March 4, 2024 • 29 mins
In this thought-provoking episode of 'Pipeline to Profitability', industry expert Jim Klauck of Check A Pro delivers savvy guidance on optimizing podcasts and social media for business growth in the home services sector. Drawing on his twenty years of sector-specific experience, Jim illuminates the broad untapped potential of these digital platforms and how to leverage them to attract and engage a wider customer base.
Whether you are a fledgling tradesperson or manage a well-established HVAC company, you will benefit from practical advice on creating purposeful, engaging, and shareable content to address customer queries and concerns. The unique selling point of this guide is its focus on delivering knowledgeable guidance while maintaining relatability. By the end, you should be able to present your service as a reliable, expert solution to your customers' needs.
The conversation extends beyond marketing, delving into the less discussed soft aspects of running a service enterprise, such as the importance of charging accurately and allocating budget for promotions. Listen in for enlightening insights into the myths surrounding social media marketing and for compelling arguments backed by real-life experiences.
The hosts underscore the necessity for regularity and accountability in content creation and online promotion, all the while highlighting the value companies stand to gain from this approach. Attention is also given to conceptual challenges, such as the delay in business conversions on social media. Practical solutions are offered, along with the reassurance of long-term benefits achievable through a patient, consistent and creative online presence.
The final segment of this episode delves into the value of multimedia content on platforms like YouTube. By the close of this session, you should be able to understand how to process your brand into easily digestible multimedia content that is both professional and fun – all to resonate with your audience and boost brand visibility. Additionally, the hosts share book recommendations and other handy resources for those who seek more guidance.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, it's Allan. Yeah, thanks for joining me on this episode of Pipeline to Profitability,
the podcast for home service professionals.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by Service Success Academy.
I sincerely hope you get massive value from this podcast with our expert guests.
If you're a home service plumbing or drain business owner or manager,
(00:24):
and you want to to learn how to generate more revenue from your existing plumbing
and drain calls without complicated or pushy sales tactics,
head to SwipeMyDrainBusiness.com to learn more.
So today, for the second time around, I'm proud to have Jim Klauck,
my friend from Check A Pro.
(00:45):
Now, since 2003, Jim has been assisting home service professionals build their businesses.
Jim likes to say he's in the business of helping winners win more.
From air conditioning companies, plumbing, electrical, window replacement,
(01:05):
and even garage doors, Jim has over 20 years experience in the podcast radio industry. industry.
There's nothing more than Jim would rather be doing than helping his clients
grow their businesses through direct response radio.
If you ask Jim how he's doing, he's likely to say he's living the dream.
(01:29):
Let's bring Jim into the podcast, shall we? So Jim, welcome back to the Pipeline
to Profitability podcast.
And this is our second time at this, and I'm really looking Looking forward
to your expertise when it comes to what contractors should be doing to market
(01:49):
themselves better. And welcome, Jim.
Alan, thank you so much for having me on your podcast. It's near and dear to
my heart because I get to work with you on a regular basis on your podcast behind
the scenes. So thank you so much for having me on the show.
My pleasure. pleasure so um now not
(02:10):
too many contractors that i work with have their own
podcast and i'll probably i'll start here i know you have been working with
contractors for many years you know what works and what doesn't work so for
all my listeners in Australia and there'll be a few that i will be pointing
in your direction uh why why would they want to have a podcast for jim,
(02:32):
So there's a couple of things to consider when we at Checker Pro talk about podcasts.
So there's the traditional long form, 45 minute, one hour podcast.
Pros and cons to that for a home service professional to use.
What we want to really think about, everybody, is we want to think about education.
(02:54):
There's so much education out there and people want to suck it up.
People spend time now sitting in front of the TV, scrolling on their device.
Years ago, if something needed to be replaced in their home or fixed,
they'd go to the yellow pages, or maybe they'd remember a TV or radio commercial.
Today, people are looking for so much information before they engage.
(03:18):
So at Checker Pro, what we do is we can help you produce a long form podcast,
audio and or video, 45 minutes, 30 minutes, maybe even up to an hour if you wanted to.
But that's really not necessarily what we recommend for the plumber,
the electrician and the HVAC company.
(03:38):
Company what we like to say is produce five
minute videos with our help chop them up into
reels and shorts put them on social media but
we can also put them on podcast platforms such as
audible and Spotify and apple podcast and amazon and iheart radio and so we're
(03:58):
we're leveraging the podcast technology using what we call short form video
five maybe seven minutes long and we have all this content and we chop it up.
So what I do, which is really different than what anyone else does in the industry,
is I take my radio experience from the Checker Pro Radio Show.
I interview home service professionals.
(04:21):
So they're on my radio show on video, much like this that we're doing today
on this particular podcast.
And we answer frequently asked questions the a homeowner may ask.
So for instance, in plumbing, it could be why a tankless versus the old tank
water heater? Good question, right?
(04:42):
Homeowner might ask that question. People don't necessarily want to call you first.
They want to research you first and then call to schedule you.
It's important that you educate them upfront. And I also tell them all the time,
Here's what you need to do. Picture the homeowner. They're on their couch at
home, sitting in bed. They're looking at your website.
(05:05):
Are you talking to them from your website with a video and or video podcast?
You've got a frequently asked question page. That's fine. But wouldn't it be
really nice if all these frequently asked questions were answered by you,
the owner slash technician gives you credibility, right?
You've got authority, the know, like, and trust. They know who they're hiring.
