Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service

Most contractors have no idea which marketing actually makes the phone ring, so they keep pouring money where they think it works and hope for the best. The fix is marketing attribution: following every lead from the first call all the way to the booked job. Eric Smith of CallRail and Tyson Dudley of JobNimbus built an integration that finally makes that possible. In this episode, Tersh Blissett sits down with Eric and Tyson to break down why cost per booked job, not cost per lead, is the number that matters, and how connecting your call tracking to your CRM shows you exactly where your best jobs come from. You will hear what their integration actually does, what AI catches on your sales calls that standard reporting misses, how AI analytics surface the things you overlook, and the single biggest mistake contractors make when they bring AI into their operations. This episode is brought to you by UpFrog. They turn paid ad spend into booked, sold system replacements instead of wasted leads. Learn more at upfrog.com. CHAPTERS 0:00 – The Biggest Mistake Contractors Make With AI 1:47 – Meet Eric Smith of CallRail and Tyson Dudley of JobNimbus 3:20 – Why Marketing Attribution Even Matters 4:21 – Cost Per Booked Job, Not Cost Per Lead 7:47 – What the CallRail and JobNimbus Integration Actually Does 16:40 – The Real Answer to How Did You Hear About Us 18:42 – The Unpaid Invoice and the $60K Truck Wrap 21:55 – Automating a Broken Process Is the Wrong Move 41:17 – Where to Find Eric and Tyson THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://partners.getbreezyapp.com/sbm/ PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ TRAINUAL Trainual is an AI-powered training and knowledge platform for growing teams. Describe the training you need and it builds the steps, structure, and quiz: https://trainual.com/ NEXTIVA Xpert from Nextiva is an AI agent that answers the calls that roll to voicemail, asks the right questions, quotes the job, books the appointment, handles rescheduling, and summarizes every call. Try it free for 30 days at https://www.nextiva.com/sbm CONNECT WITH THE HOST AND GUESTS Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Eric Smith, Partner Marketing Manager at CallRail: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-smith1996/ Tyson Dudley, Partner Manager at JobNimbus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyson-dudley/ CallRail: https://www.callrail.com/ JobNimbus: https://www.jobnimbus.com/ ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #MarketingAttribution #CallTracking #ContractorMarketing

Most home service companies lose the job before the truck ever rolls, and they never see it happen. Your close rate, not your lead count, is usually the real bottleneck, and the thing quietly dragging it down is trust. Rama Sreenivasan calls the missing piece visual empathy, and he built a company around it. Rama is the co-founder and CEO of Blitzz, an app-free remote video platform used across roofing, solar, security, and electrical. In this episode, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with him to unpack why diagnosing a customer's problem over audio alone erodes trust, and how seeing the equipment, before you ever quote, turns more conversations into booked jobs. You will hear what visual empathy actually is, why close rate beats deal flow, how a no-app video call documents a job with time-stamped photos and a report that beats the other five bidders, and where AI and AR fit in to back up a rookie tech in the field. CHAPTERS 0:00 – AI and AR Backing Up Your Rookie Techs 2:00 – Meet Rama Sreenivasan of Blitzz 2:53 – From Chemical Engineer to Coining Visual Empathy 3:38 – What Visual Empathy Is and Why Audio-Only Support Fails 5:03 – Why Close Rate Beats Deal Flow 6:55 – How Blitzz Works: A Video Call With No App Download 8:10 – Time-Stamped Photos and a Report That Wins the Job 10:25 – Saving the Truck Roll by Walking Them Through the Fix 12:08 – Prospects Remember How You Made Them Feel 20:47 – AI Plus AR Plus the Human Element 30:51 – Where to Find Rama and Blitzz THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://partners.getbreezyapp.com/sbm/ PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ TRAINUAL Trainual is an AI-powered training and knowledge platform for growing teams. Describe the training you need and it builds the steps, structure, and quiz: https://trainual.com/ NEXTIVA Xpert from Nextiva is an AI agent that answers the calls that roll to voicemail, asks the right questions, quotes the job, books the appointment, handles rescheduling, and summarizes every call. Try it free for 30 days at https://www.nextiva.com/sbm CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Rama Sreenivasan, Co-Founder and CEO of Blitzz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramasreenivasan/ Blitzz: https://www.blitzz.co/ ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #CloseRate #CustomerExperience #FieldService

The cheapest leads in your home service business are not on Google, they are already in your customer list. Email marketing is the channel most contractors ignore, and the numbers are almost unfair. Tim Jordan sent one basic newsletter last month and it produced 45 leads, for the price of a $40 email tool and ten minutes of work. Tim is a serial entrepreneur who bought or founded five companies by age 27, exited all but his window tinting business, and now runs Service Catalyst, a peer mentorship community for service owners. In this episode, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with him to unpack why emailing your existing customers is the highest-margin growth lever you have, and a few others most owners miss. You will hear the $40 newsletter that booked 45 leads, a case study where one email list sold $50,000 in extra work, why a peer group helps you see the blind spots you are too close to catch, and how an entry-level service like duct cleaning can open the door to a $15,000 system replacement. THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://partners.getbreezyapp.com/sbm/ PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ TRAINUAL Trainual is an AI-powered training and knowledge platform for growing teams. Describe the training you need and it builds the steps, structure, and quiz: https://trainual.com/ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Tim Jordan, Co-Founder and President of Service Catalyst: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-jordan-18576633/ Service Catalyst: https://thecatalystcommunity.com/ SG Window Tint: https://sgwindowtint.com/ ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #EmailMarketing #ContractorMarketing #SmallBusiness

