December 3, 2025 • 31 mins
What if your pipeline never had to run dry? We break down a practical, human approach to growth that outlasts algorithms and ad fatigue: show up in your community, give first without keeping score, and make people feel understood at every step. From trunk-or-treats that spark thousands of touchpoints to a 45-minute conversation that turned a routine check drop into a lifelong promoter, we map how authentic connection compounds into predictable referrals.
We get specific about what creates trust in low-trust industries like roofing, construction, and home services. Clarity over pressure. Transparent estimates and timelines. Fast, respectful communication when problems pop up. We also talk leadership—how to give your team belief, purpose, and tools so they can deliver consistently in the field. You’ll hear five simple habits that separate you from the pack: show up professionally, be on time, honor your word, make people feel important, and follow up like it matters. Because it does.
There’s one networking line you’ll want to steal: “How will I know if someone I’m talking to is a good referral for you?” Ask it, mean it, and act on it. That single shift turns you into a connector and makes you unforgettable. Add a lightweight follow-up system, gratitude that feels personal, and community presence that’s more service than sales, and you’ll watch referrals move from random to reliable. Share this with a teammate who needs a simple plan to win more trust and more work. If it resonates, follow the show, leave a review, and tag us on social so we can keep bringing energy, clarity, and leadership to the industry.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ty Cobb Backer (00:00):
Welcome back everybody to Behind the Tool
Belt episode 310 310.
I am your host, Ty Cobb Backer,and welcome to this Wednesday
edition.
We will be back after our shortintro from our sponsors.
(00:48):
Welcome back, everybody, toanother episode of Behind the
Tool Belt, the show where webuild people, businesses, and
building a legacy.
I am your host, Ty Backer.
(01:08):
And I am also a fellow traveleron this journey we call growth,
leadership, and doing businessthe right way.
And today, today, today is abig one.
It's uh episode 310.
We're two weeks away from sixyears bedazzlement with my gouda
(01:33):
cheese and crackers, a littlebit of wine with that.
Anyhow, we're gonna dive into,I think, one of the most
powerful business secrets thathas helped us grow over the
years.
Um, and so if you're in the theroofing space, um shit, home
improvement, landscaping,rental, solar, any business that
(01:56):
relies on people, you know, andor businesses.
Um, whether you do, you know,um door-to-door, B2B, what
whatever, whatever, whatever, itall it all pretty much is
people dependent.
So this episode, we're we'regonna, I'm gonna try to give you
the roadmap to uh buildingbuilding a network.
(02:19):
We've we've talked aboutnetwork, but I want to wanna dig
in a little deeper on networkreferrals, all that stuff,
because we're kind of we've kindof been on that kick for the
last past couple weeks.
We've we've done some thingswhere um we did uh trunk
retreats.
Okay, and I'm gonna use that asan example.
So the first one that weattended, Dotties, man, that
(02:41):
thing was off the freakingchain.
There was, man, I don't evenknow, three, four, maybe
potentially more thousand peoplewith that.
We had a we had uh pickup truckthere, we threw some hay bales,
we had the old smoke machineout there, and and it was free.
It's free to enter.
And then the um second one, weum actually ended up winning
(03:07):
like first place for best trunk,the bed of the truck.
And the amount of touch pointsthat we that we generated.
I mean, I just and in our localcommunity, thousands,
thousands, and with in thematter of 10 business days.
(03:29):
And from that second one, wegot a pretty good referral uh
for community building thatactually, I believe, hosted the
trunk retreat.
Um, we had the referral come inat Ben and our carpenters go
out, they want these bigporches, these reverse gables
built over the doorways, and anduh it's it's it's a good one
(03:51):
that somebody, you know, withinthe community uh that that has a
facility in our community thatprovides a lot of services for
for our town here in in Doverand in New York areas.
It has the it's a communitycenter, it's the library, the
fire departments out front.
(04:12):
So it it's to me is a it's apretty big deal.
And we not that we don't handleall of our referrals with you
know with delicacy, butparticularly this one um is is
pretty big deal.
And so for the amount of timeand effort that went into it, it
was well worth it.
And you know, a lot of peoplemay have thought, you know, man,
(04:33):
they they they they go over andbeyond the hours and the time
that goes into something likethat, especially at the home
shows, it's worth it.
It it's worth our time.
That is the most valuablething, most precious, most
valuable that you can't even youcan't even put a value on it
the amount of work.
(04:54):
And that's you know, when we'vetalked about before outworking
everybody.
That that's exactly that'sexactly what I'm talking about,
right?
Like we're we're not saying howhard we're working.
We we went out there and weperformed, we hosted, or not
hosted, but participated in thetrunk retreats, the home and
garden show that's coming up.
(05:15):
So sit back, relax, and take itin.
Take some notes.
If you got any questions,please put them in, put them in
the comment section.
And I'll be more than happy.
If I don't answer them here,I'll I'll get on and and I'll
answer them for you guys.
But uh, if you're in any ofthese spaces that that rely on
(05:38):
people, this episode is going tobe you know the roadmap to
building a network so strongthat your pipeline should and
couldn't or shouldn't shouldn'trun, shouldn't run dry.
And um, you know, and and theimportance of you know building
a brand, a reputation, and anetwork.
(06:00):
So, so for all things equal,okay, people do business and
refer business, okay, to peoplethey know, like, and trust.
And we talk about that, butthere's there's a p there's a
key key component there.
Like, yeah, people do businesswith people that they know,
like, and trust, but let's talkabout the referral aspect of
(06:21):
that, right?
I'm not going to refer somebodythat I don't know like or
trust, especially trust.
I may know them, I know ofthem.
I'm not aware of what type ofquality of work that they do.
And I may even say that if I dorefer somebody, like, yeah, I
see these guys all over theplace, you know.
But that's step one, right?
(06:43):
Is that omnipresence, thattouch point, right?
Because if they see you longenough, their natural instinct,
I believe, is that they're goingto trust you.
Right?
They see you everywhere.
Like, how are they sosuccessful?
How are they everywhere ifthey're doing something wrong?
They obviously have to be doingsomething right.
I feel like I'm yelling intothe microphone here.
