tend to think of giving back as something that is only focused on money, but you can also give back with your time and knowledge too.

Making It Easy for the Team

Brian and Brad are committed to helping their community and they wanted to make it easy for their team as well. 

They give their team voluntary paid time off to serve in the community. Some of their team use this time as a chance to serve their churches or even do walks/runs to support a cause that is important to them.

Starting Community Outreach

For service businesses that want to give back to their community, it can be hard to know where to start. Brad and Brian recommend starting small. That could mean giving a small donation to a cause that is important to you, participating in a local community event, or even starting a conversation with your team about how you can give back.

They also recommend working with some larger groups that can help guide your efforts and connect you with events. They are big fans of working with the United Way. They worked with the United Way which connected them to local chapters who needed help and volunteers.

The important thing to remember is that by giving back you’re able to see that you’re part of something bigger than yourself. You are joining with others so that together you can make a bigger impact than you could on your own.

Connecting Community Engagement to Culture

Brad and Brian noticed that this culture of giving back has translated to the growth of their business and their team. Part of their giving-back efforts required time, which meant that they needed to train and mentor their internal team.

This changed things for their team members because they are now more committed to what they do, they “own” their position, and they are all dedicated to constantly improving. 

This also leads to a mindset where mentorship is not only encouraged, but a valuable part of the entire culture. This is a proven way to pass on knowledge and experience and help newer members of the team grow and progress.

Hiring Tips

One of the things New Castle uses to help better understand their employees and those who would like to work there is the DISC assessment. They use this assessment to help understand how people process information, and in turn, how they should communicate so the message is well received. 

When it comes to looking for candidates, they love working with referrals. They go by the adage that if you hire good people, those people typically surround themselves with other good people. 

It also helps that they’ve created an atmosphere that is fun. It isn’t always perfect, but they do their best to create a family that is close-knit and has a supportive environment for everyone. Their goal has always been to create a place that their team wants to be.

They also understand that it is the little things that often go a really long way to making sure people feel great in the environment that they are working in. They take time to cook their team lunch on a weekly basis and it comes from a place of servant leadership.

Ultimately, this comes down to creating an atmosphere where human connection is important and a priority for everyday work and life. This creates a place where people are inspired to work and perform at their best.

Building Your Culture

Curious about how you should create your culture? Brad and Brian said that one of the best places to start is with recognition. Be sure to notice the good things your team is doing.

After that, be sure that the leadership culture is on top of things. Simply put, as a leader, if you say you’re going to do something it is important that you follow through and take that action. This helps build that sense of trust and rapport with your team.

If you can go above and beyond that, your team will notice. Take time to listen to what they have to say, and help them out where you can. This is the kind of leader that people want to work for.

Do your best to be relatable and treat your team with respect. Brian and Brad wear the same uniforms that their teams do to inspire that unity.

The Community Connection

What New Castle has learned through their journey is that their community reach was a lot more important than they thought. It made them feel better, they helped their employees, and they were able to make their community a better place too.

So did it impact sales? Brian and Brad said that they went from just another company with recognizable trucks to a brand that people actually knew. The community knew about the work they were doing, it built trust, and it helped them grow their customer base.

Remember, that their motivation wasn’t for sales. As long as your focus is on serving the community the increase in sales is a natural outcome.

Lastly, the most important thing is to get started, and you don’t have to have everything perfect out of the gate. So when you’re improving culture or trying to do community outreach efforts, focus on getting started and then fix it along the way as your learning and knowledge improves.

Learn More

If you want to learn more about Brad and Brian and their company visit NewCastle94.com

Related: Beating Hiring Bottlenecks and Building a Winning Culture With Libby DeLucien

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon...

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Engage With Your Community to Build Culture With New Castle Lawn & Landscape appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Best advice for new service businesses
• Why AI will change the way we work
• The easy way to increase prices
• The most important skills to learn for service business owners
• The best way to understand your team members

How Jonathan Got Started

Jonathan got his start in the service industry shortly after high school mowing lawns. Shortly after that, he owned a variety of service businesses and quickly saw the struggles that come with owning businesses in this industry. That’s what led him and his business partner to create Service Autopilot.

Why Pricing Matters

One of the biggest mistakes Jonathan sees service industries making is around pricing. This was especially true during lockdowns and has become a bigger issue as inflation has increased.

Part of the process comes down to thinking about all the costs that go into the services you are offering. Jonathan talks about the increase in the costs of trash bags, equipment, chemicals, and more, which all affect the bottom line. That translates to increases in prices.

This is compounded by the fact that a lot of service businesses were likely priced too low from the start. This is very common with new service businesses as they see this as an easy way to be competitive.

The problem is that if you aren’t making enough from the start it translates to the health of the company overall. Low profit margins mean holding off on buying new equipment which could also increase profits through additional service offerings. It can also mean delaying new hires and making other investments in the businesses.

How to Fix Pricing

Jonathan says that pricing has been one of the most common topics he noticed when he was leading Academy. He says that many service business owners would “guess” what the price should be, instead of doing the research to figure out how much they can charge to increase profits.

While most service business owners fear losing customers over price increases, Jonathan says that it isn’t that bad. He says that what it comes down to is having that internal conversation where you finally decide that you need to take action and raise pricing.

After that, it is pretty simple, you start the communication process. Jonathan says that it is important to state the “why” behind the price increase which is related to one of his favorite sayings, “Facts tell, stories sell.”

Jonathan loves being able to start with some one-on-one calls. This can help you better understand where the customer is coming from and their concerns. If you’re going to raise your prices across the board, this is valuable information you can include when sending an email to a large volume of clients. 

The reasons “why”  don’t have to be complicated and can simply be about how your service business wants to continue delivering the highest levels of customer service and being able to hire the very best people in order to do that.

But we know what you’re thinking… “What if someone pushes back and leaves?!?” Jonathan says that he has done numerous price increases over the years. Even if you have one hundred clients and 3% get angry. Think about it… The risk is minimal and you’ll be able to increase profits which can help your company continue growing.

The bigger risk is waiting too long to increase profits and having your business be in a tough spot. Even though it might feel tough, increasing prices is one of the best moves you can make.

The Best Skills to Have

Jonathan says that one of the best skills for those who are just getting started and/or with a smaller service business is to really focus on developing sales and marketing abilities. If you’re selling small ticket items (e.g. lawn mowing) it can be easy enough to get by with just basic marketing abilities.

But if you’re closing high ticket items (e.g. irrigation, new HVAC system, etc.) that makes the sale a bit tougher and requires more skills to get the customer to take action. This might mean hiring a dedicated salesperson, more training for your team, and a better understanding of your ideal customer.

Reaching the Next Level

Jonathan is a big fan of coaching and mentoring which is why he created Academy. He says that getting help and learning from a community of your peers is really one of the fastest ways you can take your company to the next level.

Lots of service businesses that have achieved a small amount of success think that what got them here will continue to take them to new heights. But the reality is that you need to take new actions, learn more, and really work on your business to achieve those massive levels of growth.

Jonathan has seen a big increase in coaching groups in the service industry over the recent years. He feels this is a testimony to how powerful a step this can be for service business owners. If you want to learn more about getting in touch with a powerful community and learning from some of the best coaches, check out Field Services Academy.

AI Technology

While we love AI on this podcast, Jonathan is one of the first industry leaders we’ve talked to who has a unique perspective on this emerging technology.

Jonathan says that AI technology will impact just about all areas of business and life. The big question that he still sees is when this shift will happen, and there are still a lot of variables in play with a variety of companies that offer AI solutions like Bard and ChatGPT.

He says that with most things technology everyone likes to make big tech predictions. Sometimes these predictions come true, but oftentimes it is a lot later than most people expect. 

Jonathan says that if you are going to make a bet in your business, don’t make it solely on the headlines you read about new technology like AI. A better approach is to look at what is available today and see how you can include that in your business now.

Jonathan also recommends that you think about data. The amount of data that your company is using now could have a substantial impact on your business going forward. He uses the example of recording phone calls. There is some technology that will allow you to upload those recordings, have them analyzed, and then use those insights to improve sales and customer service.

Understanding Your Team

One of the tools that Jonathan loves is the Kolbe assessment. This is a test he has used with a variety of different teams. Simply put, it allows you to better understand people, how they work, how to communicate with them, and the types of things they need to be more successful on a project. 

Click here to learn more about this assessment.

Learn More

Jonathan is on a bit of a hiatus right now but says that Facebook is one of the best places to find him. He said he’ll announce his next project there as soon as he figures out what it is!

Related: How to Thrive & Maximize Sales During a Recession

Discover how Kevin Cordova drives success

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The post Inside Secrets to Success With Jonathan Pototschnik appeared first on Service Autopilot.

On this special mini-episode we cover:

• How to keep your employees healthy in the heat
• The 2024 HVAC disposable cylinder ban and why it was overturned
• Some of the latest tech and trends in the lawn care and cleaning industries
• The pros and cons of the 2023 water heater energy proposal

Enjoy the episode, and be sure to check out the show notes for more information.

Got questions you want answered? Just email us at profitroadmap@xplortechnologies.com. We look forward to answering your questions in future Q&As!

Related: Midyear Check-In & 2023 Trends With Jessie Barrack

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License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post LATEST NEWS: Summer Home & Field Service Trends for Service Businesses appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Boost sales in a recession
• Proven lead gen strategies
• How to find a legit SEO company
• And how to effectively market to your audience

Current Economic Situation

Jessie has seen a lot happen over the years in the service industry. We are experiencing uncertainty in the economy, but this isn’t anything new. Much of this is actually cyclical, but there are some changes this time around.

Service businesses are more open to embracing technology, although compared to some other industries, they are still lagging behind. Most of them are starting to see how technology can make their lives better and grow their business too. It can be simple things like streamlining your business with software like Service Autopilot or FieldEdge, or it can be something more advanced like using robotic mowers.

Competitive Pressures

Looking at the past few years, Jessie says there was still a lot of growth in the service industries even during the COVID closures. This was in part driven by people’s continued need to have their lawns mowed and HVAC units maintained.

The growth in service businesses over the past few years has led to more players in the industry when things were good. Now, the economy isn’t quite as robust, which means competition is stronger across the board.

In other service businesses, like lawn care, there is some contraction. If consumers are operating on a tighter budget, they may not be as willing to pay for services like lawn care, and could opt to do it themselves.

For lawn care in particular, this presents a good opportunity to pivot and offer other services, like hardscaping and Christmas light installation.

Jessie has looked at data from a variety of different sources, and he expects the economy to improve throughout the rest of this year and into next year too.

Consumer Behavior

That said, there are some changes in consumer behavior. Unemployment numbers are still pretty low, but consumers are more conservative with their spending. They aren’t quite as quick to make large purchases and are finding many of their household expenses, like groceries and gas, have increased.

From the industry professionals Jessie has spoken with, he is hearing that consumers are shopping a lot more than they have in the past year or so. They are looking around getting bids and comparing prices. Although, it does seem like consumers tend to favor “temporary solutions,” instead of making large purchases of new systems. Jessie says this is seen through data from ticket sizes. Generally, they are smaller than they were a year or two ago, and the volume of work is higher.

Jessie says to make it as easy as possible for your clients. Take a page out of the book from all the streaming services. Autopayments and consistent service mean that clients are getting what they need. They are satisfied and aren’t thinking about canceling, or the hassle of the cancellation process.

Also, offering things like financing makes it a lot easier for your customers. It gives them a solution for these larger purchases, and it helps your business get bigger tickets too.

Marketing for Service Business

With economic uncertainty and changes in consumer buying habits, Jessie says that a lot of service businesses are cutting back on marketing. But the reality is, that is the wrong thing to do.

When businesses cut back on marketing, especially during conditions like this, it is a bigger struggle to get new business. As mentioned previously, consumers still need service businesses. Jessie uses the example of it being triple digits outside and the air conditioning breaks. The need for that HVAC to get repaired is high, and the right kind of marketing can ensure that consumers find your service business.

Jessie says that service businesses shouldn’t put their whole focus into SEO, but look at a variety of marketing options to maximize their ROI. He prefers “localized marketing” with a focus on using several different mediums. Social media is still a great source of advertising, and that can easily be combined with other traditional sources of marketing, like postcards and radio.

By casting a wide net with marketing, you can think creatively, taking advantage of smart strategies—without putting all of your marketing eggs into one basket.

