August 13, 2023 • 41 mins
Jim, host of Check A Pro Radio & Podcasts, delves deep into leveraging videos, podcasts, and books to amplify the online presence of home service professionals. With Corey Berrier, they unravel strategies for credibility, the power of third-party endorsements, and the transformative journey from radio to video. Keywords: Jim, Check A Pro, Corey Berrier, podcasts, videos, online visibility, credibility, AI, customer interaction, third-party endorsements, books.
http://theradiopitchman.com
https://www.audible.com/pd/9-Simple-Steps-to-Sell-More-ht-Audiobook/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Steps-Sell-More-Stereotypes-ebook/dp/B0BRNSFYG6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OSB7HX6FQMHS&keywords=corey+berrier&qid=1674232549&sprefix=%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreysalescoach/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Corey Berrier (00:01):
Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast.
I'm your host, Corey Berrier,and I am here with my man, Jim
Klauck.
What's up,
Jim Klauck (00:07):
brother?
Hey Corey.
How you doing, bud?
Thanks for having me on the
Corey Berrier (00:10):
program.
Yes, sir.
Actually, I'm really shocked.
I don't normally get people'slast name right, but I think I
was successful today.
Jim Klauck (00:18):
Pretty good.
It's Jim Klauck.
It sounds like Ka.
Oh, thank I was close.
It's German.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not a popular name, but itis in my family.
Yeah.
So,
Corey Berrier (00:30):
Jim, what, so you look, let's just dive into it.
You have got you got a prettyunique spin.
Well, if you wanna telleverybody who you are and a
little bit about yourself,
Jim Klauck (00:40):
go ahead and do that, and then I'll ask you
question.
Yeah.
So, so, I will tell you that Igot married 25 years ago to a
wonderful woman.
Her name is Robin.
I've got two beautiful children,Jimmy, who's 22, and Ashley,
who's 20.
So I am a a husband and afather, and I'm also very deep
into helping home serviceprofessionals get their image
out there and their name not somuch by building logos and so
(01:02):
forth.
I started a company back in2005.
Called Check a pro, and at thetime it was like a local Andrews
list and I've expanded itthrough my experience in radio
and podcasting.
So I started in Houston, Texasin oh five, but now you can find
clients of mine coast to coast.
And what I specialize in isexactly what you and I are doing
(01:25):
today using video and podcast tobring that.
Contractor, the owner of thecompany to the forefront.
So you know, Corey, when youwant to buy something from
someone, you generally wanna buyfrom someone you know, like and
trust, right?
That's right.
Yeah.
And that's what we do when weproduce these videos that we put
(01:45):
into podcast form, which are onSpotify and Apple and Amazon and
Google.
These are short three to fiveminute videos where we profile
not just the owner, but we talkabout frequently asked
questions.
I'm gonna pull a book out herecalled, They ask you Answer,
(02:06):
which is a bestselling book bymy friend Marcus Sheridan.
And Marcus Sheridan back in ohnine, had a home service
company, a pool company, whichhe still has interest in.
But if you remember Cory,'causeyou were young back then in oh
nine.
In oh nine, there was a bankingcrisis.
His company, river Pools almostwent bankrupt.
So he scrambled and he startedto experiment with blogging and
(02:29):
videos and asking frequentlyasked questions in the form of
video on his website.
So that's the, they ask afrequently asked question, what
a homeowner may ask, and thenyou answer it.
They ask you answer.
We use his system to do the samething.
So for instance, Let's say thatI'm talking with a plumber on
(02:51):
this podcast, and a frequentlyasked question could be, what's
the difference between a tankand a tankless water heater?
These are frequently askedquestions, so not only are you
getting it in text form becausewe do transcribe it and there's
closed captioning on the video.
Also, you're hearing it directlyfrom the owner of the company,
(03:12):
and chances are you're going tobuy from that individual that
you see.
So after you see that, youscroll to the next video, and
maybe the next video is, what'sPex piping?
I don't even know what that is.
But you watch the guy again andyou're like boom.
Marcus Sheridan found the longerpeople spent on your website
watching videos that you'veproduced.
(03:34):
The more likely they are toengage.
And then something more excitingthan that, maybe or the next
thing is this next book I've gotbooks.
Books are amazing.
Everybody, I suggest you read'em.
And by the way, I wanna givesome books out here on the
program, if you don't mind.
Perfect.
And so this book, I wrote theFord of this book written by a
buddy of mine, Tom Decker, atticinsulation guy.
When can you do it?
(03:56):
In one year, we tripled hisbusiness from over 800,000 to$3
million using this process.
And the when can you do a thingis like this.
Think about this, everybody,homeowners are people who
collect information.
Wouldn't you want them tocollect more information before
you actually drove 45 minutes anhour to the sales appointment?
(04:18):
Because when they do that andyou go out there and they
already know who you are, whatthe products are.
All the specifics of a job,maybe even what it could cost.
All you want the homeowner toask is when can you do it?
You don't wanna spend anotherhour and a half to find out they
can't afford it or it's not theright product or service for
(04:39):
them.
Fascinating.
Corey Berrier (04:42):
That's so one thing that I think too, you
mentioned, you know when peoplecan hear that homeowner or the
contractor talking, but they'realso seeing in video, right?
So, and Google picks up thetranscript, so, You're really
hitting, you know, as akinesthetic person, you're
hitting all the senses righthere.
See, well, maybe not smell,hopefully, but I yet we're
(05:06):
working on it end.
So it really, it indexes onGoogle.
It indexes.
So whenever you put that out,and obviously YouTube is owned
by Google.
So assuming that the YouTube,would you put it on
Jim Klauck (05:18):
YouTube?
Yeah.
So here's really cool, okay andI'll give an example.
One of our clients is a oneGarage doors Tommy Me's company.
You may know who Tommy is.
And so we built a website, it'sa podcast site specifically for
this.
It looks a lot like his website,so it's an A one garage door
podcast site.
When you go to it, you'll seeall the podcasts listed there.
(05:40):
Now, once they're there, we canthen put them on your social
media so they can go onto yourFacebook page, onto your YouTube
page.
We put them on Apple Podcastsand tune in and iHeartRadio and
Spotify.
You go down the list probably onabout 25 apps, and then here's
what's really cool.
I think you'll really like this,Corey.
We put back links on each one ofthose placements, so you'll get
(06:04):
a back link.
From Amazon, from Apple towherever you want, which should
be your main homepage.
Not the podcast site we builtfor you, but your main site.
Corey Berrier (06:16):
Interesting.
I have to figure I gotta ask howyou do that, or maybe you could
tell me, maybe it's a longerconversation, but
Jim Klauck (06:25):
it's a longer conversation.
But certainly if you wanna learnmore, you can contact me and
Corey.
I'm sure we'll get informationthere.
You go in, in the notes.
But Corey Let's get up back onanother Zoom call you and I and
I'll explain it.
But I'll, you know, I canexplain to anybody.
And actually that's a goodquestion.
I should probably create a videoand post it so everyone can
learn.
But I don't wanna give away allthe secrets, but you know, it's
like anything else.
(06:46):
I can show you how to do it, butyou probably won't do it.
It's kind of like a plumber,right?
A plumber can do a video all daylong about rebuilding a toilet
tank, but most people won't doit.
Some will try fail, hire theplumber.
Some won't even try.
They'll just hire the plumber.
That's
Corey Berrier (06:59):
right.
No I totally agree with you.
So, there was something else yousaid that really struck my
brain.
Okay.
Oh, you said you mentioned howmuch more likely is it for the
homeowner to do business withyou?
If you can answer all ourquestions before you get to the
house.
Right.
So, I'll take that a stepfurther.
What if there was a way for themto interact with that homeowner
(07:25):
through a bot?
And when most people hear bot,they think,
Jim Klauck (07:29):
that's weird.
Yeah, because it's,
Corey Berrier (07:31):
there's a lot of bad ones out there.
A lot.
Most of them.
But what if you could also bookthe homeowner from that video to
the bot?
Right.
They see the video first'causethat's gonna be the most
attractive.
And then there's a bot downbelow that speaks like Tommy
Meow, for example, since webrought his name up and it books
straight on
Jim Klauck (07:50):
his calendar.
That's what I'm that's cool.
And that's what's great aboutcollaborating with other tech
companies or individuals such asyourself because things are
changing so quickly now.
You and I have talked about AIand a lot of people using chat,
G P T and so forth, and, but alot of people don't know how to
apply it, right?
So we can all play with it.
(08:10):
It's like an advanced Google.
You can go in there and starttyping stuff and you can have,
you know, or you could write.
A script or you could write apaper for your class, which you
have to be careful.
It might get in trouble.
Depends if it depends on yourprofessor in the school.
So it, you know, it's amazing.
But you know, people like you,Corey, and other professionals
out there are really working onhow to apply AI and sometimes
(08:32):
plug it into something that Ido.
Yeah, a hundred
Corey Berrier (08:35):
percent.