If you have ever wondered why delegation keeps breaking down in your business, ADHD entrepreneurs have a specific answer, and a fix. Skye Waterson has built her whole company around it. As an ADHD strategist and founder of Unconventional Organisation, she comes in alongside founders, pulls the process out of their head, and builds the systems and team to run it. In this episode, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch, both ADHD entrepreneurs themselves, sit down with Skye to unpack why the ADHD brain resists systems, how to actually delegate without micromanaging, and the AI trap that quietly creates more work instead of less. You will hear why the same hyperfocus that built your company can look like chaos to your team, how to run a task list that finally lets you focus on the 20 percent that matters, and the trust-plus-transparency fix that makes delegation actually work. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Why It's Easy to Build Something With AI That Works Once 1:46 – Meet Skye Waterson, ADHD Strategist for Founders 4:00 – From a Surprise PhD Diagnosis to Building an ADHD Business 5:44 – What a Fractional Integrator Does for an ADHD Founder 11:25 – The Friction Between Your Analytical and Quick-Start Leaders 14:03 – Becoming the ADHD Translator for Your Team 16:27 – The Weekly CEO Meeting and the ADHD Task List 18:08 – The Would Be Nice Filter and Finding Your 20 Percent 23:54 – Turn Off Notifications: It Costs 7 to 15 Minutes to Refocus 26:45 – The Waiting Room Test for Real Emergencies 30:01 – Don't Build Something That Only Works on Your Claude 36:44 – Delegation Is Trust Plus Transparency, Not Cowboys 39:40 – Where to Find Skye and the ADHD Skills Lab THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://partners.getbreezyapp.com/sbm/ PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ TRAINUAL Trainual is an AI-powered training and knowledge platform for growing teams. Describe the training you need and it builds the steps, structure, and quiz: https://trainual.com/ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Skye Waterson, ADHD strategist and founder of Unconventional Organisation: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/skye-waterson-026286204 Unconventional Organisation: https://www.unconventionalorganisation.com/ Listen to Skye's podcast, The ADHD Skills Lab, and find her on Instagram @unconventionalorganisation ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #ADHDEntrepreneur #Delegation #Productivity

How to grow a home service business is usually pitched as doing more: more trades, more services, more offers. Paul Kelly did the opposite, and it built one of the largest home service companies in the country. He bought Parker & Sons in 2004 as a $7 million shop and grew it to roughly $260 million in a single market, then wrote the playbook down. In this episode, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Paul, bestselling author of Tricks of the Trade to Success and creator of the Raising Goats program, to unpack the 4 pillars behind that growth and why simplicity beats complexity every time. You will hear why adding another trade usually stalls your growth instead of helping it, the 4 pillars that took Parker & Sons from $7M to $260M, why contractors are great doers but poor implementers, and how to keep a pay program simple enough that a tech can do the math in their head. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Why Learning Without Doing Gets You Nowhere 1:39 – Meet Paul Kelly, Who Grew Parker & Sons From $7M to $260M 5:46 – The Real Challenge in Adding a Trade: It Is Not the Land, It Is the Man 8:07 – The $300K Trap of Doing Every Trade Yourself 10:17 – Prescription Without Diagnosis Is Malpractice 14:59 – The Fish Tank Principle: You Grow to the Size of Your Tank 17:44 – Stop Going to Conferences and Start Implementing 21:31 – How Parker & Sons Started Growing $40M in a Year 23:27 – The 4 Pillars: Thinker, Implementer, Operator, Leader 27:21 – Simplicity and Speed: One Thing at a Time 31:34 – Keep Your Pay Program Simple: 20 Percent of the Ticket 33:51 – Think Through the Consequences of Every Decision 38:30 – The GOAT Story and the Raising Goats Program 43:56 – Where to Find Paul and His Book THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://partners.getbreezyapp.com/sbm/ PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ TRAINUAL Trainual is an AI-powered training and knowledge platform for growing teams. Describe the training you need and it builds the steps, structure, and quiz: https://trainual.com/ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Paul Kelly, author of Tricks of the Trade to Success and creator of Raising Goats: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-kelly-99ab90/ Paul's book and site: https://www.tricksofthetrade.com/ Raising Goats program: https://raisinggoats.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #ScalingYourBusiness #TradesBusiness #Leadership

Turning more calls into revenue is the growth lever most contractors never touch, because they cannot see what is actually happening on their phones. Bill Brown spent 25 years in HVAC, built an Inc. 5000 company, and still could not trust his own booking data. So he helped build the tool that fixes it. In this episode, Josh Crouch sits down with Bill, co-founder of PhoneTAP, to announce the launch of PhoneTAP and unpack why the calls you already pay for are where your next jobs are hiding. Tersh is out this week, but he, Josh, and Bill built PhoneTAP together to solve one of the least talked-about problems in the trades. You will hear why the booking rates contractors brag about are not real, how roughly 40 out of every 100 calls are bookable jobs your team may be missing, and how PhoneTAP turns every won and lost call into a coaching playbook inside ServiceTitan. This episode is the launch of PhoneTAP, a ServiceTitan certified app that reviews your unbooked, missed, and abandoned calls to surface the revenue you already earned. See it on your own data at phonetap.ai, or join the launch webinar at phonetap.ai/webinar. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Why You Need to See Your Call Data 2:35 – Meet Bill Brown, 25 Years in HVAC and Co-Founder of PhoneTAP 6:25 – The Launch of PhoneTAP and the Problem It Solves 11:47 – The Qualifying Question That Predicted Revenue 19:47 – Booking Rates That Are Off by Half 21:37 – Why Listening to Every Call Never Scales 28:36 – The Booking Rates People Brag About Are Not Real 44:48 – Out of Every 100 Calls, How Many You Miss 47:01 – Buy the Software or Waste Weeks Building It 52:15 – Inside PhoneTAP: Lead, Booked, and Exactly Why Not 53:51 – Building an Objection Playbook From Won and Lost Calls 1:09:50 – Where to Find Bill and the PhoneTAP Launch Webinar THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://partners.getbreezyapp.com/sbm/ PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ TRAINUAL Trainual is an AI-powered training and knowledge platform for growing teams. Describe the training you need and it builds the steps, structure, and quiz: https://trainual.com/ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS AND GUEST Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Bill Brown, Co-Founder of PhoneTAP and host of ServiceTitan Hacks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbrown80/ PhoneTAP: https://phonetap.ai/ Email the PhoneTAP team (Bill, Tersh, and Josh): hello@phonetap.ai Register for the launch webinar: https://phonetap.ai/webinar ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Want the frameworks from each episode in your inbox? Join the free Service Business Mastery newsletter: https://embeds.beehiiv.com/800fc171-49cd-4d26-861b-ca4256a65625 Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #PhoneTAP #BookingRate #ServiceTitan