Jessie says it is important to track your marketing spend so you can see what is working. Wrapping trucks can be great for your business, and you can track where leads are coming from—those wraps vs. Facebook Ads can be achieved by using different phone numbers for each one.

KPIs

In addition to tracking your marketing ROI, Jessie says it is important to look at other “key performance indicators” or KPIs, for your business. This could be things like looking at the metrics for techs… The number of calls/visits they can do per day, how long each job takes, and the amount of revenue per call.

KPIs give you insight into your business so you can see what is/isn’t working. This really is the key to continued growth in a service business so you can learn how to best maximize your efforts.

Your Future

While the uncertainty in the markets will likely continue for some time, the general outlook is that the economy is improving. That said, service businesses need to continue to deliver value to the customers, make things easy for them (think automatic payments and financing), and they have to continue marketing effectively to keep new leads coming in.

Learn More

Be sure to visit Service Autopilot and FieldEdge to learn more about operating your service business even more efficiently!

Related: How to Thrive & Maximize Sales During a Recession

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Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon...

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Midyear Check-In & 2023 Trends With Jessie Barrack appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Boost sales in a recession
• Proven lead gen strategies
• How to find a legit SEO company
• And how to effectively market to your audience

Getting Started

Evan and Thad got their start in sales by working with Cutco knives early in their career. They made the shift to home services by leveraging their sales and marketing experience to help service companies connect with new audiences, run effective digital ad campaigns, and grow their businesses.

Branding

A lot of companies get very hung up on their brand. While this is an important part of the business, it can take the focus away from finding new clients. Evan says that you need to be in a position where the phone is ringing and you're focused on growth. While it is a little bit of a “chicken and the egg” type situation, there needs to be a focus on building a brand and growing the business at the same time.

But just getting started can often be tough for businesses. Lots of service businesses will hire a marketing company and then leave it all in their hands. If that marketing company has poor communication, consider this a red flag right from the start. Thad says that average results are often in line with average communication from a marketing company. 

As service businesses know, how you treat customers and the level of communication you provide will mean they continue to work with you. A lot of marketing companies miss this mark, so be sure to look for this if you choose to work with a marketing company.

Print

Is print dead? There are lots of marketing mediums, and Thad says that print still has the ability to thrive in certain circumstances. Ultimately, print can be another touch point for your business—just like they would see your company’s trucks or a billboard and then Google your business. 

That said, it means that you need to have a strong digital presence so that potential customers can find you in a search. 

Thad says that some of his clients will use their ad spend on print in the slower months. Also, business cards and flyers still have their place too, as they are great to leave with the customer. 

Solving Customer Needs

Evan says to remember what it is like for your customers and to think about how they see the world. If they have an issue with their air conditioning, and it is hot and humid outside, they aren’t going to Facebook to solve that problem. They are searching on Google to find someone that can help them. 

Other mediums work to add value to your brand in a different way. A social media post or a magazine article act as a means to educate your customers and potentially create a demand. Evan says that, on average, only 3% of a potential audience has a need for your service at the time they are interacting with your content. The rest either don’t have a need or don’t know they have a need for your service.

Creating Demand

Thad says one of the easiest ways to create demand is by using a “tune-up” type campaign, especially for HVAC. These campaigns shouldn’t be given away for free, but offered at a low price so that they still have some value from a psychological standpoint. Thad recommends using $77 or $87 as sevens tend to do well.

It is best to start with customers that likely have older units that have a higher likelihood of repair or replacement. Also, it is important to be strategic when you launch these campaigns. The best results typically come before the busy season starts and the weather changes.

Remember, when potential customers call in for these types of campaigns or services in general, be sure to capture their info on the call if you don’t have it already. Get their email, phone, and some basic details about their situation. That way they can be better targeted for additional marketing campaigns that you launch in the future.

Using FieldEdge or Service Autopilot is a great way to launch automated campaigns and keep track of your customers!

Staying Top of Mind

Evan also says that you likely have a lot of potential leads in your database that may not get reached out to on a regular basis. Things like newsletters and regularly scheduled maintenance programs can help you stay top of mind.

Even though some of your campaigns might get great open and engagement rates, you’ll still need to reach out and do outbound calls. If you don’t have the bandwidth to do this, you can always work with a third part company to make those calls for you.

HVAC Success Secrets Revealed

Thad and Evan started their popular podcast, HVAC Success Secrets: Revealed about three years ago. While it took a little bit of experimentation to find their niche, Evan and Thad have a lot of fun talking to HVAC professionals with a glass of whiskey in hand while they record.

They’ve built the show as a way to provide value to their clients and the industry, and they also have found that they are learning a lot from their guests too.

Moving Forward in Economically Uncertain Times

While there is a lot of talk about “recession” in the news, it seems like many service businesses have seen a change of behavior in their leads. This partially applies to spending habits, as customers aren’t looking to replace equipment like they were a year or so ago. Oftentimes, that means they are putting off bigger purchases and looking for solutions to hold them over for the time being.

Thad offers a good reminder that you still need to have the right mindset in the midst of economic uncertainty. All the fear and doubt can cloud your vision and negatively impact your business. But you can still focus on making smart decisions, providing value, and taking a look at the bigger picture. In up and down economies, there will always be clients who will continue to make purchases and get the service no matter what.

SEO Strategies

SEO is very important for services businesses. Evan says that if you’re going to hire a company to help you, make sure that you are clear on what they are offering and how they will help your business.

Thad doesn’t typically recommend service businesses try to tackle SEO all on their own. It takes knowledge and expertise and oftentimes it is better to work with a professional. If you choose to work with a professional, Thad suggests talking with several companies before you make a decision. Make sure it is a company you can trust, and that you’ll still have access to your site if you choose to work with a different company in the future.

Thad also remembers to be aware of costs. If a company says that they can transform your SEO for a one time fee of $500, they likely aren’t going to be very good. Typically good SEO services go for $400 - $500 per month.

Lastly, it is really important to make sure you’ve got your Google My Business profile set up so that customers can easily find your business on a search.

Learn More

Be sure to visit On Purpose Media and HVAC Success Secrets: Revealed to learn more about Thad and Evan!

Related: Market and Automate for Growth With Mike Callahan and Mediagistic

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Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon...

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The post How to Thrive & Maximize Sales During a Recession appeared first on Service Autopilot.

On this mini episode of the Profit Roadmap, Libby shares:

• The importance of business owners prioritizing physical and mental health
• Key qualities, traits, and daily habits of the most successful entrepreneurs
• Best strategies for how businesses can come out on top after setbacks

Getting Started in the Organization and Cleaning Industry

Libby DeLucien started out with a company called Organize It, which specializes in helping people organize their homes. Then, she expanded into the cleaning industry, cultivating a highly motivated and effective staff that grew her company very quickly. Since then, she has created a hiring company called WootRecruit.

Putting Yourself First

While it might sound counterintuitive, Libby says business owners who put themselves first tend to build the most successful companies.

When entrepreneurs put themselves first, they’re in a better mental space to be able to make sound decisions for their business.

Libby believes it’s crucial for business owners to think about things like:

• Healthy living habits
• Maintaining an active lifestyle
• Cultivating a positive mindset and proactive outlook

Coming Out on Top After Unexpected Setbacks

Libby talks about how businesses can come out on top after unexpected setbacks.

Also, she discusses how Hurricane Ian impacted her business as well as how her business fared through it.

Even though no business can predict, prevent, or control unexpected events in the long-term, there are contingencies businesses can implement to better prepare for them.

Prioritize Your Mental Health and Watch Your Business SOAR

As a business owner, it is important to prioritize yourself in order for your business to thrive. Even though you can’t prevent unexpected events or setbacks, you can still set your business up for success with a few pro strategies.

Want to learn more about Libby? Check out the links below:

• Libby's Personal Page
• WootRecruit
• Organize It

Related: Beating Hiring Bottlenecks and Building Winning Culture With Libby Delucien

Published July 13, 2023 3:29 PM CT

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Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

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The post Mental Health and Navigating the Unexpected With Libby Delucien appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Pro tips for conducting effective meetings
• Team communication tools and strategies
• Leading ways to create a cohesive hybrid work environment

Getting Started in Field Services

Our first guest, Justin Woodford, has been in the service business for over 20 years. Initially running a College Pro Painters franchise while attending the University of Rhode Island for electrical engineering and business, Justin started Two Brothers Painting with his brother, Dan, in 2008. After this venture, Justin has continued down an entrepreneurial path with his landscaping company, 855RILAWNS, and his real estate business, Yorktown Properties, LLC.

Justin’s highly refined work habits, systems, and processes have enabled him to step away from the day-to-day and remotely monitor and optimize his businesses. After becoming a Service Autopilot Certified Advisor in 2018, Justin started his consulting business, Ready Business Systems.

Ready Business Systems specializes in helping service businesses produce $1-10 million in annual sales, to free time and increase profits through expert marketing, system building, and automation.

Our second guest, Caleb Esuary, has been in his family’s business, Complete Heat and Air, in Easly, South Carolina for 12 years. He was only the fourth employee when he got his start in the family business as an installer. In 2014, their business grew enough to need a full time person, so he began managing their office. Since then, he’s helped grow their family business from six employees and $840K in revenue to 43 employees and $10M+ in revenue.

Caleb has been involved in all aspects of managing an HVAC business—creating processes, training new employees, administrative work, HVAC service, installation and sales.

Now, Caleb serves as the vice president of Complete Heat and Air.

How Hybrid Work Has Changed the Game

Justin talks about how a remote work environment has provided a better quality of life for his employees. They don’t have to spend time and money commuting back and forth to the office.

Additionally, it provides an opportunity for businesses to eliminate office expenses and all that comes with it. However, he mentions it can make managing your team more challenging.

Alternatively, Caleb discusses how he is the only hybrid employee on his team. He talks about how he enjoys the flexibility of working from home.

Also, Caleb mentions how he tends to be more productive working at home than at the office because there are less distractions since there aren’t coworkers at home to converse with.

Likewise, Justin finds he’s largely more productive at home than he is at the office because of the minimal distractions and sidebar conversations.

Caleb talks about how having a totally separate, dedicated office space in his house is one of the most important aspects of working from home. This minimizes distractions and also creates crucial boundaries between work and personal life.

Top Strategies for Developing Strong Internal Communications

Caleb discusses how his field workers communicate through a digital tool (like Service Autopilot). This allows his field workers to upload videos into the cloud so if the office can get all of the information they need to give an appropriate quote or order a specific part.

On the office side, Caleb’s team uses WhatsApp for group chats. They have entire company groups where they celebrate the big wins with the team. Then, they have individual group chats for their different departments, such as sales, service, and installation. Plus, you can have WhatsApp on desktops.

Alternatively, Justin’s team uses a wide variety of tools to communicate within the company. For instance, Justin Google Voice to separate his personal and work life on his phone.

Additionally, his company uses emails and Slack to internally communicate. They use Ringcentral to manage and redirect calls.

Leading Ways to Conduct Effective Meetings

Justin talks about how his company uses a Google Docs outline with timeframes for each portion of the meeting. Similarly, Caleb’s company uses a Word Docs outline with goals, topics, and an agenda for the meeting.

Caleb says his team always starts with their mission, vision, and value statements to bring the team together. Then, they always try to kick off the meeting with some “wahoos,” meaning the good things going on in everyone’s personal lives. He talks about how this brings everyone together before they focus on the work stuff.

Expert Tips to Cohesive Team Communications

Justin and Caleb discuss some of their best tips for developing expert tips for cohesive team communications:

• Transparent with the team
• Coach privately and praise publicly
• Keep information public and open for the team using a cloud drive
  • E.g. Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.
• Clarify company values to ensure everyone on the team is in unison
• Take advantage of a project planners so your team can see what different departments are working on
  • E.g. Monday, Trello, Microsoft Planner, Calendly, etc.

Streamline Team Communications in Your Service Business Today

Developing cohesive communications and effective meetings takes time and dedication to your team. The evolving field service landscape into hybrid work makes solid communication strategies increasingly important.

Want to learn more about Justin and Ready Business Systems? Check out these links below:

• Ready Business Systems
• Facebook

Want to learn more about Caleb and Complete Heat and Air? Check out these links below:

• Complete Heat and Air
• Facebook

Related: Growing Your Brand on Social Media With Naylor Taliaferro

Published June 28, 2023 4:33 PM CT

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The post Creating a Cohesive Hybrid Team With Justin Woodford and Caleb Esuary appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to use social media to grow your business
• Best strategies if you’re just getting started
• Hiring a social media specialist
• Proven marketing strategies

Naylor Taliaferro is the host of the popular YouTube channel Lawn Care Rookie, and he’s also host of the epic lawn care podcast, LCR Media. 