It almost, you can plug it intojust about anything.
So, I don't wanna make thisconversation about AI because
it's about what you're here for.
So let me ask you, what made youthink about the video idea?
What kind sparked that in yourbrain?
I'm
Jim Klauck (08:50):
just curious.
I have to be very honest.
I will tell you what sparks upmy brain.
So I'm gonna back up a littlebit and then I'm gonna tell you
what happened.
So, I started doing radiodecades ago to promote my own
business, and then I startedpromoting home service
professionals on my radio show,and then it went from broadcast
(09:12):
radio, which I still do somebroadcast radio for some
clients.
You may have heard of CodyJohnson from Garage Door Doctor.
They're actually part of a onenow, and so in any case I, you
know, profile them.
Also did the same thing with TomDecker's company, an attic
insulation company, and it'skind of a.
(09:33):
Infomercial, but it sounds likea radio program.
And we make sure that we giveaway something for free.
We make sure that there's onlyso many of them left.
So there's, you know, it'sscarce.
People want to act now and theyhave the fear of missing out.
So I went from the broadcast,which is audio on predominantly
AM and FM radio to podcast andaudio.
And I'm doing the one for TommyMeow.
(09:55):
And so I'm on a call with Tommyone day and he's like, you know,
this is really great.
Love what you're doing for uswith the podcast, but I want to
do video.
And I said, well, that's notwhat I do, Jim.
You're not listening.
I want video.
And I said, yes, sir, Mr.
Tommy Meow.
So Tommy is the one thatactually pushed me into going
(10:17):
into video.
So hopefully I look good becauseI'm a radio guy.
I'm not meant to be on tv, buthere I am.
So that's the story.
And that was a couple years ago.
Corey Berrier (10:27):
That's fantastic.
You know what you it feels likewhat you do, it almost is a
referral, right?
That we all know that referralis the best way to get business.
And if you're interviewing thebusiness owner and asking the
business owner questions that hewants to answer that his, that
are most pertinent to hisbusiness, it's almost like a
(10:49):
referral, right?
Jim Klauck (10:51):
Yes.
Yeah.
So what I like to tell, Homeservice professionals who are
interested in doing somethinglike this is, look, you can do
your own videos.
As a matter of fact, they askyou, answer, we'll tell you how
to do everything on your own.
In other words, take youriPhone, you know, do selfies,
take videos, have someone inyour office do it, and you can
(11:14):
go around saying how great youare.
Right?
So, you know, I picture this.
You know, a, b, c roofing here.
We've been in roofing since youknow, Jesus was born and we, you
know, won the B Pinnacle Award 6million times, and we have
8,000,000,005 star reviews onGoogle.
We're great.
Now, the problem with that,Corey, is the homeowner doesn't
(11:35):
care about you.
Everyone cares about themselvesfirst.
There's, and I'm not even gonnaargue that one is true.
So instead of saying how greatyou are, why don't you have a
third party?
Someone like me, it could beanybody that's not related to
you, that brings out the best inyou and then puts you on a
pedestal and says, this is afantastic home service provider
(11:56):
company.
They're the best plumber orroofer in, in, you know, this
part of Arizona or Texas orFlorida, whatever.
And.
It.
It's a third party endorsement.
So back in oh five when Istarted Checkup Pro, I told you
it's like a local Angie's list,or they call Angie now and we
pre-qualify all the contractorson the website.
We check insurance licenses andreferences.
(12:19):
So they're already standingapart from the rest of them.
And the podcast, these are threeto five minute podcasts I do.
Just with that home serviceprovider, like a one garage door
service, for instance.
Okay.
So we're doing one just forthem.
And so when I went from radio tothe podcast world, I had an
(12:41):
idea, I'll make it.
An excerpt from the radio show.
So when I do an interview with,let's say it's Personal Plumbing
with Bob Mueller, okay, I dosomething like this.
Check a pro Joe here from theCheck A Pro Radio show, and here
with my good friend Bob Muellerfrom Personal Plumbing.
How are you, Bob?
(13:01):
And he says, great.
It sounds as though they're onthe radio program in a video
format in an excerpt of the longshow.
Corey Berrier (13:10):
Makes total sense to me.
And I'll tell you the otherthing is, and I know you said
anybody can do this but canthey, I mean, I say that
because, you know, by you askingthe right questions, knowing how
to get it to flow the right way,that's not an easy job.
That takes a lot of practice.
(13:30):
That takes a lot of work to getto the point, to be able to do
Jim Klauck (13:33):
that.
I'm gonna let the cat outta thebag.
I've been doing this for almost40 years, so when I was 18, I
started radio at the local radiostation on campus at the
University of Hartford called Wss a m I was a freshman, I was
18 years old, so, it was almost40 years ago when I started
(13:56):
radio.
So it's like anything else.
It's kind of easy for me.
It is difficult for some peopleto be able to do exactly what I
do, so I really have kind ofthese unique skill sets that
I've put together and a littlebit of an aside because I love
talking to people, especiallyyoung people.
So if there's any young peoplewatching this, take some advice
(14:20):
from an older guy.
Learn to do something that youenjoy and do it really well.
So when you're old like me, Youcan be ahead of the pack.
'cause most people aren't goingto be that disciplined to be the
best in their field.
Corey Berrier (14:36):
So I totally agree with you.
Alright, so how do you getpeople, and I know you, I would
think you would agree with this,there's something about being on
video that people just jam up.
Like, they just lock up.
That's like they're in adifferent world or different
country or I don't know whathappens.
How do you get people to feelcomfortable in
Jim Klauck (14:58):
front of the camera?
Well, I have to thank Covid.
Because many people started todo video calls on Zoom or other
types of programs like that,right?
Because they were stuck in theirhomes.
They couldn't fly to go see onefor a meeting or even drive to
go see, you know, a client or aprospect.
So people started doing Zoomcalls.
So I think people got more, I.
Comfortable with that.
(15:19):
And I'd like to think, Cory,that I make people feel very
comfortable.
So I tell people it's likedancing.
A lot of people don't know howto ballroom dance, but if you
take a great dancer, and I'mgonna go back a long time, there
was a guy by the name of FredAstaire.
Fred Astaire was one of the bestdancers of all time.
Anyone will look good with FredAstaire because he knows how to
(15:40):
lead.
A really good dancer can lead.
My job is to lead.
So I tell people who aren'tcomfortable with this, I say,
look, you know your business,right?
They're like, yeah, I'm aplumber.
I know my business.
So you can answer thesequestions about water heaters.
Yeah, I can answer them.
I said, don't worry aboutanything else.
I will lead.
And if they start to fumble alittle bit and they, you know,
(16:01):
fall down, I bring'em right backup because that's my job.
I'm the guy who's leading it,keeping it moving forward.
And generally all my clientslook like superstars.
They do.
Great.
Makes sense.
Corey Berrier (16:13):
Makes sense.
Now you're also an author,right?
Jim Klauck (16:17):
I have written a book or two.
The first book I wrote wascalled Meet Check a Pro Joe, and
that book.
Was written for the homeowner,but it was written by clients of
mine.
So it's written by plumbers androofers and HVAC guys.
And it was really kind of a neatmarketing piece where they all
wrote a chapter about theirexpertise and then their contact
(16:40):
information was at the end oftheir chapter.
But what's cool is theelectrician gives it to the
homeowner client saying, look,I'm published.
If you need more informationabout me, it's in here.
Kind of like a directory with astory about me.
Tips, but also the plumber'sinformation's in there, so is
the roofer.
So if they all give it out, youcan see how the web works,
right?
In one community.
(17:01):
And we did that in Houston,Texas, very successful book
because it gave them credibilityand it was a cool marketing
piece.
Most recently, I've written avery small book.
It's a mini book.
And I will tell you, there's noexcuse not to read this.
Corey is smiling, but Corey willalso agree that if I sent you
these two books, which one areyou gonna read first?
(17:23):
Probably the little one.
'cause we like to get rid of thelittle stuff first, right?
This can be read in like 23minutes.
It's 50 pages.
It's called the Radio PitchmanPodcast Playbook, and it is down
to the point.
If you want to know anythingabout the type of work I do for
my clients and how to do it andwhat not to do.
It's in this book, and there'salso an audio version on Audible
(17:47):
if you wanna listen to it.
It's absolutely free on Audible.
And also, if anyone wants a copyof this book, I will send it to
them.
Just let me know.
Corey Berrier (17:56):
Perfect.
I think if you're willing togive out a book, people should
maybe go to your podcast alsoand check it out, which is,
well, you've got several, butyour main
Jim Klauck (18:07):
podcast is, I've got several the radio pitchman.com.
And the reason why I call myselfthe radio pitchman is I've made
so much money pitching things onthe radio.
So a pitchman is like BillyMaze.
Remember Billy May, he used tosell Oxy, right?
Well, Oxyclean be careful.
He did Oxy apparently, right?
(18:30):
Yeah, sorry about ironic, isn'tit?