How to grow a home service business is usually pitched as one thing: spend more on marketing. Alex Smereczniak has a faster, cheaper answer most owners never consider. As co-founder and CEO of Franzy and a serial entrepreneur who scaled 2ULaundry and sold 118 franchise locations, he has bought, built, and financed businesses more ways than almost anyone. In this episode, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Alex to unpack how to grow through acquisition instead of ads, why the wrong business partner is the number one reason companies fail, and how to finance a deal using tools most owners have never heard of. You will hear why buying a retiring competitor can 2 to 3x your business, how seller financing, a 401k rollover, and SBA loans actually work, and the one thing that makes or breaks a co-founder relationship. THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com TRAINUAL Trainual is an AI-powered training and knowledge platform for growing teams. Describe the training you need and it builds the steps, structure, and quiz: trainual.com/mastery MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo?utm_source=partner_servicebusinessmastery&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=servicebusinessmastery_partnership&utm_content=youtube_video PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Alex Smereczniak, Co-Founder and CEO of Franzy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-smereczniak-40310329/ Franzy: https://franzy.com/ ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #BuyingABusiness #Franchising #Entrepreneurship

Home services marketing has a hidden battleground, and most owners never fund it. It is the messy middle, the 40 to 100 days a homeowner spends circling a project before they ever search your name. Rick Brown and Carole Lawson of MarketStorm have spent years mapping that window, and what happens inside it decides who gets the call. In this episode, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Rick, CEO and co-founder of MarketStorm, and Carole, its co-founder and chief data officer and a Harvard-trained data scientist, to break down how buyer behavior changed after the pandemic and why the last click is no longer the whole story. You will hear why a competitor can outrank you on your own brand name, the 50/50 split Google now recommends between upper and lower funnel, and how one plumbing company chased last-click reporting from 10 million back down to 2. This episode is brought to you by UpFrog. They turn paid ad spend into booked, sold system replacements instead of wasted leads. Learn more at upfrog.com. CHAPTERS 0:00 – The Hidden Battleground in Home Services Marketing 2:32 – Meet Rick Brown and Carole Lawson of MarketStorm 4:47 – What MarketStorm Does: Catching Buyer Intent Early 6:25 – The Messy Middle and How Buyer Behavior Changed 8:23 – Why a Competitor Can Outrank You on Your Own Name 11:50 – The Death of Legacy Customer Loyalty 13:47 – The 50/50 Split Between Upper and Lower Funnel 15:12 – Where 83 Percent of Online Attention Actually Lives 17:30 – How a 10 Million Dollar Shop Chased Last Click and Shrank 29:30 – Why Google Calls Itself a Marketing Company Now 41:30 – Inside the 45 Day Buyer Journey 58:18 – Measure What Matters, Not Just What Is Easy WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - Why home services marketing now runs through the messy middle, the 40 to 100 days before a homeowner ever searches your name - How a competitor who shows up more often can outrank you on Google even when someone searches for your exact brand - Why Google now points to a 50/50 split between upper funnel influence and lower funnel search - Where the other 83 percent of online attention lives, and how programmatic ads reach it across streaming, apps, and the open web - What chasing last-click reporting actually costs, told through a plumbing company that shrank from 10 million back to 2 THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com TRAINUAL Trainual is an AI-powered training and knowledge platform for growing teams. Describe the training you need and it builds the steps, structure, and quiz: https://trainual.com/ MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo?utm_source=partner_servicebusinessmastery&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=servicebusinessmastery_partnership&utm_content=youtube_video PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Rick Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of MarketStorm: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketstormrick/ Carole Lawson, Co-Founder and Chief Data Officer of MarketStorm: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroleslawson/ MarketStorm: https://marketstorm.ai/ ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #HomeServicesMarketing #DigitalMarketing #MarketStorm