Naylor started his professional career in retail management before making the jump to lawn care about 10 years ago. He did a lot of research and learned on his own along the way. Seeing a lack of resources at the start of his journey, he became a resource to help other lawn care businesses grow.

Starting Out

When Naylor first started, he was very intimidated. He found that as his business grew, he had less time. As a result, he was getting stressed out trying to take care of everything. He decided streamlining his service offerings was one of the best things he could do. Turf care, mowing, and fertilization/weed control, and other light services were among the service offerings he streamlined. 

It is easy to want to promise the whole world to your clients. However, if you’re just starting out, you’ve got to pick a handful of specialties you can deliver on—which includes having the equipment to perform those specialties. Naylor knew his strengths as well as what he could offer. In turn, this allowed him to take out a loan from a family member to get his equipment. As a result, he was able to grow his business even more. Plus, he was even able to pay that loan back in a year.

Who Is Your Audience?

Picking your ideal customer is incredibly important. Naylor looked at his local neighborhoods and saw there were tons of HOA-style neighborhoods with 700 - 1,000 houses each. He put his effort and focus into serving those communities. 

By focusing on a certain customer archetype, it was a lot easier to grow his business. He kept going after the same kinds of clients, and it wasn’t long before he was running a second and third crew.

Social Media Networking

Early on, Naylor started building his social presence. He really liked networking, and this was just one more way he could reach a bigger audience. He has been regularly creating content on his Youtube channel, Lawn Care Rookie, since he started his business. 

What most people don’t realize is that Youtube also functions as a search engine. In fact, many people use YouTube to start their search there to find info. For Naylor, he was sharing his journey on his channel. Due to this, he was able to expand his knowledge whilst learning from other lawn care professionals.

Content Creation

Naylor says it can feel overwhelming to handle social media. Trying to find the time to post on social media, figuring out all the different channels, and creating content can all feel like too much.

Naylor recommends you focus on aligning with your personality to result in the most effective actions. The easiest way to get started is to simply block out some regular time to create social media content. This might be very structured, planned-out content with a script. Alternatively, this might mean recording the more spontaneous times on the fly.

What kind of content should you create? It is easy to start by talking about your business and the services you perform. You’re already an expert on these services, so it should be easy enough for you to convert them.

However, the most important thing is to remember to have fun. It might take a little while to get into the rhythm of content creation, but if you are enjoying yourself, your audience will enjoy watching your content too.

Naylor also recommends having a bit of a game plan in terms of creating content. Are there some great before and after shots you can take at a certain property? If so, remember to bring your equipment (which could be your cell phone, if you’re just starting out) and be intentional with your efforts. Without a plan for things like before and afters, it is too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activities and not be international with creating content that will grow your business.

The important thing is to just get started. Block the time, take some photos and videos with your phone, and then share those moments on social media.

Creating Your Online Presence

Naylor says that Facebook is still one of the best places to share content. Creating a Facebook business page is a great place to start, and videos are still one of the best ways to reach a wider audience.

Naylor also recommends setting up your “Google My Business” page, which is a listing for your business on Google. This helps with SEO, which ultimately means it’s easier for more potential customers to discover your business via search.

From there, as your business grows, spend some time getting reviews. In turn, this easily helps boost your social credibility. This can be as simple as creating a quick email thanking your customers for being a client. Then, say something like, “If you’re happy with our service, we’d love for you to take a minute and review our service.” Then, provide a link at the bottom, and you’re all set!

Hiring a Social Media Specialist?

Lots of service businesses want to know if they should hire a social media person. Naylor believes that while it isn’t necessary, it is helpful. We all know how much there is to do in a business, and some people just don’t have the personality that gets them excited about posting on social media.

If you’re just getting started, and your budget is tight, it would be wise to focus on creating the content yourself. Although, as you grow and take on more crews, it might be time to start looking for someone to manage your social media presence.

Growing Your Brand

A big part of marketing is growing your brand. When Naylor first started, all he had was a magnet on the side of his truck. Though, for many businesses, branding can be as simple as some company shirts and uniforms with a basic logo on them. This gets people to recognize you in the neighborhood and is an easy way to win new clients.

Naylor says having a professional image is really important and helps build trust with your customers. He would always keep a spare uniform in his car so that he looked good when presenting an estimate.

As mentioned before, once you know the neighborhoods you want to target, you can then focus your marketing efforts on converting them. The traditional methods of door hangers or flyers are still very effective and can be paired with digital marketing and branding to amplify the effect. As a result, you can take over entire neighborhoods to develop condense routes.

Be Patient

It took Naylor time to grow his brand and his social media presence. Be patient with yourself, and don’t expect dramatic results overnight. Keep at it, and be consistent with your efforts on social media.

Want to learn more about Naylor? Check out his links below:

• Facebook Page
• Spotify: LCR Media
• YouTube: Lawn Care Rookie
• LCR Media Group: Road to Equip!

Related: Market and Automate for Growth With Mike Callahan and Mediagistic

See how Kay Esco uses Service Autopilot effectively

Published June 15, 2023 7:00 AM

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The post Growing Your Brand on Social Media With Naylor Taliaferro appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Proven strategies for marketing home service businesses
• How to use marketing for automation
• Marketing tips for new businesses
• How to win with social media 
• The best methods for connecting with your audience

Mike Callahan is from Simple Growth Systems—a Service Autopilot Certified Advisor specializing in the development of next-level automations in Service Autopilot. Mike got his start creating a lawn care business that quickly grew to be very successful. So much so that he had to reevaluate the business so that it could be maintained with the right automated systems in place for sustainable and scalable growth, which is why he started Simple Growth.

Mediagistic is a leading marketing and advertising agency that specializes in the home services industry as well as helping distributors and dealers across the U.S. and Canada. They have been in business for 20+ years, have a staff of over 120 talented individuals and they are located in Tampa, Florida.

Marketing for Home Services

Chris and Eddie both believe that while marketing for every industry has similarities there are some unique challenges that come with home services. Part of this comes from the fact that sometimes people will shop around for home services, and other times it might be a reaction to an emergency like an AC unit failing in summer.

That said, building a traditional marketing funnel that is capturing and qualifying leads is key because their buying cycle will be a little bit longer (outside of an emergency). This is where it is important to utilize things like maintenance contracts, preventative actions, inspections, etc. Getting these clients in the door early on helps build loyalty and trust in smaller services and can translate to bigger tickets in the future.

Mike adds that automation can play a key role in this. He talks about how these early phases are the place to educate clients and then it is easy to transition into upsells and ancillary add-ons. Often, that entire process can be automated with a series of emails that offer extra services (e.g. pest control, fertilization, etc.) and make it easy for the client to take action.

There is also a push to take all of this to the next level with omnichannel marketing. Simply put, this is a way to communicate with clients through multiple channels. A ringless voicemail, text messages, and email can all be drivers of those upsells.

Marketing and Automation on a Budget

If you want to increase your reach, but don’t have a big budget, there are still some steps you can take. Mike mentions how organic posting on social media is a really easy place to start. The important part is to make sure that you are doing it consistently. It doesn’t even have to be a sales pitch, but rather a way to provide education to your potential audience.

Eddie and Chris also point out that if you have a CRM system in place, sending out a quick upsell campaign via email typically can be done quickly and without additional costs.

Remember, email blasts should be done intentionally. A big blast sent to everyone typically doesn’t perform well and can affect your unsubscribe rate. Look to segment your lists based on what is personal and relevant. Connecting with people who have had a recent service or people when it is time for them to have a service soon and haven’t scheduled it yet.

Connecting With Your Audience

People are busy, and everyone is competing for attention. So how do you stand out from the noise even if you are busy?

The simple answer is to “be human” and to “be genuine.” If you’re posting on social media, you don’t have to have a full production crew to make a video. Yes, you can use your smartphone, but the important part is that you are showing a personalized side of your company.

You are showcasing that you are a real person and you are offering services to help the people in your community. Come from a place of compassion and education and you’ll build up your following.

Right now, the algorithms are favoring short video content across all social channels. Chris and Eddie point out that 15-second videos are doing really well on Facebook, TickTok, and Youtube.

Consistency is key. Mike talks about a business that will hop on social media and create a whole bunch of content right from the start. It can be difficult to maintain that pace. It also looks really bad if a potential client comes to check out your page and there hasn’t been any new content for a long time.

Lastly, it is important to remember that gaining a following on social media will take time. Even with regular posting, it won’t be a huge uptick overnight. For businesses just starting out, this can be a plus though. It gives them a chance to continue to hone their social media skills while growing their audience.

Getting Started

If you’re at the earliest stages of your business, it is important to know which steps to take. Even before you start building social media pages or using truck wraps, you need to get clear on your client avatar.

Mike says this is what you visualize as your ideal client. This helps you get clear on who you are serving. Once you’ve got a solid concept of who that is, you can start creating a plan to find and work with them.

Mike also comments on how it isn’t just about using the same old marketing techniques in the hopes of catching your ideal customer. He works with a service business owner who knows that he really wanted to work with a gated community in his area. That area wouldn’t allow outside people to market there so he came up with a unique idea to host a community event. He hired two wood fired pizza trucks and passed out free food and beer to his ideal audience. 

Those kinds of strategies will always have a cost, but they give you a distinct edge over the competition in your area.

Chris and Eddie also mentioned that it is really important to get your Google Business Profile set up. This helps with SEO, helps people find you on Google Maps, and adds credibility to your brand.

In addition to those steps, it is also important to think about what you’ll do once you start getting leads. A CRM system is important (as mentioned early in regard to automation and marketing) and picking the right software is crucial.

Want to learn more about Mike and Mediagistic? Check out the links below:

• Simple Growth Systems
• Mediagistic

Related: Removing Payment Hurdles and Automating Your Business With Mike Callahan and Jen Morris

Published June 2, 2023 3:09 PM CT

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawkLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Market and Automate for Growth With Mike Callahan and Mediagistic appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Crystal Hyman is from Trane, and she plays a key role in their Trade Warriors. She is joined by Andrew Straka from Modern Mechanical who is another huge advocate for the program.

On this episode of the podcast, you’ll learn:

• How to overcome hiring hurdles
• Why veterans make incredible assets for your team
• How Trade Warrior is helping veterans find careers upon the completion of their military service
• And how the right technology can be appealing to new techs

Andrew got his start in HVAC over 30 years ago and is now one of the owners of Modern Mechanical out of Garner, North Carolina. His company participates in Trade Warriors.

Crystal has been the HVAC leader at Trane for about 20 years. She started out in support and sales and has spent the last five years focused on marketing and customer experience. She also plays an important role in Trane’s Trade Warriors.

What Is the Trade Warrior Program?

The Trade Warriors program was created to help those armed service people bridge the gap between military and civilian careers. The program was created at the Army Career Skills Program in Ft. Bragg, and this program works with Trane dealers across the USA. The Trade Warriors program consists of hands-on, eight-week training. This program equips veterans with the necessary skills and certifications. Plus, the program assists with job placement in the HVAC field. 

Even though the vets are coming out of Ft. Bragg, Trane is helping them find jobs at Trane dealers throughout the USA.

Hiring Challenges

Andrew discusses how most service industries and trades have struggled with hiring for the past few years. This is due to many conditions—ranging from the economy to a shortage of qualified workers. Without having enough employees, it can be very tough to grow a business.

Andrew and Crystal both talk about the interesting stats for the HVAC field. There are about 290,000 HVAC techs in the US, with about 110,000 open HVAC positions. What further complicates this is that about 23,000 techs retire or leave the industry each year.

In past years, there hasn’t been a big push for high school graduates to attend trade schools. There is a bigger push toward that now, but it will still take time to see the effects of these graduates entering the workforce to make up the deficit of techs leaving.

Hiring Tips

Even though this is a challenging job market, there are some things HVAC companies can do. Andrew said it was important to be upfront about what the job was all about. He talks about the environment (and potentially extreme temps) that techs work in. He says the best techs are usually mechanically minded.

Even after you find the right techs, it is important to help them grow. Working alongside them, providing the right tools, and the right support to help them be their best. It is little things, like coaching techs on how to interact with customers, and helping them along the way when they make mistakes too.

Andrew says he can typically identify a good tech after they’ve worked for 8 weeks. If they can handle the crawl spaces, extreme temperatures, and day-to-day tasks, they are on their way to being a successful tech.