(07:04):
Might be just my headphones aredown a little bit.
You don't have to turn them up,Vic.
I'm fine.
As long as you can hear me, I'mgood.
Okay, good.
Sorry.
It's dry in here.
You know, and again, I'm notperfect at any of these things.
I've stumbled across them, I'veread, done some research, and
(07:25):
I'm still learning.
Like I mentioned, I'm on this,I'm on this uh this journey, the
trail to uh personal andprofessional development and
continuously learning thingsalong the way.
And that's really what I wantto make the podcast about is
sharing my experiences with withyou guys and bringing on some
kick-ass guests and and thingslike that and how we've done it.
(07:48):
I think that you know, ourmission is to become a household
name.
And I think we're we're reallythe momentum is definitely in
that direction of us, you know,creating that that omnipresence.
And I like to share how we didthings and give our give our
team some props and shout-outsand and you know, things like
that.
But um, the key part there is,you know, people want to do
(08:11):
business with those that theyknow, like, and trust, but also
refer.
And a great example of thatwould be Zach Fisher, who's on
here, who refers us because heknows us, he loves us, right?
And he trusts us, thankfully.
You know, so I can't say enoughabout the know, like, and
trust.
And how do you do that?
How do you get somebody toknow, like, and trust you?
(08:31):
Um, you know, and this thishere, I think, is the part that
that most people missed is umnone of this happens by
accident, right?
We live in a world where peopleare starving for real
connection, okay, realauthenticity, not fake
networking, right?
And and here, here, you know,like here's my business card,
(08:52):
you know.
Um uh call me if if you if youif you ever need a roof.
You you know what I mean?
That that's not that's notauthentic, right?
People want authenticity, youknow, like who gives a shit
about what you do?
And every opportunity is is anopportunity to network.
(09:14):
And and I think we talked aboutthis a couple weeks ago on the
show.
You could be in the line atMcDonald's, okay, and that's
that's gonna be your reputation,okay?
If you're that person that'simpatient, okay, and a lot of
times I'll forget that I havesomething on my chest, I'll
forget a lot of times that I'mdriving in a vehicle that's
(09:36):
branded, and I'll catch myselfspeeding, I'll catch myself um
being very impatient at a light,you know, blowing the horn,
thing, things of that nature.
So every opportunity is a brandawareness opportunity.
Doesn't matter if that idiotstanding in the back of the
line, raising hell and showinghis butt to, you know, and and
(10:01):
that's the thing that I thatI've had to learn over the years
is that everyone's watching,right?
Everyone's watching, everyone'sgot their phone out, everyone's
ready to hit the record button,and hopefully it's something
good.
And that's the problem with theworld today is that everybody
wants that drama and everybodywants that that bad stuff that
they want to post on socialmedia because unfortunately they
feel less then, right?
(10:22):
And they need that dopamineshot, so they're gonna post some
bullshit on social media ofsomebody doing something wrong.
And it's like, and as far asI'm concerned, you're throwing
stones at a glass house.
You know what I mean?
I man, I just I wouldn't havethe balls to throw somebody
under the bus and and sociallyassassinate them, you know, on
(10:42):
social media.
Um, so anyhow, enough aboutthat.
Um, so nobody wants that fakestuff, right?
They want that genuine,authentic, um, you know, care,
value.
What how are you going to maketheir lives better?
Um, you know, and if you canmaster relationships, your
(11:04):
business will becomeunstoppable.
If you can master relationshipsin sales, if you can master
relationships at home, if youcan master relationships, all of
these things will grow.
All of this applies.
Everything I'm gonna talk abouttoday, if I can stay on track,
will apply to your professional,your personal, your children's,
(11:26):
your wives, your coworkers, um,relationships.
It will bring value, right?
If you walk into a room, thefirst thought that should go
through your head is I'm gonnapick somebody out of the crowd
and I'm going to bring value totheir life.
Now, I do know it's a hardparadigm to shift.
I get it.
(11:46):
We are born selfish andself-centered.
I mean, look at an infant.
They cry, they cry, and theycry and they cry and they cry
and cry until they get whateverit is that they want.
They don't know any better.
We don't know any better untilour brain starts to fully
develop into the human beingthat we are today.
It's somewhere along the line.
Hopefully, that switch happenswhere you stop becoming so
(12:07):
selfish and self-centered, whereit becomes all about me, me,
me, me, me.
I'm gonna cry until I get whatI want.
I'm gonna stop my feet in lineat McDonald's until they call my
number, yada, yada, yada.
And the world has become that.
So if you can masterrelationships, okay, things will
go a lot easier.
Um, because no algorithm, noplatform changes, no competition
(12:33):
can take away real human keyword here, loyalty.
Okay.
I can't count on both hands andfeet the amount of clients,
customers, homeowners, buildersthat we started out when we
(12:55):
started out in business, that westill do business with those
same customers, clients,partners that have actually
become partners today because ofloyalty.
Why?
It's because how we made themfeel.
They know us, they like us,they trust us.
(13:16):
Now, I'm not saying that we'vebeen perfect, things happened,
but it's how we dealt with thosesituations that mattered.
And I'm I'm gonna give you uhI'm gonna share a story, okay,
because some of this, you know,and I swear, I swear, if every
salesperson, every entrepreneur,every technician could learn
(13:38):
this, we would double inbusiness.
We would double in size.
We would, we would absolutelydouble in size.
And and uh it was a couple fewcouple months ago, whatever, a
gentleman walked in the frontdoor here, and I had no idea who
he was.
And I was there, it happened toto be a a uh homeowner that was
(14:02):
dropping off final check.
And so I thought I'd go outthere and I'd talk to him for a
little bit.
And now, granted, most of youmight think that the sale was
over.
Okay, sales never over, by theway.
And we are all salespeople inone way, shape, or form.
Think about that.
(14:22):
So, why is it every time thistime of day I get spam calls out
the butt?
So this nice gentleman walksin, he was a big dude, big older
fella, and and um he came inand I was like, Hey, I'm Ty.
And he's like, Oh man, it'sgreat to meet you, and you know,
and and uh through socialpresence and and things like
(14:45):
that, he he um that's how hefound us, and I asked I asked
him a couple questions, like,you know, how did you hear about
us?