But in any case, he would sellthe cleaning products.
Billie Mays here, right?
And so I did the same thing witha little less flash on radio.
So, I'm known as the radiopitchman and I've now moved that
into the podcast world.
So that's why it's called theRadio Pitch Men's podcast
playbook, the radiopitchman.com.
(18:51):
When you go there, you will seea little bit about me, but also
you'll see some of our clientsthat are profiled there.
Corey Berrier (18:59):
So what kind of, you know, I know you took the
one company from I, I don'tknow, eight, 800 to 3 million
million.
So what kind of growth do yousee with the video or did you
see much of a difference betweenmoving from just voice to video?
Tell us a little bit about that.
Jim Klauck (19:18):
Well, as you know, because you're a backend guy,
guru, you know that Google likesthat a lot.
So video is key.
If you don't have a video, itcertainly can't be indexed as a
video.
It won't show up, right?
So that's important.
A picture's worth a thousandwords or possibly more than
that.
I.
What I tell my clients is, look,we can do all kinds of cool
(19:40):
stuff on the backend whereGoogle will digest this, and
when someone types in your namefor it, you know your company
name, you're gonna show up inall kinds of places.
Hopefully when they type in, Ihave a burst pipe, you'll show
up as well.
But this is the most importantthing.
I tell people to use it offlineand they're like, what does that
mean?
(20:01):
You've got this library.
Videos you should have at thebottom of every email in your
signature.
Click here to see our podcastsor to watch our videos also.
This is a great one.
Think about this.
You're an HVAC company andyou're doing bids all day long
and you're at this home and thehomeowner's looking at four HVAC
(20:26):
companies, you're one of them.
And everyone agrees that theyneed a five ton downstairs and a
three ton upstairs.
That's been determined.
It's been sized.
Everyone knows that.
But the price, the service, howlong the company's been in
business, the sales staff, thetechnicians, that's all
different.
But what if you said to thehomeowner, Hey, I know you're.
(20:48):
Wanna make a decision soon.
You know, you're not sure whoyou wanna hire yet.
I know that we're actually$3,800more, but look at all this great
stuff.
We've been in business a longtime and, you know, we're gonna
give you a free service plan forthe, you know, first five years,
so on and so forth.
But let me share something elsewith you.
We do a podcast, and six monthsago we talked about an install
(21:12):
just like this one, a three tonand a five ton.
Can I share that with you?
Boom.
You send that off from yourphone to their phone now they
see you again.
I'm interviewing you.
It looks great.
It sounds great.
The other guys don't have that.
Can that make a difference?
I think so.
And it does for sure.
So, so that's a little lesstangible.
(21:34):
A lot of people wanna say, letme see the numbers.
Okay, that's fine.
Numbers are one thing, but howare you using this offline?
Be creative.
You've produced this thing.
Let's use it out in the field.
Corey Berrier (21:47):
Yeah, a hundred percent.
And what are the chances they'regonna watch another video and
another video?
Probably pretty good.
'cause that may not answer everyone of their questions and it
shows that technologicallyyou're ahead of everybody else,
which not super hard to do inthese
Jim Klauck (22:04):
industries.
No, but I'll tell you somethingabout.
The home service industry, andmost people in home services
will agree.
They're a little bit behind thanother industries.
They're not considered techie.
I have seen though, in the pastdecade, a lot of changes, but
you go back 10 years andcertainly 20 years, and people
(22:27):
were just turning wrenches.
They didn't know anything.
They didn't even wanna knowabout websites because I'll tell
you back in oh five when Istarted Checkup Pro, A lot of my
home service customers, myclients didn't even have a
website and they said, how can Isign up with you?
I don't have a website.
I said, good news.
Our website ranks real high.
We can be your website for nowand I can refer you to someone
(22:47):
who can build you one.
This was back in oh five andbelieve it or not, in oh five, a
lot of small businesses werejust getting a website.
Yeah.
I totally
Corey Berrier (22:55):
believe that.
You know, you know, websitesunbelievably, I.
But at the same time, it's noteverything, right?
Meaning like it probably was in2005, but I hear lots of times
guys will say, you know, I gottaget my website up first.
Da.
You do need to get a website up.
'cause it's kinda like abillboard.
(23:15):
It's kind of like where peopleare just gonna stop and check
you out.
But,
Jim Klauck (23:19):
well, it's your storefront, especially if you're
a home service professional,people aren't gonna come to your
shop.
They're gonna That's right.
And they, and that's their firstimpression.
Yeah, a hundred
Corey Berrier (23:28):
percent.
And it's gotta, and they gottabe able to find you, you know?
So the website's gotta be right,but still you've gotta do stuff
like what you're talking aboutto set yourself
Jim Klauck (23:37):
apart.
Yeah.
And actually, you know, it'sinteresting too, when you have a
website, what is the first thingthat people see?
It could be an image, it couldbe a video you put up.
It could be a coupon.
Obviously your phone numbershould be up there.
And by the way, your phonenumber should be there on the
top right hand corner.
F y i.
It should be big.
Don't hide a phone number.
(23:58):
For goodness sakes.
People still will call.
There should be a place to chat.
There should be a place to bookan appointment.
But I also tell my clients this,with these videos, we have an
embedded podcast player.
We send you the code.
It goes right on your homepageif you want.
So one of the first things theysee, Is you talking to them with
me?
(24:18):
Right.
So it's use the technology todayand reach out to people like
Corey or me or other people whoknow tech in your field.
I only work with home service.
Those are my clients.
So when you check out, you know,if you go online and you type in
my name, you're gonna see a lotof different home service
(24:42):
companies that work with me or Iwork with in producing these
videos on these unique podcastsites for them.
And you know, people like Coreyand I understand the ins and
outs of that industry.
We don't deal in aviation, we'renot dealing with attorneys and
that type of stuff for the most.
Corey might do some of that.
(25:02):
I don't.
I predominantly spend my timewith home service.
I've been in it for 20 years.
On this side of it, I've neverturned a wrench professionally,
but I own a small ranch and I'veremodeled kitchens and bathrooms
and I do all my own work untilit gets to be a little much.
And I bring in, you know,professionals.
But I understand how it works.
(25:23):
I understand being on thehomeowner side'cause I'm that
typical homeowner.
That my clients are trying toreach middle-aged plus.
Be careful now.
Okay.
Someone who owns a home thatneeds stuff done.
So I understand the homeownerside and all my clients are home
service professionals.
I.
Corey Berrier (25:42):
It's interesting 'cause the both of us have never
turned a wrench professionally,as you mentioned.
You know, for me, that, that wasa problem when I first started
working with contract.
It's only been a few years, butI always had this feeling like
almost like I didn't fit in.
Almost like, well, do I reallybelong here?
(26:05):
But the truth of the matter iswhat we bring to the industry.
Is very much so needed becausemost of the people, obviously,
that we work with don't have theskills that we offer or maybe
not as good as the skills as weoffer, and they vice versa.
They have skills that we don'toffer.
(26:25):
Right.
So, yeah.
Yeah, it just took me a minuteto kind of
Jim Klauck (26:28):
wrap my head around that.
Yeah.
But Corey, it's really not thatmuch different than a homeowner
calling a plumber.
Saying I needed to fixsomething, you're kind of in the
plumber's position on that techside.
So, I mean, most homeowners andcontractors have nothing in
common per se.
They could, but chances theydon't, especially if that,
(26:53):
Homeowners are white collarprofessionals that're now
further away from ever turning awrench.
I've kind of always been on thewhite collar professional side
in terms of what I do for aliving, but I've always had
tools in my hand since I was akid.
My dad introduced me to toolswhen I was just a little kid,
and I work on thingsmechanically, but I actually
(27:13):
less than the mechanic side.
I really like to build andrepair things and so, I can get
away with doing a lot of thingsmyself, but what's interesting
is I find it odd because I'm soused to understanding home
improvement myself.
I find it odd when I talk to theaverage homeowner.
They don't even know where theirwater heater is in their house,
(27:37):
right?
They don't know how to turn itoff.
They dunno how to change thetemperature.
They don't know how to restartthe light.
They don't know anything.
I find that extremely strangebecause I know the mechanics of
my house.
Now I don't know everything, sosometimes I have to hire a
technician to come in.
But guess what I'm doing?
I'm following the technicianaround saying, why are you doing
(27:57):
that?
What's that switch for?
Right?
What are put a meter on thatfor?
And so I've learned a lot aswell.
Corey Berrier (28:04):
So I'm curious whose job that, you know, when
we bought our house, like I wasthat person, I had no earthly
idea.
I had, I can't remember, Ishould really probably know
this, but it was the the valve,it was, it's not a shutoff
valve, but it's the sensor thatif something goes sideways with
the hot water here, if it startsleaking, I can't remember what
it's called, but it essentially,
Jim Klauck (28:24):
it'll automatically shut it down.
Yes.
And so I
Corey Berrier (28:27):
didn't know where my main water was.
I had absolutely no idea.