Doing more does not scale your business. It stalls it. Diluted focus gets you diluted results, and the owners who grow fastest are usually the ones doing fewer things, not more. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Josh Zolin, CEO of Windy City Equipment Service and author of Blue is the New White, on how one simple shift, a single company wide focus every 90 days, took the guesswork out of hitting his goals. Josh breaks down how he points his entire company, from himself to the parts runner, at one goal each quarter, why focusing on less feels scarier than it should, how your role as the owner keeps changing as you scale, and the leadership habit that quietly runs off your best technicians. If you run a home service business and you are busy all day but not moving the way you want, this conversation is the reset. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Upfrog, one of our show partners. Upfrog turns paid ad spend into booked, sold system replacements instead of wasted leads. Learn more at upfrog.com. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Why Diluted Focus Gets You Diluted Results 2:31 – Meet Josh Zolin: Blue is the New White and Windy City 8:15 – The Identity Shift Every Owner Faces as They Scale 11:49 – The Unteachable Lessons You Have to Learn Yourself 14:40 – Why More Information Is Making Us Learn Slower 17:23 – AI as the Trades' Best Recruiter 20:25 – Navigating Private Equity as a Small Operator 27:12 – The 90 Day Single Focus System That Hits Goals Every Time 29:10 – Focusing on One Thing Without Letting the Rest Fall Apart 32:19 – The In-N-Out Lesson: Do Fewer Things, Better 35:26 – Why Focusing on Less Feels Scary, and How to Lead Through It 38:25 – Four Big Things a Year: Segmenting Focus Across Profit Centers 40:32 – Parkinson's Law: Use Time as a Tool 44:00 – Why 80% Done by Someone Else Is 100% Awesome 46:00 – The Perfectionist Tech Trap and Unspoken Expectations 49:40 – Where to Find Josh: Book, Podcast, and Academy WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - The one shift that lets you hit your quarterly goals every time: a single company wide focus every 90 days - Why doing less feels scarier than doing more, and how to lead your team through it - How your job as the owner keeps changing as you scale, and how to stay valuable - Why more information can make you and your team learn slower, not faster - How small operators actually beat private equity, and why it comes down to culture - The leadership habit that quietly runs off your best technicians - Why 80% done by someone else is 100% awesome, and how perfectionism keeps you small THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://bit.ly/4ihjXkx PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Josh Zolin, Windy City Equipment Service: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshzolin/ https://joshzolin.com (his book, podcast, and academy are all there) ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Want the frameworks from each episode in your inbox? Join the free Service Business Mastery newsletter: [ADD: SBM newsletter link] Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #Leadership #BusinessScaling #Trades

Service Scout (14 day free trial): https://getservicescout.com/demo.html This is the toughest year to close a sale in home services since 2008. Equipment costs more than ever, credit is tighter, and the customers calling for a replacement are the hardest ones to sell. The problem usually is not your leads. It is what happens when your technician walks in the door. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Justin Riley, CEO and founder of UpFrog, for a straight read on the 2026 home services market and how the best companies are still closing jobs hand over fist. Justin breaks down why likability now beats price, why repair and maintenance calls are the easier win this year, how to lead with the right financing so a customer with tough credit still says yes, and the new tool he built, Service Scout, that briefs your tech on the home, the buyer, and the strategy in 90 seconds before every call. If close rate is where your money leaks this year, this one is the fix. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Upfrog, one of our show partners. Fitting, since today's guest is Upfrog's founder. Upfrog turns paid ad spend into booked, sold system replacements instead of wasted leads. Learn more at upfrog.com. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Raise Your Close Rate by Listening for 90 Seconds 3:01 – From HVAC Apprentice to Founding UpFrog 7:11 – The State of the 2026 Market: Toughest Since 2008 9:04 – Why Close Rate Is the Number One Problem This Year 11:45 – Why Customers Shop for Who They Like, Not Price 13:00 – Why Repair and Maintenance Calls Are the Easier Win 14:03 – The Average Ticket Meat Zone and the Credit Ceiling 17:01 – How Service Scout Was Born 19:12 – Inside a Service Scout Pre Appointment Intelligence Brief 23:30 – The Results: A 5 to 14% Close Rate Lift 24:12 – Leading With the Right Financing to Win Tough Credit 28:02 – Handling the Data Responsibly 31:27 – The Reporting Most Contractors Have Never Seen 33:11 – The Pricing and the ROI Math 36:53 – AI Should Make Your People Super, Not Replace Them 49:30 – The Number One Reason Close Rates Are Down WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - Why 2026 is the hardest year to close a home services sale since 2008, and where the money is actually leaking - Why likability now beats price, and why the replacement estimate is the hardest call to win - How a 90 second pre appointment brief can lift your close rate 5 to 14% - How to lead with the right financing so a customer with tough credit still says yes - What you can learn about a home before the visit, and how to use it without crossing a line - Why the real IP of a home service business is your people, not your AI stack THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail's Voice Assist is a 24/7 AI voice assistant that answers every call, handles customer questions, and books jobs directly onto your calendar, all without you ever having to step away from the current job. Try Voice Assist for free today at voiceassist.com BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://bit.ly/4ihjXkx PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Justin Riley, CEO and Founder of UpFrog: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justintriley/ UpFrog: https://upfrog.com Service Scout (14 day free trial): https://getservicescout.com/demo.html ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #HVAC #HVACSales #CloseRate