And he's like, Oh man, I'veseen your podcast and I see your
trucks everywhere and yourbillboards and and stuff, and
your team did an amazing job.
So I asked him a couplequestions, and one of the
questions that I asked him was,is um, and he started telling me
(15:09):
he he um owns a business, he'sretired today, and and um um so
I I was asking him somequestions, and and one of the
big ones that I asked him was, Iwas like, you know, how did you
start your business?
And I love it when people askme that question because I love
telling my story.
(15:29):
Okay.
And now, mind you, this turnedinto what he thought would
probably be a five minute, youknow, I'm gonna drop a check
off, get my final invoice andstuff like that.
But it turned into a genuine,authentic conversation.
And I really truly wanted toknow, you know, how did the
business get started?
And uh he actually worked forthe company and had the
(15:51):
opportunity to buy out the thethe existing owners.
Uh it was a pretty cool story,you know, and and uh he loved,
you could just see him light up.
And and um I asked him, I said,I said to him, I was like, what
what did you enjoy most aboutit when when um you know you
were still working day to day?
And he said, you know, I Ienjoyed getting out in the
(16:13):
field.
They they built machinery andand it was manufacturing stuff
like that.
He's like, you know, I spent somany years, you know, on the
floor and I spent so many yearsup in the office.
He's like, you know, when Ifinally got myself into a
position where, you know, notthat he could do whatever he
wanted, but where he got gothimself in a pretty comfortable
position where um he he couldkind of pick and choose what he
(16:33):
did throughout the course of theday.
He said that um he'd like toget out in the field with the
the teams that were installingthese things and and show them
how to how to do this stuff, um,because that's where he got his
true joy.
And he said to me, and it'ssomething that I kind of live by
too, he's like, you know, whatI was taught was was was was
(16:55):
meant to be taught.
So what he had learned over theyears was meant to be taught.
So he wanted to pass on histrade to those people, his
co-workers and co-leaders of allthe things, the tricks of the
trade, you know, especially outin the field, and how to deal
with customers and theexperience that the customer
should be experiencing from theteam and how impressed he was
(17:15):
with his team.
Um, but that's where he hefound his true joy.
So um after it was all said anddone, and like I said, 45
minutes had had passed, and andhe said to me, he said to me,
he's like, anybody that I know,I am going to refer to you guys.
He was like, I the experiencefrom when um you know the first
(17:37):
touch point when when he hecalled us, it was pleasant.
The gentleman that came out tovisit him and did the inspection
on his property, and the teamthat went out and did the work,
and he said, now he's like this.
He said it was just so nice tocome in here.
He's like, I didn't know whatto expect when I came in there.
He's like, I see this bigbright building outside, and and
um, you know, it was just niceto meet the owner that the
(17:58):
owner's here every day working,and and just like I did, like we
we could relate on that level.
You know, I met him where hewas, and he met me where I was,
and it was just a real, realauthentic, genuine question um
conversation that that we had.
And and um, you know, I guess,I guess if anything, if if if
(18:20):
one of the biggest messages thatI can leave, I can leave with
you guys is is if if if we wantmore, we have to give more.
And and that's where it's at.
People people think, right,referrals um are about asking.
Yes, that yeah, of course.
I I we train our team to askfor referrals.
(18:42):
It is, it is, but 90% ofreferrals happen because of how
we make people feel was thepoint of the story.
It's how we made him feelthroughout the entire journey.
I don't know how well the jobwent.
I I really truly don't.
But if it didn't, if we left anail in the driveway and he
ended up getting a flat tire, Idon't know because he didn't
(19:04):
bring it up to me.
But I can tell you this it wasit was how I made him feel.
That was his lastingimpression.
I can guarantee it, and I canguarantee anybody ever needs a
roof, he's gonna refer us, handsdown.
So the more the more youposition yourself as a giver,
(19:28):
the more people naturally wantto help you in return.
Not because they owe you,because helping helping you just
feels right.
You know what I mean?
It just felt right to him,like, yeah, I'm gonna and and he
was he was another businessowner, the homeowner that owned
um, you know, a business at onepoint in time.
(19:48):
So anyhow, in the roofingspace, particularly in the
roofing space, we we have to umgive homeowners clarity.
Okay.
We we have to sometimes educatethem.
We we have to give themtransparency, peace of mind, and
good communication.
And I think that's where a lotof us, and I know I failed in
(20:11):
any of these things.
I fail on on a day-to-daybasis.
However, um, I do try to workon it and I review my night.
I review my day every night tosee where I could do better.
And and um I wish that I couldsay I had more wins throughout
the course of the day um on anygiven day.
But um, you know, we're workingon it, right?
(20:31):
We're we're all traveling onthis journey together.
And in leadership, okay, wehave we have to make sure that
we're giving you know our teamthe belief, the purpose, and the
tools to win.
And I honestly believe in thatin that circumstance with that
gentleman that came in to visitus to drop off his final
payment.
I believe the team had thebelief.
(20:52):
I believe the team knew thepurpose.
I believe the team had thetools to win, right?
The the message has beenarticulated well enough.
That gentleman felt the warmfuzzies before he left here.
And it was about it's aboutgive, give, give, and the
referrals flow naturally.
Okay, we have to give if morethan we receive.
(21:15):
And um, so I want you I wantyou to imagine something.
Okay, imagine you're not asalesperson.
Imagine yourself being aconnector, imagine yourself
being a guide, imagine yourselfbeing the helper, okay.
And here's what this lookslike, okay.
If you walk into um a room, anyroom, like I said, McDonald's,
(21:41):
networking, uh, office, okay,you should be thinking, who can
I help?
You walk into a homeowner'shome, you should be thinking to
yourself, when you got thatappointment and that appointment
set, the first thing it shouldgo through your mind is is okay,
I'm gonna figure out what theirpain point is, okay, and what
can I do to fix it?
(22:02):
Okay, you meet someone new andyou think, how can I bring value
to them?
Okay, the moment the moment youshift from what I can get to
what I can give, your business,your relationship, your life
(22:26):
transforms.
