Contractor Evolution

Alan Michael McKenna, founder of The Ultimate Rainmaker, has helped home service companies recover over $100 million in lost revenue. In this conversation, he highlights the dangers of 'new lead addiction' and advocates for nurturing existing leads instead. McKenna shares effective strategies for reviving lost leads with timely follow-ups and creating dedicated outreach roles. He also emphasizes the importance of personalization in sales and navigating current market trends to optimize business performance. Unlock the hidden revenue waiting in your lead flow!

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP116 Red Stag Contracting: https://redstagcontracting.ca/ Royal Heating and Air Conditioning: https://royalheatingandair.com/ Project Management Resource Bundle: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP116 Do you have Project Managers Or Professional Firefighters? The answer to this question is so directly connected to your year-end profit it’s not even funny.   They say: Money Loves Speed.  But what does that really mean? It means that the faster and more predictably your projects closeout, the faster you can move on to the next project.  Over the course of the year, this means more revenue in the door which means more money to pay for your overhead and pad your bottom line. The most profitable construction, trades, and home service companies all have on thing in common.  They chew through projects QUICKLY, with fewer hiccups, mistakes, and callbacks than their competition. So if the Project Management in your business feels chaotic and you want to learn how to fix it, this episode is a must-listen.  Andrew Spear, a high-performance home builder in Summerland BC shares how he used PM systems to scale from an exhausting 2.6MM in 2021 to being on trend for a smooth and profitable 7MM in 2023.  And Chris Collins of Royal Heating and Air Conditioning, a 3rd generation commercial HVAC contractor in Willoughby, Ohio, who’s used PM systems to modernize the business he took over and increase his gross profit from 31% to 42%.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP1115 To Download Power SellingPros CSR Training Resources, click here: powersellingpros.com/free Do you ever listen to your office manager or salesperson speak to a lead on the phone and think to yourself: “You’re doing it WRONG!” ? The way calls get handled has a direct impact on how much revenue you do, how efficient your marketing spend is, how easygoing the customer is when the crew arrives, and how your brand is perceived in the marketplace.  It's the first impression a customer has of your business, and if done poorly, it will be their last. We’re very fortunate to have Zac Garside, CEO of Power Selling Pros, on the show today.  Power Selling Pros helps customer services representatives, and entire call centers boost their booking percentage and create amazing customer experiences from the very first interaction: Expect to learn: Why rigid call scripts don’t work and what you should be using instead How to train your call handers to build value, use strategic empathy, and ASK for the business And the 6 KPIs you need to measure call handling success objectively Whether you’re still doing all the calls yourself or you run 25 person call center, you’re going to get a tonne from this conversation with Zac GarsideSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP114 To Download Your Built To Sell Checklist, click here: BuiltToSell.com Ever wonder what your business will be worth when it comes time to sell? Building a business of actual value - something you can sell for a pile of money - is not (despite what many people think) just a function of hard work and dedication. There’s a strategy to it. A playbook, if you will. And countless entrepreneurs, sadly, don’t read it. My guest on the show today is best-selling business author John Warrillow.   John’s 3 books, Built To Sell, The Automatic Customer, and The Art Of Selling Your Business, have, over the years, become something akin to sacred scrolls for the entrepreneur looking to build a business they can cash out of. Listen to this episode to learn: How specialization can keep your service from becoming commoditized.  Why charging upfront keeps your monthly cash flow healthier but also boosts the price a potential acquirer is willing to pay. And why giving away equity to long-term employees (while often done with the best intentions) usually backfires when it comes time to sell your business. Full of brilliant insight and decades of experience, this conversation with John Warrillow is a must-listen!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP1113 Check Out David’s Book Leaving A Legacy here: https://www.amazon.ca/Leaving-Legacy-David-Bentall/dp/1894860977 Connect With Next Step Advisors Here: https://www.nextstepadvisors.ca/ Did you know that 85% of businesses (globally) are family owned?   And did you know that family businesses, on average, last twice as long as non family businesses? Turns out entrepreneurs like to keep their success in the family.   That doesn’t make it a walk in the park though. On the contrary, running a company with your mom, dad, sister, brother, cousin, uncle, or [insert relative] adds a layer of complexity that few understand. How do you maintain professional, productive working relationships during business hours, and then slide into loving and nurturing family relationships the rest of the time?   How do you keep your responsibilities to the company separate from your role as parent, son, or daughter? Then comes the question of succession planning. Who is going to run this thing when the older generation retire?  How do we structure and prepare for that transition? For answers to these questions and a bunch more, listen to this week’s episode of Contractor Evolution with David C. Bentall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP112 Check Out Ami’s Language Building Blocks Template, Click Here To connect with Ami message him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apsanyal/ Learning to write persuasively is a massively underrated skill and not something we’ve spent enough time on this podcast.   