So is it the realtor's job totell us that?
How are we supposed to knowthat?
Jim Klauck (28:35):
The home inspector.
So when you buy a home, followthat home inspector around.
The home inspector works foryou, the homeowner.
And sometimes the home inspectorwill ruin a deal because they
don't really care if the dealgoes through, they get paid
either way.
Their job is to make sure you,the homeowner, the one paying
them.
Is doing a job to determinewhether or not you should go
through with this sale.
(28:56):
So I always follow the homeinspector around and they will
find everything and they'll say,Hey, by the way, you know, a
good one will say, Hey, by theway, this is where I.
The main shutoff is here's theelectrical panel for this part
of the house, but actually Ifound another one over here.
This one appears to be for thepool equipment, and they'll
(29:19):
explain things to you, and it'sreally important to have a good
home inspector.
Actually, on that point, do notskimp on the home inspector.
First of all, always get a homeinspection when you're buying a
property.
And number two, Don't gonecessarily with the best price,
go with the best individual.
(29:39):
Some people don't wanna spendover$500 or$600.
When I bought my ranch, there'sbarns and so forth.
That was 10 years ago.
I spent around$1,600, which atthe time was considered a lot of
money.
But this guy wasn't just a homeinspector, he was also an
engineer.
(30:00):
So he knew a lot and he camehighly recommended, and I got my
money's worth because I followedhim around.
He spent a day on the propertywith me and we found some stuff
we wouldn't have found becauseit's an extensive property.
Corey Berrier (30:14):
How much do you think that saved you find in
that stuff beforehand by havinga good
Jim Klauck (30:18):
inspector?
Who knows?
Because there's been some timesI've had to turn the, you know,
the water off or wondered whythe pool pump.
Tripped and where are thosebreakers?
So would've had to hire someoneto come in, like an electrician
to do that.
So for me, it's really hard tosay over the decade that I've
owned the property, thousandsand thousands.
(30:40):
But I have peace of mind too,because this isn't the guy who
was just checking off boxes.
It's really not hisresponsibility.
You know, two years later, ifthe house falls down, what am I
gonna do?
Right.
It's done.
You really need to have someonethat you can trust.
And you know what's interestingis one of my.
Podcast clients that we dovideos for is a home inspector
(31:00):
in Southern California, and hehas cool stories because he, he
does a lot of high-endproperties, millions of dollars.
And so he's got some really coolstories, but he likes to do
these videos as well so he cantell people upfront the
importance of it, what happensif we find this, that type of
(31:21):
stuff.
So it's yeah, it's important toget a home inspection and to
have the right inspector.
Yeah, it's really
Corey Berrier (31:26):
not that much more money, right?
Even if it's you're talking 500to 1600, that's not a massive
amount of money for what youcould save.
What you're probably gonna savein time, effort whatever.
It's gonna cost you to havesomebody else come out.
Jim Klauck (31:42):
Well, sure people are buying half a million, or
even today, over$1 millionproperties in a flash.
Everything's gone up so much.
I mean, years ago when someoneowned a million dollar home,
they were rich.
A lot of people own milliondollar homes now.
So if you're spending half amillion to a million dollars,
why aren't you spending$1,500 tomake sure that it's a good buy?
(32:04):
You gotta be crazy.
But people just want it to gothrough and and the realtors
especially, they don't want anyproblems.
They want it to go through.
One of the biggest problemsrealtors have is the home
inspector.
'cause a home inspector can killa deal.
Absolutely kill a deal becausehe'll say, you know what?
I found mold done over, thehomeowner's probably not gonna
buy it.
(32:25):
Or, you know what?
The structure's not that good.
It's gonna cost like, you know,$80,000 to shore this thing up.
And the homeowner, I mean, andthe buyer says, I'm backing out.
'cause that's why they had thatinspection period.
That is a way for them to getout of the deal.
And it happens.
And realtors hate that becausethey want.
The deal will go throughobviously, so they can get paid,
right?
That's right,
Corey Berrier (32:46):
a hundred percent.
Do you, would you normallyrecommend you know, getting that
inspector from the realtor?
No.
Because that seems like thatcould be a slight conflict
Jim Klauck (32:54):
of interest.
It is a conflict of interest.
So generally what I do when Ihire a home inspector, I
independently go out there andhire someone and I'll often
spend extra money for them todrive an hour to an hour and a
half in, so they don't haverelationships in my community.
So they don't, so there is noconflict.
(33:15):
So if they're driving an hourand a half in, I'll pay for the
extra drive time for the factthat I don't feel they have any
interest in that marketplace.
Does that make sense?
Corey Berrier (33:25):
That makes total sense, Uhhuh.
Yep.
Yeah, that makes total sense.
Fascinating.
Okay.
So surely you've got some prettyfunny stories about some of the
people that you've worked with.
You don't have to say the names,but what I'm just curious.
(33:45):
Like, there has to be somebodymaybe that sticks out in your
mind that was just quirky orinteresting to work with or
maybe even hard to work with.
Can you tell us a quick storyabout that?
Jim Klauck (33:58):
I'll first start by saying I no longer work with
people that are not easy to workwith.
So I've gotten to the point inmy career where I only work with
home service professionals thatI can see eye to eye with and
they can be quirky'causeeveryone's a little odd.
I'm strange, I'm sure.
Everyone's a little odd.
Gosh, to answer that question, Imean, everyone's a character and
(34:22):
one thing that I'm blessed with,Is the time I've been on Earth.
The longer you've been around,the more you see and the more
you realize that everyone's notthe same and everyone needs to
be managed differently.
So I do a pretty good job ofunderstanding who the character
is that I'm interviewing andputting forth to the homeowner
(34:43):
through the videos.
And if they are like really,like strange and have, you know,
a strange tick or they seem odd,I try to smooth that out the
best I can during the interviewprocess.
So they don't seem too strangeto the viewer.
And sometimes I'll, you know,sometimes I'll say I don't think
(35:03):
you're the best person torepresent.
To the community.
Do you have a partner or someoneelse in your organization that
would really be good at this?
And often they'll come to me andsay, you know, I'm a little
strange.
I'm like, okay, I don't wanna bethe one on the video.
I like to have someone who worksfor me do it.
If you believe that's the bestthing, then fine.
But in the home service world,there are some interesting
(35:27):
characters.
No question
Corey Berrier (35:30):
about it.
No question about it.
So, alright.
So I.
I asked you about your book, Ithink at the end of the day or
at the end of the show, I shouldsay.
I think'cause we are gettingclose, you were wanting to, you
were wanting to give a few booksaway.
Yes.
And I would ask that people goin addition to whatever your ask
(35:53):
is, that people would go andcheck out, like I said before
your podcast and then maybe onestep further, maybe throw a
review out there.
'cause I think you're gonna givesome pretty cool
stuff.
Jim Klauck (36:03):
I'm gonna give some cool stuff to everybody.
So Corey, if you do me a favorin the notes of your podcast, do
make sure that you put my emailin there so people can email me.
And so like I do as the radiopitchman on the radio, I'll say,
this is a limited time offer andthe first five people to contact
me, we'll get the following.
I'm gonna give you my book,okay?
(36:24):
I am gonna sign it for you.
I'm gonna give you Tom Decker'sbook called, When can you do it?
Awesome book.
I did write the forward to thebook.
Tom has signed this book and myfriend Tommy Melo.
Has given me some signed copiesof his latest book called
Elevate.
So the first five people whocontact me via email, my email
(36:46):
address, f y i isjim@theradiopitchman.com.
jim@theradiopitchman.com signbook by Tommy Meow.
Sign book by Tom Decker and Iwill sign my book.
Read this first'cause it's thequickest one to read and if you
have any questions let me know.
I often, Corey will help people.
Over the phone or a Zoom callbecause they'll say, Hey look,
(37:09):
I'm doing my own podcast.
I've been doing it for threemonths.
I'm kind of, you know,floundering a bit.
Can you gimme some tips?
And I will.
What I do isn't for everybody,it's kind of like home
improvement.
Some people insist on buildingtheir own, you know, let's say
their own porch.
Okay.
Or their own shed in thebackyard instead of hiring a
contractor to build it for them,that's fine.
(37:30):
But other people are like, Idon't wanna build my own shed.
Right?
So I'm the kind of, you know,I'm for the guy or gal who wants
it done professionally with oursystem.
But if you're already doingsomething and you insist on
doing your own podcast, which isfine, I can give you some tips
on what to do and what not todo, including some really
inexpensive.
(37:51):
Camera options, microphoneoptions, lighting options,
because it's important that yousound good.
Corey's using a really goodmicrophone.
That's important.
It's important to have a camera.
So some people say, Hey, do youhave a camera, man?
I'm like, what are you talkingabout?
They're like, well, the camerafollows you around.
I'm like, yeah, it's$150 camera.
(38:11):
So I can tell you about thattoo.
So reach out to me.
Corey Berrier (38:14):
Yeah, a hundred percent.