Crystal added that one of the unique things that can help an HVAC company be more attractive to new techs is the use of technology. The right software can help automate tasks and streamline operations making a big difference for techs and businesses. Equipping techs to simply take out an iPad and get access to information on customers, scheduling, parts, and more is a game-changer.

Why Hire Vets?

Veterans learn a ton of valuable skills that translate very well to the trades. They’ve developed a solid work ethic, knowing the value of showing up on time, attention to detail, being prepared, and consistently delivering high-quality work.

Andrew’s company is an early adopter of Trade Warriors and has paired newly hired vets with senior techs. It has worked out very well for his HVAC company, as they were able to quickly train up their new employees from the program. They continue to utilize the program, and it has been a great source for finding quality employees.

Andrew also mentions that working in HVAC can come with some unique challenges. Working in an attic in North Carolina during the summer can be hot; around 125°F! He was telling a new tech from Trade Warriors about these kinds of conditions. The veteran responded that he was used to working in extreme heat after having served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Andrew and his company love working with vets, and he appreciates their service to our country. By being able to provide jobs for vets, he feels like he is able to show his appreciation, say thank you, and provide vets a means to support their families.

Are There Other Programs Like Trade Warriors?

The military does offer career transition services for a wide variety of industries. What makes Trade Warriors unique is that it delivers high-quality HVAC training and it has a partnership with Trane to help place veterans with over 300 dealers across America.

Links:

• Trane American Dealers 
• Trade Warrior Program
• Modern Mechanical HVAC

Got questions you want answered? Just email us at profitroadmap@xplortechnologies.com.

Related: Beating Hiring Bottlenecks and Building a Winning Culture With Libby DeLucien

Published May 11, 2023 9:53 AM

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post <strong>Solving Hiring Shortage With Veterans—Featuring Trane and Modern Mechanical</strong> appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to get paid on time
• Financing options for customers
• Automations for your business
• Increased growth by streamlining operations

Mike Callahan is from Simple Growth Systems—a Service Autopilot Certified Advisor specializing in the development of next-level automations in Service Autopilot. Mike got his start in the industry by mowing lawns to pay his car insurance and grew his business to be very large. So much so that he had to reevaluate the business so that it could be maintained with the right automated systems in place for sustainable and scalable growth, which is why he started Simple Growth.

Jen Morris is the Business Development Manager at OPTIMUS contractor financing by EGIA —an innovative platform that helps service businesses offer financing solutions to their clients.

Here are some highlights from their amazing episode:

Creating a Business That Runs By Itself

When Mike first started his lawn care business, he quickly learned that it was tough to operate the business. The whole thing revolved around his direct actions, and being gone for even a day or two caused serious issues. As the business grew, this stress took a toll on Mike’s life and his relationships.

That’s when he found out about automations. He spent the slow winter months figuring out how he could save time and put his effort into using automations. This allowed him to streamline operations. He was even able to help other businesses use automations, which led to the creation of his business, Simple Growth Systems.

Ultimately, implementing automations led to less stress for other service business owners and gave them time back with their families. On top of all that, automations paved the way to creating sustainable growth.

Use Time Management to Scale Up

When businesses first start out, they have to overcome a lot of hurdles, and one of the biggest hurdles is time management. But really what that translates to is having the right systems in place that allow you to scale up. 

Mike talked about getting a ton of estimate requests, say 60 - 80. The time it took to build those out would prevent your business from scaling if you have just one person doing everything manually. Tasks like these need to be taken care of on a daily basis within any successfully growing business.

Mike says one of the best places to start is simply by looking at your calendar. Set aside specific time to work on your business. By intentionally taking this action, it is easier to move forward and become proactive instead of reactive.

Time management is a simple system that allows you to effectively direct your efforts on the things that matter most to your business.

Why Offering the Right Amount of Services Matters

One of the keys to continued growth is being particular with your service offerings. Mike says that the majority of businesses that work with him are offering way too many services. It simply isn’t scalable, and it is way easier to have a few strong core services. From there, you can build up the lifetime value of a client and expand your offerings as you grow.

Financing Options

Jen noticed early on with her background in HVAC, that offering financing options made a lot of sense for service businesses. This gave customers the ability to make payments, which is especially important in uncertain economic times, like right now. 

For many places throughout the country, things like heating and air conditioning aren’t really a luxury, they are a requirement. Having the ability to get equipment fixed and control the temperature was important in everyday life.

One of the unique things about OPTIMUS, where Jen is a business development manager, is that they have various financing options. They partner with contractors so that they can offer three-tiered options based on a customer’s credit profile. They typically have a 90%+ approval rating which is great for customers and contractors.

Jen says that about 50% of consumers choose the financing option. This is something many are already using for other services such as paying off their cell phones. Additionally, it is also becoming increasingly more common on e-commerce sites too. 

Financing can also have its own process too. Jen says that some of the companies that work with OPTIMUS even incorporate a pre-qualification process into the experience. This is something dispatching can start with so that when it comes time to make the decision about financing for service, it is much easier because they already know that they are pre-qualified which takes the emotion out of the decision.

Ultimately, offering financing can help you close more sales and offer more options to your clients.

Use Automations to Get Time Back

Mike notes that many service businesses can feel a little bit of fear when it comes to automations. Really they are about saving time. One of the best examples he says is payments. With service businesses, a service is performed and a credit card is charged. 

Even though there is a small fee for credit processing, it is something that service businesses shouldn’t worry about. Part of this is the cost of doing business, but it is also about being able to get paid quickly and offering an easy way for customers to pay. The payment processing fees can simply be built into the hourly cost, and working with the right company can take care of the heavy lifting when it comes to “PCI compliance” (which are the rules regarding how credit card information is stored).

Mike says that for recurring services it is important to time when those services are charged. Making sure that money hits your account before it is time to run payroll can make things function a lot smoother.

Automations are really there to help give you time back and help you operate with more efficiency. Some of his clients ask him if automations are going to replace people in the back office. Mike goes back to the fact that it isn’t replacing people but allowing them to work smarter on repetitive and mundane tasks. 

Cash vs. Card

There are still clients out there who would prefer to use cash and checks. In the past, making that switch used to be tough, but credit cards make things so much easier for you and the client.

If you’re still taking cash and checks, Mike recommends that you “rip the band-aid off quickly.” People are a lot more open to this post-COVID, as things continue to move paperless. But Mike says that the people that give the most pushback on this issue are the ones whom it will likely be difficult to collect payment from later.

Again, there is a HUGE time saving when it comes to automating payments and having a card on file. Having to chase people down and remind them to send in a check is incredibly time-consuming.

Improving Your Business

While there is always room to improve your business, it is important to think strategically about how you improve. Focusing your efforts on the things that will increase sales and give you more time back can help you scale and serve your clients even more effectively.

Want to learn more about Mike and Jen? Check out the links below:

• Simple Growth Systems
• Optimus Contractor Financing

Related: Beating Hiring Bottlenecks and Building a Winning Culture With Libby DeLucien

Published April 23, 2023 4:03 PM CT

The post Removing Payment Hurdles and Automating Your Business With Mike Callahan and Jen Morris appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Welcome to a special question-and-answer episode of the Profit Roadmap podcast. If you have questions you want our host or guests to answer, be sure to email us at: profitroadmap@xplortechnologies.com. We look forward to answering your questions in future Q&As!

Here are the questions we cover during this Q&A episode:

Who is the podcast for?

The Profit Roadmap is for all types of service professionals, including lawn, landscape, irrigation, cleaning, HVAC, plumbing, and more. Basically, any field service business looking to learn best practices to scale will deeply benefit from this podcast.

What type of guests will you be featuring? 

We’ll be welcoming guests from different service industries to cover a wide variety of topics. These industry experts and business owners have been there and done it! We’ll also have guests from industry associations and big industry brands too.

I’m a locksmith, will your podcast still apply to me?

Absolutely! The Profit Roadmap Podcast is for ALL field service businesses. We’ll be covering topics on finding talent, maximizing profits with premium pricing, marketing to grow your offerings, and so much more!

Ultimately, we want to show you scalable solutions to overcome your biggest bottlenecks by hearing from world-class guests who provide expert industry insight.

I’m a brand new plumber, and I was told to listen to industry podcasts by my company’s owner. Are you a good podcast for me?

The Profit Roadmap Podcast is for service pro vets and newcomers—business owners, management, crew leaders, and technicians alike are all welcome. If you’re looking for additional resources, be sure to check out the Service Autopilot Blog as well as the Field Edge Blog.

Will you please talk about how to find techs? It’s so hard to hire talent right now!

Yes, hiring has been a challenge for lots of service businesses right now. That’s why we brought in hiring expert Libby DeLucien. Be sure to listen to her episode, and learn how you can find (and keep) the best talent!

Is the podcast free?

The podcast is 100% free, and you can listen to it on all your favorite platforms including Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube.

Will there be a meetup or live show in the future?

We don’t have any official plans for a live show, but we’re definitely open to it. We’re thinking about doing a live meet-up at the upcoming Service Edge Conference.

Related: Beating Hiring Bottlenecks and Building a Winning Culture With Libby DeLucien

Read Sydney Berman’s story.

Published April 6, 2023 12:02 PM CT

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post The Profit Roadmap Answers Your Questions appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Libby is an entrepreneur, mom, owner of several super successful businesses, a certified cleaning coach and so much more. On this episode of the Profit Roadmap, Libby shares:

• How to find (and keep) the best employees
• What it takes to create a strong company culture
• What attracts good candidates
• How to grow at scale
• And MUCH more

Libby DeLucien started out with a company called Organize It, which specializes in helping people organize their homes. Then, she expanded into the cleaning industry, cultivating a highly motivated and effective staff that grew her company very quickly. Since then, she has created a hiring company called WootRecruit.

Check out some highlights from Libby’s episode… 

Caring, Culture, and the Current State of Hiring

Hiring has changed dramatically over the past few years, especially in the wake of all the closures of 2020. Here’s what Libby had to say about that:

“It changed for everybody. It gave us a taste of time freedom. It gave us a taste of what it meant to work from home. And so if you're not changing with that, you will be left behind.”

Libby says it comes down to providing a good life-work balance.

“It's about a life-work balance... It's not worth it to them to be treated horribly. It's not worth it to them to drive into strangers' houses and scrub toilets for a living. If we're not giving them a life-work balance, if we're not giving them great pay, and if we're not treating them like VIPS, it isn’t worth it. 

So we changed that and we got back to offering some flexibility and how we run things and the way we work. Are our employees walking all over us? No, absolutely not. They actually respect us more because we know we're on their time.”

It also comes down to creating a great company culture. For Libby, that means caring for people. She said that this can be a struggle for some, and it is important to hire someone else who can fulfill that role (e.g. a caring office manager). But ultimately, team members and recruits need to feel cared for, understood, and that they’re all on the same page.

Caring is also about celebrating wins—big and small. This leads to a positive and healthy work environment. It makes her team feel appreciated and it also means they continue to deliver the best quality work.

Libby asked her team what their goals were in life, and found out that for them it was buying a home. So she took steps to make that easier for her team. She worked with a local mortgage lender who provided education and support to help make their dream of owning a home a reality. 

Finding Candidates

So, how do you find the right people? There isn’t one perfect way, it really comes down to your business. It might mean getting referrals. Tapping into your network and your community to find candidates who have been vouched for by people you know.

Or it might mean using online job sites too. On those sites, it is important to advertise the great things about your company culture. Things like a great work/life balance, promoting from within, or even offering great pay.

Remember to think about it from the potential employees' perspective. What would make the job attractive to them? How can you stay competitive against the other job opportunities in the area?

Here’s what Libby had to say about the job posting she has:

“My ad literally says, ‘Come work for a woman-owned, minority-owned, Spanish speaking business owner. Because that's what I want to attract. That's who I am. It's everything from the verbiage in the ad with things like your pay, your benefits, and core values.”

When it comes to pay, this is incredibly important to candidates.

“Your pay has to be sexy. If your pay is not sexy, it's not going to attract anybody. Now. It doesn't have to be crazy, but it has to be competitive in the market. Being competitive and being a caring boss will really keep people there in your company.”

Remember that there will be the challenge of finding people simply because of population shifts. Lots of the “baby boomer” generation is retiring and this is compounded by the fact that generations after baby boomers are having fewer kids than they did in times past. Ultimately, this means a shortage of people that isn’t going to get corrected any time soon.