(05:28):
Now, you might not be going out to do the job, but you represent the company.
Your competition doesn't have that visual video.
Who do you think they're going to call, Alan? on i
look i've been given this a lot of thought and yeah
i i believe that i i
believe that it's a great way to get your name out there
(05:49):
um and you know we we've touched on reels and shorts and all of that is a great
way to promote your company um if i was to own a service company in australia
i I would definitely attach a podcast to it.
And I've got a few of my clients and I'm going to be recommending to do it.
(06:11):
And, you know, thinking about as a plumbing business, being able to give the
customer some helpful advice on their plumbing systems, what to do,
what not to do, what they can do themselves,
what they shouldn't do themselves, where they need an expert.
One of my clients, one of the first clients that I worked with in Australia,
(06:33):
he had a tagline that went along the lines of, we fix what your husband attempted
to fix, or along those lines.
Yeah. And I'm thinking, wouldn't that be a great podcast to go through all the
things that the husbands have attempted to do themselves where you've had to
(06:53):
call in an expert and it's cost you twice as frigging much because it's maybe
on a weekend or on a public holiday.
So I just think there's so much advantage to doing that if you want to really
have a successful home service company.
Now, you've got some, I know you've got a fellow by the name of Tommy and Mello
(07:14):
at A1 Garage Doors, and he does podcasts for his business.
And I'm sure you've got a few contractors that do it.
So where are they getting, where are these companies that you're currently working
with, where are they getting a gain from doing this? Yeah.
The short answer to that is credibility and being different.
(07:36):
Like I said, picture this.
Let's talk about the A1 Garage Door podcast, Tommy Mellows.
I interviewed John Phillips, who is one of their head technicians on the Checker
Pro radio show, which is actually these five-minute videos.
So picture yourself on a radio show or TV show, and they take an excerpt,
(08:00):
right? You're on for five minutes.
It's that five-minute piece, and we're answering these frequently asked questions.
How often should I get my garage door inspected?
What are the three different types of rollers? How does a spring work?
That type of stuff. These are frequently asked questions. So the value that
the home service professional is getting from using this video podcast technology is,
(08:26):
number one, your competition isn't doing it. So you're different.
And really, number two, arguably number one, you're talking directly.
Like I'm looking into the camera, right? Talking directly, looking into the
eyes of that homeowner, saying, here's how we fix it. Now, of course,
the homeowners can't do it themselves. They have to hire you.
(08:48):
They ended up on your website. They found this embeddable video player talking
about these frequently asked questions.
I'm going to pull out a book really quick here. Have you heard of this book
called They Ask, You Answer?
Written by Marcus Sheridan. Marcus Sheridan had a swimming pool company that was failing back in 09,
08-ish, 09-ish during the financial crisis because people wanted to send their
(09:12):
deposits back because they were worried about losing their homes.
So he scrambled and he started working with blogs and videos and so forth.
And he came up with this really neat solution that he's built a business around
called They Ask, You Answer.
Alan, the they ask are the frequently asked questions by the homeowner.
For instance, how often should I get my HVAC system inspected?
(09:36):
Okay the you answer is
the technician or the owner of the HVAC company
answering that question think how convenient
it is for that homeowner to be watching these videos at home they can go after
video after video after video even if the question or issue they have hasn't
been addressed it really doesn't matter because you have been established as
(10:00):
the expert and that's when they engage with with you.
That's why you should have it. That's where the value is.
I believe, you know, Donna, I've done a lot of research on this.
And when you become the expert in your given field, you can actually put yourself
ahead of all those around you.
(10:22):
You know, let's say, I know...
Most of the contractors I work with, they just clear drains.
But what if you were able to separate yourself from all the other plumbers and
drain cleaners in your market by the expert that we can fix your drains without
having to dig up your bathroom or without having to chop up your driveway?
(10:45):
We've got that technology. It's no mess, and we can save you money.
If you were to take that and educate the customer on that via a podcast.
And look, there's a lot more to it than just saying, well, we can fix your drains without digging.
But I just think you can put yourself in a position where you are perceived as the expert.
(11:10):
And obviously you've got to have the service that backs it up.
You don't want to have shitty trucks and you want to be well-branded and you
want to provide that five-star level of service.
And that all comes from, you know, we talked about best practice groups and
getting mentors and all that, but you have to be the company that these people would want to call out.
(11:33):
And I think the podcast is a great way to do that.
And we've also touched on the fact that you can take a short 30-second to 60-second
section out of it and put it on YouTube, put it on your website, use it.
We were big on sending a tech bio to the customer, a little video that explains
(11:57):
the customer's called in for a blocked drain.
You send them a little section from the podcast talking about how we clear your drain.
So I think it's a win-win myself.
Yeah, so, Alan, there are so many pieces, to this.
And if you don't mind, I'll go through kind of a pitch here of why home service
(12:22):
professionals should consider doing this type of format.
My experience going back almost 40 years is radio broadcast.
This microphone here is very similar to the one that I started using back in 1984.
And I've taken my interview experience in broadcast radio and brought it to
today's multimedia online video.
(12:46):
And I have a radio show in Houston called the Checker Pro Radio Show.
It's on radio stations in Houston, Texas, and in also some other markets throughout the country.
So I've taken my broadcast experience and now put it into these videos.
So think about the homeowner and your credibility with them.
They see you online on a radio show, which is in video.