See, there is a scientific process to crafting messages that truly compel someone to: apply to your job posting,  to fill out the inquiry form on your website,  to subscribe to your newsletter to award you the contract and not your competitor The list goes on. Whether you hoping to transact in dollars or just in information, there are certain spots in your business where the exact words on the page really matter.   The technical term for what I’m talking about is conversion copywriting, and the concept is simple: construct sentences in such a way that makes the reader feel seen and understood and want to interact with you more.  Another way to think of this is “Salesmanship In Print.”  Ami Sanyal is a marketing strategist, the CEO of The Uncommoners Club (his agency), and our conversion copywriter here at Breakthrough Academy.  I’ve worked firsthand with him over the past year, and honestly can say he’s the most talented person at his craft that I’ve ever met.   Long story short, if you want to learn how to write job postings that give you an inbox full of resumes, how to write follow-up emails that get excited responses, or website CTAs which get you leads, learning the basics of conversion copy is probably a good idea.  The good news? Mastering this craft is easier and more formulaic than you might think.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP111 Check out Priority Builders on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prioritybuildersyeg/ Love it or hate it, Instagram can deliver impressive results for your construction business.  If you’ve become disenfranchised (as so many have) with this platform, this week's episode is the antidote.   For many contractors, Instagram is a time-sucking vanity project with no ROI, but for our guest Sean Walford, it’s a hyper-efficient lead-generating machine.   Get this… Sean’s Edmonton-based renovations company gets 70% of its sales directly from ‘the gram’ - and he hasn’t even been at it that long!  Two short years ago, he decided to pour some focus into this platform and has since built up a super-engaged following of 12,000 that BUY. Today his gonna peel back the curtain and tell us exactly how he did it.  We discuss posting strategy, comment management, and how to embed CTA’s that convert followers into leads. So if you’re tired of mediocre Instagram results, listen to the full episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, Click Here Download Breakthrough Academy’s Interview Guide, Click Here Let me know if this situation sounds familiar… You hired someone a month back. When you called to tell this person they got the job, you were excited, and so were they. But now the glimmer is gone. The excitement you felt is slowly turning into doubt. There are a couple of things about this new hire you didn’t see before:  They don’t have the skills their resume led you to believe they did. They aren’t the team player you hoped they were.   Their reliability is hit-and-miss.   They need an attitude adjustment.  [insert behavior you’re not loving] The reality is even great team builders don’t shoot 100%. Look at professional sports, and you’ll see first-round draft picks that end up being busts. Major contracts awarded that only a year later seem totally boneheaded.   If the most sophisticated and well-resourced team builders in the world get it wrong from time to time, it seems probable that you in your business are going to as well. No sweat.  Part of the journey.  The question is, how do you deal with it? Do you exit quickly, learn and bounce back? Or do you let this mistake linger and fester? Today’s episode is 16 Signs You've Hired The Wrong Person. To hear them all, listen to this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP109 One of the most common questions we get is: how should I pay my people? This makes sense when you think about how influential your compensation plans are to the success of your business and the people inside it. Is what I’m offering compelling enough to attract the talent I need?   Am I using incentives and bonuses effectively to get staff focused on the right things?   Is dolling out cash at the end of the year out of the goodness of my heart the right way of going about it? The value in answering these questions can’t be overstated, and yet, you don’t hear people having money conversations like this all that often - at least not openly. “Performance Pay” is one of the best ways to align the goals of the individual with the goals of the organization - share the gain, share the pain.   Shane Bannerman, one of our incredible Breakthrough Academy coaches,  is here today to explain how to set up performance pay for the archetypal roles most contracting businesses have: production managers, field staff, salespeople, and administrators.  Shane coaches over 40 different BTA companies.  He’s seen firsthand the comp plans that drive results and those that FLOP! Listen to this episode for deep dive into performance pay for contractors!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, Click Here Check Out Marcus’ sales & marketing training company: www.impactplus.com Order His Book They Ask, You Answer: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119312973/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3 Our guest on the show today is globally renowned speaker and consultant: Marcus Sheridan.  Author of They Ask, You Answer and The Visual Sale. Marcus is the go-to guy for content marketing and inbound sales (especially for contractors and home services). His philosophy is simple but powerful:  If your customers are asking about it, you should be creating content around it.   Getting out in front of the concerns and questions of your potential buyers is the easiest way to build authority and elevate your company from “one in a sea of options” to “the only one” they want to do business with.   Expect to Learn: How to build trust and transparency through your website’s content using “The Big 5” framework - turning visitors into buyers while exponentially increasing site traffic Just how educated the modern buyer truly is and why relying on uninformed clients is no longer a viable marketing strategy (if it ever was) Marcus’ insights on navigating through a changing market, having carefully steered River Pools through the 08 financial crisis and into one of the most successful pool franchises in the US Making great content doesn’t have to be hard, you just have to know where to start.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.