I love the camera that you used.
I think we used the exact samecamera.
I.
It's a game changer.
Jim Klauck (38:20):
It is, yeah.
A
Corey Berrier (38:22):
hundred percent.
Well Jim, thanks so much forcoming on.
I really appreciate you, myfriend, and
Jim Klauck (38:27):
have a great day.
Thank you, Corey.
I appreciate it.
Yes, sir.
I.
Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast.
I'm your host, Corey Berrier,and I am here with my man, Jim
Klauck.
What's up,
Jim Klauck (00:07):
brother?
Hey Corey.
How you doing, bud?
Thanks for having me on the
Corey Berrier (00:10):
program.
Yes, sir.
Actually, I'm really shocked.
I don't normally get people'slast name right, but I think I
was successful today.
Jim Klauck (00:18):
Pretty good.
It's Jim Klauck.
It sounds like Ka.
Oh, thank I was close.
It's German.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not a popular name, but itis in my family.
Yeah.
So,
Corey Berrier (00:30):
Jim, what, so you look, let's just dive into it.
You have got you got a prettyunique spin.
Well, if you wanna telleverybody who you are and a
little bit about yourself,
Jim Klauck (00:40):
go ahead and do that, and then I'll ask you
question.
Yeah.
So, so, I will tell you that Igot married 25 years ago to a
wonderful woman.
Her name is Robin.
I've got two beautiful children,Jimmy, who's 22, and Ashley,
who's 20.
So I am a a husband and afather, and I'm also very deep
into helping home serviceprofessionals get their image
out there and their name not somuch by building logos and so
(01:02):
forth.
I started a company back in2005.
Called Check a pro, and at thetime it was like a local Andrews
list and I've expanded itthrough my experience in radio
and podcasting.
So I started in Houston, Texasin oh five, but now you can find
clients of mine coast to coast.
And what I specialize in isexactly what you and I are doing
(01:25):
today using video and podcast tobring that.
Contractor, the owner of thecompany to the forefront.
So you know, Corey, when youwant to buy something from
someone, you generally wanna buyfrom someone you know, like and
trust, right?
That's right.
Yeah.
And that's what we do when weproduce these videos that we put
(01:45):
into podcast form, which are onSpotify and Apple and Amazon and
Google.
These are short three to fiveminute videos where we profile
not just the owner, but we talkabout frequently asked
questions.
I'm gonna pull a book out herecalled, They ask you Answer,
(02:06):
which is a bestselling book bymy friend Marcus Sheridan.
And Marcus Sheridan back in ohnine, had a home service
company, a pool company, whichhe still has interest in.
But if you remember Cory,'causeyou were young back then in oh
nine.
In oh nine, there was a bankingcrisis.
His company, river Pools almostwent bankrupt.
So he scrambled and he startedto experiment with blogging and
(02:29):
videos and asking frequentlyasked questions in the form of
video on his website.
So that's the, they ask afrequently asked question, what
a homeowner may ask, and thenyou answer it.
They ask you answer.
We use his system to do the samething.
So for instance, Let's say thatI'm talking with a plumber on
(02:51):
this podcast, and a frequentlyasked question could be, what's
the difference between a tankand a tankless water heater?
These are frequently askedquestions, so not only are you
getting it in text form becausewe do transcribe it and there's
closed captioning on the video.
Also, you're hearing it directlyfrom the owner of the company,
(03:12):
and chances are you're going tobuy from that individual that
you see.
So after you see that, youscroll to the next video, and
maybe the next video is, what'sPex piping?
I don't even know what that is.
But you watch the guy again andyou're like boom.
Marcus Sheridan found the longerpeople spent on your website
watching videos that you'veproduced.
(03:34):
The more likely they are toengage.
And then something more excitingthan that, maybe or the next
thing is this next book I've gotbooks.
Books are amazing.
Everybody, I suggest you read'em.
And by the way, I wanna givesome books out here on the
program, if you don't mind.
Perfect.
And so this book, I wrote theFord of this book written by a
buddy of mine, Tom Decker, atticinsulation guy.
When can you do it?
(03:56):
In one year, we tripled hisbusiness from over 800,000 to$3
million using this process.
And the when can you do a thingis like this.
Think about this, everybody,homeowners are people who
collect information.
Wouldn't you want them tocollect more information before
you actually drove 45 minutes anhour to the sales appointment?
(04:18):
Because when they do that andyou go out there and they
already know who you are, whatthe products are.
All the specifics of a job,maybe even what it could cost.
All you want the homeowner toask is when can you do it?
You don't wanna spend anotherhour and a half to find out they
can't afford it or it's not theright product or service for
(04:39):
them.
Fascinating.
Corey Berrier (04:42):
That's so one thing that I think too, you
mentioned, you know when peoplecan hear that homeowner or the
contractor talking, but they'realso seeing in video, right?
So, and Google picks up thetranscript, so, You're really
hitting, you know, as akinesthetic person, you're
hitting all the senses righthere.
See, well, maybe not smell,hopefully, but I yet we're
(05:06):
working on it end.
So it really, it indexes onGoogle.
It indexes.
So whenever you put that out,and obviously YouTube is owned
by Google.
So assuming that the YouTube,would you put it on
Jim Klauck (05:18):
YouTube?
Yeah.
So here's really cool, okay andI'll give an example.
One of our clients is a oneGarage doors Tommy Me's company.
You may know who Tommy is.
And so we built a website, it'sa podcast site specifically for
this.
It looks a lot like his website,so it's an A one garage door
podcast site.
When you go to it, you'll seeall the podcasts listed there.
(05:40):
Now, once they're there, we canthen put them on your social
media so they can go onto yourFacebook page, onto your YouTube
page.
We put them on Apple Podcastsand tune in and iHeartRadio and
Spotify.
You go down the list probably onabout 25 apps, and then here's
what's really cool.
I think you'll really like this,Corey.
We put back links on each one ofthose placements, so you'll get
(06:04):
a back link.
From Amazon, from Apple towherever you want, which should
be your main homepage.
Not the podcast site we builtfor you, but your main site.
Corey Berrier (06:16):
Interesting.
I have to figure I gotta ask howyou do that, or maybe you could
tell me, maybe it's a longerconversation, but
Jim Klauck (06:25):
it's a longer conversation.
But certainly if you wanna learnmore, you can contact me and
Corey.
I'm sure we'll get informationthere.
You go in, in the notes.
But Corey Let's get up back onanother Zoom call you and I and
I'll explain it.
But I'll, you know, I canexplain to anybody.
And actually that's a goodquestion.
I should probably create a videoand post it so everyone can
learn.
But I don't wanna give away allthe secrets, but you know, it's
like anything else.
(06:46):
I can show you how to do it, butyou probably won't do it.
It's kind of like a plumber,right?
A plumber can do a video all daylong about rebuilding a toilet
tank, but most people won't doit.
Some will try fail, hire theplumber.
Some won't even try.
They'll just hire the plumber.
That's
Corey Berrier (06:59):
right.
No I totally agree with you.
So, there was something else yousaid that really struck my
brain.
Okay.
Oh, you said you mentioned howmuch more likely is it for the
homeowner to do business withyou?
If you can answer all ourquestions before you get to the
house.
Right.
So, I'll take that a stepfurther.
What if there was a way for themto interact with that homeowner
(07:25):
through a bot?
And when most people hear bot,they think,
Jim Klauck (07:29):
that's weird.
Yeah, because it's,
Corey Berrier (07:31):
there's a lot of bad ones out there.
A lot.
Most of them.
But what if you could also bookthe homeowner from that video to
the bot?
Right.
They see the video first'causethat's gonna be the most
attractive.
And then there's a bot downbelow that speaks like Tommy
Meow, for example, since webrought his name up and it books
straight on
Jim Klauck (07:50):
his calendar.
That's what I'm that's cool.
And that's what's great aboutcollaborating with other tech
companies or individuals such asyourself because things are
changing so quickly now.
You and I have talked about AIand a lot of people using chat,
G P T and so forth, and, but alot of people don't know how to
apply it, right?
So we can all play with it.
(08:10):
It's like an advanced Google.
You can go in there and starttyping stuff and you can have,
you know, or you could write.
A script or you could write apaper for your class, which you
have to be careful.
It might get in trouble.
Depends if it depends on yourprofessor in the school.
So it, you know, it's amazing.
But you know, people like you,Corey, and other professionals
out there are really working onhow to apply AI and sometimes
(08:32):
plug it into something that Ido.
Yeah, a hundred
Corey Berrier (08:35):
percent.
It almost, you can plug it intojust about anything.
So, I don't wanna make thisconversation about AI because
it's about what you're here for.
So let me ask you, what made youthink about the video idea?
What kind sparked that in yourbrain?
I'm
Jim Klauck (08:50):
just curious.
I have to be very honest.
I will tell you what sparks upmy brain.
So I'm gonna back up a littlebit and then I'm gonna tell you
what happened.