Interviewing

Libby’s key to interviewing is to see it as a process where the best candidate makes it all the way through for a position. This is a rigorous process but she makes sure to be polite, structured, and most importantly social. It should feel like a natural organic conversation.

That said, interviewing should be a specific list of questions that you’ll ask all the candidates. This gives you a consistent approach to everyone and can help you make the best decision. Essentially, this is a data collection.

Keep in mind what it might be like for the candidate. So may come in and feel nervous or it could have been years since they had an interview. Just be patient and empathetic to fully understand their perspective.

Libby also says that it is important to have an “avatar” of the kind of employee you want. Libby really wants to get it whether or not a job “will fill their bucket” so to speak. Internally, will this job provide fulfillment for them? Will the job you’re offering be able to help them step up in life or even get one step closer to where they want to be? If not, they are the kind of employees that will leave very quickly.

Turnover

Turnover isn’t always a bad thing. People move, have changes in the family, or a job might be a stepping stone in their career. Libby says it is important to plan for this kind of turnover and not see it as a negative thing. This is especially true if a great employee leaves to chase their dreams; you played an important role in helping them get there.

Know Your Numbers

Libby says that one single, good employee can generate her business about $80,000 whereas a single customer may only bring $3K - $4K per year. So for her and her company having the right employee is a lot more important than finding another client.

Your Prospects Are Watching

Libby says that 87% of prospects are checking out the companies they want to work for online. Libby wants to create an authentic experience for business meaning she wants to show real employees doing real work, avoiding stock photos. 

Business Operations

One of the things that has helped Libby streamline her business in all areas has been Service Autopilot. She loves the app and automations provided by Service Pilot and they consistently save her a ton of time. If you want to learn how Service Autopilot can help your company, just click the button below.

Start Hiring the Right Team and Improving Employee Retention Today

It is important to think about hiring as playing the long game. There isn’t a magic bullet that will help you find tons of perfect candidates overnight. But, by improving the process, you can attract great talent who are the right fit for your company.

Want to learn more about Libby? Check out the links below:

• Libby's Personal Page
• WootRecruit
• Organize It

Related: Re-introducing the Profit Roadmap Podcast!

Published March 23, 2023 12:57 PM

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The post Beating Hiring Bottlenecks and Building a Winning Culture With Libby DeLucien appeared first on Service Autopilot.

The Profit Roadmap will be co-hosted by Ryan Yelvington, FieldEdge content creator, and Rebekah Spencer, Service Autopilot senior training specialist. With a combined tenure of over 16 years, these co-hosts are experts in helping field service businesses reach their maximum potential by using software to streamline their daily operations.

From lawn care to HVAC to residential cleaning, plumbing and more, this podcast is for all field service professionals!

The podcast will discuss the latest trends and topics in field services: industry updates, key hiring insights, expert strategies to safeguard finances, growth planning advice, next-level marketing strategies and more.

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Summon the Rawk by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4434-summon-the-rawk
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Browse our member directory.
Explore the Profit Roadmap.

The post Re-introducing the Profit Roadmap Podcast! appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Naylor tells you how he started and grew his lawn care business into the successful lawn care business it is today. He also shares the different things he’s continuing to work on.

Plus, Naylor gives YOU advice on how you can start growing a successful lawn care business too.

Follow Lawn Care Rookie On:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

Check out some success stories:

See how Andrew Martinez built a successful business

Get inspired by Kirks Service Autopilot journey

Discover Bryan Ring path to lawn care business success

The post Naylor’s Story: How the Lawn Care Rookie Started a Successful Lawn Care Business appeared first on Service Autopilot.

He tells you how to make your website better by avoiding the most common mistakes made by lawn care owners.

Plus, Riley gives you tips on how YOU can create an amazing website that #1 in Google’s search engine.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Rev Transcription Services
• Google Mobile-Friendly Test
• They Ask You Answer by Marcus Sheridan

The post Mistakes That Lawn Care Businesses Are Making on Their Website appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Jacob talks about the measures he took before and after he found out the lawn and landscape industry was considered essential in Illinois.

Plus, Jacob gives advice to fellow business owners on a few measures you can take to protect yourself and your employees.

Catch up of Jacob’s previous episode!

• How Jacob Godar Built Scooter’s Lawn Care

The post Keep Your Business on Track During COVID-19 appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Garrett gives advice on how YOU can survive and thrive during this crisis by implementing proper procedures and marketing strategies.

WATCH: Garrett Matthews' Tech-Forward Office and Shop | LCM Roadtrip

The post This Is the Time to Be a Leader appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Marvin explains the different things he’s doing to protect himself and his employees. He also talks about the shifts that might happen in the industry because of this.

Plus, he gives YOU advice on how your business can survive this crisis.

Check out our two-part shop tour with Marvin featured on Lawn Care Millionaire:

• Roadtrip: Touring Marvin Salcido's Lawn Care Field Office (Storage Units)
• Roadtrip: Touring Marvin Salcido's Unique Office Space
  

The post Marvin Salcido: We're All in This Together appeared first on Service Autopilot.

He tells you all about Xplor Pay and why he’s so passionate about the company. He also tells you what makes them different from other credit card processors.

You’ll find out how you can begin taking advantage of this unique opportunity to completely switch all of your clients to credit card payments.

Link Mentioned in this Episode:

• Lawn Care Millionaire | Get ALL Your Lawn Care Clients to Pay by Credit Card

The post COVID-19: What Credit Card Processing Can Do for You Right Now appeared first on Service Autopilot.

John and Nikki explain how they’re keeping their employees safe and healthy as well as how they’re continuing operations.

Plus, they give advice on how your business can not only make it through the Coronavirus pandemic but grow and become healthier.

The post COVID-19: Focus on Your Message appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Jason talks about how you can ensure your business is deemed “essential” and is operating legally.

Plus, Jason explains the necessary measures you can take to ensure your business is minimizing liability.

Catch up on Jason’s previous episodes!

• Instincts never Change: The Kolbe Index with Jason Cupp
• Focus on Financials for a Profitable Business

The post What Service Business Owners NEED to Hear Right Now appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Garrett talks about the resources that have helped him get there. Plus, he explains the things he’s had to stop doing to grow his business.

Garrett tells you exactly how he’s navigated through the problems in his business and how it’s made him become more pro-active.

Links Mentioned in the Episode!

• Garrett Matthews’ Lawn Care Millionaire Episode
• Traction by Gino Wickman

The post Building a Brand to Solve Your Labor Problems appeared first on Service Autopilot.

In this episode, Jason explains where the majority of business owners struggle with their financials. Plus, he tells you where your overspending, so that you can grow a more profitable business.

Jason tells you exactly how you can begin to face the music so that you can start solving your financial problems today.

Catch up on Jason’s previous episode!

• Instincts never Change: The Kolbe Index with Jason Cupp

The post Focus on Financials for a Profitable Business appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Before winning the BBA competition, Kirk took a 3-week dream vacation with his son… but he almost didn’t go. All because he was worried about what might happen to his business if he left for so long.

He came back from his vacation SHOCKED at what happened to his business.

Kirk says he learned more about his company in those three weeks than he did in 5 years.

Kirk stresses the importance of delegating to grow your business while also spending quality time with your family.

The post Take a Vacation to Find What’s Broken in Your Business appeared first on Service Autopilot.

PLUS, Conley shares how he thought he was firing 20% of his clients when he raised his prices… And instead, all but ONE of his clients stayed with him. Conley tells you why he raised his prices and will continue to do so - And you should too!

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The post Raise Your Prices With These Profitable Strategies appeared first on Service Autopilot.

They tell you how to create your own sustainable goals to promote steady and faster growth in your business.

Plus, they share their top secrets, which they attribute to their success.

And don’t forget!

Be sure you check out Brandon and Ryan’s #MondayPunday mentioned in the episode.

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He tells Cody and Bear how he took his business to over $1 MILLION in revenue in 2019.

Also, find out the top two bottlenecks he faced to reach this goal. Jacob explains how he kicked those bottlenecks to the curb (and you can too!).

Plus, Cody, Bear, and Jacob’s “Gentleman’s Agreement” for 2020!

Catch up on Jacob’s previous episodes!

• How Jacob Godar Built Scooter’s Lawn Care
• The Business Owner’s Marriage Survival Guide

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The post The Bottlenecks Keeping You from Reaching $1M appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Here’s the book Mike was referencing during this episode: Built to Sell by John Warrillow.

Click here to catch up on Mike’s previous episode.

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If you haven’t already, catch up with Jess’ first part of the episode.

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Related: Do Employee Referral Programs Even Work?

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Bear talks about a few major problems in the service industry, but they all have one simple solution that boils down to this… communication. He explains how you can solve your business’ biggest problems through under-promising and over-delivering.

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The post Bear Flies Solo!|The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Catch up on Lisa’s first guest episode: How to Expand Your Marketing into Multiple Channels

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The post Sell ALL Busy Season Long |The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Did you know that 80% of results come from 20% of the time you spend working? It’s a little something called the 80/20 principle, and Chris is going to tell you all about it. He’ll actually tell you how to become a great business owner by doing less work in a smaller amount of time.

If you want to learn even more about the 80/20 principle, you can grab Richard Koch’s book here or Ari Maisel’s book here.

And if you’re interested in our SA6 conference, check it out here!

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The post Pareto Revisited | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Just by delegating, you can become the great leader you’ve always dreamed of… but there are also a few other things you can do too. Chris tells you exactly how to do just that. He presents some challenges you might face along the way - but that’s okay. He’ll tell you everything you need to know about being a champion leader in your business!

That Harvard Business Review article: To Be a Great Leader, You Have to Learn How to Delegate Well

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Through his hard work and dedication, Kory started his first lawn care business in high school. Now he develops the sort of efficiency products he wishes he had when he was still on the truck.

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The post From the Field to the Product Lab: Creating Efficient Lawn Care Accessories appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Brian Stearman talks about being the owner of Lawn Care Marketing Mechanic and why its primary focus is helping lawn care businesses. As a former lawn care owner, Service Autopilot user and SA Academy member, he's learned a lot over the years. He tells lawn care owners how to get more customers through great reviews and Facebook ads.

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The post Interview with Lawn Care Marketing Mechanic | Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

If you're a cleaner looking to sign up for SA, let's get you on-board.

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The post Angela Brown Interviews Cody & Bear appeared first on Service Autopilot.

If you’d like one-on-one financial advice from Three Point Group, please check them out.

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Plus, he shares his story about an embezzlement issue within his lawn care company... and why Ted chose not to send a woman to prison.

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After meeting Bear in 2017, Bo and Brady Burke describe their experience with Service Autopilot and why they've recommended it many times. They explain how Automations have been a total game-changer for their lawn care business and has jumpstarted their growth.

The mobile app, forms and estimates have benefited them so well that it has improved their leads, conversions and overall customer service. They moved from creating schedules on Excel spreadsheets to saving hundreds of hours through our scheduling feature. Even their clients have commented on how much better their customer service has been! They've exponentially increased their profit margins and expanded into other outlets in their lawn care business during their time using SA.

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The post "Service Autopilot is a Game-Changer" appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Resources:

• Marvin's other appearance on the show
• Starting a Lawn Care Business (Marvin contributed to this piece)

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The post Grow Your Business by Adding Services appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Kirk talked to us about growing in patience and the necessity of effective communication with your team - a winning badass strategy if we ever heard one!

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Read about the 2015 Biggest Badass winner at Service Autopilot Academy

The post Biggest Badass 2018 Interview appeared first on Service Autopilot.

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The post Should I Hire a Virtual Assistant? appeared first on Service Autopilot.

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The post "I Joined a Mastermind Group BEFORE I started my business" appeared first on Service Autopilot.

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The post How to Save Missed Sales Opportunities appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Should you:

• Bend over backward to accommodate every request?
• Refuse to yield a single inch?
• Fire them?

It's a great reminder that service business owners are professional problem-solvers - but they have to keep that inside the scope of their business.

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The post How to Handle "Troublemaker" Clients appeared first on Service Autopilot.

After interacting with a bunch of SA users in Kentucky, we wanted to reflect on the importance of attracting and creating brand ambassadors.

