Episode 8: Attribution Confusion: Stop Cutting the Ads That Feed Your Pipeline
Release Date: 09/22/2025
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The Top Contractor Mistakes Of 2025 & How To Avoid Them: Pt 2
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info_outlineIn Episode 8 of The Contractors’ Edge, Mike Stiers and Anthony Brown tackle two topics contractors can't afford to ignore... Attribution confusion and thier lead pipeline.
Want to know the real reason leads drop when you “optimize” your ad mix?
Most teams are making decisions from last-click reports, customer anecdotes, or edited CRM sources, and end up cutting the channels that actually create demand.
Mike and Anthony explain attribution traps (recency bias, cross-device, brand search cannibalization), and give you a practical framework for measuring lead generation without compromising your pipeline.
Edge of the Week: Google Business Profile updates that can help, or quietly hurt, your lead flow. New WhatsApp messaging, “story” reviews, and Google bots auto-editing your profile… Including your business name.
We walk through exactly what to check and how to fix it.
Top Takeaways:
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How to protect your Google Business Profile from auto-edits (including name changes)
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Why last-click reports over-credit GBP/Google Ads, and under-credit TV, trucks, yard signs, and social
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A simple “Originator - Connector - Closer” model to read multi-touch journeys
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The two-source CSR script that captures both tracking + customer-stated origin (without polluting data)
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When (and how) to reallocate vs. when to hold your ground
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Speed-to-lead reality: how response time wrecks ROI across every channel
Timestamps:
00:40 – Edge of the Week: Why GBP needs weekly attention
06:50 – Main Segment: The quiet killer, attribution confusion
09:07 – Why last-click skews budgets (and kills demand)
11:27 – Customer anecdotes vs. tracking data (and why both can mislead)
13:48 – Overwriting CRM sources = polluted dashboards
16:05 – Branding & recency bias: why customers “remember” the last touch
18:32 – Competitor-driven demand & “channel blur” (real-world effects)
20:59 – Brand search cannibalization & cross-device realities
23:18 – How to read “Direct” and “Unknown” correctly
25:47 – Example journey: TV → Google search → GBP call (who gets credit?)
28:07 – Budget guardrails: avoid becoming a one-source business
30:33 – The two-source system: tracking-source + customer-stated source
32:18 – Originator / Connector / Closer model for clean reporting
34:32 – When to hold vs. when to reallocate (trend windows)
36:49 – Meta leads: why speed-to-lead determines ROI
39:00 – Ops accountability: answer rates, call backs, form response time
41:20 – Seasonality, platform flux, and economic noise: don’t knee-jerk
45:51 – Pro Tip: Quarterly strategy check, exact metrics to review
Contractor Tip of the Week: Don’t wait for things to go off the rails. Run a quarterly strategy review: pacing vs. revenue goals, spend by channel, lead to appt conversion, cancels, average ticket, close rate, and set your 2026 plan now so next year runs smooth.
If your lead flow has been “mysteriously” volatile, this episode will save you money, and give you a clear direction for moving forward.
EVALUATE YOUR BUSINESS KPIS with our home service industry calculator built specifically for contractors.
https://www.greenbaumstiers.com/home-services-industry-kpi-calculator/
Meet your hosts:
Sponsored by: Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group
Home service based marketing and business experts that help contractors dominate their niche. Always results-driven and strategy-focused.
www.greenbaumstiers.com