September 19, 2024 • 38 mins
Welcome to another dynamic episode of The TradeMarke! Today, we have the extraordinary Tommy Mello, founder of A1 Garage Door Service and host of The Home Service Expert podcast, joining Sarah Ghirardo and Eric Thomas. Tommy shares his inspiring journey, personal growth, and how he balances life and business with passion and efficiency.
In this episode, Tommy discusses the importance of personal branding, the power of relationships in marketing, and the game-changing strategies that have propelled his success. He also opens up about his lifestyle changes, from hiring a chef and a driver to focusing on health and wellness, and how these have positively impacted his business and personal life.
Tommy's insights on leadership, delegation, and creating a legacy are invaluable for anyone looking to elevate their game in the trades and marketing industries. Plus, don't miss his exciting updates on upcoming events and innovative marketing tools that are set to revolutionize the industry.
Tune in for a conversation filled with actionable advice, heartfelt stories, and the motivation to make your mark in the trades. Whether you're a trade professional, a marketing expert, or somewhere in between, this episode is packed with inspiration and strategies to help you succeed.
Stay connected with us for more engaging conversations and innovative ideas.
Resources from the show:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
What is going on, everyone? Welcome back to another episode of The Trademark.
And we've got a good one for you today.
Got my boy Tommy Guns on the show. Tommy Mello. Tommy, how are you doing?
I'm good. I'm really glad to be here. It's going to be fun.
Super excited. We got a lot of good stuff that we're going to be chatting about.
(00:21):
And I hope that you all are as excited as I am. So let's go ahead and dig in.
Step into The Trademark, your go-to podcast for everything marketing in the trades.
Hosted by award-winning industry marketing experts, Sarah Girardo from Remarketable
and Eric Thomas from Rival Digital.
Together, we're here to unite the worlds of trades and marketing,
(00:42):
bringing you insights, stories, and strategies from the heart of the industry.
Whether you're a trade professional, a marketing expert, or somewhere in between,
this is the place for you.
Listen in as we're here for the big ideas, the game changers,
and the everyday successes.
Because at The Trademark, we're with the trades and for the trades.
(01:06):
Oh, what's going on? I've got a really good question of the day for you all.
And Tommy, I'm super excited to hear your answer about this one.
Tommy, if you were stranded on an island and you could only have three things,
what would they be and why?
Oh, my gosh. On an island with no electricity or what? No electricity. No electricity?
(01:30):
So I couldn't have my golden tea. Is this people, things? Could I have my dog?
It's three. Just think about it. Like, three. Don't overthink it.
Okay, so I want a golden tea because I love the game. I probably have a pool table.
I mean, you know, if it's not people, I'll forget Bree and my parents and my
(01:51):
sister and niece, nephews, and all that.
I'd probably want my dogs with me, though.
So some stuff to do, and they just bring me a lot of joy. They're kind of like
kids, but they don't talk back.
I don't know. My dog's pretty loud.
I agree. Well, super excited to dig in. Sarah, how are you doing?
(02:17):
Great, as always. Great, as always. and Tommy.
Tommy, you've been doing a lot lately. You got a lot of things moving around.
Let's catch the listeners up because we've recorded before.
But if you don't mind, just go ahead and tell our listeners out there some of
the stuff that you've been up to over the past year or so.
Yeah, it's been a busy year. The podcast, The Home Service Expert is number
(02:39):
12 in North America on Apple for business. And it's number one for business management.
There's nothing I like more than doing this kind of stuff. Learning from people,
having conversations, taking notes and implementing. So that's fantastic.
I live in another house now in Paradise Valley, and we're doing a lot of construction
(02:59):
between Paradise Valley, Arizona and Sandpoint, Idaho.
And I thought I was going to hate the construction, but I'm actually liking
the idea of my dreams coming to life. So that's great.
I hired a chef and I hired a driver, and I say that as humbly as possible.
I'm working with Dan Martell, the author of Buy Back Your Time,
(03:21):
and just really starting to get focused on where my time is best spent.
And I started taking health very, very seriously.
More energy, better sleep, better food, less alcohol, the whole thing.
I've got the ice bath and the sauna, very hard working out.
(03:42):
And just really traveling a lot. A1, we bought a new company two days ago,
bought another one that'll close on the 23rd, hired some really,
really, really amazing assets for the company.
These people are just so amazing.
And A1 every week, practically every day, every month, every quarter has been a record.
(04:03):
And a lot of people say, it's just, it's so hard for home service right now.
And I just completely disagree.
I think that people got to change their mindset and focus on the who, not how.
And I've just, you know, I just got baptized. So I've always been very strong
in faith with Jesus Christ.
But my mom and dad didn't remember if I got baptized. So I was like,
(04:25):
got to make sure that that's getting done.
So going to church every Sunday when I'm not traveling, speaking on a lot of
fun stages, working on a couple more books, just staying busy, but truly enjoying it.
Like I'm doing what's easy, lucrative and fun.
Like, I don't feel like I ever go to work. And I truly mean that like so many
(04:45):
people you see on these type of podcasts, they, you see what they say and they
don't do like they live this nightmare outside of what, like their social profile.
And I I'm really, really having a lot of fun and I'm really,
each day is like a, a fun token for me.
It's just, you couldn't really get it much better. And I truly mean that.
(05:06):
So it's been a fun ride and I'm fun.
I'm having fun with where we're going and I'm actually enjoying the journey. I'm reflecting more.
So there's a lot more, but that's kind of a nutshell.
Yeah, that's a lot, which is great, right? Like everyone loves to have a lot
to do, but what do you do for fun?
Like beside, this is fun. Like to me, this is fun, but like fun.
(05:31):
Yeah. So, you know, I just went on a golf trip. We went to Traverse City, Michigan.
I had my cousins, my dad, my brother-in-law, his brothers, it was about 24 of us.
I enjoy golfing i played a lot of pickleball i was in milwaukee with my sister
and my niece and nephews for july 4th we had a lot of fun a lot of fun i got
them i'm paying them for a book club to read a book a month 400 bucks each we
(05:55):
read uh rich dad poor dad together and i them.
I i like i said i play a lot of golden tea a big buck hunter when i'm at the
house don't watch a lot of tv working out's fun walking is fun we do we do a
lot i don't consider work and fun to be,
opposites i try to find this life
(06:19):
pleasure all the time and i'm
just getting really serious about who i'm hanging around with and who i'm building
relationships with and i'm working on saying no which is very difficult for
me because i try to pay it forward but it's almost established was shoving me
not to say no because there are people that depend on me for a lot of things
and I can't be everything to everyone. Yeah, listen.
(06:42):
I do a lot. I go bowling quite a bit. I do enjoy the movie theater.
I do a lot more than people think. They think I only work. They think I'm like
this machine that doesn't sleep. I know how to turn off and just chill.
And I'm enjoying it. Yeah. I will say, I played Buck Hunter at your house at
(07:03):
Service World Expo last year against Justin Judd from Chirp.
And I just want to say, he had an unfair advantage because my gun wasn't working.
That's the story that I will stick with for the rest of my life.
You mentioned Buy Back Your Time. This is an awesome book.
By the way, for anyone listening, totally love that.
And that's cool that you're working with Dan. I also heard you mentioned that
(07:23):
you've hired a driver and a cook and some other stuff, which I imagine is probably
some of the concepts you got out of that book.
What has following and practicing and implementing these tactics or this strategy,
if you will, how has that affected your day-to-day performance and your bandwidth
and everything like that? Matt?
(07:44):
It's everything. I can't even put it into words because I've studied under Al
Levy, the seven power contractor.
And he taught me all the principles to own and run a business and paint a vision
and delegate properly and manual standard operating procedures and the structure,
the organizational chart.
And I never applied this things to my personal life. So now there's two pieces of floss in the shower.
(08:08):
I brush my teeth in the shower. The toothpaste face is already on the toothbrush.
I mean, it's over the top. We've like...
The procedures, like, I didn't even ask for this. We just hired somebody super
experienced. They wear shirts that says Mellow Estates.
Literally, like, I didn't pack my bag. It's packed. I've got the whole Zoom
meeting set up in the Mercedes Sprinter van.
(08:30):
And I really am saying this humbly. Like, I'm not saying, like,
look at me, look at this cocky guy.
Like, I'm a blue collar guy. I wear the same shirt. I got 15 of these shirts.
Like, I want to be very, like, people to understand where I'm coming from.
I thought, I don't need all those things.
And then Dan was like, what do you mean? Do you, you want to be productive?
You want to own your schedule.
(08:52):
So like, I mean, I just had a most amazing meal ever that I were literally putting
all my food into this app.
And I know my macros and I feel more energy and it's healthy and it's delicious.
It's so much easier to get things done than I've ever thought possible.
I've got an amazing executive assistant. We're bringing on a second one.
(09:15):
We've got a media team. I'm hiring 15 more people for that. I've got 63 brand
new technicians and installers starting next month.
It's allowing me to scale quicker and delegate more.
And, you know, all of my, I take NAD, I take a shot of that every morning. It's all set up.
I started drinking really, really good water out of this copper thing.
(09:36):
And it's all set up. it's like i can't really put into words how much easier
my life has got it was the best investment i've ever made later to anybody that
just has the ability and the resources to get that i i can't,
until you feel how great it is it's just i'm always the person that wants to
(09:59):
take the fastest way to get to a destination and the shortcuts the easy like
i don't have to make my bed and i don't mind making my bed,
but the way they make the bed, it's like I sleep better.
I started wearing this Oura ring, so I'm keeping track of my sleep.
It's very, very, it's like I'm enjoying life at a deeper level.
(10:20):
I really am. And I'm smiling more and I'm happier and more energetic.
And it's important. And I'm putting a lot more time and energy into my health
and my just aura and just this, like how I, how I treat other people and reflecting more.
So I know that's a long sentence, but it's, it's really, really impactful with what we're working on.
(10:44):
Yeah. And I think it's important to get rid of the $10 task.
And that's what I tell Eric, right? I'm like, why are you mowing your lawn?
Like, why are you cleaning your house?
Right. Like minimum wage crap. Right.
Like, and it's not just crap. It's just like, it's, it's your,
your salary is more than that.
Like, don't spend your time doing a $10 task when there are people that would
(11:06):
love to do those $10 tasks.
Yeah. Don't, don't do the $10 task because you'll end up with poison ivy.
And Sarah's like, what are you going to do about it? I was like,
I'm gonna go get a Bretton zone shot at urgent care after work.
She was like, no, what are you actually gonna do about it?
Yeah, most definitely. And I love that you're delegating in the most humble way, right?
(11:29):
Of course, as you get more money, you get more things that happens,
but your lifestyle changes.
But it's about changing it to make you more efficient and automated just as
you are in business, is what I would say and what I'm working towards, right?
As a single mom, you're just like, how can I automate this? Who can do this
for me? Like, what's the delegation look like?
And what's the task management? So I think what you're saying completely makes
(11:52):
sense as, you know, you have more resources, the resources are to develop more
efficiency in your life, to make a more joyous life and more joyous time, right?
Well, memories and experiences are all we have. So might as well make the most
out of them. and optimize each and every day.
I actually like traveling. I hate being away.
(12:13):
Dogs become kids. I don't have kids yet.
I think it's in the future. I think I'll be a great dad. I think that'll become
my life. I think that's what's supposed to happen.
I always planned since I was a son when I was born.
On my mom's birthday, I just said, man, I want to be a parent.
I want to love something more than myself.
(12:34):
And I do love a lot of people more than me, but.
I don't mind like jumping on a plane and like doing fun stuff.
I'm pretty, I'm one of those people that I need to be around people,
but I'm trying to force myself to be alone as well, to just get comfortable
speaking to myself and getting to know myself more.
(12:54):
I mean, I've got voices in my head, like I'm doing math all the time.
I've got my calculator. It's the most open app on my phone, but I just, man, it's so much fun.
And if you just look and enjoy the journey it's
not the destination and make the most out of it
better your best you know i'm the worst i've ever been but
the best the best i've ever been but the worst i'll ever be
(13:16):
because tomorrow i i guarantee i'm going to be a little bit better i'm pushing
myself instead of doing 100 push-ups i switched to 200 instead of 100 crunches
i'm doing 300 i couldn't do legs yesterday anymore so i forced myself to almost
i was going to throw up blood And it sounds like torture, but it's just seeing how far I could go.
It's releasing the endorphins and serotonin and the chemicals and the sleep
(13:38):
with the free testosterone flowing and the human growth hormone that comes out
of seven hours of sleep. And it's not hard.
It's just getting in the ritual, getting the habits.
And I'm enjoying it. Yeah. How have these lifestyle changes,
it sounds like really, really solid things you got going on.
(13:59):
How have those affected just business in general and the way you lead people
and lead your businesses?
Well, it's obvious I have ADHD. Yeah.
So I find myself without brain fog, remembering more things,
being way more organized.
(14:21):
And I'm putting the right people around.
My goal is to maintain the vision of everything I do, but be the dumbest guy
that doesn't need to do the work. I'm not there yet.
The question I ask people is, how does the business look if you leave for 60
days and don't touch a thing? But does the business grow as much when you're not there?
(14:41):
And the first question is like, the business would be fine in 60 days,
got great people, but no, it wouldn't grow as much. So these are the things
I'm solving for internally.
But now I'm able to invest in other things.
And it's not only about money, it's about time and relationships as well. But it's fun.
And I just, I like where we're going with things.
(15:01):
And i just there's so many fun things coming
up and just this whole when you start
focusing on your dreams and people forget to dream i just
ordered the it's a replica but the original adam west batmobile i got kit from
night rider i'm kind of a nostalgic guy and it's not to be like look at me it's
like dude this this brings me back to all the memories of some of the greatest
(15:24):
times of my life and if you live my life you'd probably say man there's there's
a version of my life that you'd say, man, that sucked,
dude. Mom and dad got a divorce. Dad cheated on mom.
A lot of alcohol, a lot of hard work, a lot of just eating dinner alone.
But I don't look at it like that. I look at it like, man, I had two Christmases.
Mom and dad did the best they could with the cards they were given.
(15:47):
So many cool friends. So great growing up in Michigan, in Sterling Heights.
Like everything was a gift.
And the more my brain is working like it is, with the right sleep and giving
it the right resources, I think you'd start looking at life more optimistically.
Yeah. And so how did growing up like that influence the way that you are today in your business?
(16:13):
Well, I used to stand on the toilet outside of my parents' bedroom on the master,
their master bedroom, unless any of them argue about bills.
And that led to divorce and a lot of other things.
And so at four years old, I just decided back then. And I remember that I'm
never going to let money ruin relationships anymore.
So I learned how to work hard. Back then, Moe Long shoveled snow until I was 12.
(16:37):
Still under the table because you couldn't get a job until you were 13, washed dishes.
And that really did a toll with me
because until money was out of the way it was
almost like i couldn't move forward but that
was okay i got i had to get that out of the way because you know
this this idea hanging over my head of the generations the curse of the generations
(16:59):
being stuck is lifted now and jesus has done a number on my life and my family's
life so it definitely impacted it and call it for good or bad.
I look at it as a gift, but, you know, I'm going to be a late bloomer and family
life, but it's going to be an extraordinary life.
And it's, I've kind of built what it looks like. I had to reverse engineer with 75.
(17:23):
If I'm 75 years old today, what did I do when I was 41?
Who did I hang out with? Who did I travel with? What did I get accomplished?
How do people perceive me?
And really a life, not predetermined, but it's It's built with purpose.
It was planned. It was ordained. And I know that sounds crazy,
but it takes a lot of self-reflection and time to kind of do these things.
(17:46):
And all I could do is smile because it's really fun.
And I know I said that a lot, but it is. It is. Yeah. I'm glad you're having fun.
And so what legacy do you hope to leave behind as you envision what your future looks like?
What's that legacy look like? Like, is it to create a family generational business?
(18:08):
Is it to obviously create generational wealth for whoever is in and around you?
Because that's what it seems like you're already doing. But what is that legacy?
When I wrote the book, Elevate, Build a Business for Everybody Wins,
and the main premise now is I'm focused on people's dreams and unpeeling that onion.
(18:28):
And money is only one of dozens of things. Time, purpose, traveling.
You know, being able to raise kids the right way. There's so much more to it
than money. Money's a big piece. Don't get me wrong. When you don't have it, you need it.
But I just want to be the guy that people, if Tommy was part of your life,
(18:49):
then I'll speak like Trump in the third person.
But if Tommy was part of your life, things got better. He found the best in people.
When he said he was going to do something, he did it. And he led by example.
Example and he's a guy that
by getting to know him it definitely enhanced
life it didn't it wasn't a drag it wasn't a
victim he didn't put people down he didn't talk bad he
(19:12):
brightened up people's day and he was energetic and if
i could leave that legacy that he helped me accomplish
dreams even if somebody worked with me or
partner with me and it didn't work out for the long term
it was just better to know each other and we you
know they're usually in relationships there's a person that gives the most
i want to be that person every time i love
(19:34):
that i mean i could definitely i mean i can definitely
attest because i feel like i've known you for about a year now and you know
i attended the home service freedom event and you invited me over to your house
at service world expo and i don't think we even met before and can definitely
attest that you you know you definitely give more than you get and anyone that's
around you feels warm for sure.
(19:55):
I felt very welcome and around you.
So I definitely appreciate that. And I think, you know, speaking to the third
person there, I speaking to the first person for myself, I definitely would
agree with what you said.
I thought you were going to speak in third person. Eric really likes Tommy.
Eric likes Tommy. Yeah.
(20:15):
But yeah, that that's great stuff. And, you know, we definitely appreciate,
you know, Just the vulnerability and the openness, for sure. That's really cool.
There's something that I definitely want to chat about, and I'm totally taking
a 180 here on the topics, but it's mostly about marketing because we talk about
marketing a lot on this show.
I know that Tommy loves marketing, and I know that Eric knows that Tommy loves
(20:41):
marketing, and Tommy loves marketing.
I would be remiss if we didn't chat about marketing here for some time because
you love marketing and you have a background in marketing.
It seems like you do a really, really good job marketing everything that you
touch from home service freedom to A1 to kick charge to all the different things
(21:01):
that you're involved with.
But what from like from your perspective, what have been some of the big changes
in marketing over the past year? Because there's been a ton that I feel like has evolved.
What are some of the things that you're seeing from a marketing perspective,
both in the home service industry and maybe even outside of it?
Well, I think I don't think you could talk about marketing without branding.
(21:23):
And, you know, I'm not talking about kick charge. I'm just talking about my personal brand.
I think it's whether you like or hate Grant Cardone, there's one thing that
I think he said that I think could impact a lot of people.
He invests in real estate and personal brand and you can't overdo it.
Like you got to have people know who you are and stand for something.
(21:43):
And, you know, the more I put myself out there, yes, there's going to be haters
no matter what. And they're probably in their mom's basement wishing they had
this life and that's okay.
And I think they're truly, they're probably fans.
They don't even know it because they watched my shit i'm not there watching
theirs so personal brand is a big piece and you know that's something i'm going
(22:06):
to have a 20x i'm going to compound,
like i like where i'm going but i'm i'm still in the fetal stages and putting
out things that really have impact so branding is a big deal and there's you
know everybody talks about google's algorithm and what's happening with Yelp
and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
(22:26):
There's a couple of things that no one will ever take and no algorithm is going
to change, and that's relationships.
And that's who I'm really, the Rolodex, the people you know,
I talk about this a lot, but billionaires, they're lazy.
They know the right person to call for the right things. And I buy how I want to be bought from.
Like Dan Martell gave me a price to work with them i said okay i
(22:49):
said can i wire the money today he's like
sure you're that i don't
get this very often and i said hey and it was
a great investment i have at any given time seven to ten coaches i've got a
cornhole coach to win to beat people's ass at uh at bart recuse so you know
(23:11):
i think i think when it comes to marketing it's a lot about relationships there's
There's a lot of people that struggle, but I'll tell you the biggest mindset shift.
I used to market for leads and qualified clients.
Now, 90% of my brain goes after people, the people I want on the team.
It's when you, you, there's a book by Dan Sullivan and Dr.
(23:32):
Benjamin Hardy called who not how, when you fill the bus full of winner,
a player, people that aspire to be number one, life gets easy. They sell police.
They pick up shifts. They get five-star reviews. They leave raving fans. They recruit you.
And those leads become worth a lot more, those client leads.
It's the experience they leave them with is just extraordinary.
(23:55):
And I just think everybody's like, I need more leads. I need more leads. Why?
So your CSR could book at 50% and your conversion rate sucks and they give a
one-star review and they complain all the time because they're victims.
Imagine if you stack the deck. Take your top player and imagine if you could clone them 100 times.
How much better would your life be? And everybody's like, leads, leads, leads, leads.
(24:16):
Leads yeah well when you're not good at business you need more leads mic drop yes what i did there.
Absolutely so what's your favorite thing about marketing my favorite thing well
you know i don't i don't i there's nothing that doesn't work yellow book still
(24:38):
works i can make angie's list work I don't like the shared leads, even though I do them.
I just like to find the best of the best, whether that's pay for performance
type leads, affiliate marketing, whether that's any one of the four Google algorithms,
whether it's TV, radio, billboards.
All I do is study the best.
And I fly out and see the people. And I take notes and I ask great questions
(25:02):
and I try to give them some value. you.
And I almost look at it like a game. Like I don't want to win. I want to dominate.
I hate losing more than I like winning. But when you see somebody that's still
buying a double truck in the yellow book, why not call them and ask them if they're a big company,
they probably have attribution and ask them what they found works.
Well, this one works in this retirement community.
(25:24):
Steer clear of this. This one, you just need to call them ad.
And here's how it works because you mentioned AARP and this,
this, and the other, or whatever, because we're part of this foundation.
You know, I think a lot of people go, yeah, that shit doesn't work.
I'm like, yeah, it didn't work for you because you don't have the tenacity or the questions.
You're not asking the right questions. Success leaves clues.
(25:46):
And I like marketing because it's a game to me. It's like, how could I win?
And I love attribution. I love making a lead worth more than anybody else could make it worth.
And that's why I'm taking care of clients and creating an experience,
but giving options, not ultimatums.
None of my things are, here's the price, yes or no. oh, it's,
hey, we've got five options for you and then you can pick when you like. How does that sound?
I love it. The options behind garage door, they're aesthetic.
(26:08):
So they're attached to emotion, right? It's not like going into HVAC and buying
like an HVAC unit when you really don't know what you're seeing.
But when you're buying a garage door, you're seeing it because you like it,
right? There's emotion tied to that.
Yeah, and also it makes your garage door 30 degrees cooler in the summer,
30 degrees warmer in the winter with the right R-value U-factor.
(26:31):
Also, it's 40% of your curb appeal, the smile of your home.
Also, it's the number one ROI on the home, 193%.
Also, we've trademarked our parts to make sure that no one could compete because
they're trademarked. They're different.
I don't compare apples to apples ever. I sell a bunch of apples.
How do you trademark your parts?
(26:51):
You say ask great questions. So like how does someone trademark parts?
Yeah. So what we did is like for our springs, I ordered a higher cycle.
I powder coated them red, the A1 red.
And the name Max Life, if you look up a1gross.com forward slash Max,
you can see our trademark.
You can trademark pretty much anything if it's differentiated. There's a name to it.
(27:15):
Then there's copyright. right trademarks and copyrights but
i don't want somebody's just looking up parts
like we're differentiated we've got our own stuff we
paid the lawyers to become the only version of
this for our industry and everyone else is saying oh yeah if you're comparing
price you can only compare price to comparable products but if you're the only
(27:36):
product you kind of differentiate the whole game yeah you know i had i had robert
cialdini on the podcast here in person he wrote the book influence. He's 79 years old.
And oh my gosh, this dude blew me away. Like the stuff we're going to be implementing in the next month.
You know, the goal is 70 million of EBITDA this year. I have no doubt we'll double in the next year.
(27:59):
And people, it becomes harder to double every year when you're a certain size,
but it's getting easier and I'm less important. And I actually love that.
Some people, there's this book called, um.
Built to Last and Jim Collins.
And he talks about how a lot of CEOs and founders and business owners,
(28:21):
they want to feel wanted.
So like when they're gone, they're like hoping stuff falls apart.
They're like, you guys need me.
I told you I was the best. I'm the opposite. I'm like, build a team so great
that you don't even know who the boss is.
And like, I don't feel like it's a really good compliment to say, oh, we need you.
(28:42):
No, no, no. You picked the right people. You gave us the right incentives and we're good without you.
Like we care enough that we're going to do it without you here.
That's such a better compliment than, see, I told you I was the man and you needed me.
That's the best when like you leave and it actually like operates better.
And you're just like, oh, they actually don't need me.
(29:05):
I stay out of the way. Listen, I hate interrupting. I'll walk into people's
offices that I'm like, well, sometimes when I leave, I like giving them their
space and having them make decisions and having them want more education.
And I love the team. These guys are – the guys and gals are super – they're
smart, and they want a lot. They want to win.
(29:26):
And that's because we were very specific in who we picked to come into the company.
We guard this company. We protect it. We make sure A players are coming in,
and A players – an A player will run circles around three B players.
Like your best CSR is better than all of the three combined. Oh, yeah.
Absolutely. I totally agree. So I know that you mentioned, you know,
(29:47):
before we hopped on here that you are about to do a little travel.
And this 30 minutes has blown by pretty quickly. So before we like kind of start
landing this plane, is there anything we haven't hit on yet that you're like
really wanting to kind of dig into and chat about or anything coming up that you want to talk about?
Well, yeah, I got the HSF event. I got Jocko Willick, Alan Rohr,
(30:10):
Darius Libers is a genius in home service.
You know, at my events, I want to make impact. I think this event in San Diego,
September 25th through the 27th, will change people's lives forever.
I'm not having this so you can
book more phone calls. I'm not having this just so you can get in shape.
I'm having all of it. It's going to have all of it. It's not just mindset.
(30:33):
It's not just tactic. It's all of it.
And it's impactful. We're not going to be getting wasted doing fireball shots on stage.
We're going to be helping people to actually do the shit they need to do to
accomplish more than just wealth and business success.
It's all it's well-rounded. So that's important.
What else would I tell you? That's the most exciting thing going on is September
(30:56):
25th. That's when I'll be a 10% body fat. At least that's the plan.
Hey, there we go. And as I said, SMART goals, specific, meaningful,
or measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based.
You know, when it comes to marketing, there's some, I'll just give a few things.
You know, Chirp is being forward developed in a way that I think it will have
(31:16):
a thousand percent return on investment.
And the way I know that is because it's solving all of my problems and we're
actually getting reporting with attribution.
I think it's a great tool. I invest in things I love.
My buddy Callan's doing this thing, Pin Parrot, P-A-R-R-O-T.
And he called me up. He used to run, work with Yelp.
(31:37):
And he called me up and goes, hey, I figured out Google. And I'm like,
oh, you figured out Google. Sweet.
And he goes, no, I seriously think this new thing that they're doing with their
algorithm, I'm a GMB or GBP.
He goes, what they want to see is they want to be able to prove that you are
at these houses, not just through reviews and user generated content,
but through images and through stuff that comes out of service type.
(32:00):
And I said, so what do you propose I do?
He goes, why don't you give me three of your, or no, no, no.
He said, five of your Google My Business pages. Give me a few grand a month
for all five. I'll throw in Scottsdale.
And we'll see if I'm right. I said, okay, done. I paid him for three months.
And my VP of marketing, Robert, came out. And he was like, what the F?
I didn't tell him I did this. I forgot about it. And he goes,
(32:22):
dude, our calls have quadrupled.
And it was six GVPs. And I was like, oh, yeah, you need to call Kellan.
And, you know, Kellen is this dude. He's just, he's a genius.
And it's a software running in the background. And don't ask me every detail
because I'm not a software guy, but this service is just these little things I find.
(32:44):
And I love it when people call me because I'll try, I'll try anything.
And some of the time, here's what I tell people is if it works,
I'll use it in every single, like I will scale it and I will be your biggest client.
But I'm going to have attribution and just like, I'll talk to a new magazine company, right?
They'll, they'll have a mailer and they'll call me up, but I'll say,
(33:05):
just so you know, Julie, Julie.
I'm in this for the next three months, but if your grandpa calls,
I'll know about it. What day, what he bought.
I'll know about how many calls with the conversion rate. I know everything.
And I'm holding you too. I need a 10 X return. I need to be a 10% of my revenue.
And if I'm not, not only am I not going to use you again, I will never talk good about you.
(33:26):
And I won't use anything you stand by because if you don't believe in your product
enough to give me a 10 times return, because we're the best.
We booked the phone call. We convert the leads.
We're the best in our class so if it doesn't work with us it won't work with anybody in my industry,
and i tell them that up front and guess
what all of a sudden a free month they put me on the cover
it's crazy what they do when they actually see i have control over
(33:48):
the data but you asked me those are
just a few things i think is pretty cool going on right now
i mean i've actually been talking to
ryan shoot at the wizard of ads to get involved with our creative a
little bit more on tv radio and billboards wow because
i know they do a great job and they buy a bunch of media and they leave kind
of the story brand behind it the donald miller stuff so i'm just connecting
(34:11):
with all the best of the best that's what i do yeah yeah i will say i i'm super
excited for hsf i went last year and that was that was easily one of the best
events that i've ever been to as an exhibitor,
most of these shows you go to as an exhibitor it's just vendor.
Palooza and you get there and we're just you know hanging out with vendors the
(34:34):
whole time but your event was super engaged the people there were all ready
to learn and actually implement which was really cool so I'm stoked for San
Diego and I hope anyone listening to this,
if you're on the fence then you're stupid and you get off the fence right now
and go book a ticket for it because it's going to be a good event,
I think there might be a code Proud.
(34:55):
Try this if you're looking for a little bit of a money savings.
I think it's Tommy Mello 2024.
Try that if not message me. But I think it's Tommy Mello 2024 Jim sent me.
And I just, one of the things that I want to guarantee people is if you don't
get something out of it and it's the end of the event, come up to me and say,
(35:15):
dude, this, like, I don't feel like I got the value I spent.
I'll just refund you right there. like i
don't like we're trying to cover the cost of
this gino wickman and and steve sims and and these
people and the event and to make it something memorable and covering
the cost is hard to do i make my money through garage doors and we do damn good
(35:37):
i don't need to make money selling events i do this because i want to and i
want to have impact i want people to know what i stand for i want to build relationships
i want to network and i want to see how many lives we could change and make better.
And that's what this is about. It's not about anything else.
So if you're like, man, Tommy Mello is just another hustler trying to sell tickets, I don't give a shit.
(35:59):
I'm trying to cover costs, and I know I won't. But it's all good because it's
all worth it because it's coming from the right mindset.
It's not how much money can I make by selling this event. And that's what I
think makes our events different.
Sarah, any closing thoughts? Nope. I don't have any.
Awesome. Well, Tommy, we greatly appreciate your time. I know it's extremely valuable.
(36:23):
I know you keep a busy schedule, so we definitely appreciate you making this
work to be on the show today.
What's a way for any of our listeners to possibly connect with you or learn
more about HSF or A1 or anything that you got going on?
Yeah, I'll go through. So I'm a service expert.
Some great podcasts, probably some you might not be interested in.
(36:44):
There's some ones that changed my life.
The Facebook group, Home Service Expert is free and people really do.
There's 12,500 in there.
They really do try to help each other. You could ask any question,
you'll get 80 responses.
If you want to come to a shop tour, which I actually love, we don't charge for these.
It's a way to give back and it's a way to tell everyone here how proud I am of what they built.
(37:06):
It's TommyMellow.com forward slash shop. If you want a newsletter, we give a few free out.
Tommy Mello forward slash news, no marketing at all in them.
It's literally all things. It's mailed physical copy.
I do all the interviews with my writing team myself, and it's full filled with
like, I think, invaluable information.
(37:26):
And Tommy Mello's got all my handles, like official Tommy Mello,
Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn stuff.
So if you can look me up there and yeah, I really appreciate this.
I got to think about what I want at the beach with three things here.
Never got that question before.
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate you guys.
(37:51):
And if you ever need anything, you give me a holler and it's a pleasure to be on here with you.
Awesome. Well, safe travels. All right. And that wraps up another episode of
the trademark where we bridge the worlds of the trades and marketing, one story at a time.
We can't wait to see you next time. Thank you to the trades for giving back
(38:13):
big, loving big, and taking massive action.
Don't forget to join us next time for more engaging conversations and innovative ideas.
If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave us a review and share it with your
colleagues and friends in the trades and marketing.
Your support means the world to us.
Stay connected with us off the air by following us on social media.
(38:36):
We'd love to hear your thoughts and get your feedback. Until next time,
keep making your mark in the trades.
Thank you for listening to The Trademark. Goodbye for now. And remember,
we're with the trades for the trades.
What is going on, everyone? Welcome back to another episode of The Trademark.
And we've got a good one for you today.
Got my boy Tommy Guns on the show. Tommy Mello. Tommy, how are you doing?
I'm good. I'm really glad to be here. It's going to be fun.
Super excited. We got a lot of good stuff that we're going to be chatting about.
(00:21):
And I hope that you all are as excited as I am. So let's go ahead and dig in.
Step into The Trademark, your go-to podcast for everything marketing in the trades.
Hosted by award-winning industry marketing experts, Sarah Girardo from Remarketable
and Eric Thomas from Rival Digital.
Together, we're here to unite the worlds of trades and marketing,
(00:42):
bringing you insights, stories, and strategies from the heart of the industry.
Whether you're a trade professional, a marketing expert, or somewhere in between,
this is the place for you.
Listen in as we're here for the big ideas, the game changers,
and the everyday successes.
Because at The Trademark, we're with the trades and for the trades.
(01:06):
Oh, what's going on? I've got a really good question of the day for you all.
And Tommy, I'm super excited to hear your answer about this one.
Tommy, if you were stranded on an island and you could only have three things,
what would they be and why?
Oh, my gosh. On an island with no electricity or what? No electricity. No electricity?
(01:30):
So I couldn't have my golden tea. Is this people, things? Could I have my dog?
It's three. Just think about it. Like, three. Don't overthink it.
Okay, so I want a golden tea because I love the game. I probably have a pool table.
I mean, you know, if it's not people, I'll forget Bree and my parents and my
(01:51):
sister and niece, nephews, and all that.
I'd probably want my dogs with me, though.
So some stuff to do, and they just bring me a lot of joy. They're kind of like
kids, but they don't talk back.
I don't know. My dog's pretty loud.
I agree. Well, super excited to dig in. Sarah, how are you doing?
(02:17):
Great, as always. Great, as always. and Tommy.
Tommy, you've been doing a lot lately. You got a lot of things moving around.
Let's catch the listeners up because we've recorded before.
But if you don't mind, just go ahead and tell our listeners out there some of
the stuff that you've been up to over the past year or so.
Yeah, it's been a busy year. The podcast, The Home Service Expert is number
(02:39):
12 in North America on Apple for business. And it's number one for business management.
There's nothing I like more than doing this kind of stuff. Learning from people,
having conversations, taking notes and implementing. So that's fantastic.
I live in another house now in Paradise Valley, and we're doing a lot of construction
(02:59):
between Paradise Valley, Arizona and Sandpoint, Idaho.
And I thought I was going to hate the construction, but I'm actually liking
the idea of my dreams coming to life. So that's great.
I hired a chef and I hired a driver, and I say that as humbly as possible.
I'm working with Dan Martell, the author of Buy Back Your Time,
(03:21):
and just really starting to get focused on where my time is best spent.
And I started taking health very, very seriously.
More energy, better sleep, better food, less alcohol, the whole thing.
I've got the ice bath and the sauna, very hard working out.
(03:42):
And just really traveling a lot. A1, we bought a new company two days ago,
bought another one that'll close on the 23rd, hired some really,
really, really amazing assets for the company.
These people are just so amazing.
And A1 every week, practically every day, every month, every quarter has been a record.
(04:03):
And a lot of people say, it's just, it's so hard for home service right now.
And I just completely disagree.
I think that people got to change their mindset and focus on the who, not how.
And I've just, you know, I just got baptized. So I've always been very strong
in faith with Jesus Christ.
But my mom and dad didn't remember if I got baptized. So I was like,
(04:25):
got to make sure that that's getting done.
So going to church every Sunday when I'm not traveling, speaking on a lot of
fun stages, working on a couple more books, just staying busy, but truly enjoying it.
Like I'm doing what's easy, lucrative and fun.
Like, I don't feel like I ever go to work. And I truly mean that like so many
(04:45):
people you see on these type of podcasts, they, you see what they say and they
don't do like they live this nightmare outside of what, like their social profile.
And I I'm really, really having a lot of fun and I'm really,
each day is like a, a fun token for me.
It's just, you couldn't really get it much better. And I truly mean that.
(05:06):
So it's been a fun ride and I'm fun.
I'm having fun with where we're going and I'm actually enjoying the journey. I'm reflecting more.
So there's a lot more, but that's kind of a nutshell.
Yeah, that's a lot, which is great, right? Like everyone loves to have a lot
to do, but what do you do for fun?
Like beside, this is fun. Like to me, this is fun, but like fun.
(05:31):
Yeah. So, you know, I just went on a golf trip. We went to Traverse City, Michigan.
I had my cousins, my dad, my brother-in-law, his brothers, it was about 24 of us.
I enjoy golfing i played a lot of pickleball i was in milwaukee with my sister
and my niece and nephews for july 4th we had a lot of fun a lot of fun i got
them i'm paying them for a book club to read a book a month 400 bucks each we
(05:55):
read uh rich dad poor dad together and i them.
I i like i said i play a lot of golden tea a big buck hunter when i'm at the
house don't watch a lot of tv working out's fun walking is fun we do we do a
lot i don't consider work and fun to be,
opposites i try to find this life
(06:19):
pleasure all the time and i'm
just getting really serious about who i'm hanging around with and who i'm building
relationships with and i'm working on saying no which is very difficult for
me because i try to pay it forward but it's almost established was shoving me
not to say no because there are people that depend on me for a lot of things
and I can't be everything to everyone. Yeah, listen.
(06:42):
I do a lot. I go bowling quite a bit. I do enjoy the movie theater.
I do a lot more than people think. They think I only work. They think I'm like
this machine that doesn't sleep. I know how to turn off and just chill.
And I'm enjoying it. Yeah. I will say, I played Buck Hunter at your house at
(07:03):
Service World Expo last year against Justin Judd from Chirp.
And I just want to say, he had an unfair advantage because my gun wasn't working.
That's the story that I will stick with for the rest of my life.
You mentioned Buy Back Your Time. This is an awesome book.
By the way, for anyone listening, totally love that.
And that's cool that you're working with Dan. I also heard you mentioned that
(07:23):
you've hired a driver and a cook and some other stuff, which I imagine is probably
some of the concepts you got out of that book.
What has following and practicing and implementing these tactics or this strategy,
if you will, how has that affected your day-to-day performance and your bandwidth
and everything like that? Matt?
(07:44):
It's everything. I can't even put it into words because I've studied under Al
Levy, the seven power contractor.
And he taught me all the principles to own and run a business and paint a vision
and delegate properly and manual standard operating procedures and the structure,
the organizational chart.
And I never applied this things to my personal life. So now there's two pieces of floss in the shower.
(08:08):
I brush my teeth in the shower. The toothpaste face is already on the toothbrush.
I mean, it's over the top. We've like...
The procedures, like, I didn't even ask for this. We just hired somebody super
experienced. They wear shirts that says Mellow Estates.
Literally, like, I didn't pack my bag. It's packed. I've got the whole Zoom
meeting set up in the Mercedes Sprinter van.
(08:30):
And I really am saying this humbly. Like, I'm not saying, like,
look at me, look at this cocky guy.
Like, I'm a blue collar guy. I wear the same shirt. I got 15 of these shirts.
Like, I want to be very, like, people to understand where I'm coming from.
I thought, I don't need all those things.
And then Dan was like, what do you mean? Do you, you want to be productive?
You want to own your schedule.
(08:52):
So like, I mean, I just had a most amazing meal ever that I were literally putting
all my food into this app.
And I know my macros and I feel more energy and it's healthy and it's delicious.
It's so much easier to get things done than I've ever thought possible.
I've got an amazing executive assistant. We're bringing on a second one.
(09:15):
We've got a media team. I'm hiring 15 more people for that. I've got 63 brand
new technicians and installers starting next month.
It's allowing me to scale quicker and delegate more.
And, you know, all of my, I take NAD, I take a shot of that every morning. It's all set up.
I started drinking really, really good water out of this copper thing.
(09:36):
And it's all set up. it's like i can't really put into words how much easier
my life has got it was the best investment i've ever made later to anybody that
just has the ability and the resources to get that i i can't,
until you feel how great it is it's just i'm always the person that wants to
(09:59):
take the fastest way to get to a destination and the shortcuts the easy like
i don't have to make my bed and i don't mind making my bed,
but the way they make the bed, it's like I sleep better.
I started wearing this Oura ring, so I'm keeping track of my sleep.
It's very, very, it's like I'm enjoying life at a deeper level.
(10:20):
I really am. And I'm smiling more and I'm happier and more energetic.
And it's important. And I'm putting a lot more time and energy into my health
and my just aura and just this, like how I, how I treat other people and reflecting more.
So I know that's a long sentence, but it's, it's really, really impactful with what we're working on.
(10:44):
Yeah. And I think it's important to get rid of the $10 task.
And that's what I tell Eric, right? I'm like, why are you mowing your lawn?
Like, why are you cleaning your house?
Right. Like minimum wage crap. Right.
Like, and it's not just crap. It's just like, it's, it's your,
your salary is more than that.
Like, don't spend your time doing a $10 task when there are people that would
(11:06):
love to do those $10 tasks.
Yeah. Don't, don't do the $10 task because you'll end up with poison ivy.
And Sarah's like, what are you going to do about it? I was like,
I'm gonna go get a Bretton zone shot at urgent care after work.
She was like, no, what are you actually gonna do about it?
Yeah, most definitely. And I love that you're delegating in the most humble way, right?
(11:29):
Of course, as you get more money, you get more things that happens,
but your lifestyle changes.
But it's about changing it to make you more efficient and automated just as
you are in business, is what I would say and what I'm working towards, right?
As a single mom, you're just like, how can I automate this? Who can do this
for me? Like, what's the delegation look like?
And what's the task management? So I think what you're saying completely makes
(11:52):
sense as, you know, you have more resources, the resources are to develop more
efficiency in your life, to make a more joyous life and more joyous time, right?
Well, memories and experiences are all we have. So might as well make the most
out of them. and optimize each and every day.
I actually like traveling. I hate being away.
(12:13):
Dogs become kids. I don't have kids yet.
I think it's in the future. I think I'll be a great dad. I think that'll become
my life. I think that's what's supposed to happen.
I always planned since I was a son when I was born.
On my mom's birthday, I just said, man, I want to be a parent.
I want to love something more than myself.
(12:34):
And I do love a lot of people more than me, but.
I don't mind like jumping on a plane and like doing fun stuff.
I'm pretty, I'm one of those people that I need to be around people,
but I'm trying to force myself to be alone as well, to just get comfortable
speaking to myself and getting to know myself more.
(12:54):
I mean, I've got voices in my head, like I'm doing math all the time.
I've got my calculator. It's the most open app on my phone, but I just, man, it's so much fun.
And if you just look and enjoy the journey it's
not the destination and make the most out of it
better your best you know i'm the worst i've ever been but
the best the best i've ever been but the worst i'll ever be
(13:16):
because tomorrow i i guarantee i'm going to be a little bit better i'm pushing
myself instead of doing 100 push-ups i switched to 200 instead of 100 crunches
i'm doing 300 i couldn't do legs yesterday anymore so i forced myself to almost
i was going to throw up blood And it sounds like torture, but it's just seeing how far I could go.
It's releasing the endorphins and serotonin and the chemicals and the sleep
(13:38):
with the free testosterone flowing and the human growth hormone that comes out
of seven hours of sleep. And it's not hard.
It's just getting in the ritual, getting the habits.
And I'm enjoying it. Yeah. How have these lifestyle changes,
it sounds like really, really solid things you got going on.
(13:59):
How have those affected just business in general and the way you lead people
and lead your businesses?
Well, it's obvious I have ADHD. Yeah.
So I find myself without brain fog, remembering more things,
being way more organized.
(14:21):
And I'm putting the right people around.
My goal is to maintain the vision of everything I do, but be the dumbest guy
that doesn't need to do the work. I'm not there yet.
The question I ask people is, how does the business look if you leave for 60
days and don't touch a thing? But does the business grow as much when you're not there?
(14:41):
And the first question is like, the business would be fine in 60 days,
got great people, but no, it wouldn't grow as much. So these are the things
I'm solving for internally.
But now I'm able to invest in other things.
And it's not only about money, it's about time and relationships as well. But it's fun.
And I just, I like where we're going with things.
(15:01):
And i just there's so many fun things coming
up and just this whole when you start
focusing on your dreams and people forget to dream i just
ordered the it's a replica but the original adam west batmobile i got kit from
night rider i'm kind of a nostalgic guy and it's not to be like look at me it's
like dude this this brings me back to all the memories of some of the greatest
(15:24):
times of my life and if you live my life you'd probably say man there's there's
a version of my life that you'd say, man, that sucked,
dude. Mom and dad got a divorce. Dad cheated on mom.
A lot of alcohol, a lot of hard work, a lot of just eating dinner alone.
But I don't look at it like that. I look at it like, man, I had two Christmases.
Mom and dad did the best they could with the cards they were given.
(15:47):
So many cool friends. So great growing up in Michigan, in Sterling Heights.
Like everything was a gift.
And the more my brain is working like it is, with the right sleep and giving
it the right resources, I think you'd start looking at life more optimistically.
Yeah. And so how did growing up like that influence the way that you are today in your business?
(16:13):
Well, I used to stand on the toilet outside of my parents' bedroom on the master,
their master bedroom, unless any of them argue about bills.
And that led to divorce and a lot of other things.
And so at four years old, I just decided back then. And I remember that I'm
never going to let money ruin relationships anymore.
So I learned how to work hard. Back then, Moe Long shoveled snow until I was 12.
(16:37):
Still under the table because you couldn't get a job until you were 13, washed dishes.
And that really did a toll with me
because until money was out of the way it was
almost like i couldn't move forward but that
was okay i got i had to get that out of the way because you know
this this idea hanging over my head of the generations the curse of the generations
(16:59):
being stuck is lifted now and jesus has done a number on my life and my family's
life so it definitely impacted it and call it for good or bad.
I look at it as a gift, but, you know, I'm going to be a late bloomer and family
life, but it's going to be an extraordinary life.
And it's, I've kind of built what it looks like. I had to reverse engineer with 75.
(17:23):
If I'm 75 years old today, what did I do when I was 41?
Who did I hang out with? Who did I travel with? What did I get accomplished?
How do people perceive me?
And really a life, not predetermined, but it's It's built with purpose.
It was planned. It was ordained. And I know that sounds crazy,
but it takes a lot of self-reflection and time to kind of do these things.
(17:46):
And all I could do is smile because it's really fun.
And I know I said that a lot, but it is. It is. Yeah. I'm glad you're having fun.
And so what legacy do you hope to leave behind as you envision what your future looks like?
What's that legacy look like? Like, is it to create a family generational business?
(18:08):
Is it to obviously create generational wealth for whoever is in and around you?
Because that's what it seems like you're already doing. But what is that legacy?
When I wrote the book, Elevate, Build a Business for Everybody Wins,
and the main premise now is I'm focused on people's dreams and unpeeling that onion.
(18:28):
And money is only one of dozens of things. Time, purpose, traveling.
You know, being able to raise kids the right way. There's so much more to it
than money. Money's a big piece. Don't get me wrong. When you don't have it, you need it.
But I just want to be the guy that people, if Tommy was part of your life,
(18:49):
then I'll speak like Trump in the third person.
But if Tommy was part of your life, things got better. He found the best in people.
When he said he was going to do something, he did it. And he led by example.
Example and he's a guy that
by getting to know him it definitely enhanced
life it didn't it wasn't a drag it wasn't a
victim he didn't put people down he didn't talk bad he
(19:12):
brightened up people's day and he was energetic and if
i could leave that legacy that he helped me accomplish
dreams even if somebody worked with me or
partner with me and it didn't work out for the long term
it was just better to know each other and we you
know they're usually in relationships there's a person that gives the most
i want to be that person every time i love
(19:34):
that i mean i could definitely i mean i can definitely
attest because i feel like i've known you for about a year now and you know
i attended the home service freedom event and you invited me over to your house
at service world expo and i don't think we even met before and can definitely
attest that you you know you definitely give more than you get and anyone that's
around you feels warm for sure.
(19:55):
I felt very welcome and around you.
So I definitely appreciate that. And I think, you know, speaking to the third
person there, I speaking to the first person for myself, I definitely would
agree with what you said.
I thought you were going to speak in third person. Eric really likes Tommy.
Eric likes Tommy. Yeah.
(20:15):
But yeah, that that's great stuff. And, you know, we definitely appreciate,
you know, Just the vulnerability and the openness, for sure. That's really cool.
There's something that I definitely want to chat about, and I'm totally taking
a 180 here on the topics, but it's mostly about marketing because we talk about
marketing a lot on this show.
I know that Tommy loves marketing, and I know that Eric knows that Tommy loves
(20:41):
marketing, and Tommy loves marketing.
I would be remiss if we didn't chat about marketing here for some time because
you love marketing and you have a background in marketing.
It seems like you do a really, really good job marketing everything that you
touch from home service freedom to A1 to kick charge to all the different things
(21:01):
that you're involved with.
But what from like from your perspective, what have been some of the big changes
in marketing over the past year? Because there's been a ton that I feel like has evolved.
What are some of the things that you're seeing from a marketing perspective,
both in the home service industry and maybe even outside of it?
Well, I think I don't think you could talk about marketing without branding.
(21:23):
And, you know, I'm not talking about kick charge. I'm just talking about my personal brand.
I think it's whether you like or hate Grant Cardone, there's one thing that
I think he said that I think could impact a lot of people.
He invests in real estate and personal brand and you can't overdo it.
Like you got to have people know who you are and stand for something.
(21:43):
And, you know, the more I put myself out there, yes, there's going to be haters
no matter what. And they're probably in their mom's basement wishing they had
this life and that's okay.
And I think they're truly, they're probably fans.
They don't even know it because they watched my shit i'm not there watching
theirs so personal brand is a big piece and you know that's something i'm going
(22:06):
to have a 20x i'm going to compound,
like i like where i'm going but i'm i'm still in the fetal stages and putting
out things that really have impact so branding is a big deal and there's you
know everybody talks about google's algorithm and what's happening with Yelp
and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
(22:26):
There's a couple of things that no one will ever take and no algorithm is going
to change, and that's relationships.
And that's who I'm really, the Rolodex, the people you know,
I talk about this a lot, but billionaires, they're lazy.
They know the right person to call for the right things. And I buy how I want to be bought from.
Like Dan Martell gave me a price to work with them i said okay i
(22:49):
said can i wire the money today he's like
sure you're that i don't
get this very often and i said hey and it was
a great investment i have at any given time seven to ten coaches i've got a
cornhole coach to win to beat people's ass at uh at bart recuse so you know
(23:11):
i think i think when it comes to marketing it's a lot about relationships there's
There's a lot of people that struggle, but I'll tell you the biggest mindset shift.
I used to market for leads and qualified clients.
Now, 90% of my brain goes after people, the people I want on the team.
It's when you, you, there's a book by Dan Sullivan and Dr.
(23:32):
Benjamin Hardy called who not how, when you fill the bus full of winner,
a player, people that aspire to be number one, life gets easy. They sell police.
They pick up shifts. They get five-star reviews. They leave raving fans. They recruit you.
And those leads become worth a lot more, those client leads.
It's the experience they leave them with is just extraordinary.
(23:55):
And I just think everybody's like, I need more leads. I need more leads. Why?
So your CSR could book at 50% and your conversion rate sucks and they give a
one-star review and they complain all the time because they're victims.
Imagine if you stack the deck. Take your top player and imagine if you could clone them 100 times.
How much better would your life be? And everybody's like, leads, leads, leads, leads.
(24:16):
Leads yeah well when you're not good at business you need more leads mic drop yes what i did there.
Absolutely so what's your favorite thing about marketing my favorite thing well
you know i don't i don't i there's nothing that doesn't work yellow book still
(24:38):
works i can make angie's list work I don't like the shared leads, even though I do them.
I just like to find the best of the best, whether that's pay for performance
type leads, affiliate marketing, whether that's any one of the four Google algorithms,
whether it's TV, radio, billboards.
All I do is study the best.
And I fly out and see the people. And I take notes and I ask great questions
(25:02):
and I try to give them some value. you.
And I almost look at it like a game. Like I don't want to win. I want to dominate.
I hate losing more than I like winning. But when you see somebody that's still
buying a double truck in the yellow book, why not call them and ask them if they're a big company,
they probably have attribution and ask them what they found works.
Well, this one works in this retirement community.
(25:24):
Steer clear of this. This one, you just need to call them ad.
And here's how it works because you mentioned AARP and this,
this, and the other, or whatever, because we're part of this foundation.
You know, I think a lot of people go, yeah, that shit doesn't work.
I'm like, yeah, it didn't work for you because you don't have the tenacity or the questions.
You're not asking the right questions. Success leaves clues.
(25:46):
And I like marketing because it's a game to me. It's like, how could I win?
And I love attribution. I love making a lead worth more than anybody else could make it worth.
And that's why I'm taking care of clients and creating an experience,
but giving options, not ultimatums.
None of my things are, here's the price, yes or no. oh, it's,
hey, we've got five options for you and then you can pick when you like. How does that sound?
I love it. The options behind garage door, they're aesthetic.
(26:08):
So they're attached to emotion, right? It's not like going into HVAC and buying
like an HVAC unit when you really don't know what you're seeing.
But when you're buying a garage door, you're seeing it because you like it,
right? There's emotion tied to that.
Yeah, and also it makes your garage door 30 degrees cooler in the summer,
30 degrees warmer in the winter with the right R-value U-factor.
(26:31):
Also, it's 40% of your curb appeal, the smile of your home.
Also, it's the number one ROI on the home, 193%.
Also, we've trademarked our parts to make sure that no one could compete because
they're trademarked. They're different.
I don't compare apples to apples ever. I sell a bunch of apples.
How do you trademark your parts?
(26:51):
You say ask great questions. So like how does someone trademark parts?
Yeah. So what we did is like for our springs, I ordered a higher cycle.
I powder coated them red, the A1 red.
And the name Max Life, if you look up a1gross.com forward slash Max,
you can see our trademark.
You can trademark pretty much anything if it's differentiated. There's a name to it.
(27:15):
Then there's copyright. right trademarks and copyrights but
i don't want somebody's just looking up parts
like we're differentiated we've got our own stuff we
paid the lawyers to become the only version of
this for our industry and everyone else is saying oh yeah if you're comparing
price you can only compare price to comparable products but if you're the only
(27:36):
product you kind of differentiate the whole game yeah you know i had i had robert
cialdini on the podcast here in person he wrote the book influence. He's 79 years old.
And oh my gosh, this dude blew me away. Like the stuff we're going to be implementing in the next month.
You know, the goal is 70 million of EBITDA this year. I have no doubt we'll double in the next year.
(27:59):
And people, it becomes harder to double every year when you're a certain size,
but it's getting easier and I'm less important. And I actually love that.
Some people, there's this book called, um.
Built to Last and Jim Collins.
And he talks about how a lot of CEOs and founders and business owners,
(28:21):
they want to feel wanted.
So like when they're gone, they're like hoping stuff falls apart.
They're like, you guys need me.
I told you I was the best. I'm the opposite. I'm like, build a team so great
that you don't even know who the boss is.
And like, I don't feel like it's a really good compliment to say, oh, we need you.
(28:42):
No, no, no. You picked the right people. You gave us the right incentives and we're good without you.
Like we care enough that we're going to do it without you here.
That's such a better compliment than, see, I told you I was the man and you needed me.
That's the best when like you leave and it actually like operates better.
And you're just like, oh, they actually don't need me.
(29:05):
I stay out of the way. Listen, I hate interrupting. I'll walk into people's
offices that I'm like, well, sometimes when I leave, I like giving them their
space and having them make decisions and having them want more education.
And I love the team. These guys are – the guys and gals are super – they're
smart, and they want a lot. They want to win.
(29:26):
And that's because we were very specific in who we picked to come into the company.
We guard this company. We protect it. We make sure A players are coming in,
and A players – an A player will run circles around three B players.
Like your best CSR is better than all of the three combined. Oh, yeah.
Absolutely. I totally agree. So I know that you mentioned, you know,
(29:47):
before we hopped on here that you are about to do a little travel.
And this 30 minutes has blown by pretty quickly. So before we like kind of start
landing this plane, is there anything we haven't hit on yet that you're like
really wanting to kind of dig into and chat about or anything coming up that you want to talk about?
Well, yeah, I got the HSF event. I got Jocko Willick, Alan Rohr,
(30:10):
Darius Libers is a genius in home service.
You know, at my events, I want to make impact. I think this event in San Diego,
September 25th through the 27th, will change people's lives forever.
I'm not having this so you can
book more phone calls. I'm not having this just so you can get in shape.
I'm having all of it. It's going to have all of it. It's not just mindset.
(30:33):
It's not just tactic. It's all of it.
And it's impactful. We're not going to be getting wasted doing fireball shots on stage.
We're going to be helping people to actually do the shit they need to do to
accomplish more than just wealth and business success.
It's all it's well-rounded. So that's important.
What else would I tell you? That's the most exciting thing going on is September
(30:56):
25th. That's when I'll be a 10% body fat. At least that's the plan.
Hey, there we go. And as I said, SMART goals, specific, meaningful,
or measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based.
You know, when it comes to marketing, there's some, I'll just give a few things.
You know, Chirp is being forward developed in a way that I think it will have
(31:16):
a thousand percent return on investment.
And the way I know that is because it's solving all of my problems and we're
actually getting reporting with attribution.
I think it's a great tool. I invest in things I love.
My buddy Callan's doing this thing, Pin Parrot, P-A-R-R-O-T.
And he called me up. He used to run, work with Yelp.
(31:37):
And he called me up and goes, hey, I figured out Google. And I'm like,
oh, you figured out Google. Sweet.
And he goes, no, I seriously think this new thing that they're doing with their
algorithm, I'm a GMB or GBP.
He goes, what they want to see is they want to be able to prove that you are
at these houses, not just through reviews and user generated content,
but through images and through stuff that comes out of service type.
(32:00):
And I said, so what do you propose I do?
He goes, why don't you give me three of your, or no, no, no.
He said, five of your Google My Business pages. Give me a few grand a month
for all five. I'll throw in Scottsdale.
And we'll see if I'm right. I said, okay, done. I paid him for three months.
And my VP of marketing, Robert, came out. And he was like, what the F?
I didn't tell him I did this. I forgot about it. And he goes,
(32:22):
dude, our calls have quadrupled.
And it was six GVPs. And I was like, oh, yeah, you need to call Kellan.
And, you know, Kellen is this dude. He's just, he's a genius.
And it's a software running in the background. And don't ask me every detail
because I'm not a software guy, but this service is just these little things I find.
(32:44):
And I love it when people call me because I'll try, I'll try anything.
And some of the time, here's what I tell people is if it works,
I'll use it in every single, like I will scale it and I will be your biggest client.
But I'm going to have attribution and just like, I'll talk to a new magazine company, right?
They'll, they'll have a mailer and they'll call me up, but I'll say,
(33:05):
just so you know, Julie, Julie.
I'm in this for the next three months, but if your grandpa calls,
I'll know about it. What day, what he bought.
I'll know about how many calls with the conversion rate. I know everything.
And I'm holding you too. I need a 10 X return. I need to be a 10% of my revenue.
And if I'm not, not only am I not going to use you again, I will never talk good about you.
(33:26):
And I won't use anything you stand by because if you don't believe in your product
enough to give me a 10 times return, because we're the best.
We booked the phone call. We convert the leads.
We're the best in our class so if it doesn't work with us it won't work with anybody in my industry,
and i tell them that up front and guess
what all of a sudden a free month they put me on the cover
it's crazy what they do when they actually see i have control over
(33:48):
the data but you asked me those are
just a few things i think is pretty cool going on right now
i mean i've actually been talking to
ryan shoot at the wizard of ads to get involved with our creative a
little bit more on tv radio and billboards wow because
i know they do a great job and they buy a bunch of media and they leave kind
of the story brand behind it the donald miller stuff so i'm just connecting
(34:11):
with all the best of the best that's what i do yeah yeah i will say i i'm super
excited for hsf i went last year and that was that was easily one of the best
events that i've ever been to as an exhibitor,
most of these shows you go to as an exhibitor it's just vendor.
Palooza and you get there and we're just you know hanging out with vendors the
(34:34):
whole time but your event was super engaged the people there were all ready
to learn and actually implement which was really cool so I'm stoked for San
Diego and I hope anyone listening to this,
if you're on the fence then you're stupid and you get off the fence right now
and go book a ticket for it because it's going to be a good event,
I think there might be a code Proud.
(34:55):
Try this if you're looking for a little bit of a money savings.
I think it's Tommy Mello 2024.
Try that if not message me. But I think it's Tommy Mello 2024 Jim sent me.
And I just, one of the things that I want to guarantee people is if you don't
get something out of it and it's the end of the event, come up to me and say,
(35:15):
dude, this, like, I don't feel like I got the value I spent.
I'll just refund you right there. like i
don't like we're trying to cover the cost of
this gino wickman and and steve sims and and these
people and the event and to make it something memorable and covering
the cost is hard to do i make my money through garage doors and we do damn good
(35:37):
i don't need to make money selling events i do this because i want to and i
want to have impact i want people to know what i stand for i want to build relationships
i want to network and i want to see how many lives we could change and make better.
And that's what this is about. It's not about anything else.
So if you're like, man, Tommy Mello is just another hustler trying to sell tickets, I don't give a shit.
(35:59):
I'm trying to cover costs, and I know I won't. But it's all good because it's
all worth it because it's coming from the right mindset.
It's not how much money can I make by selling this event. And that's what I
think makes our events different.
Sarah, any closing thoughts? Nope. I don't have any.
Awesome. Well, Tommy, we greatly appreciate your time. I know it's extremely valuable.
(36:23):
I know you keep a busy schedule, so we definitely appreciate you making this
work to be on the show today.
What's a way for any of our listeners to possibly connect with you or learn
more about HSF or A1 or anything that you got going on?
Yeah, I'll go through. So I'm a service expert.
Some great podcasts, probably some you might not be interested in.
(36:44):
There's some ones that changed my life.
The Facebook group, Home Service Expert is free and people really do.
There's 12,500 in there.
They really do try to help each other. You could ask any question,
you'll get 80 responses.
If you want to come to a shop tour, which I actually love, we don't charge for these.
It's a way to give back and it's a way to tell everyone here how proud I am of what they built.
(37:06):
It's TommyMellow.com forward slash shop. If you want a newsletter, we give a few free out.
Tommy Mello forward slash news, no marketing at all in them.
It's literally all things. It's mailed physical copy.
I do all the interviews with my writing team myself, and it's full filled with
like, I think, invaluable information.
(37:26):
And Tommy Mello's got all my handles, like official Tommy Mello,
Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn stuff.
So if you can look me up there and yeah, I really appreciate this.
I got to think about what I want at the beach with three things here.
Never got that question before.
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate you guys.
(37:51):
And if you ever need anything, you give me a holler and it's a pleasure to be on here with you.
Awesome. Well, safe travels. All right. And that wraps up another episode of
the trademark where we bridge the worlds of the trades and marketing, one story at a time.
We can't wait to see you next time. Thank you to the trades for giving back
(38:13):
big, loving big, and taking massive action.
Don't forget to join us next time for more engaging conversations and innovative ideas.
If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave us a review and share it with your
colleagues and friends in the trades and marketing.
Your support means the world to us.
Stay connected with us off the air by following us on social media.
(38:36):
We'd love to hear your thoughts and get your feedback. Until next time,
keep making your mark in the trades.
Thank you for listening to The Trademark. Goodbye for now. And remember,
we're with the trades for the trades.
Popular Podcasts
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.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.