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Resources:

• Tony Romo: A Football Life
• The Pareto Principle is an Italian Cheese

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The post One Big Venn Diagram of Awesome-ness appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Here's the clip Bear referenced:

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Resources:

• Martha Woodward - Employee Incentives

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The post Do Employee Referral Programs even work? appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Resources:

• No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs (by Dan Kennedy)

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The post Why You Should Build Walls Around Yourself appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Resources:

• Starting out Facebook Advertising (Lawn Care)
• Facebook Ads for Cleaners
• How to Market Your Lawn Care Business (9-Arounds)

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The post "Why Do I Need Marketing?" appeared first on Service Autopilot.

This is the best way to make sales in your service industry business... but it can be intimidating to people who are really comfortable making sales happen in-person.

Resources:

• Spin Selling by Neil Rackham
• Jim Evans' Philosophy of Sales
• Is the Hard Sell Ever Appropriate?
• The #1 Reason Most Lawn Care Companies Fail

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The post How to Close Sales over the Phone appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Resources We Mentioned:

• Pricing Calculator
• Wrapping Your Truck in 2018

Get Your Tickets to SA5

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The post The Biggest Badass Interview | Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Resources we mentioned:

• Pre-order Clockwork today
• Read Profit First to get your finances in order

Mike spoke at our annual conference a couple of years ago... it was a big hit. You can attend the conference this fall, buy your tickets today!

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The post Your business could run like Clockwork appeared first on Service Autopilot.

She keeps an eye toward "gotcha" moments to avoid problems down the road AND helps you consider alternatives to letting go that squeaky-wheel employee.

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The post Cody and Bear Get Fired! appeared first on Service Autopilot.

She talks to us about being afraid of customer feedback, how to get over that fear and embrace the opportunity to improve your business.

Resources:

• Martha's last time on the show at SA4
• Quality Driven Software
• This year's conference, SA5

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The post Are You Afraid of Customer Feedback? | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Resources:

• Jim's last episode
• The Dip by Seth Godin (Cody's recommended read)

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The post Is the "Hard Sell" Ever Appropriate? appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Cody talks with Rodney about his mission and how you can use community outreach to build a great reputation.

Resources:

• Raising Men Lawn Care
• Rodney's Instagram
• Community Outreach Blog Post

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The post 50 States, 50 Lawns and Building Your Reputation appeared first on Service Autopilot.

They talk at least twice a day... and they credit those talks with saving their businesses and plugging huge profit leaks.

They rely on each other (and friends of the pod Mike Callahan and Ted Glaser) for outside perspective. The kind of perspective that protects them from "business blindness." Business blindness is tunnel vision. It's being too close to a problem to realize that it's a problem. And it's made them tens of thousands of dollars.

This episode was recorded at SA4, our 2017 conference in Dallas. Don't miss out on SA5, where Bear and Cody will be recording interviews live from the main stage.

Resources:

• Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
• How to Find a Mastermind Group with Jonathan Pototschnik

SA5 Tickets are now on sale (and you can see The Profit Roadmap LIVE at the conference)

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Get more info on SA5 (or buy your tickets today)!

Resources Mentioned:

• Jason's Consulting Site
• Check out SA5 (this year's conference)

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Cody, Bear and Lisa present other marketing channels, ones we've neglected previously on The Profit Roadmap.

Other marketing channels every service business should consider:

• Uniforms and Yard Signs
• Google AdWords
• Retargeting via cookies or Facebook pixels
• Truck Wraps

Resources We Mentioned:

• How to Improve Your Reputation Using Community Outreach
• The #1 Reason Your Employees Leave You

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Being married and in business together isn't for the faint of heart, but you can make it work!

Jacob and Nicholle strongly recommended:

• Defining clear roles in the business
• Separating business and home conflict

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Cody, Patrick and Bear talk about how to use Instagram to better effect for your small business.

Resources Mentioned:

• Value First Marketing
• Framing Your Shots Blog Post
• Nicholle's Web Design Blog Post

Special thanks to Nicholle for providing some quick talking points.

SA5 is coming! Tickets are on sale now, get yours before they sell out.

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The post Small Business Instagram isn't about Your Equipment appeared first on Service Autopilot.

There are numbers EVERY business owner should know. They're vital to growing and keeping your business healthy. Jonathan tells us the numbers smart business owners are tracking and helps trim the fat so you're collecting data you need, not just every number you can get your hands on.

RELATED EPISODE: The ONLY Business Stat that Matter with Scott Howard

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Cody traveled to Schneider's Shrub and Tree Care in South Carolina to meet with Brandon and Ryan.

Mentioned on This Episode:

Ryan's consulting and EOS implementation

Traction by Gino Wickman

You'll be able to see a video from this trip on our Facebook page soon, be sure to like and follow the page to see it.

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So we lured her into the studio, claiming that Bear and I needed to work out some interpersonal conflict. (That's why Bear and I fought so much on this episode!)

The Promised Healthcare Resources:

• Official US Government info for small business owners
• UHC's plan options
• BCBS's plan options

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Conley Ipson is a hard-working young man. He's married, has a toddler, and, in 2014, was working his tail off as a solo-preneur.

What people looking from the outside didn't know was that he was behind on his truck payments. His business was in tatters because he was overworked and underpaid. He was floundering. When the bank repossessed his truck, he found himself unable to work.

The business to which he tied his identity and self-worth was failing, which meant he was failing.

That's how Conley found himself at rock bottom, planning to end his life.

If you need help or someone to talk to, you can reach out to the Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255.

As mentioned in the episode, Psychology Today's Find a Therapist tool is an excellent way to find a qualified mental health professional.

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The post How to Escape Rock Bottom appeared first on Service Autopilot.

5 Secrets to Writing KILLER Headlines

1. One Big Idea
2. Appeal to a "Second Benefit"
3. Use Power Words.
4. Ask an Unexpected Question.
5. Write Multiple Headlines (then write some more).

THE BONUS IS IN THE EPISODE. You can't get it in the blog post, silly.

Copywriting Resources that Patrick and Cody Recommend:

These are books that helped write better, more effective, sales copy. These are for people who want to create more than awesome headlines, they're for people who want to craft profitable writing for every aspect of their business:

• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini
• The Ultimate Marketing Plan, Dan Kennedy
• Outrageous Advertising, Bill Glazer

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He talked his experience with the ideas of Napoleon Hill (check out Think and Grow Rich) and the guys who joined the original Mastermind group: Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, etc. Titans of industry.

Listen along as we hear about the times that Jonathan has learned from (and added value to) members of paid and unpaid Mastermind groups.

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We talk about the most important part of that strategy: consistency. When you pair consistent posts with quality content, you see the true effect of Facebook and other social media outlets. When you respect the platform and how it works, you'll perform best.

For more help with your social media:

• Guide to Facebook Advertising (Lawn Care)
• Guide to Facebook Advertising (Cleaning)
• Consulting with Nicholle (Godar Designs)

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Your customers are using credit cards to pay for everything else in their life. Cody doesn't remember what cash looks like. Bear burned his checkbook two years ago. Jonathan wants his 2% cashback. The world is ready to pay you with plastic, why won't you let them?

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The post Why Credit Card Processing is a "No-Brainer" appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Bear and I wanted to throwback to our second-ever episode of PRM. We interviewed Scott Howard to talk about "the only business stat that matters." Because this is the busiest selling season for lawn care companies, we know that it's great time to review pricing and profitability.

By way of reminder, our blog also has a lot of helpful information for pricing by industry:

• The Ultimate Pricing Guide for Lawn Care and Landscaping Business Owners
• 7 Deadly Pricing Mistakes that Will Kill Your Lawn Care Business
• 3 Easy Steps to Price Your Cleaning Services Right
• 7 Low-Risk Ways to Raise Your Cleaning Prices (without Losing Clients)

If you get your job costing numbers correct, you'll be able to price knowing that you'll turn a profit.

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The post Classic Roadmap: Job Costing Throwback appeared first on Service Autopilot.

What is "Hyper-Local" Content?

It's content that sells your status as a local small business. It's putting a face and a name and a place to your business. People love to support local businesses and keep their money in their community. Use that powerful marketing tool to your advantage.

Make Your Ideal Customer Avatar

Define who your best customers are, the ones you want more of. Use a mind-mapping exercise like Chris describes in the episode.

Lawn Care Client Persona worksheet.

Cleaning Client Persona worksheet.

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What Comes After Selling Season?

Upselling season.

Join us as we talk with our CEO and co-founder, Jonathan Pototschnik about the art of the upsell. Upsells are the best way to increase your profitability throughout the year.

Here are the blog posts we mentioned on the show today:

11.5 Ways to Market Your Lawn Care Company

13 Ways to Market Your Cleaning Company

The principles in both of those posts will help you sell ANY service, not just to new clients, but to existing clients as well.

Don't Let Your Year Be Dictated by 3 Months

A lot of owners live or die by the selling season's increase (or decrease), but it is cheaper and easier to sell to someone again (rather than for the first time). Don't hang your hat on March, April and May, lawn care owners. Your most valuable asset is your customer list and they want to give you more money, they just don't know it yet.

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Treat New Clients like People

Remember marketing is a relationship. This person has just committed to you. Show that you match their commitment with a Welcome Packet. Check out this video from Jonathan about what to include in your Welcome Packet:

If you missed the Ted Glaser episode, it's still available in our podcast feed (look back a couple episodes).

Why Clients that Understand What You do Will Appreciate You More

Consider this example:

1. A friend hands you a five dollar bill.

"Oh, uh, thanks."

2. Your friend, who lost their job and their house, hands you a birthday card with a five dollar bill inside.

The context of your friend's struggle shows how much more that $5 meant. That could be the difference between them making rent that month or not.

It's the same with your customers. If they understand what you're doing, the effort, skills, and knowledge that are required they will appreciate it that much more.

Educate your clients so they know how professional and skilled you are.

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The post How to Welcome New Clients to Your Business | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

You know it's true: the tasks you hate wind up on the backburner. Those backburner tasks frequently find their way through cracks, despite our best intentions.

At The Profit Roadmap, we encourage you to find one of those tasks TODAY and get it off of your plate. Slide those nasty, but necessary vegetables onto an employee's plate. Here's how:

Write Down Your Process

This doesn't have to be a blow-by-blow of how to do the task (A, B, C, etc.) You want to jot down the high points, the things that are fundamental to getting the task done.

You don't need to write down specific instructions for using a measuring wheel or tape measure. Here's what you need: trust the employee to figure it out (or to ask for help when they get lost).

If an employee asks a question, add the answer to the notes for next time. You need to fill gaps, don't cover every question that could ever be asked about a task.

Delegate That Task - Today!

Identify an employee who can take that task off your hands.Office assistants and operations managers can handle paperwork and documentation. If you're still in the field, start trying to hand those duties to team leads and field employees. Give them the tools to rise to the occasion, they'll surprise you.

Don't get caught in the trap of "If I want it done right, I have to do it myself." This mindset belongs to the perpetually small-time "job owners."  Business owners delegate or their business stagnates and then starts to fall apart. Businesses can't stay in one place. They grow or they start to die.

You. Can't. Do. Everything. You need help. You need to process, automate, and delegate. Get rid of your biggest stressors and work on things that will improve your business in the long run.

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The post How to Let Go of Dreaded Tasks in Your Business | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

This is the transition that every service industry company owner HAS to make. You have to get off the truck and out of customers' properties. You want to work "on" your business, not "in" your business if you want to grow and scale.

How Do You Become a Leader?

John has some advice on that front. The two big takeaways are:

1. Trust yourself. You've put systems in place so that your business can run while you work on it elsewhere.
2. Trust the employees you've hired. You picked the team. Let them do what you hired them to do.

Hear all three of us, loud and clear: this transition and letting go of control is never easy. Business owners are hands-on, especially with something as important as their company. We're not advocating abandonment, we want you to focus on more important tasks. You need to replace a lot of your day-to-day tasks with an office assistant, new field labor, or Automations.

Related Resources:

Here are some resources related to replacing yourself in your business:

• How to Hire Great Cleaners
• Ultimate Hiring Guide for Lawn Care Owners
• How to Hire Your First Office Assistant
• What is this "Automations" thing you guys are always talking about?

John recommended business owners check out: Futrli, a resource for financial forecasting.

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The post How to Grow in Your Company from "Doer" to "Leader" | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Why You Should Drop the "Wrong" Clients

It doesn't matter how much money you make if you're miserable. And it doesn't matter how much revenue you're pulling in if there's no profit. Ted exercises great self-control in his business to straddle extremes. He's phasing out a significant subset of his clients (or subbing them out) in order to solve employment issues.

Rather than have his business run him, Ted took the reins of his business and pulled it back before it was overextended and ran into big problems.