(13:11):
They hear me ask you questions. They may not know who I am.
I call myself Checker Pro Joe because my company is called Checker Pro,
which stands for Checker Professional.
I started the company back in 2005. We check insurance, licenses,
and references on all of our pre-qualified home service providers.
And so I'm interviewing Tom, who is the owner of the HVAC company.
(13:35):
All of a sudden, Tom is on a pedestal because he is not patting himself on the back.
I'm telling the audience how great he is. I'm asking him a question that's come
in from a listener to the radio show, a they-ask-you-answer type question.
He answers that question. Look at all the stuff, Alan, that's gone on here.
Here is the HVAC owner on a radio show as the expert answering a question,
(14:02):
either my question as a homeowner or very similar.
He is God in my eyes. There is no one else in my marketplace who has this on
their website, let alone on Apple Podcasts, on Amazon, on iHeart,
on YouTube, on Facebook.
Book it's it's like a no-brainer why
wouldn't you stick out when people go on
(14:24):
stage now and you know this is true when people go on stage and
talk in front of 100 200 500 people who is the most popular person 30 minutes
after he's done him he gets off stage everybody wants to ask him questions and
they want a copy of his book they didn't even know who he was before he got
on stage that's the magic yeah.
(14:47):
I just think there's so much more to be done now not every company that i work
with is going to want to do this but i think some of that when a company gets
to a certain size and they've got you know the budget and they need to be charging
correctly i talk about that a lot make sure,
a lot of smaller contractors think because they're smaller they don't have the
(15:11):
overhead that they can charge less and they bag out the bigger companies.
But if they were to charge correctly and have a,
marketing budget that could fit a podcast into it just for the promotional purposes,
I believe that it's all about getting attention to your brand,
(15:32):
whether that's to your website, whether that's to your social pages.
And social is an area I'd like to probably tap
into a little little bit because i i tell all
the contractors i work with they all say our facebook you
know we don't get much much from it and and
and the first thing i think of we're not doing it right because um some of the
(15:55):
contractors i work with that use social they do get a lot from it but they're
probably doing 10x more than what you are so we might we might move into that space jim.
For the longest time, I couldn't figure out social media.
I couldn't figure out why anybody would spend any time or any money promoting their business on it.
(16:21):
And then as I started creating video content specifically, and you've probably seen some of my content.
I've seen yours, Alan, right? You and I are both putting stuff out there.
This stuff works in all areas.
It doesn't matter if you're a speaker, a coach, an author, or if you clean drains.
It works in your space if you are consistent.
(16:45):
And I talk about this all the time. It's so critical. The consistency.
One of the reasons why people get such great value from hiring me and my company
at Checker Pro, Alan, is because I'm kind of like a coach or that personal trainer
where it's like an accountability partner.
I'm recording with you. So you can record your own content on your own.
(17:08):
Like I said, you can pat yourself on the back and say, hi, this is Bubba and
we have the best drain cleaning service in town.
And we have a billion Google reviews and we've been a pinnacle award winner
with the BBB 12,000 times.
It's okay. Kind of self-serving. But what question are you answering?
How are you helping them? You're just promoting yourself.
(17:30):
And are you going to do that on a regular basis?
It's like the same person who says, it's January 1st, I'm going to join that
gym and I'm going to go on a regular basis and work out. If you hire someone.
Who is going to coach you or train you at the gym, you're more likely to be
(17:50):
successful because you have to get into that new habit.
They also can watch your form as you work out.
They also have experience that you don't have.
But getting back to your point about social media, it works.
You have to be consistent over and over and over again.
If you want to lose weight, build muscle, learn things, you have to do the same
(18:11):
thing over and over and over again.
What drives me crazy is when people start creating video or a podcast too.
They start, they go for a few weeks or a few months, then they stop. They disappear.
I would say you shouldn't have started to begin with because now you look like you failed. fail.
(18:34):
Where did you go? Sometimes I will check to see if they're still alive.
I will. I'll go on Facebook, for instance, and search for their name to see
if they have any of the recent posts because I'm like, where did they go?
They were producing content.
Whether it was content that was good for me or not is beside the point.
I noticed that they disappeared.
You've got to stay consistent. And so on social media, we'll take Facebook, for instance.
(18:57):
It works if you do do it over and over and over again. The mistake I was making,
Alan, is for years, I wasn't willing to put in the time.
What's good about what I do for my clients is they don't have to.
If they have 45 minutes a month, we do all the rest.
We record them, but then we do everything
else. That's the hardest part is showing up and getting it done.
(19:19):
I'm with you. I learned a lesson.
I've had a guest to my podcast three times now. His name is Andy Hobakia.
His father owns a phenomenal service in business, home service company in Phoenix
called Hobakia Services.
Now, Andy is a young guy, very dynamic.
(19:41):
I would probably, I would hunt him down because I think there'd be a good story
to tell on your podcast, Jim.
Him, but he taught me the power of social just by letting the world know that
you work for the most amazing company that loves its clients and a lot of interaction
(20:02):
between Andy and his father and the company and their staff.
They're always having fun. They're always doing stuff for the community.
And we talked about...
The power of social in, you know, just if you're out there consistently and
whatever anyone's doing on social, if they say it's not bringing calls.
(20:26):
Yes, one thing I agree, most people don't, they got a block drain or a burst
water heater, they don't go straight to social.
Social but if they've seen you pop up regularly
that you're going to be top of mind so that when they
go searching on goggle um they'll they'll
and they see you they go i know these it feels that
(20:47):
there's a connection there but they've got to see you seven eight
nine ten times and then but if you do that consistent
consistency is one of the power words that
we've we've touched on a fair a
bit and you touched on it just then you've got
if you're not consistent you're non-existent so you've got
to be consistent social is a powerful way to get your brand out there get yourself
(21:11):
a podcast with jim um create some 30 second or 60 second reels get it out there
on so and just promote the hell out of it people will see you and they will
choose you over your comp your your competition.
Am I right with that? You are 100% correct.
And what you were saying is so true.
(21:34):
There was marketing and advertising in what you were saying.
The marketing is not so much fun stuff, but it's creative.
The fun stuff is when you advertise and get the phone to ring.
So when you're putting together videos and you're promoting them on social media,
(21:54):
for instance, like you said, if someone has a clogged drain,
they're not going to necessarily think of you at that time.
Maybe they go to Google and they type in drain clear in Houston,
Texas, Whatever they're typing in, they need their drain unclogged, okay?
(22:16):
Well, now you come up because you are advertising on Google.
So, yes, you're spending money. That video is created, the marketing.
And now you're paying for really a lead.
But when they see your name come up, ABC Drain Clear Company,
they're like, I know them.
(22:36):
They may not even remember the video or the podcast. podcast, it doesn't matter.
Their brain says, I know, I trust, I like, I buy.
It's that simple. I know, I like, I trust, I buy.
If they don't know who you are, you're just someone else who's paid Google.
You've got to spend money and time on the whole picture.
(22:57):
They're all related. You're not going to necessarily,
and I will tell you this, get a lot of business directly from social media if
you're in the home services business, especially service like electrical repair,
like a panel or plumbing or HVAC.
But when people are looking for you at another resource, they say, I know you.
(23:22):
I mean, think about the TV ads that we've seen for decades, Alan, right?
It's for a company that fixes a roof leak.
It's a roofer. roofer, when it rains and all of a sudden you have a roof leak,
do you really think of the TV commercial?
Or do you go to what was the yellow pages and you go, oh, ABC roofing,
(23:42):
I've seen their ads, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
Or Google today, I've seen their ads, ding, ding, ding, ding, boom.
That's what you've got to use it for. Now, there are some other call to actions
that can happen on social media, especially if you're selling a product.
So if you're selling water Water softeners, for instance, and I've done this
on direct response radio.
(24:04):
That's different because you can actually talk about the product and it's a specific product.
But when it's a service, no one knows really what it's going to cost to fix
the roof. They got to come out.
Same thing with other services. And so you're absolutely right, Alan.
It's about the marketing of it, the talking about it, earn the trust,
know, like, and trust, authority and credibility.
(24:26):
And then when they need you, they may not remember that message,
but they certainly will when they see the ad on Google.
Yeah. So that's great advice, Jim, and I appreciate that.
But I feel that every contractor out there that's listening to this podcast
needs to take social seriously.
(24:49):
And it's not just Facebook, it's Instagram, it's TikTok, it's YouTube,
which I think is the big one.
You've got to get out, you've got to get yourself out there.
You've got to create, you know, for a a plumbing or electrical business,
you want to start recording fun stuff that the company's doing.
(25:12):
And that might be, if you're a drain company, maybe showing the team clearing
a drain, or if you're doing a trenchless repair, show it and just get stuff
out there that's going to.
Resonate with your audience and make it look like you're a professional company that's having fun.
And so there's many things you can do.
So listen, Jim, before we go, I want to take this opportunity for you to let
(25:40):
everyone know all about Jim Clowk at Checker Pro.
As well, I ask all of my podcast guests for a book recommendation.
Is there anything that comes to mind? Or that might be a podcast or that might
be an audio book. Is there anything that comes to mind with you, Jim?
(26:02):
In recent history, it's they ask, you answer.
This has been a blessing to my clients, and it's really helped me as well.
Marcus Sheridan, who wrote this book, has an agency where he can help you with video and so forth.
(26:23):
But he recommends bringing in your own videographer and your own team.
And so I've taken kind of a piece of his playbook.
And I'm like, if you don't want to hire, because honestly, what does a plumbing
company know about managing a staff for social media and video production?
(26:45):
Historically, we don't have that skill set. That's not what we know.
And so sometimes it's better to farm it out like you might do your legal work
and your CPA and so forth.
So I recommend this book.
It's great. You should read the book. I also, FYI, if you go to YouTube and
you type in Marcus Sheridan and Jim Clouk, you will see an interview I've done with him.
(27:08):
And I'm asking all the questions home service professionals would ask him.
Once again, a they ask you answer in that video. It's about a half hour long. I recommend it.
I'll get that link off you and put it into the show notes along with all your information.
So, yeah, I want to thank you again, Jim. Is there anything else you would like
(27:30):
to leave our listeners with before we conclude today's podcast?
I just want to say thank you so much, Alan, for having me on your podcast.
And I love your growth of your podcast. podcast.
I'll never forget the day we first spoke about it. And you said you wanted to
bring it back to life because it was on hiatus for a little while.
And I'm like, thank you for allowing me to be part of it.
(27:54):
And I've always said, if you ever need anything, you and your team,
because you've got a great team, you work with a handful of people, um, who,
who helped produce it, not just us, but you've got a whole production team on
your side that, that, I mean, you have one of of the best looking and sounding podcasts.