So, I started doing radiodecades ago to promote my own
business, and then I startedpromoting home service
professionals on my radio show,and then it went from broadcast
(09:12):
radio, which I still do somebroadcast radio for some
clients.
You may have heard of CodyJohnson from Garage Door Doctor.
They're actually part of a onenow, and so in any case I, you
know, profile them.
Also did the same thing with TomDecker's company, an attic
insulation company, and it'skind of a.
(09:33):
Infomercial, but it sounds likea radio program.
And we make sure that we giveaway something for free.
We make sure that there's onlyso many of them left.
So there's, you know, it'sscarce.
People want to act now and theyhave the fear of missing out.
So I went from the broadcast,which is audio on predominantly
AM and FM radio to podcast andaudio.
And I'm doing the one for TommyMeow.
(09:55):
And so I'm on a call with Tommyone day and he's like, you know,
this is really great.
Love what you're doing for uswith the podcast, but I want to
do video.
And I said, well, that's notwhat I do, Jim.
You're not listening.
I want video.
And I said, yes, sir, Mr.
Tommy Meow.
So Tommy is the one thatactually pushed me into going
(10:17):
into video.
So hopefully I look good becauseI'm a radio guy.
I'm not meant to be on tv, buthere I am.
So that's the story.
And that was a couple years ago.
Corey Berrier (10:27):
That's fantastic.
You know what you it feels likewhat you do, it almost is a
referral, right?
That we all know that referralis the best way to get business.
And if you're interviewing thebusiness owner and asking the
business owner questions that hewants to answer that his, that
are most pertinent to hisbusiness, it's almost like a
(10:49):
referral, right?
Jim Klauck (10:51):
Yes.
Yeah.
So what I like to tell, Homeservice professionals who are
interested in doing somethinglike this is, look, you can do
your own videos.
As a matter of fact, they askyou, answer, we'll tell you how
to do everything on your own.
In other words, take youriPhone, you know, do selfies,
take videos, have someone inyour office do it, and you can
(11:14):
go around saying how great youare.
Right?
So, you know, I picture this.
You know, a, b, c roofing here.
We've been in roofing since youknow, Jesus was born and we, you
know, won the B Pinnacle Award 6million times, and we have
8,000,000,005 star reviews onGoogle.
We're great.
Now, the problem with that,Corey, is the homeowner doesn't
(11:35):
care about you.
Everyone cares about themselvesfirst.
There's, and I'm not even gonnaargue that one is true.
So instead of saying how greatyou are, why don't you have a
third party?
Someone like me, it could beanybody that's not related to
you, that brings out the best inyou and then puts you on a
pedestal and says, this is afantastic home service provider
(11:56):
company.
They're the best plumber orroofer in, in, you know, this
part of Arizona or Texas orFlorida, whatever.
And.
It.
It's a third party endorsement.
So back in oh five when Istarted Checkup Pro, I told you
it's like a local Angie's list,or they call Angie now and we
pre-qualify all the contractorson the website.
We check insurance licenses andreferences.
(12:19):
So they're already standingapart from the rest of them.
And the podcast, these are threeto five minute podcasts I do.
Just with that home serviceprovider, like a one garage door
service, for instance.
Okay.
So we're doing one just forthem.
And so when I went from radio tothe podcast world, I had an
(12:41):
idea, I'll make it.
An excerpt from the radio show.
So when I do an interview with,let's say it's Personal Plumbing
with Bob Mueller, okay, I dosomething like this.
Check a pro Joe here from theCheck A Pro Radio show, and here
with my good friend Bob Muellerfrom Personal Plumbing.
How are you, Bob?
(13:01):
And he says, great.
It sounds as though they're onthe radio program in a video
format in an excerpt of the longshow.
Corey Berrier (13:10):
Makes total sense to me.
And I'll tell you the otherthing is, and I know you said
anybody can do this but canthey, I mean, I say that
because, you know, by you askingthe right questions, knowing how
to get it to flow the right way,that's not an easy job.
That takes a lot of practice.
(13:30):
That takes a lot of work to getto the point, to be able to do
Jim Klauck (13:33):
that.
I'm gonna let the cat outta thebag.
I've been doing this for almost40 years, so when I was 18, I
started radio at the local radiostation on campus at the
University of Hartford called Wss a m I was a freshman, I was
18 years old, so, it was almost40 years ago when I started
(13:56):
radio.
So it's like anything else.
It's kind of easy for me.
It is difficult for some peopleto be able to do exactly what I
do, so I really have kind ofthese unique skill sets that
I've put together and a littlebit of an aside because I love
talking to people, especiallyyoung people.
So if there's any young peoplewatching this, take some advice
(14:20):
from an older guy.
Learn to do something that youenjoy and do it really well.
So when you're old like me, Youcan be ahead of the pack.
'cause most people aren't goingto be that disciplined to be the
best in their field.
Corey Berrier (14:36):
So I totally agree with you.
Alright, so how do you getpeople, and I know you, I would
think you would agree with this,there's something about being on
video that people just jam up.
Like, they just lock up.
That's like they're in adifferent world or different
country or I don't know whathappens.
How do you get people to feelcomfortable in
Jim Klauck (14:58):
front of the camera?
Well, I have to thank Covid.
Because many people started todo video calls on Zoom or other
types of programs like that,right?
Because they were stuck in theirhomes.
They couldn't fly to go see onefor a meeting or even drive to
go see, you know, a client or aprospect.
So people started doing Zoomcalls.
So I think people got more, I.
Comfortable with that.
(15:19):
And I'd like to think, Cory,that I make people feel very
comfortable.
So I tell people it's likedancing.
A lot of people don't know howto ballroom dance, but if you
take a great dancer, and I'mgonna go back a long time, there
was a guy by the name of FredAstaire.
Fred Astaire was one of the bestdancers of all time.
Anyone will look good with FredAstaire because he knows how to
(15:40):
lead.
A really good dancer can lead.
My job is to lead.
So I tell people who aren'tcomfortable with this, I say,
look, you know your business,right?
They're like, yeah, I'm aplumber.
I know my business.
So you can answer thesequestions about water heaters.
Yeah, I can answer them.
I said, don't worry aboutanything else.
I will lead.
And if they start to fumble alittle bit and they, you know,
(16:01):
fall down, I bring'em right backup because that's my job.
I'm the guy who's leading it,keeping it moving forward.
And generally all my clientslook like superstars.
They do.
Great.
Makes sense.
Corey Berrier (16:13):
Makes sense.
Now you're also an author,right?
Jim Klauck (16:17):
I have written a book or two.
The first book I wrote wascalled Meet Check a Pro Joe, and
that book.
Was written for the homeowner,but it was written by clients of
mine.
So it's written by plumbers androofers and HVAC guys.
And it was really kind of a neatmarketing piece where they all
wrote a chapter about theirexpertise and then their contact
(16:40):
information was at the end oftheir chapter.
But what's cool is theelectrician gives it to the
homeowner client saying, look,I'm published.
If you need more informationabout me, it's in here.
Kind of like a directory with astory about me.
Tips, but also the plumber'sinformation's in there, so is
the roofer.
So if they all give it out, youcan see how the web works,
right?
In one community.
(17:01):
And we did that in Houston,Texas, very successful book
because it gave them credibilityand it was a cool marketing
piece.
Most recently, I've written avery small book.
It's a mini book.
And I will tell you, there's noexcuse not to read this.
Corey is smiling, but Corey willalso agree that if I sent you
these two books, which one areyou gonna read first?
(17:23):
Probably the little one.
'cause we like to get rid of thelittle stuff first, right?
This can be read in like 23minutes.
It's 50 pages.
It's called the Radio PitchmanPodcast Playbook, and it is down
to the point.
If you want to know anythingabout the type of work I do for
my clients and how to do it andwhat not to do.
It's in this book, and there'salso an audio version on Audible
(17:47):
if you wanna listen to it.
It's absolutely free on Audible.
And also, if anyone wants a copyof this book, I will send it to
them.
Just let me know.
Corey Berrier (17:56):
Perfect.
I think if you're willing togive out a book, people should
maybe go to your podcast alsoand check it out, which is,
well, you've got several, butyour main
Jim Klauck (18:07):
podcast is, I've got several the radio pitchman.com.
And the reason why I call myselfthe radio pitchman is I've made
so much money pitching things onthe radio.
So a pitchman is like BillyMaze.
Remember Billy May, he used tosell Oxy, right?
Well, Oxyclean be careful.
He did Oxy apparently, right?
(18:30):
Yeah, sorry about ironic, isn'tit?
But in any case, he would sellthe cleaning products.
Billie Mays here, right?
And so I did the same thing witha little less flash on radio.
So, I'm known as the radiopitchman and I've now moved that
into the podcast world.
So that's why it's called theRadio Pitch Men's podcast
playbook, the radiopitchman.com.
(18:51):
When you go there, you will seea little bit about me, but also
you'll see some of our clientsthat are profiled there.