You have to decide what your business exists to do. If that's a profit powerhouse, get after it and chase every possible money-maker. If you'd prefer to build a business that allows you a good living, takes care of your employees, and turns a decent profit, that's equally valid. Just like every business owner is unique, so are the businesses they build. Don't get caught up in someone else's dream.

Next Week on The Profit Roadmap:

John Caldwell, our valiant CTO, returns to the show to discuss the history of SA, finding the right partner in business-building, and how you can move from being a "doer" to a "leader." Subscribe to the show today so you don't miss out on any of that awesome information.

As always, leaving a review for us wherever you listen to podcasts is very helpful to the show. It helps us know how you like the show and helps other people find the show.

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The post TED (Glaser) Talk: How He Built Summit Lawns appeared first on Service Autopilot.

He was young and ready to work his tail off to build something for himself. He considered opening his own body shop but the high overhead, startup costs and prospect of constantly smelling like oil and Bondo dust kept him out of the car game.

Always Hustling: The Hallmark of Every Member Journey Story

What Jacob lacked in experience and startup capital he made up for by working harder and longer. He quickly built a reputation for excellent service.

Every member journey we record for The Profit Roadmap centers on hard work and grit. Nobody makes it in the service industry by half-assing or dabbling. Jacob got his mom to drive him to a Chamber of Commerce meeting as a teenager to learn how to write a business plan.

"This is new to me," he said, describing the drive he has to succeed.

His dad is a workhorse (still works for Scooter's to this day).

Jacob currently runs lawn care companies in Illinois AND Florida. Cody is particularly jealous of Jacob's ability to winter in Florida while running snow crews outside of Chicago.

The Best Way to Get Ahead in 2018

Nicholle Godar is the marketing manager at Scooter's Lawn Care. She also runs her own business (Godar Designs) where she creates modern websites for service industry businesses, provides SEO services, and manages social media. You can see her handiwork on her site as well as at Scooter's Lawn Care.

She wrote a blog for Service Autopilot "9 Best Lawn Care Website Designs for 2018" where you can get her pro advice for your website.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post How Jacob Godar built Scooter's Lawn Care | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Instincts Never Change: Kolbe Action Modes

Unlike a personality profile or IQ test, Kolbe index results don't change. The four numbers that represent your underlying instincts are always the same.

The action modes (instinct categories) are:

Fact Finder: These are the kind of people who need to research decisions. They do a lot of Googling. They collect information before acting.

Follow Thru: Process-oriented individuals, they like creating and dwelling with well-designed systems.

Quick Start: This is the guy or gal who has an idea and is in step 3 of bringing it to life before you even understand what they're doing. They have an idea and start acting as quickly as possible.

Implementor: Hands-on and tactile. They want to bring their ideas to life with their own hands, if possible.

Everyone falls somewhere on the sliding scale of each of these Action Modes.

Questions about Kolbe?

You can contact Jason through his website. As he said in the episode, his consulting business is full but he's happy to help with Kolbe questions and testing.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Instincts Never Change: The Kolbe Index with Jason Cupp appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Automations is Out of Beta

At SA4, John announced that automations was officially out of beta and ready to be used. Our Certified Advisor and friend of the show, Mike Callahan, is helping people get up and running with his 20 Days to Close automation.

John also clued us in on this episode to an upcoming feature: Reports Center.

You'll be able to create your own reports, using the information and data you need. If you're running Automations, you'll even be able to have reports automatically pulled and emailed to you!

Interview Series Incoming

John is going to be back to discuss the future (and history!) of Service Autopilot in a couple more episodes. We're very excited that he's taking time to sit down with us and let us know what he and the development wizards are cooking up in their laboratory.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post The Robot Butlers are Coming (and Automations is Out of Beta)! appeared first on Service Autopilot.

What is "Coachability"?

Chris emphasized that you should be looking for candidates who are willing to learn and grow with your company. When hiring, look for those people, even if they have a little less experience. Especially in entry-level, field positions, you can train a willing employee.

That willingness to learn to do things "your way" or the "company way" is coachability.

You can't re-train a know-it-all who's brand new to you but has 3 years experience with a competitor. We've all had employees who did things "their way" instead of the right way. An employee that knows they don't know anything about the industry is way more effective than an employee who knows nothing but thinks they know everything. The know-it-all will fight correction and, worse, will teach his bad (or inefficient, etc.) technique to other employees.

How to Train Your Coachable Employees

Chris also talked about how to train employees well. He let me swing by his desk and snap a picture of the sticky note he mentions in the episode:

To learn what the graph represents, you'll need to hear Chris explain it on this week's episode of The Profit Roadmap.

Do You Like The Profit Roadmap?

Have we helped your business? Made you laugh? Answered a question you didn't know you wanted to ask?

The best way you can help us out is by telling a friend about the show. Tell your friends in the service industry, maybe avoid your closest competitor 😉

You can also leave us a rating and a review wherever you listen to the show. It helps us know what you like, dislike, and that people are listening. Let us know what episodes are the most helpful, where you heard the most actionable advice.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Why "Coachability" trumps Experience in the Hiring Process | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Cody and Bear give easy, actionable morale boosters for the holiday season. These are surefire ways to show your employees that you care about them and appreciate their work with your business throughout the year.

A Cavalcade of Surprise Guests

Just about the entire office swings by to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Profitable 2018. Even Jonathan Pototschnik, fresh back from volunteering in Puerto Rico, popped into the studio.

Chris Volpe, of "Pareto is an Italian Cheese fame", barged in and stole Cody's mic.

Cody burned a Yule Log. Bear gave away cigars and beer. It was a solid Christmas, Profit Roadmap style.

Coming Up Soon:

We'll continue with our regularly scheduled episode next week (Chris Volpe is back!), but we won't be releasing an episode on Christmas Day. Spend the day with your real family, not Cody and Bear (or re-listen to a favorite episode by the fire).

We're looking forward to an exciting 2018 with you guys! Have a great Christmas, happy holidays, happy New Year!

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Your Christmas Came Early... | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

She found very quickly in her cleaning business that the best way to solve problems was to turn those problems into incentivized challenges for her employees.

Why the Ultimate Employee Motivator will Work for Your Service Business

Employees work to earn money to provide for themselves, their families, and their hobbies. Unlike you, they don't necessarily have an interest in your business' long-term health and prosperity.

Unless...

You show them that they do. Martha frequently says, "What do they want, what do I need." That's the heart of how she motivates her employees.

What do employees want? Benefits - additional pay, vacation time, sick time, etc.

What do you need? Increased quality, reliability, professionalism, etc.

Martha finds ways to counter problems in the business with challenges that reward employees for addressing those problems. This takes the conversation about problems and turns it on its head. Instead of an adversarial conversation (e.g. "You need to fix this or you're gone."), you approach the team as a coach with a challenge AND a reward for rising to meet the challenge.

By marrying what they want and what you need, you can defeat any problem in your business. Employees will "buy in" to the program or they'll weed themselves out.

Want More of Martha's Wisdom? The QDS 2018 Conference is the Place to Find It

Quality Driven Software is having their annual conference in sunny San Diego, California (stay classy, San Diego) on February 2-3, 2018. You can still get tickets AND discounted hotel rates if you act now.

The conference will also feature Mike Callahan, who spoke at SA4, Garrett Matthews (future guest on The Profit Roadmap), and our own Jonathan Pototschnik.

LIVE (at the time) from SA4

This episode is part of our podcast series recorded from the BluePay lounge at SA4 Next. If you missed out on the conference, boy, did you miss out. Never worry, reader. Patrick wrote a FULL recap of the conference, just for you.

We have many more exciting episodes straight from SA4 coming up!

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post How to Motivate Employees to Solve Your Problems | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Spin Selling

The Challenger Sale

Listen to the show to hear why he recommended both books (and the advice he said you SHOULDN'T follow from one of them).

Always Be Listening

Ultimately, the advice Jim gave us on sales is the same Patrick and Cody have given on marketing in the past. Sales is relational, not transactional. You have to listen to prospects, hear their problems, empathize with them and then show how you solve them. That's how you sell benefits, not features.

No one comes to you for a clean house or a freshly-trimmed lawn. They come to you for a restful home after a stressful day at work or a cool glass of iced tea on the patio (instead of mowing the lawn on a beautiful Saturday). Sell benefits.

Listening means that sometimes you'll realize you're not the right fit for them. You don't solve the problems they're telling you about. When closing is all you care about, you may not even hear the problem and worse, if you did hear it, you might not care to solve it. High-pressure sales environments demand cut corners and always end up with burnt bridges and defeated employees.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Always Be Closing with Jim Evans | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Bear and I thought it would be helpful to get such a well-read guy to come on The Profit Roadmap and tell us a little about what he's reading and what he thought could help you as a business owner.

Welcome to Bookclub, Profit Roadmap Style

He recommended some stuff that was expected, but he also threw us for a couple of loops:

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson. This one is straight-forward if a little edgy. Business owners need to determine what's worth caring about and what's a waste a time. Manson helps you decide what's important and what's just noise.

User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton. This is a little closer to a textbook, but if you're interested in the AGILE process Ty was talking about and finding out what your user/client story should be this is the place to look.

The Martian by Andy Weir. A novel about an astronaut stranded on Mars. Ty said the intense problem solving and refusal to submit to analysis paralysis was the reason he recommended this one so strongly. And, let's be honest, you were sold on the promise of astronauts.

Ty's personal favorite (he frequently quotes this one around the office) is This is Water by David Foster Wallace.

Business Owners Have a Lot of Ear Time

You listen to our podcast, so I know you've got at least ~45 minutes a week to listen while you're working. There are a lot of great podcasts out there, but sometimes you need a more in-depth look at a particular topic (or want a less repetitive option than the same 20 songs on K101). Nothing's sadder than a silent truck or van cab on a long work day.

Use that time to grow your brain. You can use a service like Audible to get a new audiobook every month. Audible is around $15 a month and the books go wherever you go, on your phone.

Your local library may also have a subscription to a service like Overdrive that provides free audiobooks. Dust off your library card and check with a librarian or your local library's website for digital options.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post BOOKCLUB: Why You Should Read "The Martian" | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

For anyone who missed it, we want to give you a taste of the great things you missed out on.

Blast from the Past: Jonathan's SA3 Talk

Jonathan headlines our annual conference. He talks about the state of the industry and what you can do to stay ahead of the curve and dodge the problems that have already hit you (or are lying in wait).

Last year, he gave attendees 3 Keys to Leading their Market. Unfortunately, they've had a whole year to implement these strategies. If you weren't there, you're playing catch-up.

Don't worry, The Profit Roadmap is watching out for you. We've got all of Jonathan's talk with a new intro from Cody and Bear, waiting for you.

You can get all the info Jonathan gave those attendees last year, right now for free. It's like a Wayback Machine for business advice.

Don't Get Left in the Dust Ever Again

SA5 will be here before you know it. Don't miss out. We'll have another round of "can't miss" speakers with valuable insights that will improve your business by saving you time, increasing profits, and creating healthier culture.

Get tickets the second they go on sale (they're discounted that way) and invest in your life and your business' future by attending the annual member conference.

On Future Episodes:

Cody and Bear recorded a number of interviews, member journey stories, and testimonials at this years' conference. Those episodes, along with our regularly scheduled content will be coming your way very, very soon. To stay up-to-date with the show, make sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, or wherever you get podcasts.

While you're subscribing, make sure to rate and review the show. It's a great way to help the show get in new people's ears. Let's just hope it's not your competitors' ears, right?

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Blast from the Past: Jonathan's SA3 Talk | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Marketing Your Business doesn't have to be Hard

You don't need an MBA or a consultant. You need good copy (check out the recent episode with Jonathan Pototschnik for tips) and some good ways to get that copy in front of eyeballs.

Patrick unpacks the idea of 9-Arounds on this episode. They're super simple. Even Bear and Cody could do it. Use 'em to build route density for minimal investment. Low-risk, high reward: that's the taste of having your cake and eating it too. You're welcome.

We also get into the exciting world of digital ads on Facebook. These are the first place to advertise your business online. Facebook holds your hand while you get your feet wet and you can graduate to Google Adwords later.

Don't be afraid of branching out beyond word-of-mouth and flyers-on-bulletin-boards. You built a business, you can sell its services with the best of them.

What's Next? Patrick, where's Marketing 102?

As I mentioned earlier, Patrick writes on our blog. He's got a really solid next set of steps, once you've mastered 9-Arounds and Facebook ads (gosh, you might need more employees if you've mastered those client-sources).

Check out his marketing tips for lawn care/landscapers: The Best 9.5 Ways to Market Your Lawn Care or Landscaping Business

Here's 13 Smarter Ways to Market Your Cleaning Company.

"I followed Patrick's advice and now I need more employees to do all this work."

We got you.

There are a bunch of mistakes you can make hiring for the green industry, avoid them.

Cleaners, don't fall for the common hiring mistakes in your field either.

If you've gotten this far, you're killing it. Keep up the great work and we look forward to seeing you at the top of the industry.

Marketing Your Small Business is a Full-Time Job

But at Service Autopilot and The Profit Roadmap, we try to take away as much of that burden as possible. We want you focused on making your business better, not figuring out tedious stuff.

Appreciate the show? Leave us a review on iTunes or Google Play. It helps people hear about the show and lets us know what we can do better or what you want to hear more of. Thanks to everybody who's left a review or sent in an email so far!

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Patrick taught Cody to Walk (and Market) | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Company Culture Keeps Your Company Profitable

A company where no one likes coming to work is a company with a foot in the grave. Culture makes its way from the top down. As the owner, you set the tone for "who" your company is. Make it a company where you would want to work. Hire people you want to work with, not the cheapest labor available.

Earlier this year, we told you healthy company culture attracts higher quality employees and keeps them around longer. It's absolutely true. David jumps off the point and proves, with his own actions at SA, that a good, healthy employee expands company culture.

When you, as the owner, create an amazing workplace it will be perpetuated by go-getter employees like David. Listen to them. Organize events with them. Encouraging an employee to take ownership of a part of the culture can only increase their investment in your company. David is plugged in at Service Autopilot. He's part of the reason Bear and I (Cody) LOVE working here.

Why worry about physical fitness when you've got a physically demanding job?

Working hard all day doesn't excuse you from taking care of yourself. David recommended stretching and staying adequately hydrated for people out in the field. You've got to be eating stuff that isn't empty calories (I'm looking at you, Zebra Cake lovers). Sunflower seeds, almonds, and peanuts are all way healthier options than most of what 7-11 has to offer.

The site David recommended for getting into shape was BodyBuilding. He said it's an excellent resource for getting in shape in general, not just people who want to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Five Stars, Anyone Got Five Stars?

The show is doing really well. We're excited that so many of you are out there listening. We'd appreciate it a lot if you'd tell us what you think. Leave us a review and a rating wherever you get your podcasts so we can continue to improve the show and keep it relevant to what YOU want to hear.

Leaving a rating/review also helps other people hear about the show but you can also tell a friend, a rival, and a blood relative about the show. If you know someone who owns a small (or medium or large) business, who would benefit from what we're talking about, tell 'em about the show.

As always, thanks for listening and we'll see you next week.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Company Culture was Invented by David | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Jonathan gives us the advice that he wishes he'd been given 15-20 years ago. It's like a time machine that makes you a future version of yourself. Get the benefit of all that experience in less than an hour.

Two Huge Pieces of Advice from Jonathan: His Most Effective Marketing Strategies

1. Give your business that small company feel. Make it personal. Don't compromise excellent customer service and knowing the customer's name as you grow. Jonathan recommended writing marketing copy with one person in mind. 

2. Don't be afraid of long-form copy. Take the time to say what needs to be said. Length is often proportional to the level of ask you're making. Jonathan talked about micro-decisions and the way to roll them up into bigger decisions.

Listen to the episode to get the big picture of the most effective marketing strategies Jonathan was talking about and what he wishes he could tell himself, 15-20 years ago. For more information from Jonathan, you can check out the Lawncare Millionaire YouTube channel.

The Conference: SA4

What's Next? That's what we'll be talking about this year at our annual conference. Jonathan touched on this because he believes that it will greatly help you to attend this year's conference. SA4 will encourage you. You'll find people who can hold you accountable (get out the field!) We'll teach you easy to implement business strategies that WILL give you a return on your investment.

SA4 will change your business and you, if you'll come. You'll hear from Greg Crabtree of Simple Numbers, Jason Cupp (who's a 24-year veteran of the landscaping industry), and former guest on The Profit Roadmap, Mike Callahan.

Jonathan mentioned that another great way to meet people at the conference if you're already attending is going to the After Party. It's an excellent opportunity to meet other business owners in a low-stress environment.

We hope to see YOU in November.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Jonathan Pototschnik's Two Most Effective Marketing Strategies | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

Value First, Profit Second

Profit is key to success in business. It's the metric we measure ourselves by most often, but if we think about business as a relationship, it throws a monkey wrench in immediately going for a sale.

Compare two scenarios:

1. You meet a person. You introduce yourself and ask them to marry you.
2. You meet a person. You introduce yourself and ask to buy them a drink.

One of these things is normal. One of them is a surefire way to end a potential relationship.

These principles work in business as well. By giving a potential customer something of value (Patrick gives examples you can steal), you start the relationship on the right foot. You ask for a normal level of commitment.

Value first marketing isn't about putting profit in the backseat; it's step one and it leads to step two: profits.

Value First Marketing is Relational

When you think of marketing in relational terms, you greatly increase your skill in the field. It helps you evaluate what you're doing and when you're doing it with potential clients.

Keep the idea of "value first" at the forefront of your mind when you plan marketing campaigns or individual ads.

What's Next?

Bear and I have a great line up for this fall and we're really looking forward to getting it out to you:

• David Martinez, import specialist and valuable addition to company culture.
• Patrick's return! Our first return guest on TPR.
• Ty Wilkins, business analyst and perpetual reader.

We're also going to be talking with Jim Evans, our VP of sales, and Ryan Chipman from Schneider Tree and Shrub Care, one of our Certified Advisors.

As always, a review on iTunes or Google Play would really help other people find the show. If we said something that helped you out (or you learned something), give us a review and let other people know what you liked!

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Why You Should Put Profit Second | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

This is an episode for anyone wanting to learn where the problems in their business come from AND how to reduce the overall number of headaches they have to deal with as a business owner. You'll always have problem employees, clients, and jobs but you can learn how to get rid of the worst and live with the rest.

Simple Steps, Complex Concepts

Chris breaks down the Pareto Principle for us and applies it to the service industry; that's what The Profit Roadmap is all about. We take a nebulous, abstract topic and bring it all the way home with ways that you can use it this week.  Go look for that 20% of clients that produce 80% of your revenue and give them the rockstar treatment they deserve. Find the 20% of clients that cause 80% of your problems and raise their rates or send them packing. Identify problem employees and reduce your overall complaint rate.

Take what you hear on The Profit Roadmap, test it in your business, then let us know how it goes. Seriously, if something on the show helped you out, let us know: email Cody or Bear and tell us.

Things You Heard About This Week:

The book that Volpe recommended on the show was: The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch. It's a solid, deep-dive in the topics this episode discussed. Get it when you're ready to be as much of a business nerd as Chris Volpe.

Additionally, this episode was fueled (but not officially sponsored by) Eiland Coffee Roasters, a local Dallas company. They make great coffee and have a great relationship with Service Autopilot, we drink a lot of what they roast.

What's Coming Next on The Profit Roadmap?

Cody and Bear have some excellent episodes headed for your ears:

• Patrick Hoffman, writer on this blog and digital marketing wonk
• David Martinez, import specialist and valuable addition to company culture.
• Patrick's return! Our first return guest on TPR.

As always, a review on iTunes or Google Play would really help other people find the show. If we said something that helped you out (or you learned something), give us a review and let other people know what you liked!

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post The Pareto Principle is an Italian Cheese | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

This is the second episode of The Profit Roadmap, Service Autopilot's new podcast dedicated to helping service business owners grow stronger, healthier businesses.

Why can't your business double (or triple) its profits by next year?

It's not because you don't have the skills of big business owners.

It's not because you don't have the same amount of time.

It's not even because you lack their knowledge.

You need simple, actionable advice. That's where The Profit Roadmap comes in.

We provide profitable advice for service business owners (lawn care, landscaping, cleaning, snow removal, etc.) You understand the basic concepts of business. The challenge is applying that knowledge. The Profit Roadmap brings in industry and in-house experts to help you take concepts you already understand and apply them in small, snowball-effect ways.

Because we believe small business doesn't have to mean small profits.

What can I expect in the future?

In the next several episodes, Cody and Bear sit down with:

• Mike Callahan, business owner and consultant from Upstate New York
• Chris Volpe, Training Manager and Pareto Principle devotee
• Patrick Hoffman, writer on this blog and digital marketing wonk

We'll be publishing a new episode every week on Mondays. That means we're ready to hop in the truck, van, or car with you at the beginning of the week.

The Profit Roadmap will keep our content completely in Bear and Cody's grasp, which means it'll stay understandable and relatable. We know that you're busy and we want to make sure that you enjoy the show AND get solid, actionable advice from it.

If you have a good time and make a little more money we'll be ecstatic. Seriously, if something on the show helped you out, let us know: email Cody or Bear and tell us.

You can also leave a review on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your Podcasts to let us know how we're doing. It helps people find out about the show and what people think about it.

Subscribe on iTunes and Google Play.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post The Only Business Stat that Matters | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

How do I download it?

We'd recommend subscribing on iTunes, Google Play or a podcast app of your choice (like Pocketcasts).

Those are the best ways to get the latest episode of The Profit Roadmap sent straight to your phone or mobile device as soon as we release them.

We know that service business owners aren't going to always in front of a computer so listening on the blog isn't a great option.

Podcasts go everywhere you go. You can listen in the car, in the gym, in line at the grocery store, etc. Think of it like a radio show that's on whenever you want to tune.

If you don't have a smartphone or don't want to listen on the go you'll be able to listen on the blog, the audio will be at the bottom of each of these blog posts. It's more difficult to keep track of what you've listened to but we want you to get this great information wherever you can.

What can I expect from the show?

If you're reading this, the first three episodes are out, right now, and they reflect exactly what we want the show to be. Every episode will center around an interview with one, in-the-know person. In this episode, we talk with Caleb Risley from our Support Department but future episodes won't always feature a Service Autopilot staff member.

Upcoming interviews include:

• Scott Howard, master trainer and job costing guru
• Mike Callahan, business owner and consultant from Upstate New York
• Chris Volpe, training manager and Pareto Principle devotee

You can expect:

• Simple, actionable advice of big business principles.
• Engaging interviews with industry and in-house pros.
• A good time! We want to cut up and have a great time with you guys.

If you find those three things in every episode, Bear and I will be supremely happy. We want The Profit Roadmap to not only engage your mind and give you a few laughs during the workday, we also want it to make you more money. When that happens, let us know! Shoot Cody or Bear an email and let us know the impact you've had on your business because of The Profit Roadmap. Leave us a review on iTunes (//link), Google Play (//link) or wherever you get your podcasts. It's a great way for people to learn about the show and it also makes us feel good to know that we helped you!

Subscribe on iTunes and Google Play.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Caleb's Secret Fishing Hole | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.

His focus has been lawn care and landscaping but his true expertise is business optimization and efficiency. Owners of any service business will be able to extract nuggets of simple, actionable advice from Cody Owen and Bear Duplisea's interview with him.

Member Journey Stories: In-Depth Looks at What it takes to Succeed

This is the first of what we're calling "Member Journey" stories. We sit down with Mike and have him recount his start and what inspired him to get into business for himself rather than working for someone else. We hope that hearing Mike's inspiration reminds you of your own. Regularly returning to what made you an entrepreneur keeps your head in the right place and makes for a healthier business.

Mike also recounts hardships, professional and personal, that impacted him, how he overcame them, and the success his business experienced on the other side.

He also talks about the what he's doing to stay ahead of the technological curve and all of the awesome things his business is doing with Facebook advertising and Messenger automation.

What's next for The Profit Roadmap?

In upcoming episodes, Cody and Bear sit down with:

• Chris Volpe, training manager and Pareto Principle devotee
• Patrick Hoffman, writer on this blog and digital marketing wonk
• David Martinez, import specialist and company culture revolutionary

If you have a good time and make a little more money we'll be ecstatic. Seriously, if something on the show helped you out, let us know: email Cody or Bear and tell us.

You can also leave a review on iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your Podcasts to let us know how we're doing. It helps people find out about the show and what people think about it.

Subscribe on iTunes and Google Play.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The post Inside Room 112 with Mike Callahan | The Profit Roadmap appeared first on Service Autopilot.