Okay, and I would like to thinkon most days that I tried to
lead by example of giving,right?
This, if anybody who's everworked here or works here or has
hung around long enough knowsthat we are about giving, giving
more than we receive in paymentin payment.
(22:48):
Um, and that is one way thatwe've been able to build, you
know, trust.
People know us and they likeus.
If not, hopefully they love us,like Zach Fisher does.
Blood sweat and tears, crit.
We'll always be my people.
That's right.
You too, buddy.
Love you.
Sorry, it's dry in here, boy.
(23:13):
So if you're about building areputation, okay, your personal
brand, not through hype, eventhough I like hype, okay, but
through continuous or consistentvalue, okay, you must become
(23:34):
the person who follows upprofessionally, okay, shows up
on time, um honors their word,makes people feel important,
okay, and stays on top of oftheir mind, okay, without being
(23:54):
annoying.
Okay, that means following up.
Okay.
Now, on any given day, I'llfail miserably at all five of
these things.
On any given day, I'll berocking on all eight cylinders.
Some days I only hit half ofthem, right?
But now that these are on theforefront of my mind, showing up
professionally, showing up ontime, honoring my word, making
(24:19):
people feel important.
Okay.
And following up.
Essentially, that's one of theingredients of being and staying
successful for the long term.
You know, and for contractors,salespeople, leaders, this is
gold.
I mean, this is gold.
(24:40):
We hear it all the time, andhopefully, I'm breaking it down
in layman's terms, the way thatI can understand things, and
hopefully I'm articulating it ina way that you guys can
understand this because most ofour industry is built on low
trust, unfortunately.
You know, the roofing industry,the trades, landscaping.
(25:01):
I I'm seeing some dude rightnow just getting demolished on
social media.
Landscaping company, I think, Idon't know, some kind of
contracting construction.
I have no idea, but this dudeum is getting just assassinated,
man.
And it's it really kind ofsucks to see that, you know.
Um, you know, because there'salways two sides to every story,
(25:23):
right?
And if anybody knows thisperson, you know, I'm sure they
know they know they know what'sup.
So but if you're but if you'rereliable, you're honest, you're
respectful, and you're helpful,you've already separated
yourself from your competition.
And things will change sounbelievably fast when you just
(25:45):
suit up, show up, do what yousay you're gonna do, be mindful,
be helpful, okay, and followup.
You know, and and honestly, inthat one sentence, you know, we
could probably create a freakingbook out of that.
But anyhow, here's my here's myfavorite part.
Here's my favorite part.
(26:06):
Okay.
And um, I use this in my in inour own business, right?
In my coaching and and uh mypersonal relationship is um, you
know, simple, simple uhtransition line um when when
you're networking or or having areal conversation is um you ask
them, like if I if I may ask,you know, how do I know, how do
(26:29):
I know if someone I'm talking towould be a good fit for a
referral for you?
Okay, and when you do that,that one flips the entire game,
that one sentence.
It if if sorry, and I'll repeatthat.
How do I know if someone I'mtalking to would be a good fit
to refer your way?
(26:50):
Okay, not many people ask thatquestion to other people.
What do you do for a living?
Oh, I sell pretzels down on thestreet corner.
Oh, okay.
So you what what are your operhours of operation?
Okay, I'm here from 11 to 3o'clock.
Okay, great.
I love your pretzels, I lovethe mustard, the homemade
(27:11):
mustard, I love the sea saltthat you're using on these
things.
Okay, I'm gonna refer.
So anybody that I know thatlikes salt, anybody that I know
that likes mustard, anybody thatI that I know that likes
pretzels, I'm going to refer toyou because these are the best
pretzels and become one of theirbiggest cheerleaders.
Okay.
So if now that anybody that Irun into, I know Janna likes
(27:34):
pretzels, I know Rocket likespretzels pretzels.
So that's my point.
So the next time you're withsomebody, ask them who would be
the ideal reference, referral,referral for them.
Because nobody ever asked that.
Okay.
Then that one line there makesyou unforgettable.
Makes you unforgettable.
Whether they need your serviceor not.
(27:55):
Then we're like, man, that dudeTy Backer, man, that owns that
roofing company over there.
You know, he's already referredme five other clients that came
down here and bought dozens ofpretzels for me down in the
corner on Sunday afternoon whenI was blah, blah, blah.
Whatever.
Whatever.
Anyhow, it shows that you care.
It shows that you care abouttheir success, not just your
(28:17):
own.
Practice it.
It's something you canpractice, skill.
Okay.
Use it.
I promise.
It will change your life.
It'll change your business.
You know, and so here's thebottom line it's not, it's not
just about networking, it'sabout how to become a better
human being.
Really, at the end of the day,that's all it is.
(28:37):
Love this topic, by the way.
So when you focus on connectionand adding value, making people
feel understood, okay, being agiver, okay, referrals stop
(29:00):
being random.
Okay.
They become predictable, theybecome consistent, and hopefully
they become endless.
As long as you continuouslysuit up and show up.
You know, and in our industry,roofing, construction, home
services, that's everything.
Everything that I had mentionedfor the past 10 minutes, man.
(29:22):
That that if you want tosucceed in our business, when
the phone rings, answer it.
Run the appointment, get them aquote, do the job, do it to the
best of your ability, give themas much value, have them feel
like they've received more valuethan what they've paid you.
And it's really not hard.
A lot of it has to do withwhat's happening here.
(29:45):
You know what I mean?
It it has nothing to do withwhat's on that estimate sheet.
Most of it is how you handledthem, how you treated them, and
how you made them feel beforeyou left there.
If they go with you and trustyou, know you and like you.
Okay, so what did you do?
How did you make them feel?
Did you find the pain?
Did you find a solution?
Did you give them a solution totheir problem?
(30:08):
You gave value to them.
So, anywho, what time is it?
How are we doing here?
About 31 minutes into it.
Anyhow, um, I think I'm gonnawrap this one up.
I hope, I hope today's episodeum brought you value, as much
value as it has to me um on thisjourney that I'm on and the
(30:28):
books that I'm reading and andum all the good stuff.
