Addressing Labor Shortage & Inefficiency: Expert Insights from Jeff Plant
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
Release Date: 04/12/2023
Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
A successful service business is one where everybody wins — your company, your employees and your customers. Sure, it can be a challenge to elevate your business to this level, but when you reap the rewards, you’ll find it’s more than worth it. That’s why in today’s episode, we’re joined by the legendary Tommy Mello, CEO at A1 Garage Door Service, who discusses his new book, Elevate, which is packed with tactics and strategies to overcome the challenges of growing your service business and help you reap those rewards. SHOW NOTES - Marketing and...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
Listen to part 2 of our discussion with Brigham Dickinson, Founder of Power Selling Pros and author of “Something to Give: A Journey to Become a Leader Worth Following”. Join us as Brigham breaks down the five steps we mentioned in part 1. These steps will help you gain freedom as an entrepreneur, create a vision for your business, leverage your team’s strengths, delegate more, and prioritize business growth. Towards the end, we discuss Brigham’s approach to growing a business by optimizing customer acquisition, retention, and customer experience. SHOW NOTES - Recap of Episode 1...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
Tired of constantly having to prove yourself at work? Feeling anxious or depressed after delegating your daily work tasks? Is everyone on your team relying on you for motivation, but even you are struggling to motivate yourself? Listen up! By the end of this episode, you’ll have actionable steps you can take to achieve real freedom over your income, freedom over your time, and most importantly, freedom from anxiety and depression as a business owner. Today, we’re joined by Brigham Dickinson, the Founder of Power Selling Pros and author of “Something to Give: A Journey to Become a Leader...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
What if we told you that you don’t need more technicians to reach your next major revenue milestone? You can get there with the techs you’ve already got — you just need to make them more efficient. To explain what it takes to boost your efficiency, Billy Stevens, Founder & CEO at Sera Systems, joins the show armed with the many insights he’s gained fine-tuning Sera into the well-oiled machine it is today. Show Notes - Efficiency at Sera [2:48] - Building a business to sell boxes [18:26] - Spotting areas to improve efficiency [31:33] - Staying...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
It’s 5x more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. That means, if you want your business to thrive, you need to do all you can to retain your customers. But what happens when they decide to move? In this episode, JB Brewster, Co-Founder at Is My Customer Moving, joins the show to explain how the revolutionary tool offered by his organization can help you be more proactive in retaining your customer base and save on customer acquisition. Show Notes - Why the client is your most valuable asset [8:44] - How to stop your “leaky bucket” [14:12] ...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
Flat-rate pricing can be a game-changer in your service business. But to fully reap the rewards, you need your technicians and, even more importantly, your customers to be on board. How do you successfully transition in a way that benefits your customers, technicians and business, alike? To find out, in this episode of Service Business Mastery, we speak with Lance and Sheila Beck, Co-Owners at AirOne, about their recent transition to flat-rate pricing and the lessons they learned along the way. Show Notes - Transitioning from ServiceTitan to Housecall Pro [7:08] - Why a flat rate? [9:48] ...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
An HVAC purchase is such a rare event that most people know more about funeral expenses. And with the coming SEER2 regulations, it’s more important than ever that HVAC businesses educate their customers, offer easy financing options and shore up their online presence. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, we speak with Ben Middleton about SEER2, why in-house financing is no longer optional and how the Inflation Reduction Act will shake up the HVAC landscape. SHOW NOTES - Introducing Ben Middleton [1:19] - SEER2 and regional efficiency standards...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh speaks with Michelle Ashton Jeppesen, Director of Business Development & Customer Success at Jill’s Office, about the role of artificial intelligence in customer service. Michelle explains why the human touch will always be vital in customer service, while identifying key areas AI can still help you deliver better results for your customers. Michelle also shares how Jill’s Office helps ensure their clients never lose money on costly missed calls and the best strategies service businesses can implement to interact with their...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh and Josh interview Randy Stanbury, to tackle a common hurdle faced by business owners – understanding their financials. Randy is the founder of “4 Level Coach” and former founder of Service Freight Systems, Randy reveals that a staggering 98% of business owners lack an understanding of their financial metrics, leaving them without a clear direction. To overcome this, he stresses the importance of regularly reviewing financial statements like the Profit and Loss statement and balance sheet. Additionally, tracking industry-specific Key...
info_outlineService Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: Unlocking HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Success
In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh and Josh dive into the insights and experiences of Tom Casey, a veteran in the field of home energy conservation, HVAC design and engineering, and indoor air quality with over three decades of experience. His passion lies in creating homes that are not just comfortable but also safer, healthier, and more energy-efficient. His entrepreneurial skills are evidenced in his successful establishment and operation of three contracting companies: Climate Engineering, Climate Partners, and Dr. Energy Saver of Southern CT. Currently, apart from...
info_outlineJeff Plant, a seasoned expert in the contracting industry, is here to share his valuable insights on addressing labor shortages and inefficiency. With years of hands-on experience, Jeff has navigated the challenges faced by service managers and developed effective strategies to improve efficiency in the field. Drawing from his extensive background, he offers a unique perspective on tackling issues such as labor shortages and technician training, making him an invaluable resource for those looking to level up their service departments.
In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blisset and Joshua Crouch are joined by Jeff Plant, an expert in business leadership and personal growth, where they talk about artificial intelligence, digital marketing, and search engine optimization.
SHOW NOTES
-
Introducing Jeff Plant. [0:48]
-
The lack of labor and the perception of lack of sales. [1:11]
-
Training Technician to Sell. [2:08]
-
Change Technicians’ Mindsets [6:22]
-
Maximizing Service Department Revenue. [9:48]
-
The average ticket takes care of itself. [12:26]
-
Providing Professional Guidance [13:17]
-
Managing Leads and Labor Efficiency [14:22]
-
Labor Management and Efficiency [15:24]
-
Hourly vs. Commission-based Pay [16:40]
-
Career Path and Merit-based Growth [19:06]
-
The importance of connecting with your team [22:02]
-
The five levels of leadership and the first leadership role.[24:41]
-
Jeff's Early Struggles as a Service Manager [26:57]
-
Turning Points in Jeff's Leadership Journey [28:00]
-
The hosts give a shoutout to BDR and recommend their coaching services to other contractors [31:06]
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
-
This episode is kindly sponsored by Sera (visit their website) CompanyCam (visit their website), and UpFrog (visit their website) and Emerson (visit their website).
-
Visit www.companycam.com/SBM and use code SBM for a free 2-week trial, 1:1 training and account setup, and 50% off your first two months!
Meet the Hosts:
Tersh Blissett is a serial entrepreneur who has created and scaled multiple profitable home service businesses in his small town market. He’s dedicated to giving back to the industry that has provided so much for him and his family. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Joshua Crouch has been in the home services industry, specifically HVAC, for 8+ years as an Operations Manager, Branch Manager, Territory Sales Manager and Director of Marketing. He’s also the Founder of Relentless Digital, where their focus is dominating your local market online. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Tune in to hear the latest and greatest in business services trends on Service Business Mastery on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our website.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Service Business Mastery in your favorite podcast player.