Most companies do not last. A huge share of the biggest names in the world vanish within a few decades. The Smith & Oby Company has been running since 1898. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Jake Wattenbarger, president of Smith & Oby, a Foundral brand, a Cleveland mechanical contractor that has stayed relevant for 125 years by reading the market before it forces the issue, and by building systems and a culture that outlast any one person. Jake spent nearly a decade as an Army logistics officer before the trades, and it shows. He gets into why you never cross the finish line, how to build a business you can hand down instead of sell off, why you do not have to sell to make real money, and how culture and a talent pipeline keep a union shop winning the big jobs. If you want to build a trades business that lasts for generations, not just one you flip, this is the blueprint. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Upfrog, one of our show partners. Upfrog turns paid ad spend into booked, sold system replacements instead of wasted leads. Learn more at upfrog.com. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Why You Never Cross the Finish Line 2:33 – From Combat Engineer to Mechanical Contractor 4:19 – Logistics Before Tactics: Structure and Accountability 8:28 – Advice for Anyone Starting Their Own Business 11:04 – Still Standing Since 1898: A 125 Year Old Contractor 12:47 – You Don't Have to Sell Your Business to Make Money 14:05 – The 40 Year Employees Behind a Lasting Company 15:15 – Recruiting Into the Commercial Trades and the Union Hall 18:06 – Building a Talent Pipeline When the Hall Can't Keep Up 18:51 – What Union Labor Really Costs, and Why It's Worth It 22:20 – Competing on Best Value, Not Lowest Bid 26:22 – Building Culture Inside a Union Shop 29:44 – Empowering Field Leaders Who Still Turn Wrenches 34:46 – Adapt or Become Polaroid: Reading the Market Early 35:26 – Staying Ahead With VDC and Investing in the Shop 46:01 – Where to Find Jake WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - Why the best businesses never cross the finish line, and how to read the market before it pushes you out - How to build a trades business you can hand down, instead of one built only to sell - Why you do not have to sell your company to make serious money - The Army logistics mindset that runs a business: structure before action, logistics before tactics - How to build a talent pipeline when the union hall cannot fill your jobs fast enough - What union labor really costs, and why best value beats lowest bid - How to build culture in a union shop, where there is no PTO by default - How investing in your shop and technology turns into margin, not just cost THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail assigns a unique tracking number to each marketing effort, so you know which channels bring your best leads. Try it free at https://callrail.com/sbmpod. BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo?utm_source=partner_servicebusinessmastery&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=servicebusinessmastery_partnership&utm_content=youtube_video PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Jake Wattenbarger, The Smith & Oby Company: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakewattenbarger/ | https://smithandoby.com ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Want the frameworks from each episode in your inbox? Join the free Service Business Mastery newsletter: [newsletter link] Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #Trades #FamilyBusiness #MechanicalContractor #SkilledTrades

Private equity is buying up home service companies and quietly gutting the good ones, and most owners think their only options are to sell or get outspent. There is a third one. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Zach Cooper-Vastola, co-founder of Hickory, who has bought and built home service companies across the tri-state to roughly 350 people and 80 million dollars in revenue, without ever running them from an ivory tower. Zach breaks down how he keeps technicians from walking out the door after an acquisition, why he refuses to put AI on the phones with customers, how his team builds their own tools instead of renting SaaS, and the data unlock that lets two CSRs run at the scale of a 30 person team. If you run a home service business and you are tired of hearing that AI just means replacing your people, this one flips the script. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Upfrog, one of our show partners. Upfrog turns paid ad spend into booked, sold system replacements instead of wasted leads. Learn more at upfrog.com. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - How to keep your technicians from walking out the door after an acquisition - Why changing pay structures on day one is the fastest way to lose your team - How to read a company's real culture by walking the warehouse, before you ever see the financials - What buy and build owners look for that a private equity roll up ignores - How to underwrite an early stage AI vendor before you bet six figures on it - Why building your own tools can beat renting SaaS once you hit scale - How making the humans super with data beats putting AI on the phones - The data unlock that lets two CSRs run at the scale of a 30 person team THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com MARKETSTORM An AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail assigns a unique tracking number to each marketing effort, so you know which channels bring your best leads. Try it free at https://callrail.com/sbmpod. BREEZY Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Zach Cooper-Vastola, Hickory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-c-8b881969/ ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #PrivateEquity #HVACBusiness #AIforContractors

Most home service businesses keep just 5 to 12% net profit, and most owners have no idea that is where they are. The best run HVAC, plumbing, and electrical shops keep 20%, and the gap almost always comes down to a few fixable mistakes. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Matthew Mooney and Raymond Gong of Profitability Partners, a fractional CFO firm that spent years on the private equity side of the table and now helps owners find the profit already hiding in their business. They break down the real gross profit benchmarks for every trade, the labor and pricing mistakes that make your P&L lie to you, why fixing your booking rate beats spending more on ads, and how one plumbing company cut 3 million dollars a year in overhead in six months. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Upfrog, one of our show partners. Upfrog turns paid ad spend into booked, sold system replacements instead of wasted leads. Learn more at upfrog.com. CHAPTERS 0:00 – The 20% Net Margin Most Contractors Never Hit 3:49 – Meet Profitability Partners: Fractional CFOs From Private Equity 7:54 – What Private Equity Looks For in an Undervalued Business 11:00 – Gross Profit Benchmarks by Trade: HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical 15:56 – The Fully Loaded Labor Mistake That Hides Your Real Margin 18:16 – The What Is Everyone Charging Trap and the Discount Price Book 20:24 – Why Discounting Costs You More Than Spending on Ads 23:36 – Fix Your Booking Rate Before You Spend a Dollar on Marketing 27:47 – What Separates a 12% Company From a 20% Company 29:55 – Switching to Commission Pay Without Losing Your Techs 36:41 – Where AI Actually Helps a 5 to 30 Million Dollar Contractor 39:12 – The Overhead Trap: Unused Software and Oversized Leases 41:56 – Case Study: Cutting 3 Million Dollars a Year in Six Months 48:22 – The Exit Math That Turns 200K Saved Into 2 Million 52:15 – The 1% Booking Rate Worth 3 Million, and Why Your CRM Lies 55:33 – Where to Find Matthew and Raymond WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - The real gross profit benchmarks by trade, and why a 50% GP can secretly be sub 40 once labor is fully loaded - Why 20% net profit is realistic, and the mistakes keeping most shops at 5 to 12% - How discounting quietly wrecks your margin, and why 2 to 3% more on ads beats 10% off the price - Why booking rate is the first thing to fix before spending another dollar on marketing - How one plumbing company cut 3 million dollars a year in overhead in six months - The exit math that turns a 200,000 dollar expense cut into 2 million more at the sale THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.com BREEZY About 30 percent of inbound calls in home services go unanswered, and those are customers ready to book with whoever picks up first. Breezy puts AI agents on every call, books the job, and follows up instantly, so you wake up to booked jobs instead of missed calls. See how many jobs you are losing at https://getbreezyapp.com and use code SBM for 500 dollars toward Breezy. MARKET STORM Market Storm uses AI to catch early buyer intent and put your brand in front of homeowners before they ever search. Visit https://marketstorm.ai or text 213-575-5448. CALLRAIL CallRail assigns a unique tracking number to each marketing effort, so you know which channels bring your best leads. Try it free at https://callrail.com/sbmpod. PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Matthew Mooney (Profitability Partners): https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-mooney-54b09047/ Raymond Gong (Profitability Partners): https://www.linkedin.com/in/gongraymond/ ARTICLES WORTH READING HVAC profit margin benchmarks: https://profitabilitypartners.io/hvac-profit-margins/ Plumbing profit margin benchmarks: https://profitabilitypartners.io/plumbing-profit-margins/ ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Want the frameworks from each episode in your inbox? Join the free Service Business Mastery newsletter: https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #ContractorProfit #HVACBusiness #FractionalCFO