So I hope, I hope, I hope itgave you, you know, the tools,
um, so some tools that you couldadd into uh your toolbox, and I
hope that it inspired you tobuild a deeper, deeper
relationships that that last alifetime.
So thank you.
Thank you for listening to uhepisode 310 behind the tool
(30:50):
belt.
If this episode helped you,share it with your team, your
friends, and or someone who'sout there trying to grow, which
I know a lot of you guys areguys and gals are out there.
So make sure you follow theshow, leave us a review, connect
with us on social.
Okay.
You know we're on social allthe time.
So we can keep bringing energy,clarity, and leadership to the
(31:11):
industry.
I'm Ty Backer, signing off.
Until next time, stay inspired,stay intentional, and keep
building the life you were madefor.
Welcome back everybody to Behind the Tool
Belt episode 310 310.
I am your host, Ty Cobb Backer,and welcome to this Wednesday
edition.
We will be back after our shortintro from our sponsors.
(00:48):
Welcome back, everybody, toanother episode of Behind the
Tool Belt, the show where webuild people, businesses, and
building a legacy.
I am your host, Ty Backer.
(01:08):
And I am also a fellow traveleron this journey we call growth,
leadership, and doing businessthe right way.
And today, today, today is abig one.
It's uh episode 310.
We're two weeks away from sixyears bedazzlement with my gouda
(01:33):
cheese and crackers, a littlebit of wine with that.
Anyhow, we're gonna dive into,I think, one of the most
powerful business secrets thathas helped us grow over the
years.
Um, and so if you're in the theroofing space, um shit, home
improvement, landscaping,rental, solar, any business that
(01:56):
relies on people, you know, andor businesses.
Um, whether you do, you know,um door-to-door, B2B, what
whatever, whatever, whatever, itall it all pretty much is
people dependent.
So this episode, we're we'regonna, I'm gonna try to give you
the roadmap to uh buildingbuilding a network.
(02:19):
We've we've talked aboutnetwork, but I want to wanna dig
in a little deeper on networkreferrals, all that stuff,
because we're kind of we've kindof been on that kick for the
last past couple weeks.
We've we've done some thingswhere um we did uh trunk
retreats.
Okay, and I'm gonna use that asan example.
So the first one that weattended, Dotties, man, that
(02:41):
thing was off the freakingchain.
There was, man, I don't evenknow, three, four, maybe
potentially more thousand peoplewith that.
We had a we had uh pickup truckthere, we threw some hay bales,
we had the old smoke machineout there, and and it was free.
It's free to enter.
And then the um second one, weum actually ended up winning
(03:07):
like first place for best trunk,the bed of the truck.
And the amount of touch pointsthat we that we generated.
I mean, I just and in our localcommunity, thousands,
thousands, and with in thematter of 10 business days.
(03:29):
And from that second one, wegot a pretty good referral uh
for community building thatactually, I believe, hosted the
trunk retreat.
Um, we had the referral come inat Ben and our carpenters go
out, they want these bigporches, these reverse gables
built over the doorways, and anduh it's it's it's a good one
(03:51):
that somebody, you know, withinthe community uh that that has a
facility in our community thatprovides a lot of services for
for our town here in in Doverand in New York areas.
It has the it's a communitycenter, it's the library, the
fire departments out front.
(04:12):
So it it's to me is a it's apretty big deal.
And we not that we don't handleall of our referrals with you
know with delicacy, butparticularly this one um is is
pretty big deal.
And so for the amount of timeand effort that went into it, it
was well worth it.
And you know, a lot of peoplemay have thought, you know, man,
(04:33):
they they they they go over andbeyond the hours and the time
that goes into something likethat, especially at the home
shows, it's worth it.
It it's worth our time.
That is the most valuablething, most precious, most
valuable that you can't even youcan't even put a value on it
the amount of work.
(04:54):
And that's you know, when we'vetalked about before outworking
everybody.
That that's exactly that'sexactly what I'm talking about,
right?
Like we're we're not saying howhard we're working.
We we went out there and weperformed, we hosted, or not
hosted, but participated in thetrunk retreats, the home and
garden show that's coming up.
(05:15):
So sit back, relax, and take itin.
Take some notes.
If you got any questions,please put them in, put them in
the comment section.
And I'll be more than happy.
If I don't answer them here,I'll I'll get on and and I'll
answer them for you guys.
But uh, if you're in any ofthese spaces that that rely on
(05:38):
people, this episode is going tobe you know the roadmap to
building a network so strongthat your pipeline should and
couldn't or shouldn't shouldn'trun, shouldn't run dry.
And um, you know, and and theimportance of you know building
a brand, a reputation, and anetwork.
(06:00):
So, so for all things equal,okay, people do business and
refer business, okay, to peoplethey know, like, and trust.
And we talk about that, butthere's there's a p there's a
key key component there.
Like, yeah, people do businesswith people that they know,
like, and trust, but let's talkabout the referral aspect of
(06:21):
that, right?
I'm not going to refer somebodythat I don't know like or
trust, especially trust.
I may know them, I know ofthem.
I'm not aware of what type ofquality of work that they do.
And I may even say that if I dorefer somebody, like, yeah, I
see these guys all over theplace, you know.
But that's step one, right?
(06:43):
Is that omnipresence, thattouch point, right?
Because if they see you longenough, their natural instinct,
I believe, is that they're goingto trust you.
Right?
They see you everywhere.
Like, how are they sosuccessful?
How are they everywhere ifthey're doing something wrong?
They obviously have to be doingsomething right.
I feel like I'm yelling intothe microphone here.
(07:04):
Might be just my headphones aredown a little bit.
You don't have to turn them up,Vic.
I'm fine.
As long as you can hear me, I'mgood.
Okay, good.
Sorry.
It's dry in here.
You know, and again, I'm notperfect at any of these things.
I've stumbled across them, I'veread, done some research, and
(07:25):
I'm still learning.
Like I mentioned, I'm on this,I'm on this uh this journey, the
trail to uh personal andprofessional development and
continuously learning thingsalong the way.
And that's really what I wantto make the podcast about is
sharing my experiences with withyou guys and bringing on some
kick-ass guests and and thingslike that and how we've done it.
(07:48):
I think that you know, ourmission is to become a household
name.
And I think we're we're reallythe momentum is definitely in
that direction of us, you know,creating that that omnipresence.
And I like to share how we didthings and give our give our
team some props and shout-outsand and you know, things like
that.
But um, the key part there is,you know, people want to do
(08:11):
business with those that theyknow, like, and trust, but also
refer.
And a great example of thatwould be Zach Fisher, who's on
here, who refers us because heknows us, he loves us, right?
And he trusts us, thankfully.
You know, so I can't say enoughabout the know, like, and
trust.
And how do you do that?
How do you get somebody toknow, like, and trust you?
(08:31):
Um, you know, and this thishere, I think, is the part that
that most people missed is umnone of this happens by
accident, right?
We live in a world where peopleare starving for real
connection, okay, realauthenticity, not fake
networking, right?
And and here, here, you know,like here's my business card,
(08:52):
you know.
Um uh call me if if you if youif you ever need a roof.
You you know what I mean?
That that's not that's notauthentic, right?
People want authenticity, youknow, like who gives a shit
about what you do?
And every opportunity is is anopportunity to network.
(09:14):
And and I think we talked aboutthis a couple weeks ago on the
show.
You could be in the line atMcDonald's, okay, and that's
that's gonna be your reputation,okay?
If you're that person that'simpatient, okay, and a lot of
times I'll forget that I havesomething on my chest, I'll
forget a lot of times that I'mdriving in a vehicle that's
(09:36):
branded, and I'll catch myselfspeeding, I'll catch myself um
being very impatient at a light,you know, blowing the horn,
thing, things of that nature.
So every opportunity is a brandawareness opportunity.
Doesn't matter if that idiotstanding in the back of the
line, raising hell and showinghis butt to, you know, and and
(10:01):
that's the thing that I thatI've had to learn over the years
is that everyone's watching,right?
Everyone's watching, everyone'sgot their phone out, everyone's
ready to hit the record button,and hopefully it's something
good.
And that's the problem with theworld today is that everybody
wants that drama and everybodywants that that bad stuff that
they want to post on socialmedia because unfortunately they
feel less then, right?
(10:22):
And they need that dopamineshot, so they're gonna post some
bullshit on social media ofsomebody doing something wrong.
And it's like, and as far asI'm concerned, you're throwing
stones at a glass house.
You know what I mean?
I man, I just I wouldn't havethe balls to throw somebody
under the bus and and sociallyassassinate them, you know, on
(10:42):
social media.
Um, so anyhow, enough aboutthat.
Um, so nobody wants that fakestuff, right?
They want that genuine,authentic, um, you know, care,
value.
What how are you going to maketheir lives better?
Um, you know, and if you canmaster relationships, your
(11:04):
business will becomeunstoppable.
If you can master relationshipsin sales, if you can master
relationships at home, if youcan master relationships, all of
these things will grow.
All of this applies.
Everything I'm gonna talk abouttoday, if I can stay on track,
will apply to your professional,your personal, your children's,
(11:26):
your wives, your coworkers, um,relationships.
It will bring value, right?
If you walk into a room, thefirst thought that should go
through your head is I'm gonnapick somebody out of the crowd
and I'm going to bring value totheir life.
Now, I do know it's a hardparadigm to shift.
I get it.
(11:46):
We are born selfish andself-centered.
I mean, look at an infant.
They cry, they cry, and theycry and they cry and they cry
and cry until they get whateverit is that they want.
They don't know any better.
We don't know any better untilour brain starts to fully
develop into the human beingthat we are today.
It's somewhere along the line.
Hopefully, that switch happenswhere you stop becoming so
(12:07):
selfish and self-centered, whereit becomes all about me, me,
me, me, me.
I'm gonna cry until I get whatI want.
I'm gonna stop my feet in lineat McDonald's until they call my
number, yada, yada, yada.
And the world has become that.
So if you can masterrelationships, okay, things will
go a lot easier.
Um, because no algorithm, noplatform changes, no competition
(12:33):
can take away real human keyword here, loyalty.
Okay.
I can't count on both hands andfeet the amount of clients,
customers, homeowners, buildersthat we started out when we
(12:55):
started out in business, that westill do business with those
same customers, clients,partners that have actually
become partners today because ofloyalty.
Why?
It's because how we made themfeel.
They know us, they like us,they trust us.
(13:16):
Now, I'm not saying that we'vebeen perfect, things happened,
but it's how we dealt with thosesituations that mattered.
And I'm I'm gonna give you uhI'm gonna share a story, okay,
because some of this, you know,and I swear, I swear, if every
salesperson, every entrepreneur,every technician could learn
(13:38):
this, we would double inbusiness.
We would double in size.
We would, we would absolutelydouble in size.
And and uh it was a couple fewcouple months ago, whatever, a
gentleman walked in the frontdoor here, and I had no idea who
he was.
And I was there, it happened toto be a a uh homeowner that was
(14:02):
dropping off final check.
And so I thought I'd go outthere and I'd talk to him for a
little bit.
And now, granted, most of youmight think that the sale was
over.
Okay, sales never over, by theway.
And we are all salespeople inone way, shape, or form.
Think about that.
(14:22):
So, why is it every time thistime of day I get spam calls out
the butt?
So this nice gentleman walksin, he was a big dude, big older
fella, and and um he came inand I was like, Hey, I'm Ty.
And he's like, Oh man, it'sgreat to meet you, and you know,
and and uh through socialpresence and and things like
(14:45):
that, he he um that's how hefound us, and I asked I asked
him a couple questions, like,you know, how did you hear about
us?
And he's like, Oh man, I'veseen your podcast and I see your
trucks everywhere and yourbillboards and and stuff, and
your team did an amazing job.
So I asked him a couplequestions, and one of the
questions that I asked him was,is um, and he started telling me
(15:09):
he he um owns a business, he'sretired today, and and um um so
I I was asking him somequestions, and and one of the
big ones that I asked him was, Iwas like, you know, how did you
start your business?
And I love it when people askme that question because I love
telling my story.
(15:29):
Okay.
And now, mind you, this turnedinto what he thought would
probably be a five minute, youknow, I'm gonna drop a check
off, get my final invoice andstuff like that.
But it turned into a genuine,authentic conversation.
And I really truly wanted toknow, you know, how did the
business get started?
And uh he actually worked forthe company and had the
(15:51):
opportunity to buy out the thethe existing owners.
Uh it was a pretty cool story,you know, and and uh he loved,
you could just see him light up.
And and um I asked him, I said,I said to him, I was like, what
what did you enjoy most aboutit when when um you know you
were still working day to day?
And he said, you know, I Ienjoyed getting out in the
(16:13):
field.
They they built machinery andand it was manufacturing stuff
like that.
He's like, you know, I spent somany years, you know, on the
floor and I spent so many yearsup in the office.
He's like, you know, when Ifinally got myself into a
position where, you know, notthat he could do whatever he
wanted, but where he got gothimself in a pretty comfortable
position where um he he couldkind of pick and choose what he
(16:33):
did throughout the course of theday.
He said that um he'd like toget out in the field with the
the teams that were installingthese things and and show them
how to how to do this stuff, um,because that's where he got his
true joy.
And he said to me, and it'ssomething that I kind of live by
too, he's like, you know, whatI was taught was was was was
(16:55):
meant to be taught.
So what he had learned over theyears was meant to be taught.
So he wanted to pass on histrade to those people, his
co-workers and co-leaders of allthe things, the tricks of the
trade, you know, especially outin the field, and how to deal
with customers and theexperience that the customer
should be experiencing from theteam and how impressed he was
(17:15):
with his team.
Um, but that's where he hefound his true joy.
So um after it was all said anddone, and like I said, 45
minutes had had passed, and andhe said to me, he said to me,
he's like, anybody that I know,I am going to refer to you guys.
He was like, I the experiencefrom when um you know the first
(17:37):
touch point when when he hecalled us, it was pleasant.
The gentleman that came out tovisit him and did the inspection
on his property, and the teamthat went out and did the work,
and he said, now he's like this.
He said it was just so nice tocome in here.
He's like, I didn't know whatto expect when I came in there.
He's like, I see this bigbright building outside, and and
um, you know, it was just niceto meet the owner that the
(17:58):
owner's here every day working,and and just like I did, like we
we could relate on that level.
You know, I met him where hewas, and he met me where I was,
and it was just a real, realauthentic, genuine question um
conversation that that we had.
And and um, you know, I guess,I guess if anything, if if if
(18:20):
one of the biggest messages thatI can leave, I can leave with
you guys is is if if if we wantmore, we have to give more.
And and that's where it's at.
People people think, right,referrals um are about asking.
Yes, that yeah, of course.
I I we train our team to askfor referrals.
(18:42):
It is, it is, but 90% ofreferrals happen because of how
we make people feel was thepoint of the story.
It's how we made him feelthroughout the entire journey.
I don't know how well the jobwent.
I I really truly don't.
But if it didn't, if we left anail in the driveway and he
ended up getting a flat tire, Idon't know because he didn't
(19:04):
bring it up to me.
But I can tell you this it wasit was how I made him feel.
That was his lastingimpression.
I can guarantee it, and I canguarantee anybody ever needs a
roof, he's gonna refer us, handsdown.
So the more the more youposition yourself as a giver,
(19:28):
the more people naturally wantto help you in return.
Not because they owe you,because helping helping you just
feels right.
You know what I mean?
It just felt right to him,like, yeah, I'm gonna and and he
was he was another businessowner, the homeowner that owned
um, you know, a business at onepoint in time.
(19:48):
So anyhow, in the roofingspace, particularly in the
roofing space, we we have to umgive homeowners clarity.
Okay.
We we have to sometimes educatethem.
We we have to give themtransparency, peace of mind, and
good communication.
And I think that's where a lotof us, and I know I failed in
(20:11):
any of these things.
I fail on on a day-to-daybasis.
However, um, I do try to workon it and I review my night.
I review my day every night tosee where I could do better.
And and um I wish that I couldsay I had more wins throughout
the course of the day um on anygiven day.
But um, you know, we're workingon it, right?
(20:31):
We're we're all traveling onthis journey together.
And in leadership, okay, wehave we have to make sure that
we're giving you know our teamthe belief, the purpose, and the
tools to win.
And I honestly believe in thatin that circumstance with that
gentleman that came in to visitus to drop off his final
payment.
I believe the team had thebelief.
(20:52):
I believe the team knew thepurpose.
I believe the team had thetools to win, right?
The the message has beenarticulated well enough.
That gentleman felt the warmfuzzies before he left here.
And it was about it's aboutgive, give, give, and the
referrals flow naturally.
Okay, we have to give if morethan we receive.
(21:15):
And um, so I want you I wantyou to imagine something.
Okay, imagine you're not asalesperson.
Imagine yourself being aconnector, imagine yourself
being a guide, imagine yourselfbeing the helper, okay.
And here's what this lookslike, okay.
If you walk into um a room, anyroom, like I said, McDonald's,
(21:41):
networking, uh, office, okay,you should be thinking, who can
I help?
You walk into a homeowner'shome, you should be thinking to
yourself, when you got thatappointment and that appointment
set, the first thing it shouldgo through your mind is is okay,
I'm gonna figure out what theirpain point is, okay, and what
can I do to fix it?
(22:02):
Okay, you meet someone new andyou think, how can I bring value
to them?
Okay, the moment the moment youshift from what I can get to
what I can give, your business,your relationship, your life
(22:26):
transforms.
Okay, and I would like to thinkon most days that I tried to
lead by example of giving,right?
This, if anybody who's everworked here or works here or has
hung around long enough knowsthat we are about giving, giving
more than we receive in paymentin payment.
(22:48):
Um, and that is one way thatwe've been able to build, you
know, trust.
People know us and they likeus.
If not, hopefully they love us,like Zach Fisher does.
Blood sweat and tears, crit.
We'll always be my people.
That's right.
You too, buddy.
Love you.
Sorry, it's dry in here, boy.
