June 20, 2025 • 31 mins
Special Guest: Steve Spence, Managing Director of Project Map It
In this episode of Digital Marketing for Contractors, Janet and Caitlyn sit down with Steve Spence, the managing director of Project Map It—a powerful tool that helps contractors showcase completed projects, collect reviews, and ultimately close more deals.
Steve shares the story behind the software, how it’s helping contractors build trust, and why it works for both new and established companies. From interactive maps and review capture tools to seamless CRM and supplier integrations, Project Map It turns your work into a high-performing digital sales asset.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to use interactive maps and pins to visually showcase your portfolio
- How to automate photo uploads from the field
- How Project Map It boosts your close rate by 3–10% (or more)
- How non-Gmail-using customers can leave verified reviews
- Why this tool is ideal for building trust online—even if you don’t have a CRM yet
Bonus: Listeners who mention FatCat Strategies get 15% off for life when signing up for Project Map It.
Want to find out how we can create a custom digital marketing game plan for your contractor business? Schedule a call with us at fatcatstrategies.com.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Don (00:00):
Welcome to digital marketing for contractors, a
podcast for home improvementcontractors to help you crush
your lead goals and take yourbusiness to the next level.
Join us each episode as we giveyou powerful insights and
(00:22):
practical tips on the bestdigital marketing strategies to
help you grow your homeimprovement business.
Let's get started.
Janet (00:30):
Welcome back to Digital Marketing for Contractors.
This is the show that helpshome improvement companies grow
smarter and faster throughbetter marketing.
I am Janet.
And I'm Caitlin.
Today we're diving into a toolthat helps contractors turn
happy customers into their bestmarketing asset and help them
close deals faster.
That's right.
(00:50):
And today we are super thrilledto welcome Steve Spence.
He is the Managing Director ofProject Mappet.
Super cool.
We love Project Mappet.
It's a powerful sales andmarketing tool built
specifically for contractors.
And if you've ever wished for abetter way to showcase your
work, I know as an agency, weare always begging our clients,
please give us pictures, give usproof, share real customer
(01:15):
reviews, and stand out in acompetitive market.
You are going to want to hearthis episode.
Steve, welcome to the podcast.
Steve (01:22):
Thank you for having me.
I love your glasses.
Is this visual or is yourpodcast all audio?
Janet (01:27):
Both.
Steve (01:29):
Is it?
Janet (01:29):
I think most listeners are listening to audio, but
we've been publishing it videoas well.
Steve (01:35):
Well, if anybody wants to watch it visually, you should
see their glasses.
I love them.
Janet (01:40):
Thank you.
We love your sign.
Hers are black and blue light.
Mine actually help me see.
Steve (01:46):
Mine helped me see too.
I have reading glasses for mythree monitors, but when I
leave, I have my progressiveglasses.
Oh, these are
Janet (01:55):
progressive bifocals, baby.
Steve (01:57):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I got you.
I'm right there with you.
Janet (02:01):
So project method, I'm bringing it home.
Yeah.
We want to see clearly theirprojects, their projects.
on website tell us how did itstart like give us the
background what's the back storyon project map it
Steve (02:13):
how much time we got on this podcast um how
Janet (02:16):
much time you want to talk
Steve (02:17):
i was i was a special educator for 20 years as a high
school teacher here in my localarea in maryland um i also am a
big lacrosse guy for those thatknow lacrosse it's not
everywhere in the united statesbut it's a lot of places and i
coached high school lacrosse atthe high school that i taught at
and one of the One of myplayers, he was the owner
(02:42):
previous to Project Mappet.
So he graduated in 2004.
Fast forward 14 years later, Isee him at two ends of the
grocery stores.
I'm sorry, I see him at twogrocery stores on both ends of
our county.
And the second time we saw eachother, he's like, coach, man,
you got to come to my house andlearn about this new software
I'm building.
He is a roofer.
(03:02):
By trade, he owns his ownroofing company.
Still, I think to this day, wehave not been in touch in a
while.
So long story short, I left a20-year teaching career to join
as the first employee of ProjectMappet.
And that was in 2018, February,March, I guess, in 2018.
And we bought into the companyand took ownership in 2020.
(03:23):
That
Janet (03:25):
is such an awesome story.
It's
Steve (03:28):
crazy.
Janet (03:28):
So the founder is...
I mean, at the time was a kid,but was a kid that you coached.
Steve (03:34):
He was a kid that I coached.
Now is a grown man.
Right.
Starting this software forhimself.
Janet (03:40):
And a programmer.
Steve (03:41):
Correct.
Well, he's not a programmer,but he hired two programmers of
which they are still partners ofthe company.
We are five partners that ownProject Mappet.
Janet (03:51):
What a great backstory.
I love it.
I love that.
Steve (03:54):
There's more.
I mean, I won't get into it,but I was making 90 grand as a
teacher and then not knowinganything about the contracting
world.
And then within about 30 days,he said, look, man, it's not
going to work.
And I had already retired.
I'm like, look, man, we got tostay open here.
So my first year, I was theonly...
the only person really workingat project map at learning a new
(04:17):
industry by myself, basically.
And my first year I made like$37,000.
So I'm, I'm a 50 year old man,50 plus almost 51.
And I, uh, honestly, I, uh, 50
Janet (04:30):
is the new 30.
Steve (04:32):
That's right, Janet.
Um, so yeah, I, I, uh,reinvented myself and it's been
fun.
I've been doing it for sevenyears now.
I just had my seven yearLinkedIn anniversary and I gotta
tell you, I love it.
It's just cool to, to grind.
I'm a hard worker, always havebeen.
Us 50-year-olds know what thatmeans.
Not that the younger generationdoesn't, but we work hard.
We don't care.
(04:53):
We do what it takes.
That's my story and I'msticking to it.
Janet (04:56):
That is awesome.
Stick to it.
What a delightful littlesurprise that we get such a fun
backstory of this software thatwe're about to showcase.
I honestly didn't know we weregoing to get something that I
thought that is...
Steve (05:12):
Surprise.
Janet (05:13):
Surprising, kind of heartwarming.
I don't know.
I love it.
Well, and you know,entrepreneur to entrepreneur, we
also really appreciate that.
So
Steve (05:21):
yeah.
Janet (05:23):
What is it?
Yeah.
For those, tell the listenerswho have never, not us, but like
the listeners who have neverdescribed what it is.
Steve (05:31):
So think of an interactive map.
of all of your past installs orrepairs, if you repair and do
other things, anything that youimagine your book of work as a
contractor, on an interactivedigital portfolio.
So it's a map with pins on it.
Those pins represent all thework in your portfolio, your
(05:51):
book of work.
And then when you click on apin, you can showcase pictures
of the work that you've done.
We have direct integrationswith Facebook reviews and
Google.
So all of your Google andFacebook reviews can also be
shown on the pin or on the mapin general.
And then it's all filterable.
I've always had a hard timesaying that word.
(06:13):
It's all filterable by whateverit is you want to help you
sell.
So it can be our biggestcontracting industry is the
roofing industry only because ofour big partnerships with
roofing companies like supplycompanies and manufacturers.
But imagine as a sales rep,You're sitting at the kitchen
table with the homeowner and thehomeowner says, hey, I'm trying
(06:35):
to choose between, you know, amoray black roof and a weathered
wood roof.
You can click on these filterson our map and the map will
change to only show that thatproduct or that product brand or
color.
So in seconds, you have nowpins of only Moray black roofs.
So now if you're a roofingperson, you can say, hey, drive
down the street at this addressand you'll see the roof we put
(06:57):
on.
There are lots of privacythings.
So I want your listeners toknow that like it is 100% legal
to show a full address andpictures and stuff like that
without permission from thehomeowner.
But if you're We have interiordesign companies.
We have bathroom remodelers.
We have pest control companies.
So it's not like you want, youknow, a bathroom remodeler
(07:17):
doesn't want to have a fulladdress on a map where, you
know, I can imagine somebodyknocking on doors.
Hey, I saw your bathroom onthis portfolio on this company's
website.
Can I come in and see yourback?
We have privacy settings.
So you can show only the city,state, and zip code if you want.
You can set the zoom limits toonly zoom into a certain point
(07:37):
on the map.
So there's lots of privacysettings and stuff like that,
but that's what we are.
We're pins, reviews, andphotos.
The three things thathomeowners are always looking
for when they're trying todecide on the company that they
want.
Janet (07:49):
Yeah, those are such huge trust builders.
I mean, and we've done manyepisodes on reviews and photos
and to find a tool that doesboth of those.
Yeah, we do it all.
It's all in
Steve (08:01):
one.
Janet (08:01):
Is it, I've got to like kind of be a nerd for a second,
like it embeds into the client,the website or how does it work?
Yeah.
Steve (08:09):
You know the answer to that.
We have mutual customers.
We are embeddable on everywebsite.
So there is some marketingefforts that our product does
help with, right?
Like, so I heard you say at thebeginning of the show here, you
know, you're always askingcontractors for updated gallery
(08:30):
pictures and stuff like that.
Well, imagine our product beingembedded onto one of your
clients' websites.
You don't have to ask forphotos anymore because if our
map is embedded onto yourwebsite, we are a gallery.
So they could be sitting at theoffice and the administrator
could be posting new photos orwe're a mobile app too.
So they could be takingpictures in the field.
And then that website would beupdated in real time because our
(08:54):
map lives on your website.
Janet (08:56):
So walk us through that.
in the field?
The journey from taking thephoto to the photo ending up in
the project map at software.
For our listeners, if they'reworried about a lot of extra
administrative friction wherethey've got to sit in front of a
computer and compile photos,walk us through, how does the
(09:16):
photo end up in the map?
Steve (09:18):
Yeah, we continue to try to make it as seamless as
possible.
So we have partnerships.
So For example, we have arelationship with ABC Supply.
It's a true integration whereif they order roofing, siding,
windows, doors, skylights, itautomatically will populate to
(09:39):
the map when they order it,right?
So like getting pins on the maptend to be the hardest thing,
but we have relationships withABC Supply, SRS distribution.
We've got a bunch of smallersupply companies out there that
we're integrated with.
So that gets pins on a map, butyou can do it manually as well,
right?
Like you can enter, somebodycould be at the office and enter
(10:00):
it.
We are a mobile app, whichmeans for us, we're a web app,
which means for those that don'tknow the difference between web
app and native app, we're notin the Apple store.
We're not in the Google playstore.
You essentially bookmark theweb part.
So you would open up yourSafari on your iPhone or Google
on your Android phone and go toproject map it and just bookmark
(10:20):
that to your home screen ofyour phone.
But then it works like a trueapp.
So you click on it.
We always say it takes fiveseconds to open up the app,
right?
Face ID nowadays, phones allhave the face ID login.
So you open up the app, fiveseconds.
You can take unlimited photosbefore, during, and after if you
want.
It catalogs it in our system byproject date and time of the
(10:43):
photo upload.
So you can take pictures withinour mobile, if that makes
sense.
So you can be in the field orif they have, like a lot of
companies will take photos withtheir CRM app, right?
Well, at that point, it becomesa little more work where we
just tell our customers, look,once a month, Go for an hour,
(11:05):
download pictures from your CRMand upload it.
We, our company, will offervirtual management for a little
bit more money as well.
So we will work with companiesand load the pins for them by
going into their CRM orwhatever.
We'll spend an hour to a monthloading photos if that helps
them.
And then also on the photoside, we have an integration
with CompanyCam.
(11:25):
So even though we are a photodocumentation app, CompanyCam is
like, they are the creme de lacreme of photo documentation
apps.
So we don't, we don't try tolike upgrade our system to
compete with company cam.
We just want to playsymbiotically with them.
So, you know, seven out of 10contractors, I feel like are
(11:46):
using company cam.
So with company cam, it makesit really easy just to push
projects from company camphotos, project photos from
company cam over to project mapit.
Janet (11:55):
But if, if a listener doesn't have company cam and
they're not already loadingphotos, images into their CRM,
what you're saying is they canbe in the field, click on that
bookmark link.
I'm guessing they'd have tonavigate and pick the project.
I'm at the Smith home.
Then I start snapping picturesand I'm done.
Steve (12:12):
Yeah, you nailed it.
I mean, it's super easy.
It takes five seconds, like Isaid, to log in.
It takes 20 seconds to type inan address.
We use Google to run ourplatform.
So Google recognizes theaddress and you say, yep, this
is the address.
And then it puts the pin on themap pretty quickly.
And then there's a littleimages tab.
You click on that and you canstart taking photos and it
stores it within that projectaddress within our system.
(12:34):
So we aren't a CRM ladies, butlike honestly, and we would
never tout ourselves as a CRM,but for like a brand new
company, we're really good.
Cause a lot of brand newcompanies are companies that
aren't invested in technologyyet.
Like a CRM.
We ask them all the time, like,Hey, do you have a, do you have
a place that you store all yourwork?
Like, is there a spreadsheetyour company keeps?
(12:54):
No, we don't have anything.
We're like, well, then we're agreat option for that because
within our system, you canexport a spreadsheet of all your
customers.
Janet (13:02):
Yeah.
It's a real, it's a real likeease into
Steve (13:06):
technology.
Unknown (13:08):
Yeah.
Janet (13:08):
A tech stack.
Steve (13:09):
It is.
We're like a really good firststep for companies, for sure.
I
Janet (13:13):
love that.
So necessary.
Steve (13:16):
But we have companies of like Chuck in the truck that
does everything.
And then we have companies thatare huge, right?
Like we have every storm guard.
We have the biggestindependently owned bath fitter
that uses us with 24 locations.
We've got the big companies aswell.
So the cool thing about ours iswe're great for the brand new
company and we're great for thebig company.
Janet (13:34):
Yeah.
I feel like every time I'mlooking at a home improvement
website, And I look at theirmap.
I mean, I just feel like everytime I look at it, you guys are
the ones driving the map.
Yeah.
Steve (13:45):
We are.
You are.
Janet (13:47):
No, that's amazing.
Is it just on the website or isthere a way to like integrate?
You said the reviews integratewith Facebook.
Is there another way to sharethe projects anywhere else?
Steve (13:57):
Yeah.
That's a very good question.
I like that question.
So yeah.
Yeah.
So every single pin isshareable.
Every pin has its own URL link.
So let's say I'm talking toMrs.
Smith, who's really an olderlady that might not be great
around technology, but reallywants to see a certain bathroom
(14:18):
or some bathrooms you've done.
You can put it in an email, thedirect links to those project
pins and send it to them.
So that's one way.
The map itself has its own URLlink, so that's a good thing.
You can just send a direct linkto the map and it'll open up.
We always say drive traffic toyour website, so always drive
traffic there.
(14:39):
But that's why you can textsomebody a direct link to a pin
if you wanted.
So plenty of ways to share.
Janet (14:47):
This is a super nerdy question, but you were talking
about filters.
Can you send somebody a link toa filtered view?
Steve (14:56):
You can't yet.
No, that's a good question.
But see, that's what our systemdoes.
So we haven't done that yet.
People have asked us, ourcontracting, we listen to our
contractors.
We want to do stuff that theyask, but we're like, no, that's
what the filters are for.
You literally just tell theperson, click this button and
select any color, select anyservice you're looking for.
(15:17):
The map's going to change toonly show that.
Janet (15:19):
And then you let the user decide what they want to filter
on.
Steve (15:22):
Yeah.
Janet (15:22):
I love that.
And so by having thepartnership with like ABC
supply, you're there is ABCsupply able to identify like
the, like you were saying, theroofing.
Steve (15:31):
Okay.
Yeah.
So supply companies are greatfor us because they know the
address they delivered to andthey know the material that they
delivered.
So like ABC supply and SRSdistribution, they know, like I
sent, I sent, you know, 15squares of a weathered wood
shingle to this address.
(15:52):
So, In our system, literallywithin Project Mappit, you click
on an ABC integration tab andyou sign into your MyABC supply
account.
And then it literally connectsright away.
So for a brand new companythat's just using us, it'll
bring in five years worth ofdata, the ABC deliveries, and
then it'll just, futuredeliveries will permanently
(16:12):
populate in the way.
And SRS basically works thesame way.
Janet (16:16):
Oh my God.
Yeah, so then that really doesbecome kind of dummy proof and
hands-off.
Like if you...
aren't yet in a habit of takinga bunch of photos, you're going
to be able to pull thatinformation from your supplier.
That's fantastic.
Steve (16:31):
Correct.
Janet (16:32):
That's awesome.
So roofing exterior, I heardyou mention baths.
Steve (16:36):
One day baths is our second biggest.
Windows and doors are big, butthen we have a handful of
everybody.
We've got pool companies, HVACcompanies, electrical companies,
pest control companies.
We're now partnered with a pestcontrol membership.
Awesome.
We ran out in California with600 pest control companies.
So we've got a lot of goodrelationships with a lot of
different...
(16:56):
If you're a residential...
if you're in the residentialcontracting business and you
rely heavily on like gettingreviews and stuff like that, I
mean, touch that.
We're, we're our own reviewplatform that doesn't require
login.
So for people that don't haveGmail accounts that can't leave,
Janet (17:12):
hold on.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Wow.
It wasn't even in our list ofquestions.
Tell us how, yeah.
What, how this can help ourlisteners generate reviews.
Steve (17:21):
So I wish people saw this.
If you're, if you're listeningonline, The look on both ladies'
faces were funny when Imentioned this.
So like I talked to, we presentfor contractors all the time
for CertainTeed.
CertainTeed's an exclusivepartner of ours.
And I always ask people, So howdo you get, how do you request
reviews?
That's a big question.
The contractors will raisetheir hand and they'll say,
(17:42):
yeah, I've got, I've got a QRcode reader card that I leave or
whatever.
You know, we, we send them anemail with a link and I'm like,
okay.
And then what kind of revieware you asking for?
I already know the answer.
Google.
Yeah, exactly.
And then I look at them and Isay, what if they don't have a
Gmail account?
And they kind of look at melike, uh, what do you mean?
I'm like, well, they can'tleave you Google review then if
they don't have a Gmail account.
(18:02):
It's like, we all want Google.
reviews.
I want a Google review, butwhat if they don't have a Gmail
account?
You're losing out on theopportunity to capture a review.
And Google loves reviewsbecause Google loves words,
right?
So the more words that arewritten about you online, the
better.
Yes, a Google review is goingto carry a heavier weight than
like a Project Mappet review,but a Project Mappet review
(18:23):
still has words and Google doesrecognize us as a third party
review platform.
But to answer your question,yeah, the way it works You build
out a landing page.
We call it a reviews landingpage within Project Map It.
So you can have links to likeGoogle, Facebook, Yelp, Owls,
Thumbtack, whatever, Project MapIt.
And then we have QR codes andstuff like that.
(18:44):
And we also have three emailsthat go out.
So they can request the reviewright there on the spot with
their QR code.
But that landing page thatopens up into a Project Map It
platform has multiple options,not just Google.
Janet (18:56):
I love it.
I can't tell you how many timesI've been on the phone with...
a contractor where they're inthat, you know, those beginning
stages and they're just all thefundamentals worked out and
Caitlin and I will inevitablyencourage them.
You got to get reviews.
And then to your point, we endup having to explain to them,
okay, you need good reviews onGoogle, but it also requires
(19:20):
something from the homeowner.
They have to be logged intotheir Gmail account.
And if they don't have a Gmailaccount, now it's, an awkward
conversation with you standingthere, helping them use their
phone in their foyer.
Steve (19:34):
Yes.
And if you think about it, likethere's a big misconception and
I can totally understand why ifyou're a brand new company,
you're like, well, why would Iwant project map it?
I don't have any pins on my mapyet.
And I'm like, yeah, I get it.
But we're still a very goodstarter.
So you're still, instead ofspending like thousands of
dollars on a CRM, like what,what do you, what do you need to
(19:54):
get found online?
You need reviews.
You need to start building upyour portfolio.
You need a place to store allof your customer data.
That's what we are.
So even for the brand newcompany with zero pins, it's
still okay to start with usbecause you're going to be able
to capture reviews using ourreview capture system.
You're going to store all yourphotos in a nice, neat,
organized way with our system.
(20:15):
You're going to keep track ofall your customer name, phone
number, email addresses, and theproducts that you installed on
that customer within our system.
So we're actually still areally good system for somebody
with zero pins.
Janet (20:27):
To your point, what you just described to me would
create a beautiful exported CSVfile for the day you are ready
to sign up for a CRM and dosomething more sophisticated.
You're not then faced withmanual entry from your spiral
bound notebook that's beenriding around in your truck.
Steve (20:48):
Correct.
And we have competitors and I'mnot going to crap on them at
all, but we have competitorsthat don't allow for an export
feature because they don't wantto, we have an export feature.
You click, I want to export allmy jobs and it'll spit it out
to everybody.
Janet (21:00):
That's awesome.
What, what about otherintegrations?
I mean, um, like with projectmethod, I know we talked about
like there's, you guys do theCRM integration, obviously
suppliers, et cetera.
I mean, do you, open APIsituation
Steve (21:14):
or is that?
Okay.
So we have an open APIdocument.
So anybody can integrate withus and our team works with
anybody.
So we have integrationpartners.
We have leap CRM.
Janet (21:28):
Yeah.
Steve (21:29):
We have a suit.
We have a small integrationwith roofer.
It's not where there's theirCRM.
It's more for their instantestimator tool.
We have a really cool companythat we just partnered with
called demand IQ, which is aninstant estimator tool widget
for the website, but it's, It'svery customizable, which a lot
of instant estimators aren't.
It's almost like building yourown PowerPoint within this
widget.
(21:49):
So you can tell your companystory and stuff, but our map
embeds within that widget, whichis nice.
We are integrated, like I said,with ABC, SRS.
Give a shout out to USLBM.
They have a operating companycalled Universal Supply Company
here in the New Jersey, Marylandarea where I live.
We're integrated with them.
So we have some goodintegrations.
(22:10):
Acculinks, we're going to beintegrated with by the end of
this year or early next year iswhat Acculinks told me.
Now, we're at the hands ofAcculinks to do it, but they are
going to build theintegrations.
Janet (22:23):
Oh, that's huge.
I love AccuLynx.
I know.
Steve (22:27):
Yeah, we know how to get around all the CRMs because
people give us access to theirCRMs.
But yeah, AccuLynx is a goodone.
Janet (22:32):
I feel like AccuLynx has done a better job.
I mean, this is kind of offtopic from Project Mappet.
But again, as an admitted nerd,I feel like AccuLynx has really
nailed the user interface.
It's an actually modern lookinguser interface where some of
the others are like...
the 90s called and wants theinterface back.
Steve (22:52):
Well, speaking of interface, we're actually
updating our map by hopefullythe end of the third quarter to
make it a little more modern as
Janet (22:58):
well.
Oh, great.
It's still pretty modern whatI've seen integrated.
Steve (23:01):
Yeah, I mean, it's good.
The difference, I think the bigdifferentiator between us and
our competitors is that we arevery customizable.
So we'll build a map to yourbrand, your company's brand.
Other maps are like, hey, thisis pretty much what the map
looks like.
It's a grayscale map andthere's not much more you can do
about it.
So...
Janet (23:18):
Awesome.
What about some successstories?
Brag, brag.
Steve (23:23):
I do have a lot now that I've been around for a while.
Well, I just had a phone callfrom Miller's Roofing out of
York, Pennsylvania.
Michelle Sensenig, shout out toyou.
They've been using us since2018 when I started.
They were one of my first evercustomers and they use us for
everything, reviews, everything.
(23:44):
She called me the other day andsaid, Steve, I just want to
tell you, Dave, our sales repcame home, came home, came into
the office the other day andsaid, Hey, we, I just sold a 50
square roof because of projectmap it.
And Michelle, Michelle waslike, okay, keep, keep going.
I want to tell Steve thisstory.
Yeah.
And so essentially like peopleuse us in three phases is this
(24:05):
of the sales appointment.
It's pre-appointment emailsthat go out, right?
Like beef up thatpre-appointment email or text
that you send out.
No, don't just say, you know,Hey Dave,
Janet (24:14):
We'll be there Thursday.
Steve (24:15):
Yeah.
Janet's going to be there attwo o'clock on Thursday.
If you have any questions, callus.
It's like, Hey, also take alook at our portfolio of past
work.
So pre-appointmentcommunication in-home sales and
post-communication.
So proposals that might be sentto the homeowner after the home
inspection or whatever.
So this particular gentleman,Dave, the sales rep at Miller's
basically said he put projectmap it.
(24:37):
It's in every one of theirproposals, but the lady, he
went, back to the house.
And the lady said, we're goingto use Miller's roofing.
And it's because you're theonly company out of the three
that I had come out here thathad a portfolio on your website.
And I, and it was in yourproposal.
So I clicked on it.
I saw it.
I looked around on it.
I noticed some houses in ourarea.
We actually drove around andsaw the roof.
(24:58):
She said, she said, that's theonly reason we're using.
You're the only one that hassomething that showed your
reputation and it built thetrust that we needed to choose
you.
Janet (25:06):
I'm glad you used the word trust because that's what I
was about to say.
That's just...
Reputation and trust.
It's a reputation and trustbuilder.
Steve (25:12):
Yep.
Correct.
Janet (25:13):
Give people the confidence to move forward.
Steve (25:16):
Correct.
And I have a lot more stories,but I don't want to waste too
much time.
Janet (25:20):
Well, I mean...
It's not a waste of time.
It's not a waste of time.
This is amazing.
This is such a great tool.
And what I think I like aboutit is you've touched on it can
be at any phase of the journey.
You know, any phase.
That's awesome.
I mean, did you have anyquestions?
So I guess a question we alwayslike to ask guests when we're
(25:40):
talking about some sort of tech.
You mentioned a user interfaceupgrade in, I think you said,
the third quarter.
Are there any other features ornew things that you're excited
to maybe tease?
Steve (25:55):
Well, the ABC supply one was a big one.
That's going to be a big gamechanger for our company.
So I'm excited about that.
the next few phases that we'reworking on is we're rebuilding
our Facebook integration.
So we're hoping to have somecool things that go there.
Can you hear that?
(26:15):
Those are jets.
So I'm in Maryland and they're,it's, it's blue angels practice
down.
Oh, wow.
Angels, but they are a Navypilot program that does amazing
tricks.
It's like one of the biggestthings here in Annapolis,
Maryland, where I live.
So the jets are flying aroundand it's bugging me, but I love
it.
Okay.
Sorry.
Back to your question.
(26:36):
Can't hear it.
Janet (26:38):
But yeah, while we're still talking about Squirrel, my
dad is a big aviation nerd.
And as a little girl, he usedto take me and my brother to air
shows and we went to Blue Angelshows.
And I remember being like eightyears old and thinking I was
going to get mowed down by,because they do the low flyby.
Oh yeah.
It's pretty amazing.
Steve (26:56):
It's legit.
Janet (26:57):
Yeah.
Steve (26:58):
So Facebook integration, Google business integration.
We do have the ability to postyour Google business updates
straight from Project Map.
It's platform as well, butwe're
Janet (27:05):
hoping that we're hoping That actually helps with SEO.
Steve (27:11):
Yes.
No,
Janet (27:12):
you didn't want to talk about
Steve (27:13):
SEO.
She brought up SEO.
That one thing got on me.
For the listeners out there, Ialways say this.
Do we have SEO traction?
Yes, there's stuff to ourindirectly for sure.
Getting reviews is very big forSEO.
Posting your Google businessupdate section in your Google
business profile always isindirectly going to help with
(27:34):
your SEO.
It's supportive.
People, yeah, supporting it.
Thank you.
You know the words better thanI do.
You're the marketing gurus.
So yes, it can, but we alwayssay we'd rather under promise.
Don't ever buy us for thinkingthat we're going to help with
your SEO.
We will probably help with yourSEO, but don't buy us for that.
Our competitors say thatthey're all SEO driven.
(27:56):
And to be totally honest withyou, we're a widget that lives
on a website.
And to be honest with you, alot of our competitors, their
customers come to us becausewe're a sales tool.
And we live on a website.
Janet (28:06):
Correct.
Steve (28:07):
But we position ourselves as a legit sales tool.
I
Janet (28:11):
feel like you come in a little later in the sales
journey.
You're not necessarily in thatlead acquisition phase.
You're in that trust buildingphase when the company's already
captured the lead and nowyou've got to make good with
Steve (28:24):
that.
So we help increase close ratesby about 3% to 10%.
Some of it's more than, some ofit's like 20%, some of it's as
low as 3%.
But even a 3% ROI is a lotcompared to what we cost.
Janet (28:39):
I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm going to guess that
you probably also increaseconversion rates.
Steve (28:46):
100%.
So
Janet (28:47):
if I take a website that doesn't have this trust building
project map it with all of thefilterable information, Photos
and reviews.
If I've got that website versusone that does, I bet you the
one that does is capturing moreweb form submissions and phone
calls.
Even if you've never done likea full on scientific test, I bet
it improves conversion rates.
Steve (29:09):
You are correct.
There's like a stat out there.
75% of homeowners will trust acompany with a good portfolio on
their website.
So that will alone helpconvert.
those calls.
Janet (29:19):
Project Map It is like a portfolio on steroids
Steve (29:22):
because we
Janet (29:23):
see people who say they have a portfolio when they
contact us, but they've got abunch of manufacturers' photos
on there that are stock.
Homeowners are like, yeah,those are beautiful photos, but
I don't know that they're real.
Steve (29:37):
Yeah, these are real photos with real reviews
associated with those projectson a map, all in one.
Janet (29:43):
Boom.
Take that.
I'm obsessed with it.
Before we let you go, where canlisteners learn more about
Project Map It and or schedule ademo?
Steve (29:56):
Yeah, let's just go to projectmapit.com.
You can schedule a demo rightfrom our homepage.
My, I don't know, my emailaddress is, so I'm Steve Spence.
My email address is sspence, soS-S-P-E-N-C-E at
projectmapit.com.
So you can reach out to mepersonally.
(30:18):
You can go to our website,request a demo there.
Just acknowledge that youwatched or listened to this
podcast and we'll give you a 15%off for life discount.
Janet (30:31):
For life?
Steve (30:32):
Wow.
That's our partner discount.
I'm a partner of yours.
Look, we're here.
We're talking.
Janet (30:38):
Yeah.
So mention Fat Cat, mentionthis podcast and get 15% off.
That's amazing.
For life.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
I really, we could have talkedto you forever.
Yeah.
You want to take us home,Janet?
Let's do it.
Let's wrap this up.
So we've included links in theshow notes.
We're so happy that you joinedus for this afternoon, Steve.
(30:58):
Thanks again for joining us andthank you to our listeners.
Don't forget to subscribe,share this episode with your
team and leave us a review ifyou've been enjoying the
podcast.
So until next time, keepbuilding smarter and go check
out Project Method.
Don (31:15):
Digital marketing for contractors is created by fat
cat strategies.
For more information, visitfatcatstrategies.com.
Welcome to digital marketing for contractors, a
podcast for home improvementcontractors to help you crush
your lead goals and take yourbusiness to the next level.
Join us each episode as we giveyou powerful insights and
(00:22):
practical tips on the bestdigital marketing strategies to
help you grow your homeimprovement business.
Let's get started.
Janet (00:30):
Welcome back to Digital Marketing for Contractors.
This is the show that helpshome improvement companies grow
smarter and faster throughbetter marketing.
I am Janet.
And I'm Caitlin.
Today we're diving into a toolthat helps contractors turn
happy customers into their bestmarketing asset and help them
close deals faster.
That's right.
(00:50):
And today we are super thrilledto welcome Steve Spence.
He is the Managing Director ofProject Mappet.
Super cool.
We love Project Mappet.
It's a powerful sales andmarketing tool built
specifically for contractors.
And if you've ever wished for abetter way to showcase your
work, I know as an agency, weare always begging our clients,
please give us pictures, give usproof, share real customer
(01:15):
reviews, and stand out in acompetitive market.
You are going to want to hearthis episode.
Steve, welcome to the podcast.
Steve (01:22):
Thank you for having me.
I love your glasses.
Is this visual or is yourpodcast all audio?
Janet (01:27):
Both.
Steve (01:29):
Is it?
Janet (01:29):
I think most listeners are listening to audio, but
we've been publishing it videoas well.
Steve (01:35):
Well, if anybody wants to watch it visually, you should
see their glasses.
I love them.
Janet (01:40):
Thank you.
We love your sign.
Hers are black and blue light.
Mine actually help me see.
Steve (01:46):
Mine helped me see too.
I have reading glasses for mythree monitors, but when I
leave, I have my progressiveglasses.
Oh, these are
Janet (01:55):
progressive bifocals, baby.
Steve (01:57):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I got you.
I'm right there with you.
Janet (02:01):
So project method, I'm bringing it home.
Yeah.
We want to see clearly theirprojects, their projects.
on website tell us how did itstart like give us the
background what's the back storyon project map it
Steve (02:13):
how much time we got on this podcast um how
Janet (02:16):
much time you want to talk
Steve (02:17):
i was i was a special educator for 20 years as a high
school teacher here in my localarea in maryland um i also am a
big lacrosse guy for those thatknow lacrosse it's not
everywhere in the united statesbut it's a lot of places and i
coached high school lacrosse atthe high school that i taught at
and one of the One of myplayers, he was the owner
(02:42):
previous to Project Mappet.
So he graduated in 2004.
Fast forward 14 years later, Isee him at two ends of the
grocery stores.
I'm sorry, I see him at twogrocery stores on both ends of
our county.
And the second time we saw eachother, he's like, coach, man,
you got to come to my house andlearn about this new software
I'm building.
He is a roofer.
(03:02):
By trade, he owns his ownroofing company.
Still, I think to this day, wehave not been in touch in a
while.
So long story short, I left a20-year teaching career to join
as the first employee of ProjectMappet.
And that was in 2018, February,March, I guess, in 2018.
And we bought into the companyand took ownership in 2020.
(03:23):
That
Janet (03:25):
is such an awesome story.
It's
Steve (03:28):
crazy.
Janet (03:28):
So the founder is...
I mean, at the time was a kid,but was a kid that you coached.
Steve (03:34):
He was a kid that I coached.
Now is a grown man.
Right.
Starting this software forhimself.
Janet (03:40):
And a programmer.
Steve (03:41):
Correct.
Well, he's not a programmer,but he hired two programmers of
which they are still partners ofthe company.
We are five partners that ownProject Mappet.
Janet (03:51):
What a great backstory.
I love it.
I love that.
Steve (03:54):
There's more.
I mean, I won't get into it,but I was making 90 grand as a
teacher and then not knowinganything about the contracting
world.
And then within about 30 days,he said, look, man, it's not
going to work.
And I had already retired.
I'm like, look, man, we got tostay open here.
So my first year, I was theonly...
the only person really workingat project map at learning a new
(04:17):
industry by myself, basically.
And my first year I made like$37,000.
So I'm, I'm a 50 year old man,50 plus almost 51.
And I, uh, honestly, I, uh, 50
Janet (04:30):
is the new 30.
Steve (04:32):
That's right, Janet.
Um, so yeah, I, I, uh,reinvented myself and it's been
fun.
I've been doing it for sevenyears now.
I just had my seven yearLinkedIn anniversary and I gotta
tell you, I love it.
It's just cool to, to grind.
I'm a hard worker, always havebeen.
Us 50-year-olds know what thatmeans.
Not that the younger generationdoesn't, but we work hard.
We don't care.
(04:53):
We do what it takes.
That's my story and I'msticking to it.
Janet (04:56):
That is awesome.
Stick to it.
What a delightful littlesurprise that we get such a fun
backstory of this software thatwe're about to showcase.
I honestly didn't know we weregoing to get something that I
thought that is...
Steve (05:12):
Surprise.
Janet (05:13):
Surprising, kind of heartwarming.
I don't know.
I love it.
Well, and you know,entrepreneur to entrepreneur, we
also really appreciate that.
So
Steve (05:21):
yeah.
Janet (05:23):
What is it?
Yeah.
For those, tell the listenerswho have never, not us, but like
the listeners who have neverdescribed what it is.
Steve (05:31):
So think of an interactive map.
of all of your past installs orrepairs, if you repair and do
other things, anything that youimagine your book of work as a
contractor, on an interactivedigital portfolio.
So it's a map with pins on it.
Those pins represent all thework in your portfolio, your
(05:51):
book of work.
And then when you click on apin, you can showcase pictures
of the work that you've done.
We have direct integrationswith Facebook reviews and
Google.
So all of your Google andFacebook reviews can also be
shown on the pin or on the mapin general.
And then it's all filterable.
I've always had a hard timesaying that word.
(06:13):
It's all filterable by whateverit is you want to help you
sell.
So it can be our biggestcontracting industry is the
roofing industry only because ofour big partnerships with
roofing companies like supplycompanies and manufacturers.
But imagine as a sales rep,You're sitting at the kitchen
table with the homeowner and thehomeowner says, hey, I'm trying
(06:35):
to choose between, you know, amoray black roof and a weathered
wood roof.
You can click on these filterson our map and the map will
change to only show that thatproduct or that product brand or
color.
So in seconds, you have nowpins of only Moray black roofs.
So now if you're a roofingperson, you can say, hey, drive
down the street at this addressand you'll see the roof we put
(06:57):
on.
There are lots of privacythings.
So I want your listeners toknow that like it is 100% legal
to show a full address andpictures and stuff like that
without permission from thehomeowner.
But if you're We have interiordesign companies.
We have bathroom remodelers.
We have pest control companies.
So it's not like you want, youknow, a bathroom remodeler
(07:17):
doesn't want to have a fulladdress on a map where, you
know, I can imagine somebodyknocking on doors.
Hey, I saw your bathroom onthis portfolio on this company's
website.
Can I come in and see yourback?
We have privacy settings.
So you can show only the city,state, and zip code if you want.
You can set the zoom limits toonly zoom into a certain point
(07:37):
on the map.
So there's lots of privacysettings and stuff like that,
but that's what we are.
We're pins, reviews, andphotos.
The three things thathomeowners are always looking
for when they're trying todecide on the company that they
want.
Janet (07:49):
Yeah, those are such huge trust builders.
I mean, and we've done manyepisodes on reviews and photos
and to find a tool that doesboth of those.
Yeah, we do it all.
It's all in
Steve (08:01):
one.
Janet (08:01):
Is it, I've got to like kind of be a nerd for a second,
like it embeds into the client,the website or how does it work?
Yeah.
Steve (08:09):
You know the answer to that.
We have mutual customers.
We are embeddable on everywebsite.
So there is some marketingefforts that our product does
help with, right?
Like, so I heard you say at thebeginning of the show here, you
know, you're always askingcontractors for updated gallery
(08:30):
pictures and stuff like that.
Well, imagine our product beingembedded onto one of your
clients' websites.
You don't have to ask forphotos anymore because if our
map is embedded onto yourwebsite, we are a gallery.
So they could be sitting at theoffice and the administrator
could be posting new photos orwe're a mobile app too.
So they could be takingpictures in the field.
And then that website would beupdated in real time because our
(08:54):
map lives on your website.
Janet (08:56):
So walk us through that.
in the field?
The journey from taking thephoto to the photo ending up in
the project map at software.
For our listeners, if they'reworried about a lot of extra
administrative friction wherethey've got to sit in front of a
computer and compile photos,walk us through, how does the
(09:16):
photo end up in the map?
Steve (09:18):
Yeah, we continue to try to make it as seamless as
possible.
So we have partnerships.
So For example, we have arelationship with ABC Supply.
It's a true integration whereif they order roofing, siding,
windows, doors, skylights, itautomatically will populate to
(09:39):
the map when they order it,right?
So like getting pins on the maptend to be the hardest thing,
but we have relationships withABC Supply, SRS distribution.
We've got a bunch of smallersupply companies out there that
we're integrated with.
So that gets pins on a map, butyou can do it manually as well,
right?
Like you can enter, somebodycould be at the office and enter
(10:00):
it.
We are a mobile app, whichmeans for us, we're a web app,
which means for those that don'tknow the difference between web
app and native app, we're notin the Apple store.
We're not in the Google playstore.
You essentially bookmark theweb part.
So you would open up yourSafari on your iPhone or Google
on your Android phone and go toproject map it and just bookmark
(10:20):
that to your home screen ofyour phone.
But then it works like a trueapp.
So you click on it.
We always say it takes fiveseconds to open up the app,
right?
Face ID nowadays, phones allhave the face ID login.
So you open up the app, fiveseconds.
You can take unlimited photosbefore, during, and after if you
want.
It catalogs it in our system byproject date and time of the
(10:43):
photo upload.
So you can take pictures withinour mobile, if that makes
sense.
So you can be in the field orif they have, like a lot of
companies will take photos withtheir CRM app, right?
Well, at that point, it becomesa little more work where we
just tell our customers, look,once a month, Go for an hour,
(11:05):
download pictures from your CRMand upload it.
We, our company, will offervirtual management for a little
bit more money as well.
So we will work with companiesand load the pins for them by
going into their CRM orwhatever.
We'll spend an hour to a monthloading photos if that helps
them.
And then also on the photoside, we have an integration
with CompanyCam.
(11:25):
So even though we are a photodocumentation app, CompanyCam is
like, they are the creme de lacreme of photo documentation
apps.
So we don't, we don't try tolike upgrade our system to
compete with company cam.
We just want to playsymbiotically with them.
So, you know, seven out of 10contractors, I feel like are
(11:46):
using company cam.
So with company cam, it makesit really easy just to push
projects from company camphotos, project photos from
company cam over to project mapit.
Janet (11:55):
But if, if a listener doesn't have company cam and
they're not already loadingphotos, images into their CRM,
what you're saying is they canbe in the field, click on that
bookmark link.
I'm guessing they'd have tonavigate and pick the project.
I'm at the Smith home.
Then I start snapping picturesand I'm done.
Steve (12:12):
Yeah, you nailed it.
I mean, it's super easy.
It takes five seconds, like Isaid, to log in.
It takes 20 seconds to type inan address.
We use Google to run ourplatform.
So Google recognizes theaddress and you say, yep, this
is the address.
And then it puts the pin on themap pretty quickly.
And then there's a littleimages tab.
You click on that and you canstart taking photos and it
stores it within that projectaddress within our system.
(12:34):
So we aren't a CRM ladies, butlike honestly, and we would
never tout ourselves as a CRM,but for like a brand new
company, we're really good.
Cause a lot of brand newcompanies are companies that
aren't invested in technologyyet.
Like a CRM.
We ask them all the time, like,Hey, do you have a, do you have
a place that you store all yourwork?
Like, is there a spreadsheetyour company keeps?
(12:54):
No, we don't have anything.
We're like, well, then we're agreat option for that because
within our system, you canexport a spreadsheet of all your
customers.
Janet (13:02):
Yeah.
It's a real, it's a real likeease into
Steve (13:06):
technology.
Unknown (13:08):
Yeah.
Janet (13:08):
A tech stack.
Steve (13:09):
It is.
We're like a really good firststep for companies, for sure.
I
Janet (13:13):
love that.
So necessary.
Steve (13:16):
But we have companies of like Chuck in the truck that
does everything.
And then we have companies thatare huge, right?
Like we have every storm guard.
We have the biggestindependently owned bath fitter
that uses us with 24 locations.
We've got the big companies aswell.
So the cool thing about ours iswe're great for the brand new
company and we're great for thebig company.
Janet (13:34):
Yeah.
I feel like every time I'mlooking at a home improvement
website, And I look at theirmap.
I mean, I just feel like everytime I look at it, you guys are
the ones driving the map.
Yeah.
Steve (13:45):
We are.
You are.
Janet (13:47):
No, that's amazing.
Is it just on the website or isthere a way to like integrate?
You said the reviews integratewith Facebook.
Is there another way to sharethe projects anywhere else?
Steve (13:57):
Yeah.
That's a very good question.
I like that question.
So yeah.
Yeah.
So every single pin isshareable.
Every pin has its own URL link.
So let's say I'm talking toMrs.
Smith, who's really an olderlady that might not be great
around technology, but reallywants to see a certain bathroom
(14:18):
or some bathrooms you've done.
You can put it in an email, thedirect links to those project
pins and send it to them.
So that's one way.
The map itself has its own URLlink, so that's a good thing.
You can just send a direct linkto the map and it'll open up.
We always say drive traffic toyour website, so always drive
traffic there.
(14:39):
But that's why you can textsomebody a direct link to a pin
if you wanted.
So plenty of ways to share.
Janet (14:47):
This is a super nerdy question, but you were talking
about filters.
Can you send somebody a link toa filtered view?
Steve (14:56):
You can't yet.
No, that's a good question.
But see, that's what our systemdoes.
So we haven't done that yet.
People have asked us, ourcontracting, we listen to our
contractors.
We want to do stuff that theyask, but we're like, no, that's
what the filters are for.
You literally just tell theperson, click this button and
select any color, select anyservice you're looking for.
(15:17):
The map's going to change toonly show that.
Janet (15:19):
And then you let the user decide what they want to filter
on.
Steve (15:22):
Yeah.
Janet (15:22):
I love that.
And so by having thepartnership with like ABC
supply, you're there is ABCsupply able to identify like
the, like you were saying, theroofing.
Steve (15:31):
Okay.
Yeah.
So supply companies are greatfor us because they know the
address they delivered to andthey know the material that they
delivered.
So like ABC supply and SRSdistribution, they know, like I
sent, I sent, you know, 15squares of a weathered wood
shingle to this address.
(15:52):
So, In our system, literallywithin Project Mappit, you click
on an ABC integration tab andyou sign into your MyABC supply
account.
And then it literally connectsright away.
So for a brand new companythat's just using us, it'll
bring in five years worth ofdata, the ABC deliveries, and
then it'll just, futuredeliveries will permanently
(16:12):
populate in the way.
And SRS basically works thesame way.
Janet (16:16):
Oh my God.
Yeah, so then that really doesbecome kind of dummy proof and
hands-off.
Like if you...
aren't yet in a habit of takinga bunch of photos, you're going
to be able to pull thatinformation from your supplier.
That's fantastic.
Steve (16:31):
Correct.
Janet (16:32):
That's awesome.
So roofing exterior, I heardyou mention baths.
Steve (16:36):
One day baths is our second biggest.
Windows and doors are big, butthen we have a handful of
everybody.
We've got pool companies, HVACcompanies, electrical companies,
pest control companies.
We're now partnered with a pestcontrol membership.
Awesome.
We ran out in California with600 pest control companies.
So we've got a lot of goodrelationships with a lot of
different...
(16:56):
If you're a residential...
if you're in the residentialcontracting business and you
rely heavily on like gettingreviews and stuff like that, I
mean, touch that.
We're, we're our own reviewplatform that doesn't require
login.
So for people that don't haveGmail accounts that can't leave,
Janet (17:12):
hold on.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Wow.
It wasn't even in our list ofquestions.
Tell us how, yeah.
What, how this can help ourlisteners generate reviews.
Steve (17:21):
So I wish people saw this.
If you're, if you're listeningonline, The look on both ladies'
faces were funny when Imentioned this.
So like I talked to, we presentfor contractors all the time
for CertainTeed.
CertainTeed's an exclusivepartner of ours.
And I always ask people, So howdo you get, how do you request
reviews?
That's a big question.
The contractors will raisetheir hand and they'll say,
(17:42):
yeah, I've got, I've got a QRcode reader card that I leave or
whatever.
You know, we, we send them anemail with a link and I'm like,
okay.
And then what kind of revieware you asking for?
I already know the answer.
Google.
Yeah, exactly.
And then I look at them and Isay, what if they don't have a
Gmail account?
And they kind of look at melike, uh, what do you mean?
I'm like, well, they can'tleave you Google review then if
they don't have a Gmail account.
(18:02):
It's like, we all want Google.
reviews.
I want a Google review, butwhat if they don't have a Gmail
account?
You're losing out on theopportunity to capture a review.
And Google loves reviewsbecause Google loves words,
right?
So the more words that arewritten about you online, the
better.
Yes, a Google review is goingto carry a heavier weight than
like a Project Mappet review,but a Project Mappet review
(18:23):
still has words and Google doesrecognize us as a third party
review platform.
But to answer your question,yeah, the way it works You build
out a landing page.
We call it a reviews landingpage within Project Map It.
So you can have links to likeGoogle, Facebook, Yelp, Owls,
Thumbtack, whatever, Project MapIt.
And then we have QR codes andstuff like that.
(18:44):
And we also have three emailsthat go out.
So they can request the reviewright there on the spot with
their QR code.
But that landing page thatopens up into a Project Map It
platform has multiple options,not just Google.
Janet (18:56):
I love it.
I can't tell you how many timesI've been on the phone with...
a contractor where they're inthat, you know, those beginning
stages and they're just all thefundamentals worked out and
Caitlin and I will inevitablyencourage them.
You got to get reviews.
And then to your point, we endup having to explain to them,
okay, you need good reviews onGoogle, but it also requires
(19:20):
something from the homeowner.
They have to be logged intotheir Gmail account.
And if they don't have a Gmailaccount, now it's, an awkward
conversation with you standingthere, helping them use their
phone in their foyer.
Steve (19:34):
Yes.
And if you think about it, likethere's a big misconception and
I can totally understand why ifyou're a brand new company,
you're like, well, why would Iwant project map it?
I don't have any pins on my mapyet.
And I'm like, yeah, I get it.
But we're still a very goodstarter.
So you're still, instead ofspending like thousands of
dollars on a CRM, like what,what do you, what do you need to
(19:54):
get found online?
You need reviews.
You need to start building upyour portfolio.
You need a place to store allof your customer data.
That's what we are.
So even for the brand newcompany with zero pins, it's
still okay to start with usbecause you're going to be able
to capture reviews using ourreview capture system.
You're going to store all yourphotos in a nice, neat,
organized way with our system.
(20:15):
You're going to keep track ofall your customer name, phone
number, email addresses, and theproducts that you installed on
that customer within our system.
So we're actually still areally good system for somebody
with zero pins.
Janet (20:27):
To your point, what you just described to me would
create a beautiful exported CSVfile for the day you are ready
to sign up for a CRM and dosomething more sophisticated.
You're not then faced withmanual entry from your spiral
bound notebook that's beenriding around in your truck.
Steve (20:48):
Correct.
And we have competitors and I'mnot going to crap on them at
all, but we have competitorsthat don't allow for an export
feature because they don't wantto, we have an export feature.
You click, I want to export allmy jobs and it'll spit it out
to everybody.
Janet (21:00):
That's awesome.
What, what about otherintegrations?
I mean, um, like with projectmethod, I know we talked about
like there's, you guys do theCRM integration, obviously
suppliers, et cetera.
I mean, do you, open APIsituation
Steve (21:14):
or is that?
Okay.
So we have an open APIdocument.
So anybody can integrate withus and our team works with
anybody.
So we have integrationpartners.
We have leap CRM.
Janet (21:28):
Yeah.
Steve (21:29):
We have a suit.
We have a small integrationwith roofer.
It's not where there's theirCRM.
It's more for their instantestimator tool.
We have a really cool companythat we just partnered with
called demand IQ, which is aninstant estimator tool widget
for the website, but it's, It'svery customizable, which a lot
of instant estimators aren't.
It's almost like building yourown PowerPoint within this
widget.
(21:49):
So you can tell your companystory and stuff, but our map
embeds within that widget, whichis nice.
We are integrated, like I said,with ABC, SRS.
Give a shout out to USLBM.
They have a operating companycalled Universal Supply Company
here in the New Jersey, Marylandarea where I live.
We're integrated with them.
So we have some goodintegrations.
(22:10):
Acculinks, we're going to beintegrated with by the end of
this year or early next year iswhat Acculinks told me.
Now, we're at the hands ofAcculinks to do it, but they are
going to build theintegrations.
Janet (22:23):
Oh, that's huge.
I love AccuLynx.
I know.
Steve (22:27):
Yeah, we know how to get around all the CRMs because
people give us access to theirCRMs.
But yeah, AccuLynx is a goodone.
Janet (22:32):
I feel like AccuLynx has done a better job.
I mean, this is kind of offtopic from Project Mappet.
But again, as an admitted nerd,I feel like AccuLynx has really
nailed the user interface.
It's an actually modern lookinguser interface where some of
the others are like...
the 90s called and wants theinterface back.
Steve (22:52):
Well, speaking of interface, we're actually
updating our map by hopefullythe end of the third quarter to
make it a little more modern as
Janet (22:58):
well.
Oh, great.
It's still pretty modern whatI've seen integrated.
Steve (23:01):
Yeah, I mean, it's good.
The difference, I think the bigdifferentiator between us and
our competitors is that we arevery customizable.
So we'll build a map to yourbrand, your company's brand.
Other maps are like, hey, thisis pretty much what the map
looks like.
It's a grayscale map andthere's not much more you can do
about it.
So...
Janet (23:18):
Awesome.
What about some successstories?
Brag, brag.
Steve (23:23):
I do have a lot now that I've been around for a while.
Well, I just had a phone callfrom Miller's Roofing out of
York, Pennsylvania.
Michelle Sensenig, shout out toyou.
They've been using us since2018 when I started.
They were one of my first evercustomers and they use us for
everything, reviews, everything.
(23:44):
She called me the other day andsaid, Steve, I just want to
tell you, Dave, our sales repcame home, came home, came into
the office the other day andsaid, Hey, we, I just sold a 50
square roof because of projectmap it.
And Michelle, Michelle waslike, okay, keep, keep going.
I want to tell Steve thisstory.
Yeah.
And so essentially like peopleuse us in three phases is this
(24:05):
of the sales appointment.
It's pre-appointment emailsthat go out, right?
Like beef up thatpre-appointment email or text
that you send out.
No, don't just say, you know,Hey Dave,
Janet (24:14):
We'll be there Thursday.
Steve (24:15):
Yeah.
Janet's going to be there attwo o'clock on Thursday.
If you have any questions, callus.
It's like, Hey, also take alook at our portfolio of past
work.
So pre-appointmentcommunication in-home sales and
post-communication.
So proposals that might be sentto the homeowner after the home
inspection or whatever.
So this particular gentleman,Dave, the sales rep at Miller's
basically said he put projectmap it.
(24:37):
It's in every one of theirproposals, but the lady, he
went, back to the house.
And the lady said, we're goingto use Miller's roofing.
And it's because you're theonly company out of the three
that I had come out here thathad a portfolio on your website.
And I, and it was in yourproposal.
So I clicked on it.
I saw it.
I looked around on it.
I noticed some houses in ourarea.
We actually drove around andsaw the roof.
(24:58):
She said, she said, that's theonly reason we're using.
You're the only one that hassomething that showed your
reputation and it built thetrust that we needed to choose
you.
Janet (25:06):
I'm glad you used the word trust because that's what I
was about to say.
That's just...
Reputation and trust.
It's a reputation and trustbuilder.
Steve (25:12):
Yep.
Correct.
Janet (25:13):
Give people the confidence to move forward.
Steve (25:16):
Correct.
And I have a lot more stories,but I don't want to waste too
much time.
Janet (25:20):
Well, I mean...
It's not a waste of time.
It's not a waste of time.
This is amazing.
This is such a great tool.
And what I think I like aboutit is you've touched on it can
be at any phase of the journey.
You know, any phase.
That's awesome.
I mean, did you have anyquestions?
So I guess a question we alwayslike to ask guests when we're
(25:40):
talking about some sort of tech.
You mentioned a user interfaceupgrade in, I think you said,
the third quarter.
Are there any other features ornew things that you're excited
to maybe tease?
Steve (25:55):
Well, the ABC supply one was a big one.
That's going to be a big gamechanger for our company.
So I'm excited about that.
the next few phases that we'reworking on is we're rebuilding
our Facebook integration.
So we're hoping to have somecool things that go there.
Can you hear that?
(26:15):
Those are jets.
So I'm in Maryland and they're,it's, it's blue angels practice
down.
Oh, wow.
Angels, but they are a Navypilot program that does amazing
tricks.
It's like one of the biggestthings here in Annapolis,
Maryland, where I live.
So the jets are flying aroundand it's bugging me, but I love
it.
Okay.
Sorry.
Back to your question.
(26:36):
Can't hear it.
Janet (26:38):
But yeah, while we're still talking about Squirrel, my
dad is a big aviation nerd.
And as a little girl, he usedto take me and my brother to air
shows and we went to Blue Angelshows.
And I remember being like eightyears old and thinking I was
going to get mowed down by,because they do the low flyby.
Oh yeah.
It's pretty amazing.
Steve (26:56):
It's legit.
Janet (26:57):
Yeah.
Steve (26:58):
So Facebook integration, Google business integration.
We do have the ability to postyour Google business updates
straight from Project Map.
It's platform as well, butwe're
Janet (27:05):
hoping that we're hoping That actually helps with SEO.
Steve (27:11):
Yes.
No,
Janet (27:12):
you didn't want to talk about
Steve (27:13):
SEO.
She brought up SEO.
That one thing got on me.
For the listeners out there, Ialways say this.
Do we have SEO traction?
Yes, there's stuff to ourindirectly for sure.
Getting reviews is very big forSEO.
Posting your Google businessupdate section in your Google
business profile always isindirectly going to help with
(27:34):
your SEO.
It's supportive.
People, yeah, supporting it.
Thank you.
You know the words better thanI do.
You're the marketing gurus.
So yes, it can, but we alwayssay we'd rather under promise.
Don't ever buy us for thinkingthat we're going to help with
your SEO.
We will probably help with yourSEO, but don't buy us for that.
Our competitors say thatthey're all SEO driven.
(27:56):
And to be totally honest withyou, we're a widget that lives
on a website.
And to be honest with you, alot of our competitors, their
customers come to us becausewe're a sales tool.
And we live on a website.
Janet (28:06):
Correct.
Steve (28:07):
But we position ourselves as a legit sales tool.
I
Janet (28:11):
feel like you come in a little later in the sales
journey.
You're not necessarily in thatlead acquisition phase.
You're in that trust buildingphase when the company's already
captured the lead and nowyou've got to make good with
Steve (28:24):
that.
So we help increase close ratesby about 3% to 10%.
Some of it's more than, some ofit's like 20%, some of it's as
low as 3%.
But even a 3% ROI is a lotcompared to what we cost.
Janet (28:39):
I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm going to guess that
you probably also increaseconversion rates.
Steve (28:46):
100%.
So
Janet (28:47):
if I take a website that doesn't have this trust building
project map it with all of thefilterable information, Photos
and reviews.
If I've got that website versusone that does, I bet you the
one that does is capturing moreweb form submissions and phone
calls.
Even if you've never done likea full on scientific test, I bet
it improves conversion rates.
Steve (29:09):
You are correct.
There's like a stat out there.
75% of homeowners will trust acompany with a good portfolio on
their website.
So that will alone helpconvert.
those calls.
Janet (29:19):
Project Map It is like a portfolio on steroids
Steve (29:22):
because we
Janet (29:23):
see people who say they have a portfolio when they
contact us, but they've got abunch of manufacturers' photos
on there that are stock.
Homeowners are like, yeah,those are beautiful photos, but
I don't know that they're real.
Steve (29:37):
Yeah, these are real photos with real reviews
associated with those projectson a map, all in one.
Janet (29:43):
Boom.
Take that.
I'm obsessed with it.
Before we let you go, where canlisteners learn more about
Project Map It and or schedule ademo?
Steve (29:56):
Yeah, let's just go to projectmapit.com.
You can schedule a demo rightfrom our homepage.
My, I don't know, my emailaddress is, so I'm Steve Spence.
My email address is sspence, soS-S-P-E-N-C-E at
projectmapit.com.
So you can reach out to mepersonally.
(30:18):
You can go to our website,request a demo there.
Just acknowledge that youwatched or listened to this
podcast and we'll give you a 15%off for life discount.
Janet (30:31):
For life?
Steve (30:32):
Wow.
That's our partner discount.
I'm a partner of yours.
Look, we're here.
We're talking.
Janet (30:38):
Yeah.
So mention Fat Cat, mentionthis podcast and get 15% off.
That's amazing.
For life.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
I really, we could have talkedto you forever.
Yeah.
You want to take us home,Janet?
Let's do it.
Let's wrap this up.
So we've included links in theshow notes.
We're so happy that you joinedus for this afternoon, Steve.
(30:58):
Thanks again for joining us andthank you to our listeners.
Don't forget to subscribe,share this episode with your
team and leave us a review ifyou've been enjoying the
podcast.
So until next time, keepbuilding smarter and go check
out Project Method.
Don (31:15):
Digital marketing for contractors is created by fat
cat strategies.
For more information, visitfatcatstrategies.com.
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