Corey Berrier (18:59):
So what kind of, you know, I know you took the
one company from I, I don'tknow, eight, 800 to 3 million
million.
So what kind of growth do yousee with the video or did you
see much of a difference betweenmoving from just voice to video?
Tell us a little bit about that.
Jim Klauck (19:18):
Well, as you know, because you're a backend guy,
guru, you know that Google likesthat a lot.
So video is key.
If you don't have a video, itcertainly can't be indexed as a
video.
It won't show up, right?
So that's important.
A picture's worth a thousandwords or possibly more than
that.
I.
What I tell my clients is, look,we can do all kinds of cool
(19:40):
stuff on the backend whereGoogle will digest this, and
when someone types in your namefor it, you know your company
name, you're gonna show up inall kinds of places.
Hopefully when they type in, Ihave a burst pipe, you'll show
up as well.
But this is the most importantthing.
I tell people to use it offlineand they're like, what does that
mean?
(20:01):
You've got this library.
Videos you should have at thebottom of every email in your
signature.
Click here to see our podcastsor to watch our videos also.
This is a great one.
Think about this.
You're an HVAC company andyou're doing bids all day long
and you're at this home and thehomeowner's looking at four HVAC
(20:26):
companies, you're one of them.
And everyone agrees that theyneed a five ton downstairs and a
three ton upstairs.
That's been determined.
It's been sized.
Everyone knows that.
But the price, the service, howlong the company's been in
business, the sales staff, thetechnicians, that's all
different.
But what if you said to thehomeowner, Hey, I know you're.
(20:48):
Wanna make a decision soon.
You know, you're not sure whoyou wanna hire yet.
I know that we're actually$3,800more, but look at all this great
stuff.
We've been in business a longtime and, you know, we're gonna
give you a free service plan forthe, you know, first five years,
so on and so forth.
But let me share something elsewith you.
We do a podcast, and six monthsago we talked about an install
(21:12):
just like this one, a three tonand a five ton.
Can I share that with you?
Boom.
You send that off from yourphone to their phone now they
see you again.
I'm interviewing you.
It looks great.
It sounds great.
The other guys don't have that.
Can that make a difference?
I think so.
And it does for sure.
So, so that's a little lesstangible.
(21:34):
A lot of people wanna say, letme see the numbers.
Okay, that's fine.
Numbers are one thing, but howare you using this offline?
Be creative.
You've produced this thing.
Let's use it out in the field.
Corey Berrier (21:47):
Yeah, a hundred percent.
And what are the chances they'regonna watch another video and
another video?
Probably pretty good.
'cause that may not answer everyone of their questions and it
shows that technologicallyyou're ahead of everybody else,
which not super hard to do inthese
Jim Klauck (22:04):
industries.
No, but I'll tell you somethingabout.
The home service industry, andmost people in home services
will agree.
They're a little bit behind thanother industries.
They're not considered techie.
I have seen though, in the pastdecade, a lot of changes, but
you go back 10 years andcertainly 20 years, and people
(22:27):
were just turning wrenches.
They didn't know anything.
They didn't even wanna knowabout websites because I'll tell
you back in oh five when Istarted Checkup Pro, A lot of my
home service customers, myclients didn't even have a
website and they said, how can Isign up with you?
I don't have a website.
I said, good news.
Our website ranks real high.
We can be your website for nowand I can refer you to someone
(22:47):
who can build you one.
This was back in oh five andbelieve it or not, in oh five, a
lot of small businesses werejust getting a website.
Yeah.
I totally
Corey Berrier (22:55):
believe that.
You know, you know, websitesunbelievably, I.
But at the same time, it's noteverything, right?
Meaning like it probably was in2005, but I hear lots of times
guys will say, you know, I gottaget my website up first.
Da.
You do need to get a website up.
'cause it's kinda like abillboard.
(23:15):
It's kind of like where peopleare just gonna stop and check
you out.
But,
Jim Klauck (23:19):
well, it's your storefront, especially if you're
a home service professional,people aren't gonna come to your
shop.
They're gonna That's right.
And they, and that's their firstimpression.
Yeah, a hundred
Corey Berrier (23:28):
percent.
And it's gotta, and they gottabe able to find you, you know?
So the website's gotta be right,but still you've gotta do stuff
like what you're talking aboutto set yourself
Jim Klauck (23:37):
apart.
Yeah.
And actually, you know, it'sinteresting too, when you have a
website, what is the first thingthat people see?
It could be an image, it couldbe a video you put up.
It could be a coupon.
Obviously your phone numbershould be up there.
And by the way, your phonenumber should be there on the
top right hand corner.
F y i.
It should be big.
Don't hide a phone number.
(23:58):
For goodness sakes.
People still will call.
There should be a place to chat.
There should be a place to bookan appointment.
But I also tell my clients this,with these videos, we have an
embedded podcast player.
We send you the code.
It goes right on your homepageif you want.
So one of the first things theysee, Is you talking to them with
me?
(24:18):
Right.
So it's use the technology todayand reach out to people like
Corey or me or other people whoknow tech in your field.
I only work with home service.
Those are my clients.
So when you check out, you know,if you go online and you type in
my name, you're gonna see a lotof different home service
(24:42):
companies that work with me or Iwork with in producing these
videos on these unique podcastsites for them.
And you know, people like Coreyand I understand the ins and
outs of that industry.
We don't deal in aviation, we'renot dealing with attorneys and
that type of stuff for the most.
Corey might do some of that.
(25:02):
I don't.
I predominantly spend my timewith home service.
I've been in it for 20 years.
On this side of it, I've neverturned a wrench professionally,
but I own a small ranch and I'veremodeled kitchens and bathrooms
and I do all my own work untilit gets to be a little much.
And I bring in, you know,professionals.
But I understand how it works.
(25:23):
I understand being on thehomeowner side'cause I'm that
typical homeowner.
That my clients are trying toreach middle-aged plus.
Be careful now.
Okay.
Someone who owns a home thatneeds stuff done.
So I understand the homeownerside and all my clients are home
service professionals.
I.
Corey Berrier (25:42):
It's interesting 'cause the both of us have never
turned a wrench professionally,as you mentioned.
You know, for me, that, that wasa problem when I first started
working with contract.
It's only been a few years, butI always had this feeling like
almost like I didn't fit in.
Almost like, well, do I reallybelong here?
(26:05):
But the truth of the matter iswhat we bring to the industry.
Is very much so needed becausemost of the people, obviously,
that we work with don't have theskills that we offer or maybe
not as good as the skills as weoffer, and they vice versa.
They have skills that we don'toffer.
(26:25):
Right.
So, yeah.
Yeah, it just took me a minuteto kind of
Jim Klauck (26:28):
wrap my head around that.
Yeah.
But Corey, it's really not thatmuch different than a homeowner
calling a plumber.
Saying I needed to fixsomething, you're kind of in the
plumber's position on that techside.
So, I mean, most homeowners andcontractors have nothing in
common per se.
They could, but chances theydon't, especially if that,
(26:53):
Homeowners are white collarprofessionals that're now
further away from ever turning awrench.
I've kind of always been on thewhite collar professional side
in terms of what I do for aliving, but I've always had
tools in my hand since I was akid.
My dad introduced me to toolswhen I was just a little kid,
and I work on thingsmechanically, but I actually
(27:13):
less than the mechanic side.
I really like to build andrepair things and so, I can get
away with doing a lot of thingsmyself, but what's interesting
is I find it odd because I'm soused to understanding home
improvement myself.
I find it odd when I talk to theaverage homeowner.
They don't even know where theirwater heater is in their house,
(27:37):
right?
They don't know how to turn itoff.
They dunno how to change thetemperature.
They don't know how to restartthe light.
They don't know anything.
I find that extremely strangebecause I know the mechanics of
my house.
Now I don't know everything, sosometimes I have to hire a
technician to come in.
But guess what I'm doing?
I'm following the technicianaround saying, why are you doing
(27:57):
that?
What's that switch for?
Right?
What are put a meter on thatfor?
And so I've learned a lot aswell.
Corey Berrier (28:04):
So I'm curious whose job that, you know, when
we bought our house, like I wasthat person, I had no earthly
idea.
I had, I can't remember, Ishould really probably know
this, but it was the the valve,it was, it's not a shutoff
valve, but it's the sensor thatif something goes sideways with
the hot water here, if it startsleaking, I can't remember what
it's called, but it essentially,
Jim Klauck (28:24):
it'll automatically shut it down.
Yes.
And so I
Corey Berrier (28:27):
didn't know where my main water was.
I had absolutely no idea.
So is it the realtor's job totell us that?
How are we supposed to knowthat?
Jim Klauck (28:35):
The home inspector.
So when you buy a home, followthat home inspector around.
The home inspector works foryou, the homeowner.
And sometimes the home inspectorwill ruin a deal because they
don't really care if the dealgoes through, they get paid
either way.
Their job is to make sure you,the homeowner, the one paying
them.