AI is not coming for your techs. It is coming for the busywork, the missed calls, and the guesswork that quietly eats your margin. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett sits down with Chris Plunkett, a Tucson HVAC owner who has been in the trade since he was eight years old, to talk about what using AI in an HVAC business actually looks like day to day. They get into how Chris turned home inspections from a loss leader into one of his highest paying jobs, why his AI voice agent books calls so well that customers swear they were talking to a person, and the simple pay change that made after hours emergencies fair to his technicians again. If you run an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical company and you are tired of AI hype with nothing to show for it, this one is built for you. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Breezy, the AI voice agent Chris uses for his after hours and overflow calls. See how many calls you are missing at https://getbreezyapp.com and use code SBM for 500 dollars toward Breezy. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Why AI Won't Replace HVAC Techs 1:45 – Welcome to Service Business Mastery 2:37 – Fix Your Processes Before You Automate Anything 3:44 – Meet Chris Plunkett: From 8 Year Old Tech to HVAC Owner 7:33 – Where Chris Actually Uses AI in His HVAC Business 8:21 – Letter Grade Diagnostics Customers Understand 10:28 – The Real Way AI Is Changing the Trades 11:49 – Turning Home Inspections Into a High Ticket Profit Center 15:37 – Presenting Diagnostics So Customers Say Yes 18:04 – AI Voice Agents for After Hours and Overflow Calls 20:31 – The Call Nobody Could Tell Was AI 27:07 – Trigger Words and On Call Routing That Keep Owners Out of the Mix 29:41 – The Late Night Call Policy That Protects Your Techs 32:06 – Why Emergency Rate Beats After Hours Rate 35:02 – Nobody Wants to Work for YOU: Hiring the Next Generation 37:32 – Trade Culture, Mentorship, and Bringing Young Techs In 46:24 – Where to Find Chris and His Whiskey Side Hustle ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery is where home service owners come to run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch talk through the real operations, technology, and leadership decisions behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators and experts actually doing the work. More episodes and resources: https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ https://linkin.bio/servicebusinessmasterypodcast THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY BREEZY About 30 percent of inbound calls in home services go unanswered, and those are customers ready to book with whoever picks up first. Breezy puts AI agents on every call, books the job, and follows up instantly, so you wake up to booked jobs instead of missed calls. See how many jobs you are losing right now at https://getbreezyapp.com and use code SBM for 500 dollars toward Breezy. UPFROG Upfrog is the OG of pricing transparency online. They find hard to reach system replacement leads through paid ads, then nurture and book them into sold systems before your team even arrives. Learn more: upfrog.com MARKET STORM Market Storm works with home service companies across the country, using AI to catch early buyer intent and put your brand in front of homeowners before they ever search. So when they do search, your name already feels familiar. Visit https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail assigns a unique tracking number to each of your marketing efforts, so you know exactly which channels bring your best leads and which ones to cut. Try it free at https://callrail.com/sbmpod . PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at: https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Chris Plunkett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-plunkett-11613385/ NEVER MISS AN EPISODE Subscribe on YouTube and follow Service Business Mastery on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs to hear it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HVAC #AIinTheTrades #HomeServices #HVACBusiness

Most home service companies do not have a lead problem. They have a missed-call problem. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Chris Nelson, Senior Manager of Vertical Marketing at CallRail, to talk about why home service leads disappear, how missed calls turn into lost revenue, and what contractors can do to better understand what is happening inside their call flow. This conversation is not just about answering the phone faster. It is about understanding where your leads come from, how they move through your business, and where good opportunities get lost before they ever turn into booked jobs. Chris breaks down how call tracking, call routing, CRM integrations, AI voice assistants, and conversation intelligence can help contractors see the real story behind their marketing spend and customer calls. They also discuss: Why missed calls are one of the most expensive leaks in a home service business How call routing helps contractors get the right calls to the right people Why attribution is harder now that homeowners use Google, social media, AI search, referrals, and other touchpoints before calling How AI voice assistants can support CSR teams with overflow, after-hours calls, and basic call handling Why call data and conversation intelligence help owners coach their teams and make smarter marketing decisions If you are spending money on marketing but still missing calls, losing track of leads, or struggling to understand which channels are actually creating revenue, this episode will help you see why better call visibility matters. Timestamps 00:00 Pre-show conversations with Chris 04:11 Introducing Voice Assist for Contractors 06:40 Integrating AI in Job Interviews 12:48 Introducing ChatGPT integration with Call Rail 15:18 Understanding Data and Attribution 18:18 Troubleshooting marketing and spending issues 23:07 Boosting Average Repair Tickets 26:08 Managing customer service team 27:07 Managing Incoming Calls and Coverage 31:32 Training and fine-tuning voice assistants 35:12 Using AI for data analysis 37:54 Tracking summer special calls 41:08 Home renovation challenges 43:40 Offering product assistance Follow the Host and Guest Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Chris Nelson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-nelson-205588140/ CallRail: https://www.callrail.com/ Connect with Us • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast This episode is kindly powered by: UpFrog: upfrog.com MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/ Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code "SBM" to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo

Most contractors want more leads, more booked calls, and more revenue. But if your sales process is inconsistent, more leads will only expose the problem faster. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Josh Martin, Director of Revenue Strategy at 3Four Labs, to talk about how service businesses can grow by building a stronger sales framework, improving technician coaching, and using AI-powered tools the right way. Josh explains why AI and automation are only useful when your company already knows what "good" looks like. If your technicians, comfort advisors, or salespeople do not have a clear framework, the software cannot magically make them better. It needs to understand the questions you want asked, the information you want collected, and the way your company expects customers to be served. The conversation also breaks down why recording field conversations should not be seen as "Big Brother," but as a coaching tool. Just like athletes watch game film, technicians and salespeople can use call and visit recordings to improve their communication, tone, positioning, and close rate. They also discuss: Why every growing company needs a repeatable sales framework How AI ride-along tools help coach technicians and salespeople Why technicians act differently when a manager is physically in the truck How recording customer conversations can help your team improve Why "sales" feels uncomfortable for many technicians The importance of teaching technical experts how to communicate value Why companies need clean data before they rely on AI How AI can create noise when it is used without a clear outcome Why automation must be monitored instead of set and forgotten How to avoid overwhelming your team when adopting new technology Why sales tools must be customized to your company's process How asking for the sale is often the missing step in the home If you are trying to grow your service business, improve close rates, coach your team better, or make AI useful instead of confusing, this episode gives you a practical look at how sales process and technique create scalable growth. Timestamps 00:00 Clarifying platform's role and use case 05:22 Getting started in the industry 09:22 AI ride along software discussion 10:53 Optimizing service call efficiency 16:07 Watching sales recordings for improvement 18:37 Identifying AI-generated resumes 21:01 Efficiency with Technology Tools 24:08 Understanding mismatched business language 29:17 Demo: Claude's PowerPoint integration 31:10 Human oversight in automation 35:23 Challenges of Team Growth 39:35 Understanding customer communication skills 42:31 Introducing Execconnect tool 43:31 Explaining the 34 Labs name Follow the Host and Guest Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Josh Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadarrenmartin/ 3Four Labs: htps://www.linkedin.com/company/3fourlabs/ Connect with Us • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast This episode is kindly powered by: UpFrog: upfrog.com MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/ Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code "SBM" to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo

Most contractors think they need more leads. But what if the real problem is that you're already missing the jobs you paid to generate? In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Shaun Ritchey from Breezy to talk about Moneyball for home services and how contractors can use AI, better data, and smarter systems to uncover the jobs hiding inside their existing business. Just like Moneyball changed baseball by finding overlooked value in the data, this conversation shows how contractors can find overlooked revenue in missed calls, slow follow-up, poor booking processes, weak web conversion, and underused customer lists. Shaun explains why the biggest opportunity is not always spending more money on marketing. Sometimes the fastest path to growth is fixing the leaks already inside your sales funnel. They also discuss: How Moneyball applies to home service businesses Why contractors often lose the most money during their busiest seasons How missed calls create major revenue leaks Why speed-to-lead can make or break a booked job How AI agents help contractors answer more calls and book more jobs Why AI should support CSRs, not replace them How web visitors and younger homeowners are changing the booking process Why low-value tune-ups can block high-value replacement opportunities How call tracking, transfer rules, and better data improve lead handling Why AI needs training, monitoring, and human oversight How contractors can use AI to analyze pricing, inventory, and operations Why bad data creates bad AI output If you're spending more money on leads but still missing calls, losing web visitors, or struggling to understand where revenue is leaking, this episode will help you think differently about growth. Timestamps 00:00 Explaining the Moneyball strategy 05:29 Challenges of manual call analysis 08:10 Helping contractors book more jobs 11:00 A CRM for the trades industry 14:23 Integrating AI with CRM Tools 17:18 Discussing AI's role in customer service 20:14 Discussing AI's strengths and limitations 21:57 Issues with AI voice providers 27:40 Using CRM for cost analysis 31:42 Using call tracking for marketing 33:09 Overbooked with low-margin appointments 36:10 Using AI for Business Transparency 41:52 Evaluating Client Booking Efficiency 43:52 Recognizing trends in social media marketing 48:40 Updating and trusting sales data 51:31 Getting help with my project 54:00 Pricing strategy for offers Follow the Host and Guest Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Shaun Ritchey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-ritchey/ Breezy: https://getbreezyapp.com Connect with Us • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast This episode is kindly powered by: UpFrog: upfrog.com MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/ Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code "SBM" to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo

Most service business owners are chasing the next lead source. Google Ads. Facebook Ads. AI. SEO. Automation. But sometimes the fastest way to grow is still the most old-school strategy in the book: getting out into your community, shaking hands, building trust, and making sure people remember your brand. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Chuck Worley, owner of Worley's Home Services, to talk about branding, networking, reputation, and the real-world grind behind building a service business people know, trust, and refer. Chuck shares his journey from struggling in school to building a career in HVAC sales, starting and losing a business, rebuilding from bankruptcy, paying back debts he was no longer legally required to pay, and eventually growing Worley's Home Services into a $17 million company. He also breaks down why branding is not just about a logo, why standing out matters, and how his orange and green jackets became a memorable part of his local brand. They also discuss: How Chuck went from HVAC technician to top-performing comfort advisor Why sales changed his life and gave him a path forward The painful lessons from bankruptcy and rebuilding from zero Why reputation matters more than almost anything in business How Chuck used networking to grow his company without relying only on digital marketing Why your brand needs to be memorable, even if people think it looks ridiculous How local chambers, BNI groups, and business events can generate real relationships Why referrals still matter in a world obsessed with AI and ads How Chuck used small acquisitions and owner financing to grow Why being the "power connector" in your market can create long-term growth How service business owners can start networking even if they feel uncomfortable If you are a service business owner who wants to build a brand people remember, generate more referrals, and grow through real relationships, this episode is a practical, no-BS playbook. Timestamps 00:00 Old-school networking advice 03:36 Challenges with AI voice calls 08:48 Struggling through high school 11:48 Quitting shipyard job for family 13:32 Quitting jobs due to drug use 18:42 Friend's Offer During Divorce 22:18 Early business struggles and trust 25:11 Growing HVAC Business from Dorm Room 27:03 CallRail for tracking marketing calls 30:37 Networking as an Introvert 32:51 Growing the sales team 36:55 Personal branding and first impressions 41:10 Joining a Chamber of Commerce 45:13 Networking and local referrals 48:41 Networking with industry professionals 52:26 Overcoming networking anxiety 52:58 Networking event experience 56:57 Importance of referrals and relationships 59:38 Wrapping up and subscribing encouragement Follow the Host and Guest Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Chuck Worley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckworley757/ Connect with Us • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast This episode is kindly powered by: UpFrog: upfrog.com MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/ Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code "SBM" to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo

Most contractors think branding is about logos, colors, and marketing. It's not. The strongest brands in the trades do something much more powerful: they attract great employees, create loyal customers, and make growth easier. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Levi Torres, founder of High 5 Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric, to discuss how consistent branding became the foundation for one of Colorado's fastest-growing home service companies. What started as a simple idea—a high five at the end of every service call—evolved into a recognizable brand that helps attract top talent, improve retention, and create a culture employees are proud to be part of. Levi shares how High 5 uses social media, training systems, operational consistency, and employee development to build a company that technicians actively want to join. They discuss: • Why branding is a recruiting tool, not just a marketing tool • How company culture influences hiring success • The power of consistency in building trust • Why social media has become a recruiting engine • Creating clear career paths for technicians • Building training systems that support growth • How documentation makes scaling easier • Expanding into HVAC and electrical without losing culture • The role of AI in coaching and employee development • Why employee experience directly impacts customer experience If you're struggling to hire quality people, improve retention, or scale your service business, this episode will show you how a strong brand can solve more problems than you think. Timestamps 00:00 Building a Social Media Presence 06:12 Naming the plumbing business 08:06 Starting to focus on plumbing 10:54 Importance of personal growth in business 14:23 Adapting Branding During Covid 18:02 Switching to social media strategy 20:02 Social media's role in recruiting 23:38 Training technicians to show passion 26:50 Building a Trusting Work Culture 30:15 Employee system review meetings 35:14 Setting up HVAC systems 38:10 Following systems for success 41:22 Customer acquisition strategies and shifts 44:01 Rotating manager-led training sessions 47:49 Utilizing AI for company growth 49:52 Experience with automatic recording systems 54:37 Understanding team roles and strengths 56:42 Balancing revenue and company culture Follow the Host and Guest Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Levi Torres: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levi-torres-9b4b97103/ Connect with Us • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast This episode is kindly powered by: UpFrog: upfrog.com MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/ Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo

Most home service companies don't have a lead problem. They have a follow-up problem. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Joshua Crouch sit down with Kevin Wu, founder of Leaping AI, to discuss how AI voice agents and automation are helping home service businesses solve some of their biggest call center challenges. From missed calls and slow follow-up times to after-hours booking and lead nurturing, Kevin shares how AI is being used as a practical tool to support customer service teams, improve speed-to-lead, and create better customer experiences without replacing people. The conversation also explores the future of AI-powered call centers, how contractors can automate repetitive tasks, and why business owners should focus on using AI to eliminate bottlenecks instead of simply cutting payroll. What You Will Learn in This Episode Why speed-to-lead is still one of the biggest challenges in home services How AI voice agents help capture missed opportunities The difference between replacing employees and supporting employees Why call centers struggle with consistency and process adherence How AI can improve appointment scheduling and follow-up The role of AI in call monitoring and quality control Why data quality inside your CRM matters more than ever How AI can help clean and organize customer databases The future of automated outbound campaigns The risks of AI abuse and spam calling How responsible AI adoption can improve customer experience Why contractors should start experimenting with AI today If you're looking for ways to improve call handling, increase booked appointments, and build a more efficient service business, this episode is packed with practical insights. Timestamps 00:00 Challenges with contractor responsiveness 03:11 Kevin introduces himself 08:58 Kids' interest in trade careers 09:45 Issues with Customer Support Responsiveness 14:00 AI improving call center efficiency 18:33 Solving data analysis with AI 20:55 Improving business metrics accuracy 25:37 Implementing EOS for business owners 29:31 Focusing on business priorities 32:00 AI for persistent customer follow-up 35:27 Responsible AI use in marketing 39:33 Data export issues in QuickBooks 40:45 Using AI to clean CRM data 43:35 Trying something new for 30 minutes Follow the Host and Guest Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Joshua Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Kevin Wu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-wu-452a6393/ Connect with Us • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/service-business-mastery • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/servicebusinessmasterypodcast • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/servicebusinessmasterypodcast This episode is kindly powered by: UpFrog: upfrog.com MarketStorm is an AI-powered advertising platform. Results vary by market, budget, and campaign configuration: https://marketstorm.ai/ Get Your 14-Day Free Trial with CallRail!: https://www.callrail.com/sbmpod CompanyCam: https://companycam.com/ Breezy: Capture 25-30% more clients with Breezy AI Agents. Use code 'SBM' to book a demo and get $500 on us: https://getbreezyapp.com/schedule-demo PhoneTAP: Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo