June 24, 2025 • 21 mins
The relentless summer heat isn't just taxing your technicians—it could be hiding a golden opportunity to maintain your business momentum straight into fall. If you're guilty of the all-too-common contractor mistake of coasting through August only to panic in September, this episode delivers the wake-up call and actionable strategy you need.
Crystal dives deep into the four essential steps that keep your marketing machine humming regardless of season. First, she challenges you to honestly assess your current capacity and summer campaign performance. Are you mindlessly pushing for more leads when you can't handle them, or wasting resources on low-barrier offers instead of focusing on high-value customers? The candid evaluation continues with practical advice on pivoting your messaging for the late-summer window, targeting decision-making moms before back-to-school chaos consumes their attention.
Beyond the immediate tactics, this episode shines in revealing how forward-thinking contractors can plant seeds now for Q4 success. From crafting fall-focused campaigns like insulation upgrades and pre-holiday plumbing checks to building strategic rehash lists of unconverted opportunities, Crystal provides a masterclass in seasonal transition planning. The practical advice culminates with database cultivation strategies that leverage your summer momentum—thank-you emails, review requests, and community visibility campaigns that keep your brand top-of-mind.
The episode's most powerful insight might be its closing metaphor: marketing as a flywheel that requires consistent momentum rather than stop-start seasonal efforts. By applying these principles, you'll transform what might have been a dramatic fall slump into your strongest Q4 yet. Whether you're battling refrigerant issues, equipment shortages, or staffing challenges, these strategies will help you finish summer strong and enter autumn with unstoppable momentum.
If you enjoyed this chat From the Yellow Chair, consider joining our newsletter, "Let's Sip Some Lemonade," where you can receive exclusive interviews, our bank of helpful downloadables, and updates on upcoming content.
Please consider following and drop a review below if you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to check out our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.
From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed, a marketing strategy and branding company for the trades. Lemon Seed specializes in rebrands, creating unique, comprehensive, organized marketing plans, social media, and graphic design. Learn more at www.LemonSeedMarketing.com
Interested in being a guest on our show? Fill out this form!
We'll see you next time, Lemon Heads!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up, lemonheads ?
Welcome to another episode ofFrom the Yellow Chair.
I'm Crystal and today I'm gonnatalk to you about riding that
summer wave to keep all of yourmarketing, keep all of the
momentum moving right into theshoulder season.
Get ready, get set, let's go,let's sip some lemonade, all
(00:27):
right?
So right now, I know that we'reall desperate, for how do we
keep things going, crystal?
How do we keep moving?
How do we finish summer strong?
How do we maximize the momentumand set up for a killer Q4?
I think there's just a couple ofthings that we have to do.
Number one like, right off thebat, let's get down to business,
let's review and refocus.
(00:48):
Right?
So right now, I'm in the mindof a contractor, back to live in
the days of when I was workingin the McWilliams office.
Summertime has a whole notherlevel of drama, right, so we've
got people getting hot.
So we're worried about likeactual, like heat index in Texas
, like it's a whole thing.
Right, so it feels like theLord is warning us.
(01:11):
What hell is going to feel likeevery single day that we walk
outside.
Right, so we feel like,basically, when we walk outside,
the heat just like hits us inthe face at 630 am.
So we're always thinking about,oh my gosh, our poor
technicians, our installinstallers, everybody that's out
in the field.
So that's one thing that all ofa sudden, is a layered like
thing that we as contractorshave to focus on right now.
We've got refrigerant issues,we've got equipment shortages,
(01:32):
we've got pieces of equipmentshortages.
We can't seem to find goodpeople, and when we do find good
people, they might be a littletiny bit high maintenance.
So we've just got all thethings right.
So today, my goal is to justhelp you review and refocus so
that we can look back at whathas been already working for us
so far this summer.
What isn't working, we can behonest with ourselves and we can
(01:53):
for sure make some notes andstart pivoting now so that we're
not just dead in the water comeSeptember, right?
So let's start with checkingour capacity.
Do you really have room to takeon more leads?
Are you just pushing andpushing and pushing?
I need more leads, I need moreleads or do you just need to
adjust your messaging to matchyour availability?
(02:13):
And so summertime is a cray,cray time to try to hire Right.
It's a difficult time.
It's like literally throwingthem in a fire.
Hey, I want you.
And a lot of times we get sodesperate, willing to take
mediocre team members thatreally don't fit our culture,
really don't fit ourexpectations of the customer
experience.
But you're so desperate thatyou're like let me take them and
I can fix them.
And really you can fix themwhen you're probably in a slower
(02:37):
shoulder season of time.
And same thing for plumbers,roofers, pest control people.
Right now, anytime you're inyour busy season, is a hard time
to hire and so we need to startpreparing.
You know when we need to bepreparing for hiring for summer
in September of the year.
So in September we need tostart hiring for next year's
summer.
Right, but we have to startright now.
Like, check your capacity.
(02:59):
Why are we spending money onlow barriers of entry offers
like, hey, $39 tune-ups or $59water heater flushes?
Well, we don't have enoughcapacity to even run our actual
demand calls that are coming inCorrect, right, following with
me here.
So, if anything, go in andadjust all of your messaging to
(03:21):
reflect high-end offers.
So are you ready to replace?
We have financing thingsthat'll just get you the
higher-end clients so thatyou're not filling your schedule
up.
Yes, but it's with that lowbarrier of entry.
Remember summertime for HVACpeople specifically, definitely
in the mid-country, down to thesouth, we don't necessarily need
(03:43):
any help because the weatherdrives everything.
So just check your capacitythere.
Just take a break, step backand look and see is my marketing
matching my capacity and myneeds right now?
And then let's, like I said,refocus those offers.
Are your promos still relevantfor late summer?
Is it now time for us to startthinking right now, in June, if
(04:04):
you're listening to this inearly summer, which that's all
relative to who lives in thatlife, but you know, ideally
we're thinking tune-ups andclean-outs and fall prep right,
so we need to be ready to adjustthat messaging.
Start now so that doesn't catchyou off guard.
I don't want you to look up inSeptember and be like, oh my
gosh, I'm still saying get yoursystem ready for the summer.
We're already through summer.
(04:25):
Right, we've got to get ahead.
Right, we need to get ahead ofthe game, not stuck in the back
where we're like, oh crap, Ineed to do this Again.
Where Lemon Seed excels ishelping you think forward, right
, okay, step number two After wefocus, after we review
everything, we know what'sworking, what's not working we
made our slight pivots, weupdate our messaging.
(04:46):
Now let's push that CTA bucketright, cta call to action.
So we have got to ramp upurgency based on that last
chance for summer savings beforeback to school hits.
Don't get caught, you know,with no air when the temp drops.
So this is all about thinkingthrough your, your where you are
(05:09):
in your seasonality as acompany, right, so any of you
can do last chance for summersavings.
So again we're we're trying tomake people that are on the edge
of doing something for theirhome services like do it, like
jump on over, make the decisionsir, like come on, let's go.
And so before, before back toschool.
So you know what, as a mom which, side note, pro tip most of you
(05:33):
should be talking to women inall of your messaging.
The majority of you should befocused on women, for sure.
So guess what happens when backto school hits?
So whether I'm worried about akid going off to college, my
kindergartner starting, whateverit is, you know what goes
through my mind is like oh Lord,drop off, pick up practice.
Do I have everything?
(05:54):
I got to spend a bunch of moneyschool clothes, school supplies
, what all do my kids need Lunchaccounts and, for me personally
, dorms.
I got like my child has to livein his own apartment, like all
of a sudden my kid needs to bean adult, right, but those are
all the things that are goingthrough my head.
So that really resonates withbusy moms Like, hey, before
school hits, let's get you allready for the fall.
And those of you that areblessed to have like actual four
(06:16):
seasons you have a true summer,spring, winter, fall
Congratulations, you live in.
The best parts of those of youthat have four seasons.
It's so nice because youactually can utilize that
seasonal speak and your actualdemographic lives in that as
(06:36):
well.
So for Texas, it's like do youwant to be hot as hell or mildly
hot?
So Christmas Day, we never knowif it's going to be raining.
Are we going to be in flipflops?
Do we need a parka?
Anything under 60 makes us haveto wear a parka and gloves.
We don't know how to survive.
But when you are talking throughall of the verbiage that you're
going to use, utilize whatworks for your market.
(06:59):
That's why, let me see, I can'tjust say say this, right, you
need to think through a femalehomeowner in your market that
experiences, your weatherpatterns, what matters to them,
right?
So urgency-based things, thingsthat have something that make
people at least kind of look atit and go do I have time to do
that, right?
Second thing there is create alimited time offer that ties
(07:21):
back.
So those of you that live inhurricane season and sell
generators, guess what we shouldbe promoting right Now.
Also, I'm scared.
So, like I live about two and ahalf hours from the coast um of
the gulf of mexico, america,whatever you want to call it, I
don't care, but, um, whereveryou live, I live about two and a
(07:42):
half hours from there, and sowe don't necessarily get the
hurricane itself.
We get the winds and the rains,but we get the evacuees, but
but we also will lose power.
We will lose things like thatbecause of the winds and things
that come through, and so if youlive anywhere near the coast,
you should have a whole campaignrunning all year long just
around hurricane preparednessand all of the verbiage that
(08:03):
matches that.
So if it's now like, hey, getyour system installed now,
before the hurricane seasonenters, hey, we are in hurricane
season, don't wait for thetornado alarms, right, like,
whatever?
Those of you that live inTornado Alley.
What are we doing?
We should be selling generatorshand over fist, but we should
be promoting them all year long,changing the messaging to speak
(08:28):
to the homeowner in whatthey're feeling and experiencing
.
Right then right.
And then also the third thingto push your call to action
bucket.
So you know, limit Seed hasthree bucket approach branding,
call to action and cultivatingyour existing database.
That call to action bucket iswhat we need to be focused on at
this particular moment in thisepisode.
But optimize channels that movefast.
(08:49):
So, in layman's terms, stuffthat's working fast, go do that,
go push into that.
Google local service ads Friend,if you are not Google local
verified right now, it'sliterally leaving money on the
table.
It is, I call it, like you gotthe good angel on one side and
you got the devil angel on theother side of your shoulder.
(09:10):
Right, the good angel is GLSA.
They only charge you when youactually use their services.
For the most part, they'refairly easy to work and you can
actually have pretty decentattribution between.
I spent $70, $100 for the leadand I got a lead from it.
Ppc over here.
That's the devil on my shoulder.
That devil goes down to Georgiaevery single day.
Okay, because all he's doing,it's got a whole personality.
(09:35):
Ppc is a whole little devildemon, because what happens is
he just running around, right,it's the wild, wild west.
Out there, people are clickety,clacking.
You got it out there, you knowyou need it.
It's expensive.
And listen, some people arekilling it with PPC and if
that's you don't change a thing.
Don't rock a boat that don'tneed to be rocked.
(09:56):
But those of you that are likeI got to keep throwing money
into PPC.
Number one are you on boardwith searchlights so you can see
if it's actually working?
Number two do you have trackingset up inside of whatever CRM
you're on?
Sorry, my East Texas came outwith whatever CRM that you are
on so that you can see is itactually working?
Are you just paying for clicksor you're now paying seven,
eight, $900, a thousand dollarsfor a lead?
(10:17):
So let's get serious aboutthings that move quickly Google,
local service ads, social mediaads, youtube ads Right now,
youtube ads are outperformingsocial media ads and you're like
well, youtube friends.
There used to be a lady thatworks at Lemon Seed.
She now works for my sister atthe pest control company a spot
on pest control, but she tellsme the other day we went to
(10:40):
something together and she'stelling me she says you know
what I do?
I love these.
This Chinese couple that cooksand I'm like, oh, are you
watching them on TikTok or whereshe goes?
No, youtube, I was like you'reon YouTube and she's like, oh,
yes, and so she follows all ofthese DIYs because she's kind of
a DIY.
She lives alone, so she doessome cool stuff and she's kind
of artsy anyway, so she loveslike crafting and DIY projects
(11:03):
and all that.
But God's like, hello, she'sthe decision maker for her home
and she's on GLSA watchingcooking shows and all these
different things.
So, hello, we need to be wherethe people are.
We have to aerial Disney'saerial.
I want to be where the peopleare.
I say it all the time.
We've got to get there.
So YouTube ads and social mediaads they need time to work.
(11:24):
So I'm talking on both sides ofmy mouth here a little bit, but
it's definitely something thatyou could plug in something and
get good response from.
It's definitely something thatyou could plug in something and
get good response from.
And then, hello, texting yourexisting database for anyone
that has not had a tune-up, thatyou did a replace a quote for
last year.
Did you have to add refrigerantlast year?
Can you add refrigerant thisyear?
Do you now offer financing Didthey make a repair last year
(11:47):
that you can give them 50% ofthat towards the purchase of a
new system?
Let's think outside the box onthese texting campaigns and
these email campaigns.
So optimize channels that movequickly, right, all right?
Step number three we are goingto plant seeds for Q4.
(12:08):
All the puns intended, plantseeds for Q4.
So start talking about fallprep in your mind and on paper.
And if you're a lemon seedclient, we are already working
on your fall plans.
But start thinking throughthose with your strategist from
the lemon seed team and yourmarketing coordinator from the
lemon seed team.
Let's start talking about howwe're getting ready for the fall
.
What are we going to do?
New things?
So this is when we can startthinking about can we partner
(12:31):
with a lawn care company to dogutter cleaning as a combo offer
?
Can we offer some insulationspecials Like, don't wait for
the winter, add insulation rightnow?
What about an insulationupgrade with a system
replacement, heater tune-upslike hey, it's hot outside right
now, let's check your heater.
Like you could do somethingkind of playing off of that,
(12:54):
especially those of you that aregoing to have a true fall and a
true winter.
So again, those of you that areliving the life that I live, go
ahead and check out theirheater right now, because you
know what we probably didn't do.
So our contractors are going tolaugh.
When we installed their newsystem, we probably didn't turn
their heater.
We probably didn't turn theirheater.
We probably didn't make itwhere their heater works.
So a lot of our callbackssometimes that I see from our
clients in the south is that wejust didn't even connect the
(13:16):
heater side.
So we go back out because thosetwo weeks of the year that you
need your heater we want to makesure that it works.
But insulation is a good one.
Gutter cleaning and thenpre-holiday plumbing checks.
So listen up, my plumbers thatare listening.
Right now is a great time to doa whole home plumbing
inspection where you go checkfor leaky faucets, leaky toilets
(13:36):
, broken um wax or wax seals no,broken seals around things.
Is the water shut off valvefixed?
Have you gone over, um thingsto do with the garbage disposal?
Are you looking for problemsthat could indicate there's a
problem at the main line likewhat can we do to get our homes
ready for the holidays, right?
So Christmas in July kind ofspecial, like hey, we're already
(13:59):
thinking about Christmas rightnow because we're thinking about
how you need to be prepared forthe holidays that are coming up
.
In the fall we're doing apre-holiday turkey time special,
right.
All kinds of cool things thatyou could be doing now to get
ready for Q4.
And then you can even launchsome things around a get ahead
(14:21):
campaign like book now forSeptember and October and
receive some sort of freebie,right, like a free indoor air
quality test or free water test.
Go ahead and book your tune upfor September and October now,
and when we come out there,we're going to bring you a $25.
I live in Texas.
What a burger gift card, in andout gift card.
Maybe there's a salad place,maybe there's something that's
on brand for you.
So maybe you have a bear andyou want to do honey, or you
(14:44):
have lemons and you want to dolemonade.
What is something cool that youcan take with you?
No-transcript, right?
No one goes.
Check that off my list fortoday because it didn't want
(15:05):
happening.
So we've got to add some funand some flair and some brand to
it, right?
So let's get ahead of the gameand be like hey, book now for
September and October andreceive this bonus or freebie or
priority scheduling or whateverwe want it to be, and then
making sure that you arebuilding a list throughout this
(15:25):
summer of people that you aregoing to rehash.
Are your CSRs tagging everyopportunity?
Are you monitoring?
Basically guys I'm going towhisper because it's kind of a
secret Basically, you'rebuilding a file that we are
going to nurture Let me use theword nurture because nagging is
(15:46):
not nice.
Nurture throughout the fall.
Hey, we were out there duringthe summer.
We offered this during thesummer.
We had to come out and servicethis.
We need to service that.
We offer financing.
Right, we want to nurture allof your summer business that
didn't convert.
So make sure that your CSRs aretagging things and entering
(16:07):
information correctly.
That CSR man is so importantoff the jump.
So make sure that you're there.
Number four let's move on toboost your database cultivation,
that third bucket that's LemonSeeds' strategic plan of how we
set things up.
Hit your existing customerswith those thank you emails,
review request and upgradepromos right, are you thanking
(16:29):
everyone for the service thatyou've done and asking for a
referral?
Are you reviewing requests andare you asking for upgrade
promos?
Hey, miss williams, I see thatwe're coming out there today to
do the tune-up checkout.
Whatever.
Um, you know what?
One thing we're offering rightnow is an indoor air quality um
upgrade.
If it is something that youwould like to invest in now or
consider now, we're actuallyoffering a discount if you do it
(16:51):
at the same time we do yourtune-up.
Hey, did you know that we nowoffer plumbing?
If you let us do a plumbingvisual plumbing inspection for
you, it's absolutely free andit's a part of us being there to
do your tune-up.
So, again, even though you havean HVAC technician, they might
not can do a true plumbingservice, but they can visually
inspect for leaks and thingslike that.
(17:12):
Again, guys, you've got tothink outside the box for your
team and how you can make thesethings happen.
But really, what you want outof your CSR mentioning that
upgrade promo is conversation.
Oh my gosh, I didn't know.
You guys offered plumbing.
Yes, actually, I see thatyou're not a part of our
membership club.
I mean, it leads into so muchgood conversation.
Oh hi, ms Williams, thank youfor calling us today.
(17:33):
Are you a Sailor Max savingsmember?
I have no caller.
I have no idea what that means.
Oh well, that's actually ourmembership program where you get
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Right, guys, we're missing theboat because we're too scared to
ask our CSRs to make options.
We're too scared to push ourtechnicians to provide options.
Well, they don't want to besalesy.
(17:54):
Well, do you not want to makepayroll?
That's the way I look at it.
Like, do you don't want to makepayroll?
You don't want to hit yoursales goals?
Get our people providingoptions.
It it is so important.
Next thing is, if you're notdropping email newsletters, drop
a big newsletter If it'se-newsletter or one in the mail.
Listen, I love a goodnewsletter in the mail.
(18:14):
Killer Love it.
Definitely one of my favoritethings End of summer home
checklist.
Right, it's an email from you,branded for you, written
editorially for your brand.
Be authentic, be raw.
Send that email out or get ittyped up and get it from one of
your mailing companies.
So if you're a limited client,we're happy to connect you with
(18:36):
any of our direct mail vendors,but getting it set up to where
you can mail out this end ofsummer home checklist.
Feature articles.
Feature a customer of the month, feature something cool that
you have going on some awards.
You've done community work.
You've done it is literallybranding perfection, right.
And then start that referralpitch.
(18:56):
Refer a neighbor before schoolstarts and we're sending you a
gift card.
Refer a friend, refer a familymember.
Friends and family, talk freelike what can you do, right?
And then, last but not least,let me throw this little tidbit
in there Be seen at local events.
School is about to be back insession or you need to be
preparing for school to be backin session.
So there's back to schoolevents, there's tailgating,
(19:19):
there's farmers markets andevents.
Just get intentional aboutshowing up.
Hire somebody part-time to showup for you right.
Post behind the scenes contentas your content is wrapping up,
you know.
Go out to your installs andvideo them sweaty and installing
and the tape looking perfect.
Or this old, ratty water heatersitting in the back of your
(19:41):
trucks, but this new, pretty onewith your custom sticker put on
it in the home.
Get behind there and then startteasing about what's coming
this fall and really all you'retalking about is you're going to
provide the same great service.
You're going to provide greatfinancing offers.
Just start talking about it,right?
And then here's my little bonusthing I need y'all to have a
(20:01):
mind shift, focus, a mindsetshift, maybe.
Let me say so don't just coastinto fall man.
Don't waste all this momentum.
Convert that summer hustle intosome momentum for Q4.
So, hey, you're hot, you'retired, you're working, but you
know what the phone is ringingfor most of you.
(20:22):
You're getting good money.
This is where you make themajority of your money all year
long.
Push, guys, push, we can do it.
And then marketing is aflywheel.
So keep spinning.
Keep spinning it now and it'llserve you when that slow season
hits right.
Guys, thank you so much forlistening to another episode of
From the Yellow Chair.
This one was fast and furious,but it's just to give you energy
(20:42):
and help you push through thesummer knowing what you can do
to really take marketing anddrive your business forward.
You can hit your goals.
You will hit your goals.
It's going to be a great restof the year for 2025.
So let's do it.
It was great talking to you.
If you like what you've heardtoday, please leave us a review.
If not, I'll see you on thenext side.
What's up, lemonheads ?
Welcome to another episode ofFrom the Yellow Chair.
I'm Crystal and today I'm gonnatalk to you about riding that
summer wave to keep all of yourmarketing, keep all of the
momentum moving right into theshoulder season.
Get ready, get set, let's go,let's sip some lemonade, all
(00:27):
right?
So right now, I know that we'reall desperate, for how do we
keep things going, crystal?
How do we keep moving?
How do we finish summer strong?
How do we maximize the momentumand set up for a killer Q4?
I think there's just a couple ofthings that we have to do.
Number one like, right off thebat, let's get down to business,
let's review and refocus.
(00:48):
Right?
So right now, I'm in the mindof a contractor, back to live in
the days of when I was workingin the McWilliams office.
Summertime has a whole notherlevel of drama, right, so we've
got people getting hot.
So we're worried about likeactual, like heat index in Texas
, like it's a whole thing.
Right, so it feels like theLord is warning us.
(01:11):
What hell is going to feel likeevery single day that we walk
outside.
Right, so we feel like,basically, when we walk outside,
the heat just like hits us inthe face at 630 am.
So we're always thinking about,oh my gosh, our poor
technicians, our installinstallers, everybody that's out
in the field.
So that's one thing that all ofa sudden, is a layered like
thing that we as contractorshave to focus on right now.
We've got refrigerant issues,we've got equipment shortages,
(01:32):
we've got pieces of equipmentshortages.
We can't seem to find goodpeople, and when we do find good
people, they might be a littletiny bit high maintenance.
So we've just got all thethings right.
So today, my goal is to justhelp you review and refocus so
that we can look back at whathas been already working for us
so far this summer.
What isn't working, we can behonest with ourselves and we can
(01:53):
for sure make some notes andstart pivoting now so that we're
not just dead in the water comeSeptember, right?
So let's start with checkingour capacity.
Do you really have room to takeon more leads?
Are you just pushing andpushing and pushing?
I need more leads, I need moreleads or do you just need to
adjust your messaging to matchyour availability?
(02:13):
And so summertime is a cray,cray time to try to hire Right.
It's a difficult time.
It's like literally throwingthem in a fire.
Hey, I want you.
And a lot of times we get sodesperate, willing to take
mediocre team members thatreally don't fit our culture,
really don't fit ourexpectations of the customer
experience.
But you're so desperate thatyou're like let me take them and
I can fix them.
And really you can fix themwhen you're probably in a slower
(02:37):
shoulder season of time.
And same thing for plumbers,roofers, pest control people.
Right now, anytime you're inyour busy season, is a hard time
to hire and so we need to startpreparing.
You know when we need to bepreparing for hiring for summer
in September of the year.
So in September we need tostart hiring for next year's
summer.
Right, but we have to startright now.
Like, check your capacity.
(02:59):
Why are we spending money onlow barriers of entry offers
like, hey, $39 tune-ups or $59water heater flushes?
Well, we don't have enoughcapacity to even run our actual
demand calls that are coming inCorrect, right, following with
me here.
So, if anything, go in andadjust all of your messaging to
(03:21):
reflect high-end offers.
So are you ready to replace?
We have financing thingsthat'll just get you the
higher-end clients so thatyou're not filling your schedule
up.
Yes, but it's with that lowbarrier of entry.
Remember summertime for HVACpeople specifically, definitely
in the mid-country, down to thesouth, we don't necessarily need
(03:43):
any help because the weatherdrives everything.
So just check your capacitythere.
Just take a break, step backand look and see is my marketing
matching my capacity and myneeds right now?
And then let's, like I said,refocus those offers.
Are your promos still relevantfor late summer?
Is it now time for us to startthinking right now, in June, if
(04:04):
you're listening to this inearly summer, which that's all
relative to who lives in thatlife, but you know, ideally
we're thinking tune-ups andclean-outs and fall prep right,
so we need to be ready to adjustthat messaging.
Start now so that doesn't catchyou off guard.
I don't want you to look up inSeptember and be like, oh my
gosh, I'm still saying get yoursystem ready for the summer.
We're already through summer.
(04:25):
Right, we've got to get ahead.
Right, we need to get ahead ofthe game, not stuck in the back
where we're like, oh crap, Ineed to do this Again.
Where Lemon Seed excels ishelping you think forward, right
, okay, step number two After wefocus, after we review
everything, we know what'sworking, what's not working we
made our slight pivots, weupdate our messaging.
(04:46):
Now let's push that CTA bucketright, cta call to action.
So we have got to ramp upurgency based on that last
chance for summer savings beforeback to school hits.
Don't get caught, you know,with no air when the temp drops.
So this is all about thinkingthrough your, your where you are
(05:09):
in your seasonality as acompany, right, so any of you
can do last chance for summersavings.
So again we're we're trying tomake people that are on the edge
of doing something for theirhome services like do it, like
jump on over, make the decisionsir, like come on, let's go.
And so before, before back toschool.
So you know what, as a mom which, side note, pro tip most of you
(05:33):
should be talking to women inall of your messaging.
The majority of you should befocused on women, for sure.
So guess what happens when backto school hits?
So whether I'm worried about akid going off to college, my
kindergartner starting, whateverit is, you know what goes
through my mind is like oh Lord,drop off, pick up practice.
Do I have everything?
(05:54):
I got to spend a bunch of moneyschool clothes, school supplies
, what all do my kids need Lunchaccounts and, for me personally
, dorms.
I got like my child has to livein his own apartment, like all
of a sudden my kid needs to bean adult, right, but those are
all the things that are goingthrough my head.
So that really resonates withbusy moms Like, hey, before
school hits, let's get you allready for the fall.
And those of you that areblessed to have like actual four
(06:16):
seasons you have a true summer,spring, winter, fall
Congratulations, you live in.
The best parts of those of youthat have four seasons.
It's so nice because youactually can utilize that
seasonal speak and your actualdemographic lives in that as
(06:36):
well.
So for Texas, it's like do youwant to be hot as hell or mildly
hot?
So Christmas Day, we never knowif it's going to be raining.
Are we going to be in flipflops?
Do we need a parka?
Anything under 60 makes us haveto wear a parka and gloves.
We don't know how to survive.
But when you are talking throughall of the verbiage that you're
going to use, utilize whatworks for your market.
(06:59):
That's why, let me see, I can'tjust say say this, right, you
need to think through a femalehomeowner in your market that
experiences, your weatherpatterns, what matters to them,
right?
So urgency-based things, thingsthat have something that make
people at least kind of look atit and go do I have time to do
that, right?
Second thing there is create alimited time offer that ties
(07:21):
back.
So those of you that live inhurricane season and sell
generators, guess what we shouldbe promoting right Now.
Also, I'm scared.
So, like I live about two and ahalf hours from the coast um of
the gulf of mexico, america,whatever you want to call it, I
don't care, but, um, whereveryou live, I live about two and a
(07:42):
half hours from there, and sowe don't necessarily get the
hurricane itself.
We get the winds and the rains,but we get the evacuees, but
but we also will lose power.
We will lose things like thatbecause of the winds and things
that come through, and so if youlive anywhere near the coast,
you should have a whole campaignrunning all year long just
around hurricane preparednessand all of the verbiage that
(08:03):
matches that.
So if it's now like, hey, getyour system installed now,
before the hurricane seasonenters, hey, we are in hurricane
season, don't wait for thetornado alarms, right, like,
whatever?
Those of you that live inTornado Alley.
What are we doing?
We should be selling generatorshand over fist, but we should
be promoting them all year long,changing the messaging to speak
(08:28):
to the homeowner in whatthey're feeling and experiencing
.
Right then right.
And then also the third thingto push your call to action
bucket.
So you know, limit Seed hasthree bucket approach branding,
call to action and cultivatingyour existing database.
That call to action bucket iswhat we need to be focused on at
this particular moment in thisepisode.
But optimize channels that movefast.
(08:49):
So, in layman's terms, stuffthat's working fast, go do that,
go push into that.
Google local service ads Friend,if you are not Google local
verified right now, it'sliterally leaving money on the
table.
It is, I call it, like you gotthe good angel on one side and
you got the devil angel on theother side of your shoulder.
(09:10):
Right, the good angel is GLSA.
They only charge you when youactually use their services.
For the most part, they'refairly easy to work and you can
actually have pretty decentattribution between.
I spent $70, $100 for the leadand I got a lead from it.
Ppc over here.
That's the devil on my shoulder.
That devil goes down to Georgiaevery single day.
Okay, because all he's doing,it's got a whole personality.
(09:35):
Ppc is a whole little devildemon, because what happens is
he just running around, right,it's the wild, wild west.
Out there, people are clickety,clacking.
You got it out there, you knowyou need it.
It's expensive.
And listen, some people arekilling it with PPC and if
that's you don't change a thing.
Don't rock a boat that don'tneed to be rocked.
(09:56):
But those of you that are likeI got to keep throwing money
into PPC.
Number one are you on boardwith searchlights so you can see
if it's actually working?
Number two do you have trackingset up inside of whatever CRM
you're on?
Sorry, my East Texas came outwith whatever CRM that you are
on so that you can see is itactually working?
Are you just paying for clicksor you're now paying seven,
eight, $900, a thousand dollarsfor a lead?
(10:17):
So let's get serious aboutthings that move quickly Google,
local service ads, social mediaads, youtube ads Right now,
youtube ads are outperformingsocial media ads and you're like
well, youtube friends.
There used to be a lady thatworks at Lemon Seed.
She now works for my sister atthe pest control company a spot
on pest control, but she tellsme the other day we went to
(10:40):
something together and she'stelling me she says you know
what I do?
I love these.
This Chinese couple that cooksand I'm like, oh, are you
watching them on TikTok or whereshe goes?
No, youtube, I was like you'reon YouTube and she's like, oh,
yes, and so she follows all ofthese DIYs because she's kind of
a DIY.
She lives alone, so she doessome cool stuff and she's kind
of artsy anyway, so she loveslike crafting and DIY projects
(11:03):
and all that.
But God's like, hello, she'sthe decision maker for her home
and she's on GLSA watchingcooking shows and all these
different things.
So, hello, we need to be wherethe people are.
We have to aerial Disney'saerial.
I want to be where the peopleare.
I say it all the time.
We've got to get there.
So YouTube ads and social mediaads they need time to work.
(11:24):
So I'm talking on both sides ofmy mouth here a little bit, but
it's definitely something thatyou could plug in something and
get good response from.
It's definitely something thatyou could plug in something and
get good response from.
And then, hello, texting yourexisting database for anyone
that has not had a tune-up, thatyou did a replace a quote for
last year.
Did you have to add refrigerantlast year?
Can you add refrigerant thisyear?
Do you now offer financing Didthey make a repair last year
(11:47):
that you can give them 50% ofthat towards the purchase of a
new system?
Let's think outside the box onthese texting campaigns and
these email campaigns.
So optimize channels that movequickly, right, all right?
Step number three we are goingto plant seeds for Q4.
(12:08):
All the puns intended, plantseeds for Q4.
So start talking about fallprep in your mind and on paper.
And if you're a lemon seedclient, we are already working
on your fall plans.
But start thinking throughthose with your strategist from
the lemon seed team and yourmarketing coordinator from the
lemon seed team.
Let's start talking about howwe're getting ready for the fall
.
What are we going to do?
New things?
So this is when we can startthinking about can we partner
(12:31):
with a lawn care company to dogutter cleaning as a combo offer
?
Can we offer some insulationspecials Like, don't wait for
the winter, add insulation rightnow?
What about an insulationupgrade with a system
replacement, heater tune-upslike hey, it's hot outside right
now, let's check your heater.
Like you could do somethingkind of playing off of that,
(12:54):
especially those of you that aregoing to have a true fall and a
true winter.
So again, those of you that areliving the life that I live, go
ahead and check out theirheater right now, because you
know what we probably didn't do.
So our contractors are going tolaugh.
When we installed their newsystem, we probably didn't turn
their heater.
We probably didn't turn theirheater.
We probably didn't make itwhere their heater works.
So a lot of our callbackssometimes that I see from our
clients in the south is that wejust didn't even connect the
(13:16):
heater side.
So we go back out because thosetwo weeks of the year that you
need your heater we want to makesure that it works.
But insulation is a good one.
Gutter cleaning and thenpre-holiday plumbing checks.
So listen up, my plumbers thatare listening.
Right now is a great time to doa whole home plumbing
inspection where you go checkfor leaky faucets, leaky toilets
(13:36):
, broken um wax or wax seals no,broken seals around things.
Is the water shut off valvefixed?
Have you gone over, um thingsto do with the garbage disposal?
Are you looking for problemsthat could indicate there's a
problem at the main line likewhat can we do to get our homes
ready for the holidays, right?
So Christmas in July kind ofspecial, like hey, we're already
(13:59):
thinking about Christmas rightnow because we're thinking about
how you need to be prepared forthe holidays that are coming up
.
In the fall we're doing apre-holiday turkey time special,
right.
All kinds of cool things thatyou could be doing now to get
ready for Q4.
And then you can even launchsome things around a get ahead
(14:21):
campaign like book now forSeptember and October and
receive some sort of freebie,right, like a free indoor air
quality test or free water test.
Go ahead and book your tune upfor September and October now,
and when we come out there,we're going to bring you a $25.
I live in Texas.
What a burger gift card, in andout gift card.
Maybe there's a salad place,maybe there's something that's
on brand for you.
So maybe you have a bear andyou want to do honey, or you
(14:44):
have lemons and you want to dolemonade.
What is something cool that youcan take with you?
No-transcript, right?
No one goes.
Check that off my list fortoday because it didn't want
(15:05):
happening.
So we've got to add some funand some flair and some brand to
it, right?
So let's get ahead of the gameand be like hey, book now for
September and October andreceive this bonus or freebie or
priority scheduling or whateverwe want it to be, and then
making sure that you arebuilding a list throughout this
(15:25):
summer of people that you aregoing to rehash.
Are your CSRs tagging everyopportunity?
Are you monitoring?
Basically guys I'm going towhisper because it's kind of a
secret Basically, you'rebuilding a file that we are
going to nurture Let me use theword nurture because nagging is
(15:46):
not nice.
Nurture throughout the fall.
Hey, we were out there duringthe summer.
We offered this during thesummer.
We had to come out and servicethis.
We need to service that.
We offer financing.
Right, we want to nurture allof your summer business that
didn't convert.
So make sure that your CSRs aretagging things and entering
(16:07):
information correctly.
That CSR man is so importantoff the jump.
So make sure that you're there.
Number four let's move on toboost your database cultivation,
that third bucket that's LemonSeeds' strategic plan of how we
set things up.
Hit your existing customerswith those thank you emails,
review request and upgradepromos right, are you thanking
(16:29):
everyone for the service thatyou've done and asking for a
referral?
Are you reviewing requests andare you asking for upgrade
promos?
Hey, miss williams, I see thatwe're coming out there today to
do the tune-up checkout.
Whatever.
Um, you know what?
One thing we're offering rightnow is an indoor air quality um
upgrade.
If it is something that youwould like to invest in now or
consider now, we're actuallyoffering a discount if you do it
(16:51):
at the same time we do yourtune-up.
Hey, did you know that we nowoffer plumbing?
If you let us do a plumbingvisual plumbing inspection for
you, it's absolutely free andit's a part of us being there to
do your tune-up.
So, again, even though you havean HVAC technician, they might
not can do a true plumbingservice, but they can visually
inspect for leaks and thingslike that.
(17:12):
Again, guys, you've got tothink outside the box for your
team and how you can make thesethings happen.
But really, what you want outof your CSR mentioning that
upgrade promo is conversation.
Oh my gosh, I didn't know.
You guys offered plumbing.
Yes, actually, I see thatyou're not a part of our
membership club.
I mean, it leads into so muchgood conversation.
Oh hi, ms Williams, thank youfor calling us today.
(17:33):
Are you a Sailor Max savingsmember?
I have no caller.
I have no idea what that means.
Oh well, that's actually ourmembership program where you get
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Right, guys, we're missing theboat because we're too scared to
ask our CSRs to make options.
We're too scared to push ourtechnicians to provide options.
Well, they don't want to besalesy.
(17:54):
Well, do you not want to makepayroll?
That's the way I look at it.
Like, do you don't want to makepayroll?
You don't want to hit yoursales goals?
Get our people providingoptions.
It it is so important.
Next thing is, if you're notdropping email newsletters, drop
a big newsletter If it'se-newsletter or one in the mail.
Listen, I love a goodnewsletter in the mail.
(18:14):
Killer Love it.
Definitely one of my favoritethings End of summer home
checklist.
Right, it's an email from you,branded for you, written
editorially for your brand.
Be authentic, be raw.
Send that email out or get ittyped up and get it from one of
your mailing companies.
So if you're a limited client,we're happy to connect you with
(18:36):
any of our direct mail vendors,but getting it set up to where
you can mail out this end ofsummer home checklist.
Feature articles.
Feature a customer of the month, feature something cool that
you have going on some awards.
You've done community work.
You've done it is literallybranding perfection, right.
And then start that referralpitch.
(18:56):
Refer a neighbor before schoolstarts and we're sending you a
gift card.
Refer a friend, refer a familymember.
Friends and family, talk freelike what can you do, right?
And then, last but not least,let me throw this little tidbit
in there Be seen at local events.
School is about to be back insession or you need to be
preparing for school to be backin session.
So there's back to schoolevents, there's tailgating,
(19:19):
there's farmers markets andevents.
Just get intentional aboutshowing up.
Hire somebody part-time to showup for you right.
Post behind the scenes contentas your content is wrapping up,
you know.
Go out to your installs andvideo them sweaty and installing
and the tape looking perfect.
Or this old, ratty water heatersitting in the back of your
(19:41):
trucks, but this new, pretty onewith your custom sticker put on
it in the home.
Get behind there and then startteasing about what's coming
this fall and really all you'retalking about is you're going to
provide the same great service.
You're going to provide greatfinancing offers.
Just start talking about it,right?
And then here's my little bonusthing I need y'all to have a
(20:01):
mind shift, focus, a mindsetshift, maybe.
Let me say so don't just coastinto fall man.
Don't waste all this momentum.
Convert that summer hustle intosome momentum for Q4.
So, hey, you're hot, you'retired, you're working, but you
know what the phone is ringingfor most of you.
(20:22):
You're getting good money.
This is where you make themajority of your money all year
long.
Push, guys, push, we can do it.
And then marketing is aflywheel.
So keep spinning.
Keep spinning it now and it'llserve you when that slow season
hits right.
Guys, thank you so much forlistening to another episode of
From the Yellow Chair.
This one was fast and furious,but it's just to give you energy
(20:42):
and help you push through thesummer knowing what you can do
to really take marketing anddrive your business forward.
You can hit your goals.
You will hit your goals.
It's going to be a great restof the year for 2025.
So let's do it.
It was great talking to you.
If you like what you've heardtoday, please leave us a review.
If not, I'll see you on thenext side.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.