The Fire Time Podcast
Tim Reed
Are you tired of presentations that are only half relevant to your business? Many speakers are not practitioners of their material, simply teachers—not so with The Fire Time Podcast. This podcast is for the hearth industry and by the hearth industry. Host Tim Reed has over a decade of experience in the hearth industry, making conversations with guests relevant and extremely practical. In Season One, Tim speaks with twelve hearth industry leaders and provides content relevant to any position, whether on the retail or manufacturing side. Hearth companies everywhere are lost because the landscape of business has changed dramatically in the last ten years. They are trying hard, but they just don’t know what to do. The Fire Time Podcast equips hearth companies to win by sharing ideas and innovation from the best minds in our industry. This podcast will give you the tools to move the needle in your company and win in the changing landscape. This podcast is the first of its kind—specific to the business that you work in every day and simple enough to teach you what’s needed to succeed. Do not miss out on The Fire Time Podcast, available for Apple and Droid devices or at www.itsfiretime.com/podcast. The simple and repeatable steps provided will empower you to grow the bottom line of your company and inspire the team that you lead. ABOUT: Tim Reed is the Retail Sales Leader at Fireside Home Solutions in the Pacific Northwest where he helps his team members make it so stupidly easy to buy from them that there is no excuse not to. Starting as individual salesperson in an empty warehouse, he has grown Fireside’s Retail division by millions (after cutting his marketing budget by 90%). Tim has been invited all over the country to teach companies how to market effectively to their customers and sell more than ever before. His YouTube videos, sales blog, and “Fire Time Podcast” have become a resource for the industry and are actively helping thousands of people rethink their paradigms so that they can grow their businesses in the changing landscape. Tim learned “just enough to be dangerous” about sales, marketing, web development, and leadership from years of playing guitar in a failing punk band—which he swears has uniquely qualified him for his job today. Now considered one of the most innovative minds and compelling communicators in the industry, Tim uses his platform to serve others, helping them create clear messages that are wildly compelling to their audiences. Tim lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Jessica, two children, Olivia and Luke, and his 90 pound Golden Retriever, Walter. He still plays guitar in a failing punk band. CONTACT: tim@itsfiretime.com | www.itsfiretime.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 15, 2020 • 57min
Henry Hall - Economics 101
With COVID-19 taking its toll on business owners of all sizes it is interesting to look at what allows some companies to continue to thrive while others have begun to nosedive. Being prepared for the worst sounds like something that every business owner would take as a given, but after further examination, most people still miss it... In today's episode - recorded prior to COVID-19 - Henry Hall (President, Skytech Control Systems) talks all things economics. As part of the executive committee at HPBA along with having an extensive background in business, Henry explains the basics of what you need to understand about economics today. This starts with making sure that you are fully supporting every person under your companies umbrella —if you want to build a team that can handle the worst. Tim reflects on this episode at the end by explaining how he was able to leave his job about mid-way through 2020—even with the uncertainty of the economy with COVID-19—because he has applied many of the principles discussed today with Henry to his own life allowing for stability in all of this uncertainty. If there is one thing we want you to walk away from this episode it is: "What do I need to do to be prepared?" Buckle up as Henry and Tim discuss everything you need to know to answer this very question! To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Sep 8, 2020 • 1h 21min
Bill Lentz - The Art of Sales
When a customer makes the effort to make it all the way to your showroom floor, you better understand why they are standing in front of you. Understanding the customer's intentions without bias, and then finding a polite way to eventually ask for the sale is the key that so many salespeople are missing out on. When selling fireplaces, BTU's aren't everything—the experience the product will deliver to the customer is. In today's episode - the debut of Season 5 - we sit down with Bill Lentz, the author of The Art of Sales (a series of articles that was very influential in shaping how Tim has gone about his career in the hearth industry).We are not trying to make the customer a fireplace salesperson, we are trying to show them how it could make their lives better is a big takeaway listeners will gain from this episode. The content matter discussed can be applied to all aspects of life beyond the showroom floor! Not being afraid of being assertive and asking the customer for the sale is a daunting task at first, and it will sometimes result in failure. However, getting knocked down is key to finding your true self, and not being afraid of posing more inquisitive questions toward customers down the road. Click here to read "The Art of Sales" & "The Heart of Sales" by Bill Lentz. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretimeClick here to join The Fire Time Network
Aug 11, 2020 • 1h 16min
Q & A - Season Four Finale
Every season of this podcast wraps with a Q & A episode—and this is no different! In today's conversation, Tim Reed and Grant Falco (Falco's | Spokane, WA) sit down to answer questions like: How do you actually execute on the information you learn in a podcast? What is the best way to spend my time if not all of my accounts want to get better? Should a salesperson be a project manager or is that a role for a different team member? Don't miss this season finale episode!
Aug 4, 2020 • 1h 23min
Marketing - Building a Winning Hearth Company (8 of 8)
Most hearth companies today are drowning in the rising costs of advertising with no one to help them. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to get the results that you want while, all the while, advertisement costs continue to skyrocket. In today's episode, we close our series on the eight departments of a winning hearth business by talking with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's) about marketing. The truth is that marketing should be a faucet to your customers that you control, not a blackhole that your dollars go into never to be seen again. If this sounds like the world you’ve been living in then this episode could change the trajectory of your business. In this conversation, learn:
The difference between Branding and Marketing (and why it matters)
Why most companies miss the boat when it comes to their message (this is a big deal)
A real-life case study that saved thousands in marketing costs (and doubled sales at the same time)
Don’t go another day flushing away your hard earned dollars because you don’t have a marketing strategy in place. Rather, take control of your marketing, create a message that’s compelling to your customers, and grow your company like never before. Falco's #SpokaneRises Video: https://youtu.be/o2RnZShihoY To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jul 28, 2020 • 57min
Showroom - Building a Winning Hearth Company (7 of 8)
Every retailer in our industry is looking for ways to grow sales. While it can be useful to think about marketing spends and sales initiatives, improving your showroom is low hanging fruit that offers a huge payoff. In today's conversation, we sit down with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's) to talk about what a showroom needs to have in order to succeed. Don't miss this! Most showrooms in our industry are setting customers up for indecision and confusion. This conversation will cover:
Why investing in your showroom is a top priority for any business (even if you don't think it needs it)
What your daily checklist needs to look like in order to keep things on point (and who's responsibility it is)
How your fireplaces should be arranged to make it easy for customers to buy from you (this is a game changer)
Taking your showroom to the next level will set you apart from everyone else and help your customers feel secure buying from you. It can seem intimidating, but like anything, consistent effort over time will move the needle. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jul 21, 2020 • 49min
Support Staff - Building a Winning Hearth Company (6 of 8)
Want to know the secret to running a smooth business? Have a great support staff! Many business owners today are running around with a fire extinguisher looking for the next blaze to put out rather than working on the things needed to grow the business. Building up your Support Staff is the key to streamlining your systems and processes and allowing leaders to get above the fray and see what's really going on. In today's conversation, we sit down with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's) to iron out exactly what's needed to create a top tier support staff. In this conversation learn: How the support staff is critical to getting a handle on what's going on in your business What kinds of metrics you need the support staff to collect for you on a weekly basis Why it's worth it to invest in a non-revenue generating department Don't miss this conversation... Understanding how to structure your support staff is what helps build a business that you can steer—instead of being dragged behind. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jul 14, 2020 • 44min
Grounds & Warehouse - Building a Winning Hearth Company (5 of 8)
Everyone is looking for an edge today, but the truth is that many retailers in our industry are running so fast that the little things (that make them money) are being left behind. In today's episode, we address department number 4 (of 8) on your route to building a winning hearth company: Grounds & Warehouse. Now, most business leaders don't think of Grounds & Warehouse as a department in their company (alongside of Sales and Marketing), but they couldn't be more wrong. We sat down with Grant Falco (Falco's | Spokane, WA) to lay out a roadmap to turn this into a major profit center. In this conversation:
Learn how to create a "grounds list" that buys back your time (and grows accountability)
Understand why making a utility hire is a necessity for every business (most people miss it)
Learn a simple framework for warehouse organization that will revolutionize your inventory process (and save you a ton of money)
Stop losing on the first impression with your customers! Taking advantage of this system will set you up to win longterm and run a business with way less stress longterm. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jul 7, 2020 • 46min
Service - Building a Winning Hearth Company (4 of 8)
If you're looking to grow your business in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, you've got to be taking service seriously. For many companies, service is a necessary evil that they offer with gritted teeth (because they feel that they have to), while for others, it's a profit center that leads to repeat business and customers for life. What's the difference? Intentionality. In today's conversation, we sit down with Grant Falco (Falco's | Spokane, WA) to dive deep on what it takes to grow a winning service department. In this episode: Understand why many companies fail when it comes to running a service department Learn the first three metrics to track on your service scoreboard Settle the debate on charging per hour or flat rate Don't sleep on this conversation—now more than ever service is what will keep businesses afloat in the coming months. You can transform your service calls from nails on a chalkboard to marketing that pays you by putting these principles in place. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jun 30, 2020 • 1h 9min
Installation - Building a Winning Hearth Company (3 of 8)
Companies in our industry are losing money every day because of second trips and call backs on installations. You know it shouldn’t be this hard, but it seems to happen over and over again. In today's episode, we sat down with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's) to discuss what it takes to build out an installation department that takes your company to the next level. If this sounds like your world then this conversation could change everything. In this episode: Learn to set up the processes that your business needs to eliminate wasted return trips on installations Understand how to grow a culture of accountability with your team that is bigger than any one person Learn how to structure regular meetings so no job falls through the cracks Stop bleeding money with return trip after return trip, rather, take control of your team, raise the quality of your work, blow your customer’s expectations out of the water, and make a ton of money along the way. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime Click here to join The Fire Time Network
Jun 23, 2020 • 47min
Sales - Building a Winning Hearth Company (2 of 8)
In today's market it's absolutely critical that you have an effective sales team. The problem is that most companies don't provide their team the tools needed to succeed and, as a result, the team stays "busy" doing things that aren't relevant to their job (which is selling). In today's conversation, we sit down with Grant Falco (Owner, Falco's | Spokane, WA) to talk about the tools that every leader needs to provide their sales team in order for them to win. In this conversation: Learn why creating a sales process helps a team member sell more than ever before Understand how to keep a team focused on their best opportunities with a weekly game plan Learn to master a cadence of regular meetings that keep your team fixed on the prize The success of your sales team should never be left to the whims of someone's natural skillset. Instead, providing structure for a team to thrive within will unlock potential in your team members that you never knew was there and empower them to get the results that they have always wanted. To support The Fire Time Podcast financially, check out our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime
