How We’d Structure Home Service Marketing From $5M to $10M

Sam Preston (0:00)

So, it is John vs. Jack. Got an exact $5 billion home service company, and your job is to build a marketing department that can take you to $10 million.

John Wilson (0:09)

Mine would be net new customers. Because we're remarketing to our own customers, filling our own board, our marketing percentage is low.

Jack Carr (0:16)

So, I'm thinking you have to go multi-location here. I would be focusing on content, content, content, try to grab more.

Sam Preston (0:22)

John's winning this one.

Jack Carr (0:24)

I don't think that's correct.

John Wilson (0:25)

I think it's correct.

Sam Preston (0:26)

All right, round three. What stays outsourced?

Jack Carr (0:29)

The answer that I'm going to give you is...

John Wilson (0:39)

Welcome back to Owned and Operated.

I am your host, John Wilson. With me is my very frequent co-host, Jack Carr and our frequent guest, returnee, Sam Preston. And today, we are talking about how to build the perfect home service marketing team.

Sam Preston (0:58)

Let's do it.

Jack Carr (0:59)

Let's do it.

Sam Preston (1:00)

This is fun.

Jack Carr (1:01)

Yeah.

John Wilson (1:03)

I'm ready to rip.

Sam Preston (1:04)

I'm excited.

John Wilson (1:04)

Who's actually running? Who's actually running this show?

Sam Preston (1:07)

I think I'm running the show.

Jack Carr (1:08)

OK, yeah, Sam's supposed to be the arbiter here.

SPEAKER_4 (1:11)

OK, all right. All right.

John Wilson (1:13)

Is it is it us versus you or is it us versus each other?

Sam Preston (1:16)

Yeah, y'all are going to get each other. The premise is that y'all have the exact same five million dollar home service company. I don't know if we're going HVAC or plumbing, if it even matters.

John Wilson (1:25)

Well, let's go roofing because roofing is like a fake trade.

Sam Preston (1:27)

OK, it doesn't actually exist there.

John Wilson (1:31)

OK, so we just had some at the shop and just, you know, and he's like, I think his his roofing business was like eight million dollars.

Sam Preston (1:38)

Yeah.

John Wilson (1:38)

He's like and he stood up and during his intro, he's like a million dollar roofing business, just so you all are aware, it is as easy as John says it is on the podcast. And I'm like, God damn it.

SPEAKER_4 (1:48)

Why am I not doing this?

Sam Preston (1:50)

Shout out, sir.

SPEAKER_4 (1:51)

The next one.

John Wilson (1:52)

Like, I think I just need to launch it and like accidentally trip into a 10 million dollar business. OK.

Sam Preston (1:58)

John's just accidentally tripping into a million dollars here.

SPEAKER_4 (2:02)

Love that.

Sam Preston (2:03)

So it is John versus Jack. Dun, dun, dun. Y'all are exact five billion dollars. Home service company, Roofing, apparently. And your job is to build a marketing department that can take you to 10 million.

Here we go.

John Wilson (2:17)

OK, I'm ready to go.

Sam Preston (2:18)

So I am your judge in jury on this. I'm going to challenge you with hires problems. And then you're going to tell me what you're going to do with that.

John Wilson (2:28)

Do we like roofing?

Jack Carr (2:30)

Roofing is fine. It's actually super unique in that I think it would be different than some of the other trades.

John Wilson (2:36)

OK, so I'm going to pitch one one other one. OK, we have three options, guys. This is like HVAC. We've got a good, better, best.

Sam Preston (2:42)

OK.

John Wilson (2:43)

Roofing would be the easiest because like I could just say anything and it would be like, you know, 100 million. Immediately, alternatively, like almost the opposite, which would make this a harder discussion is appliance repair.

I like that one because that's just like that's actually very different. It's actually hard versus or like alternatively just plumbing HVAC electric.

Sam Preston (3:10)

You know, y'all choose. This is the fun thing. Maybe I'll choose.

John Wilson (3:12)

I think we should fuck around with appliance repair.

Jack Carr (3:14)

I think we do appliance repair.

Sam Preston (3:15)

OK. All right.

Jack Carr (3:17)

So you both I think I know enough in appliance repair that this is dangerous.

Sam Preston (3:20)

Jack feels confident.

Jack Carr (3:21)

No, both of us. But it's still more difficult.

Sam Preston (3:24)

Yeah, it is more difficult.

John Wilson (3:25)

OK.

Sam Preston (3:26)

OK. Both of you have a five million dollar appliance repair.

Jack Carr (3:29)

No acquisitions allowed.

John Wilson (3:30)

Single largest. Damn it.

Jack Carr (3:32)

No acquisitions allowed.

John Wilson (3:33)

No acquisitions allowed at the single largest appliance repair company in the US at five million dollars.