Is doing a job to determinewhether or not you should go
through with this sale.
(28:56):
So I always follow the homeinspector around and they will
find everything and they'll say,Hey, by the way, you know, a
good one will say, Hey, by theway, this is where I.
The main shutoff is here's theelectrical panel for this part
of the house, but actually Ifound another one over here.
This one appears to be for thepool equipment, and they'll
(29:19):
explain things to you, and it'sreally important to have a good
home inspector.
Actually, on that point, do notskimp on the home inspector.
First of all, always get a homeinspection when you're buying a
property.
And number two, Don't gonecessarily with the best price,
go with the best individual.
(29:39):
Some people don't wanna spendover$500 or$600.
When I bought my ranch, there'sbarns and so forth.
That was 10 years ago.
I spent around$1,600, which atthe time was considered a lot of
money.
But this guy wasn't just a homeinspector, he was also an
engineer.
(30:00):
So he knew a lot and he camehighly recommended, and I got my
money's worth because I followedhim around.
He spent a day on the propertywith me and we found some stuff
we wouldn't have found becauseit's an extensive property.
Corey Berrier (30:14):
How much do you think that saved you find in
that stuff beforehand by havinga good
Jim Klauck (30:18):
inspector?
Who knows?
Because there's been some timesI've had to turn the, you know,
the water off or wondered whythe pool pump.
Tripped and where are thosebreakers?
So would've had to hire someoneto come in, like an electrician
to do that.
So for me, it's really hard tosay over the decade that I've
owned the property, thousandsand thousands.
(30:40):
But I have peace of mind too,because this isn't the guy who
was just checking off boxes.
It's really not hisresponsibility.
You know, two years later, ifthe house falls down, what am I
gonna do?
Right.
It's done.
You really need to have someonethat you can trust.
And you know what's interestingis one of my.
Podcast clients that we dovideos for is a home inspector
(31:00):
in Southern California, and hehas cool stories because he, he
does a lot of high-endproperties, millions of dollars.
And so he's got some really coolstories, but he likes to do
these videos as well so he cantell people upfront the
importance of it, what happensif we find this, that type of
(31:21):
stuff.
So it's yeah, it's important toget a home inspection and to
have the right inspector.
Yeah, it's really
Corey Berrier (31:26):
not that much more money, right?
Even if it's you're talking 500to 1600, that's not a massive
amount of money for what youcould save.
What you're probably gonna savein time, effort whatever.
It's gonna cost you to havesomebody else come out.
Jim Klauck (31:42):
Well, sure people are buying half a million, or
even today, over$1 millionproperties in a flash.
Everything's gone up so much.
I mean, years ago when someoneowned a million dollar home,
they were rich.
A lot of people own milliondollar homes now.
So if you're spending half amillion to a million dollars,
why aren't you spending$1,500 tomake sure that it's a good buy?
(32:04):
You gotta be crazy.
But people just want it to gothrough and and the realtors
especially, they don't want anyproblems.
They want it to go through.
One of the biggest problemsrealtors have is the home
inspector.
'cause a home inspector can killa deal.
Absolutely kill a deal becausehe'll say, you know what?
I found mold done over, thehomeowner's probably not gonna
buy it.
(32:25):
Or, you know what?
The structure's not that good.
It's gonna cost like, you know,$80,000 to shore this thing up.
And the homeowner, I mean, andthe buyer says, I'm backing out.
'cause that's why they had thatinspection period.
That is a way for them to getout of the deal.
And it happens.
And realtors hate that becausethey want.
The deal will go throughobviously, so they can get paid,
right?
That's right,
Corey Berrier (32:46):
a hundred percent.
Do you, would you normallyrecommend you know, getting that
inspector from the realtor?
No.
Because that seems like thatcould be a slight conflict
Jim Klauck (32:54):
of interest.
It is a conflict of interest.
So generally what I do when Ihire a home inspector, I
independently go out there andhire someone and I'll often
spend extra money for them todrive an hour to an hour and a
half in, so they don't haverelationships in my community.
So they don't, so there is noconflict.
(33:15):
So if they're driving an hourand a half in, I'll pay for the
extra drive time for the factthat I don't feel they have any
interest in that marketplace.
Does that make sense?
Corey Berrier (33:25):
That makes total sense, Uhhuh.
Yep.
Yeah, that makes total sense.
Fascinating.
Okay.
So surely you've got some prettyfunny stories about some of the
people that you've worked with.
You don't have to say the names,but what I'm just curious.
(33:45):
Like, there has to be somebodymaybe that sticks out in your
mind that was just quirky orinteresting to work with or
maybe even hard to work with.
Can you tell us a quick storyabout that?
Jim Klauck (33:58):
I'll first start by saying I no longer work with
people that are not easy to workwith.
So I've gotten to the point inmy career where I only work with
home service professionals thatI can see eye to eye with and
they can be quirky'causeeveryone's a little odd.
I'm strange, I'm sure.
Everyone's a little odd.
Gosh, to answer that question, Imean, everyone's a character and
(34:22):
one thing that I'm blessed with,Is the time I've been on Earth.
The longer you've been around,the more you see and the more
you realize that everyone's notthe same and everyone needs to
be managed differently.
So I do a pretty good job ofunderstanding who the character
is that I'm interviewing andputting forth to the homeowner
(34:43):
through the videos.
And if they are like really,like strange and have, you know,
a strange tick or they seem odd,I try to smooth that out the
best I can during the interviewprocess.
So they don't seem too strangeto the viewer.
And sometimes I'll, you know,sometimes I'll say I don't think
(35:03):
you're the best person torepresent.
To the community.
Do you have a partner or someoneelse in your organization that
would really be good at this?
And often they'll come to me andsay, you know, I'm a little
strange.
I'm like, okay, I don't wanna bethe one on the video.
I like to have someone who worksfor me do it.
If you believe that's the bestthing, then fine.
But in the home service world,there are some interesting
(35:27):
characters.
No question
Corey Berrier (35:30):
about it.
No question about it.
So, alright.
So I.
I asked you about your book, Ithink at the end of the day or
at the end of the show, I shouldsay.
I think'cause we are gettingclose, you were wanting to, you
were wanting to give a few booksaway.
Yes.
And I would ask that people goin addition to whatever your ask
(35:53):
is, that people would go andcheck out, like I said before
your podcast and then maybe onestep further, maybe throw a
review out there.
'cause I think you're gonna givesome pretty cool
stuff.
Jim Klauck (36:03):
I'm gonna give some cool stuff to everybody.
So Corey, if you do me a favorin the notes of your podcast, do
make sure that you put my emailin there so people can email me.
And so like I do as the radiopitchman on the radio, I'll say,
this is a limited time offer andthe first five people to contact
me, we'll get the following.
I'm gonna give you my book,okay?
(36:24):
I am gonna sign it for you.
I'm gonna give you Tom Decker'sbook called, When can you do it?
Awesome book.
I did write the forward to thebook.
Tom has signed this book and myfriend Tommy Melo.
Has given me some signed copiesof his latest book called
Elevate.
So the first five people whocontact me via email, my email
(36:46):
address, f y i isjim@theradiopitchman.com.
jim@theradiopitchman.com signbook by Tommy Meow.
Sign book by Tom Decker and Iwill sign my book.
Read this first'cause it's thequickest one to read and if you
have any questions let me know.
I often, Corey will help people.
Over the phone or a Zoom callbecause they'll say, Hey look,
(37:09):
I'm doing my own podcast.
I've been doing it for threemonths.
I'm kind of, you know,floundering a bit.
Can you gimme some tips?
And I will.
What I do isn't for everybody,it's kind of like home
improvement.
Some people insist on buildingtheir own, you know, let's say
their own porch.
Okay.
Or their own shed in thebackyard instead of hiring a
contractor to build it for them,that's fine.
(37:30):
But other people are like, Idon't wanna build my own shed.
Right?
So I'm the kind of, you know,I'm for the guy or gal who wants
it done professionally with oursystem.
But if you're already doingsomething and you insist on
doing your own podcast, which isfine, I can give you some tips
on what to do and what not todo, including some really
inexpensive.
(37:51):
Camera options, microphoneoptions, lighting options,
because it's important that yousound good.
Corey's using a really goodmicrophone.
That's important.
It's important to have a camera.
So some people say, Hey, do youhave a camera, man?
I'm like, what are you talkingabout?
They're like, well, the camerafollows you around.
I'm like, yeah, it's$150 camera.
(38:11):
So I can tell you about thattoo.
So reach out to me.
Corey Berrier (38:14):
Yeah, a hundred percent.
I love the camera that you used.
I think we used the exact samecamera.
I.
It's a game changer.
Jim Klauck (38:20):
It is, yeah.
A
Corey Berrier (38:22):
hundred percent.
Well Jim, thanks so much forcoming on.
I really appreciate you, myfriend, and
Jim Klauck (38:27):
have a great day.
Thank you, Corey.
I appreciate it.
Yes, sir.
I.
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