I mean, the graphics behind you are phenomenal.
Most people who do one don't have it. It's extraordinary.
(28:18):
So I just want to say thank you for letting me be part of your podcast life and congratulations.
Oh, thank you, Jim. I really appreciate that. You're a good man.
I really appreciate what you're doing for the industry.
And I've said this a lot, that anyone that's helping contractors to succeed,
whether they're a competitor or whether they don't even have to be someone I
(28:39):
like, I really take my hat off to them.
Okay. And there is people out there that I don't like, but I give them credit
for helping contractors to succeed.
And that's what you're doing. So thanks again, Jim.
Appreciate everything you do. And I look forward to catching up with you at another time.
(29:00):
Thank you, Allan. I appreciate it. Cheers, Jim.
Hey, it's Allan. Yeah, thanks for joining me on this episode of Pipeline to Profitability,
the podcast for home service professionals.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by Service Success Academy.
I sincerely hope you get massive value from this podcast with our expert guests.
If you're a home service plumbing or drain business owner or manager,
(00:24):
and you want to to learn how to generate more revenue from your existing plumbing
and drain calls without complicated or pushy sales tactics,
head to SwipeMyDrainBusiness.com to learn more.
So today, for the second time around, I'm proud to have Jim Klauck,
my friend from Check A Pro.
(00:45):
Now, since 2003, Jim has been assisting home service professionals build their businesses.
Jim likes to say he's in the business of helping winners win more.
From air conditioning companies, plumbing, electrical, window replacement,
(01:05):
and even garage doors, Jim has over 20 years experience in the podcast radio industry. industry.
There's nothing more than Jim would rather be doing than helping his clients
grow their businesses through direct response radio.
If you ask Jim how he's doing, he's likely to say he's living the dream.
(01:29):
Let's bring Jim into the podcast, shall we? So Jim, welcome back to the Pipeline
to Profitability podcast.
And this is our second time at this, and I'm really looking Looking forward
to your expertise when it comes to what contractors should be doing to market
(01:49):
themselves better. And welcome, Jim.
Alan, thank you so much for having me on your podcast. It's near and dear to
my heart because I get to work with you on a regular basis on your podcast behind
the scenes. So thank you so much for having me on the show.
My pleasure. pleasure so um now not
(02:10):
too many contractors that i work with have their own
podcast and i'll probably i'll start here i know you have been working with
contractors for many years you know what works and what doesn't work so for
all my listeners in Australia and there'll be a few that i will be pointing
in your direction uh why why would they want to have a podcast for jim,
(02:32):
So there's a couple of things to consider when we at Checker Pro talk about podcasts.
So there's the traditional long form, 45 minute, one hour podcast.
Pros and cons to that for a home service professional to use.
What we want to really think about, everybody, is we want to think about education.
(02:54):
There's so much education out there and people want to suck it up.
People spend time now sitting in front of the TV, scrolling on their device.
Years ago, if something needed to be replaced in their home or fixed,
they'd go to the yellow pages, or maybe they'd remember a TV or radio commercial.
Today, people are looking for so much information before they engage.
(03:18):
So at Checker Pro, what we do is we can help you produce a long form podcast,
audio and or video, 45 minutes, 30 minutes, maybe even up to an hour if you wanted to.
But that's really not necessarily what we recommend for the plumber,
the electrician and the HVAC company.
(03:38):
Company what we like to say is produce five
minute videos with our help chop them up into
reels and shorts put them on social media but
we can also put them on podcast platforms such as
audible and Spotify and apple podcast and amazon and iheart radio and so we're
(03:58):
we're leveraging the podcast technology using what we call short form video
five maybe seven minutes long and we have all this content and we chop it up.
So what I do, which is really different than what anyone else does in the industry,
is I take my radio experience from the Checker Pro Radio Show.
I interview home service professionals.
(04:21):
So they're on my radio show on video, much like this that we're doing today
on this particular podcast.
And we answer frequently asked questions the a homeowner may ask.
So for instance, in plumbing, it could be why a tankless versus the old tank
water heater? Good question, right?
(04:42):
Homeowner might ask that question. People don't necessarily want to call you first.
They want to research you first and then call to schedule you.
It's important that you educate them upfront. And I also tell them all the time,
Here's what you need to do. Picture the homeowner. They're on their couch at
home, sitting in bed. They're looking at your website.
(05:05):
Are you talking to them from your website with a video and or video podcast?
You've got a frequently asked question page. That's fine. But wouldn't it be
really nice if all these frequently asked questions were answered by you,
the owner slash technician gives you credibility, right?
You've got authority, the know, like, and trust. They know who they're hiring.
(05:28):
Now, you might not be going out to do the job, but you represent the company.
Your competition doesn't have that visual video.
Who do you think they're going to call, Alan? on i
look i've been given this a lot of thought and yeah
i i believe that i i
believe that it's a great way to get your name out there
(05:49):
um and you know we we've touched on reels and shorts and all of that is a great
way to promote your company um if i was to own a service company in australia
i I would definitely attach a podcast to it.
And I've got a few of my clients and I'm going to be recommending to do it.
(06:11):
And, you know, thinking about as a plumbing business, being able to give the
customer some helpful advice on their plumbing systems, what to do,
what not to do, what they can do themselves,
what they shouldn't do themselves, where they need an expert.
One of my clients, one of the first clients that I worked with in Australia,
(06:33):
he had a tagline that went along the lines of, we fix what your husband attempted
to fix, or along those lines.
Yeah. And I'm thinking, wouldn't that be a great podcast to go through all the
things that the husbands have attempted to do themselves where you've had to
(06:53):
call in an expert and it's cost you twice as frigging much because it's maybe
on a weekend or on a public holiday.
So I just think there's so much advantage to doing that if you want to really
have a successful home service company.
Now, you've got some, I know you've got a fellow by the name of Tommy and Mello
(07:14):
at A1 Garage Doors, and he does podcasts for his business.
And I'm sure you've got a few contractors that do it.
So where are they getting, where are these companies that you're currently working
with, where are they getting a gain from doing this? Yeah.
The short answer to that is credibility and being different.
(07:36):
Like I said, picture this.
Let's talk about the A1 Garage Door podcast, Tommy Mellows.
I interviewed John Phillips, who is one of their head technicians on the Checker
Pro radio show, which is actually these five-minute videos.
So picture yourself on a radio show or TV show, and they take an excerpt,
(08:00):
right? You're on for five minutes.
It's that five-minute piece, and we're answering these frequently asked questions.
How often should I get my garage door inspected?
What are the three different types of rollers? How does a spring work?
That type of stuff. These are frequently asked questions. So the value that
the home service professional is getting from using this video podcast technology is,
(08:26):
number one, your competition isn't doing it. So you're different.
And really, number two, arguably number one, you're talking directly.
Like I'm looking into the camera, right? Talking directly, looking into the
eyes of that homeowner, saying, here's how we fix it. Now, of course,
the homeowners can't do it themselves. They have to hire you.
(08:48):
They ended up on your website. They found this embeddable video player talking
about these frequently asked questions.
I'm going to pull out a book really quick here. Have you heard of this book
called They Ask, You Answer?
Written by Marcus Sheridan. Marcus Sheridan had a swimming pool company that was failing back in 09,
08-ish, 09-ish during the financial crisis because people wanted to send their
(09:12):
deposits back because they were worried about losing their homes.
So he scrambled and he started working with blogs and videos and so forth.
And he came up with this really neat solution that he's built a business around
called They Ask, You Answer.
Alan, the they ask are the frequently asked questions by the homeowner.
For instance, how often should I get my HVAC system inspected?
(09:36):
Okay the you answer is
the technician or the owner of the HVAC company
answering that question think how convenient
it is for that homeowner to be watching these videos at home they can go after
video after video after video even if the question or issue they have hasn't
been addressed it really doesn't matter because you have been established as
(10:00):
the expert and that's when they engage with with you.
That's why you should have it. That's where the value is.
I believe, you know, Donna, I've done a lot of research on this.
And when you become the expert in your given field, you can actually put yourself
ahead of all those around you.
(10:22):
You know, let's say, I know...
Most of the contractors I work with, they just clear drains.
But what if you were able to separate yourself from all the other plumbers and
drain cleaners in your market by the expert that we can fix your drains without
having to dig up your bathroom or without having to chop up your driveway?
(10:45):
We've got that technology. It's no mess, and we can save you money.
If you were to take that and educate the customer on that via a podcast.
And look, there's a lot more to it than just saying, well, we can fix your drains without digging.
But I just think you can put yourself in a position where you are perceived as the expert.
(11:10):
And obviously you've got to have the service that backs it up.
You don't want to have shitty trucks and you want to be well-branded and you
want to provide that five-star level of service.
And that all comes from, you know, we talked about best practice groups and
getting mentors and all that, but you have to be the company that these people would want to call out.
(11:33):
And I think the podcast is a great way to do that.
And we've also touched on the fact that you can take a short 30-second to 60-second
section out of it and put it on YouTube, put it on your website, use it.
We were big on sending a tech bio to the customer, a little video that explains
(11:57):
the customer's called in for a blocked drain.
You send them a little section from the podcast talking about how we clear your drain.
So I think it's a win-win myself.
Yeah, so, Alan, there are so many pieces, to this.
And if you don't mind, I'll go through kind of a pitch here of why home service
(12:22):
professionals should consider doing this type of format.
My experience going back almost 40 years is radio broadcast.
This microphone here is very similar to the one that I started using back in 1984.
And I've taken my interview experience in broadcast radio and brought it to
today's multimedia online video.
(12:46):
And I have a radio show in Houston called the Checker Pro Radio Show.
It's on radio stations in Houston, Texas, and in also some other markets throughout the country.
So I've taken my broadcast experience and now put it into these videos.
So think about the homeowner and your credibility with them.
They see you online on a radio show, which is in video.
(13:11):
They hear me ask you questions. They may not know who I am.
I call myself Checker Pro Joe because my company is called Checker Pro,
which stands for Checker Professional.
I started the company back in 2005. We check insurance, licenses,
and references on all of our pre-qualified home service providers.
And so I'm interviewing Tom, who is the owner of the HVAC company.
(13:35):
All of a sudden, Tom is on a pedestal because he is not patting himself on the back.
I'm telling the audience how great he is. I'm asking him a question that's come
in from a listener to the radio show, a they-ask-you-answer type question.
He answers that question. Look at all the stuff, Alan, that's gone on here.
Here is the HVAC owner on a radio show as the expert answering a question,
(14:02):
either my question as a homeowner or very similar.
He is God in my eyes. There is no one else in my marketplace who has this on
their website, let alone on Apple Podcasts, on Amazon, on iHeart,
on YouTube, on Facebook.
Book it's it's like a no-brainer why
wouldn't you stick out when people go on
(14:24):
stage now and you know this is true when people go on stage and
talk in front of 100 200 500 people who is the most popular person 30 minutes
after he's done him he gets off stage everybody wants to ask him questions and
they want a copy of his book they didn't even know who he was before he got
on stage that's the magic yeah.
(14:47):
I just think there's so much more to be done now not every company that i work
with is going to want to do this but i think some of that when a company gets
to a certain size and they've got you know the budget and they need to be charging
correctly i talk about that a lot make sure,
a lot of smaller contractors think because they're smaller they don't have the
(15:11):
overhead that they can charge less and they bag out the bigger companies.
But if they were to charge correctly and have a,
marketing budget that could fit a podcast into it just for the promotional purposes,
I believe that it's all about getting attention to your brand,
(15:32):
whether that's to your website, whether that's to your social pages.
And social is an area I'd like to probably tap
into a little little bit because i i tell all
the contractors i work with they all say our facebook you
know we don't get much much from it and and
and the first thing i think of we're not doing it right because um some of the
(15:55):
contractors i work with that use social they do get a lot from it but they're
probably doing 10x more than what you are so we might we might move into that space jim.
For the longest time, I couldn't figure out social media.
I couldn't figure out why anybody would spend any time or any money promoting their business on it.
(16:21):
And then as I started creating video content specifically, and you've probably seen some of my content.
I've seen yours, Alan, right? You and I are both putting stuff out there.
This stuff works in all areas.
It doesn't matter if you're a speaker, a coach, an author, or if you clean drains.
It works in your space if you are consistent.
(16:45):
And I talk about this all the time. It's so critical. The consistency.
One of the reasons why people get such great value from hiring me and my company
at Checker Pro, Alan, is because I'm kind of like a coach or that personal trainer
where it's like an accountability partner.
I'm recording with you. So you can record your own content on your own.
(17:08):
Like I said, you can pat yourself on the back and say, hi, this is Bubba and
we have the best drain cleaning service in town.
And we have a billion Google reviews and we've been a pinnacle award winner
with the BBB 12,000 times.
It's okay. Kind of self-serving. But what question are you answering?
How are you helping them? You're just promoting yourself.
(17:30):
And are you going to do that on a regular basis?
It's like the same person who says, it's January 1st, I'm going to join that
gym and I'm going to go on a regular basis and work out. If you hire someone.
Who is going to coach you or train you at the gym, you're more likely to be
(17:50):
successful because you have to get into that new habit.
They also can watch your form as you work out.
They also have experience that you don't have.
But getting back to your point about social media, it works.
You have to be consistent over and over and over again.
If you want to lose weight, build muscle, learn things, you have to do the same
(18:11):
thing over and over and over again.
What drives me crazy is when people start creating video or a podcast too.
They start, they go for a few weeks or a few months, then they stop. They disappear.
I would say you shouldn't have started to begin with because now you look like you failed. fail.
(18:34):
Where did you go? Sometimes I will check to see if they're still alive.
I will. I'll go on Facebook, for instance, and search for their name to see
if they have any of the recent posts because I'm like, where did they go?
They were producing content.
Whether it was content that was good for me or not is beside the point.
I noticed that they disappeared.
You've got to stay consistent. And so on social media, we'll take Facebook, for instance.
(18:57):
It works if you do do it over and over and over again. The mistake I was making,
Alan, is for years, I wasn't willing to put in the time.
What's good about what I do for my clients is they don't have to.
If they have 45 minutes a month, we do all the rest.
We record them, but then we do everything
else. That's the hardest part is showing up and getting it done.
(19:19):
I'm with you. I learned a lesson.
I've had a guest to my podcast three times now. His name is Andy Hobakia.
His father owns a phenomenal service in business, home service company in Phoenix
called Hobakia Services.
Now, Andy is a young guy, very dynamic.
(19:41):
I would probably, I would hunt him down because I think there'd be a good story
to tell on your podcast, Jim.
Him, but he taught me the power of social just by letting the world know that
you work for the most amazing company that loves its clients and a lot of interaction
(20:02):
between Andy and his father and the company and their staff.
They're always having fun. They're always doing stuff for the community.
And we talked about...
The power of social in, you know, just if you're out there consistently and
whatever anyone's doing on social, if they say it's not bringing calls.
(20:26):
Yes, one thing I agree, most people don't, they got a block drain or a burst
water heater, they don't go straight to social.
Social but if they've seen you pop up regularly
that you're going to be top of mind so that when they
go searching on goggle um they'll they'll
and they see you they go i know these it feels that
(20:47):
there's a connection there but they've got to see you seven eight
nine ten times and then but if you do that consistent
consistency is one of the power words that
we've we've touched on a fair a
bit and you touched on it just then you've got
if you're not consistent you're non-existent so you've got
to be consistent social is a powerful way to get your brand out there get yourself
(21:11):
a podcast with jim um create some 30 second or 60 second reels get it out there
on so and just promote the hell out of it people will see you and they will
choose you over your comp your your competition.
Am I right with that? You are 100% correct.
And what you were saying is so true.
(21:34):
There was marketing and advertising in what you were saying.
The marketing is not so much fun stuff, but it's creative.
The fun stuff is when you advertise and get the phone to ring.
So when you're putting together videos and you're promoting them on social media,
(21:54):
for instance, like you said, if someone has a clogged drain,
they're not going to necessarily think of you at that time.
Maybe they go to Google and they type in drain clear in Houston,
Texas, Whatever they're typing in, they need their drain unclogged, okay?
(22:16):
Well, now you come up because you are advertising on Google.
So, yes, you're spending money. That video is created, the marketing.
And now you're paying for really a lead.
But when they see your name come up, ABC Drain Clear Company,
they're like, I know them.
(22:36):
They may not even remember the video or the podcast. podcast, it doesn't matter.
Their brain says, I know, I trust, I like, I buy.
It's that simple. I know, I like, I trust, I buy.
If they don't know who you are, you're just someone else who's paid Google.
You've got to spend money and time on the whole picture.
(22:57):
They're all related. You're not going to necessarily,
and I will tell you this, get a lot of business directly from social media if
you're in the home services business, especially service like electrical repair,
like a panel or plumbing or HVAC.
But when people are looking for you at another resource, they say, I know you.
(23:22):
I mean, think about the TV ads that we've seen for decades, Alan, right?
It's for a company that fixes a roof leak.
It's a roofer. roofer, when it rains and all of a sudden you have a roof leak,
do you really think of the TV commercial?
Or do you go to what was the yellow pages and you go, oh, ABC roofing,
(23:42):
I've seen their ads, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
Or Google today, I've seen their ads, ding, ding, ding, ding, boom.
That's what you've got to use it for. Now, there are some other call to actions
that can happen on social media, especially if you're selling a product.
So if you're selling water Water softeners, for instance, and I've done this
on direct response radio.
(24:04):
That's different because you can actually talk about the product and it's a specific product.
But when it's a service, no one knows really what it's going to cost to fix
the roof. They got to come out.
Same thing with other services. And so you're absolutely right, Alan.
It's about the marketing of it, the talking about it, earn the trust,
know, like, and trust, authority and credibility.
(24:26):
And then when they need you, they may not remember that message,
but they certainly will when they see the ad on Google.
Yeah. So that's great advice, Jim, and I appreciate that.
But I feel that every contractor out there that's listening to this podcast
needs to take social seriously.
(24:49):
And it's not just Facebook, it's Instagram, it's TikTok, it's YouTube,
which I think is the big one.
You've got to get out, you've got to get yourself out there.
You've got to create, you know, for a a plumbing or electrical business,
you want to start recording fun stuff that the company's doing.
(25:12):
And that might be, if you're a drain company, maybe showing the team clearing
a drain, or if you're doing a trenchless repair, show it and just get stuff
out there that's going to.
Resonate with your audience and make it look like you're a professional company that's having fun.
And so there's many things you can do.
So listen, Jim, before we go, I want to take this opportunity for you to let
(25:40):
everyone know all about Jim Clowk at Checker Pro.
As well, I ask all of my podcast guests for a book recommendation.
Is there anything that comes to mind? Or that might be a podcast or that might
be an audio book. Is there anything that comes to mind with you, Jim?
(26:02):
In recent history, it's they ask, you answer.
This has been a blessing to my clients, and it's really helped me as well.
Marcus Sheridan, who wrote this book, has an agency where he can help you with video and so forth.
(26:23):
But he recommends bringing in your own videographer and your own team.
And so I've taken kind of a piece of his playbook.
And I'm like, if you don't want to hire, because honestly, what does a plumbing
company know about managing a staff for social media and video production?
(26:45):
Historically, we don't have that skill set. That's not what we know.
And so sometimes it's better to farm it out like you might do your legal work
and your CPA and so forth.
So I recommend this book.
It's great. You should read the book. I also, FYI, if you go to YouTube and
you type in Marcus Sheridan and Jim Clouk, you will see an interview I've done with him.
(27:08):
And I'm asking all the questions home service professionals would ask him.
Once again, a they ask you answer in that video. It's about a half hour long. I recommend it.
I'll get that link off you and put it into the show notes along with all your information.
So, yeah, I want to thank you again, Jim. Is there anything else you would like
(27:30):
to leave our listeners with before we conclude today's podcast?
I just want to say thank you so much, Alan, for having me on your podcast.
And I love your growth of your podcast. podcast.
I'll never forget the day we first spoke about it. And you said you wanted to
bring it back to life because it was on hiatus for a little while.
And I'm like, thank you for allowing me to be part of it.
(27:54):
And I've always said, if you ever need anything, you and your team,
because you've got a great team, you work with a handful of people, um, who,
who helped produce it, not just us, but you've got a whole production team on
your side that, that, I mean, you have one of of the best looking and sounding podcasts.
I mean, the graphics behind you are phenomenal.
Most people who do one don't have it. It's extraordinary.
(28:18):
So I just want to say thank you for letting me be part of your podcast life and congratulations.
Oh, thank you, Jim. I really appreciate that. You're a good man.
I really appreciate what you're doing for the industry.
And I've said this a lot, that anyone that's helping contractors to succeed,
whether they're a competitor or whether they don't even have to be someone I
(28:39):
like, I really take my hat off to them.
Okay. And there is people out there that I don't like, but I give them credit
for helping contractors to succeed.
And that's what you're doing. So thanks again, Jim.
Appreciate everything you do. And I look forward to catching up with you at another time.
(29:00):
Thank you, Allan. I appreciate it. Cheers, Jim.
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