(23:13):
So if you're about building areputation, okay, your personal
brand, not through hype, eventhough I like hype, okay, but
through continuous or consistentvalue, okay, you must become
(23:34):
the person who follows upprofessionally, okay, shows up
on time, um honors their word,makes people feel important,
okay, and stays on top of oftheir mind, okay, without being
(23:54):
annoying.
Okay, that means following up.
Okay.
Now, on any given day, I'llfail miserably at all five of
these things.
On any given day, I'll berocking on all eight cylinders.
Some days I only hit half ofthem, right?
But now that these are on theforefront of my mind, showing up
professionally, showing up ontime, honoring my word, making
(24:19):
people feel important.
Okay.
And following up.
Essentially, that's one of theingredients of being and staying
successful for the long term.
You know, and for contractors,salespeople, leaders, this is
gold.
I mean, this is gold.
(24:40):
We hear it all the time, andhopefully, I'm breaking it down
in layman's terms, the way thatI can understand things, and
hopefully I'm articulating it ina way that you guys can
understand this because most ofour industry is built on low
trust, unfortunately.
You know, the roofing industry,the trades, landscaping.
(25:01):
I I'm seeing some dude rightnow just getting demolished on
social media.
Landscaping company, I think, Idon't know, some kind of
contracting construction.
I have no idea, but this dudeum is getting just assassinated,
man.
And it's it really kind ofsucks to see that, you know.
Um, you know, because there'salways two sides to every story,
(25:23):
right?
And if anybody knows thisperson, you know, I'm sure they
know they know they know what'sup.
So but if you're but if you'rereliable, you're honest, you're
respectful, and you're helpful,you've already separated
yourself from your competition.
And things will change sounbelievably fast when you just
(25:45):
suit up, show up, do what yousay you're gonna do, be mindful,
be helpful, okay, and followup.
You know, and and honestly, inthat one sentence, you know, we
could probably create a freakingbook out of that.
But anyhow, here's my here's myfavorite part.
Here's my favorite part.
(26:06):
Okay.
And um, I use this in my in inour own business, right?
In my coaching and and uh mypersonal relationship is um, you
know, simple, simple uhtransition line um when when
you're networking or or having areal conversation is um you ask
them, like if I if I may ask,you know, how do I know, how do
(26:29):
I know if someone I'm talking towould be a good fit for a
referral for you?
Okay, and when you do that,that one flips the entire game,
that one sentence.
It if if sorry, and I'll repeatthat.
How do I know if someone I'mtalking to would be a good fit
to refer your way?
(26:50):
Okay, not many people ask thatquestion to other people.
What do you do for a living?
Oh, I sell pretzels down on thestreet corner.
Oh, okay.
So you what what are your operhours of operation?
Okay, I'm here from 11 to 3o'clock.
Okay, great.
I love your pretzels, I lovethe mustard, the homemade
(27:11):
mustard, I love the sea saltthat you're using on these
things.
Okay, I'm gonna refer.
So anybody that I know thatlikes salt, anybody that I know
that likes mustard, anybody thatI that I know that likes
pretzels, I'm going to refer toyou because these are the best
pretzels and become one of theirbiggest cheerleaders.
Okay.
So if now that anybody that Irun into, I know Janna likes
(27:34):
pretzels, I know Rocket likespretzels pretzels.
So that's my point.
So the next time you're withsomebody, ask them who would be
the ideal reference, referral,referral for them.
Because nobody ever asked that.
Okay.
Then that one line there makesyou unforgettable.
Makes you unforgettable.
Whether they need your serviceor not.
(27:55):
Then we're like, man, that dudeTy Backer, man, that owns that
roofing company over there.
You know, he's already referredme five other clients that came
down here and bought dozens ofpretzels for me down in the
corner on Sunday afternoon whenI was blah, blah, blah.
Whatever.
Whatever.
Anyhow, it shows that you care.
It shows that you care abouttheir success, not just your
(28:17):
own.
Practice it.
It's something you canpractice, skill.
Okay.
Use it.
I promise.
It will change your life.
It'll change your business.
You know, and so here's thebottom line it's not, it's not
just about networking, it'sabout how to become a better
human being.
Really, at the end of the day,that's all it is.
(28:37):
Love this topic, by the way.
So when you focus on connectionand adding value, making people
feel understood, okay, being agiver, okay, referrals stop
(29:00):
being random.
Okay.
They become predictable, theybecome consistent, and hopefully
they become endless.
As long as you continuouslysuit up and show up.
You know, and in our industry,roofing, construction, home
services, that's everything.
Everything that I had mentionedfor the past 10 minutes, man.
(29:22):
That that if you want tosucceed in our business, when
the phone rings, answer it.
Run the appointment, get them aquote, do the job, do it to the
best of your ability, give themas much value, have them feel
like they've received more valuethan what they've paid you.
And it's really not hard.
A lot of it has to do withwhat's happening here.
(29:45):
You know what I mean?
It it has nothing to do withwhat's on that estimate sheet.
Most of it is how you handledthem, how you treated them, and
how you made them feel beforeyou left there.
If they go with you and trustyou, know you and like you.
Okay, so what did you do?
How did you make them feel?
Did you find the pain?
Did you find a solution?
Did you give them a solution totheir problem?
(30:08):
You gave value to them.
So, anywho, what time is it?
How are we doing here?
About 31 minutes into it.
Anyhow, um, I think I'm gonnawrap this one up.
I hope, I hope today's episodeum brought you value, as much
value as it has to me um on thisjourney that I'm on and the
(30:28):
books that I'm reading and andum all the good stuff.
So I hope, I hope, I hope itgave you, you know, the tools,
um, so some tools that you couldadd into uh your toolbox, and I
hope that it inspired you tobuild a deeper, deeper
relationships that that last alifetime.
So thank you.
Thank you for listening to uhepisode 310 behind the tool
(30:50):
belt.
If this episode helped you,share it with your team, your
friends, and or someone who'sout there trying to grow, which
I know a lot of you guys areguys and gals are out there.
So make sure you follow theshow, leave us a review, connect
with us on social.
Okay.
You know we're on social allthe time.
So we can keep bringing energy,clarity, and leadership to the
(31:11):
industry.
I'm Ty Backer, signing off.
Until next time, stay inspired,stay intentional, and keep
building the life you were madefor.
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