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What’s something social media gets entirely wrong about entrepreneurship?
Online, everyone celebrates revenue milestones. Very few people talk about payroll, workers’ comp, taxes, recruiting, difficult conversations, or the emotional weight of leading a team. If you could erase one unrealistic expectation social media creates about running a business, what would it be?
Has anyone hired a commission-based sales rep for their business?
Has anyone hired a commission based sales rep for their landscaping company? Looking to grow our company and it’s getting harder to handle all the requests in a timely enough manner, but same time we aren’t busy enough to have another crew lead. Looking to weigh options and interested in feedback on how it’s worked for others.
Does anyone else receive requests from fake clients pretending to want specific services?
I regularly receive online requests for quotes that are specific, however, when it's time to move forward with a phone call, the person is unavailable or call me from a call center. They DO ask specific questions, and I'm pretty sure they are training AI. The questions start with information about the job, then migrate to questions about my business structure and some lies about 'my accountant will pay by check..." Beware and be alert out there!!Are You Selling Your Service… or Selling the Experience?
Customers have more choices than ever. Sometimes the difference isn’t just the service you provide, but how you make people feel from the first interaction to the final follow-up. What are some ways your business creates an experience that keeps customers coming back?Any tips for making YouTube videos that actually bring in customers?
If you're creating videos for your business (or thinking about it), what's one thing you've learned that makes a difference? In this Masters of Home Service episode, Jacob Palmer (Palmer Electrical) talks about how simple YouTube videos became one of his biggest lead generators. He shares practical advice on filming real jobs, building trust before the first phone call, and using video content to win more local customers without relying on paid ads. Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Low prices don't buy client loyalty — I learned this the hard way
Early on I gave a client the lowest price I've ever offered for a season of treatments — well below what I charge now. I wasn't just trying to be nice — I was pushing hard to hit a client count target and wanted every renewal I could get. It didn't work out the way I planned. Throughout the season he kept asking about problems I couldn't solve — mushrooms growing from a tree stump that was never ground down, issues with his neighbor that had nothing to do with lawn care. I explained multiple times there's no treatment that fixes a stump that's still in the ground. The conversations got more frustrating for both of us. Eventually I decided I was done. When I sent a follow-up email, his response was that he'd already found someone else anyway. The price didn't buy loyalty. It didn't even buy patience. The clients who leave for a cheaper option were never really yours to keep — and discounting to hit a number just delays the inevitable while costing you margin and energy. I don't offer that price anymore. And I'm not chasing that type of client either. Compare that to today. A new client paid $300 for a first visit and is looking at a $1,500 lawn restoration plan, small lawn. No pushback on price — just a good conversation with someone who wanted their problem actually solved, where many other companies have failed before. Before I even showed up he'd already talked to his neighbor about my service. The neighbor enrolled without questioning the price either. By the end of the day both were happy and grateful. A few days apart. Two completely different types of clients. The difference wasn't the lawn — it was the price point that attracted them in the first place.When did you realize revenue wasn’t the same as growth?
Early on, I measured success by how busy we were and how much revenue we brought in. Over time, I realized those aren’t always indicators of a healthy business. This was especially true when my payroll was over 70% of revenue, we were booked and busy, and I had little to no business savings. Was there a moment when your definition of growth changed? What metrics do you pay attention to now that you wish you had tracked sooner?
Automation
We started using automated follow ups for quotes, reviews, etc. but the automated messages wouldn't stop once we heard back from them. A lot people got mad and thought we were just pestering them. Is there a way for the automation to stop once we receive a message back from the client? I think it only stops once they approve a quote. I have found this to be very counterintuitive as it is a broken way for automation to work with following up. I could be missing a setting and be completely wrong but what as the experience been with everyone else?Tracking B2B Leads & Sales Activity
How are you tracking potential customers / leads, and your engagement with each? NOT folks that request a quote, but B2B leads, such as property managers, realtors, businesses, etc that you're targeting? I have a google sheet with all of my B2B leads and make note of contact names, when I last visited, notes from our conversations, etc. Is anyone using a simple software for this, ideally that integrates into Jobber so it's tracked when they eventually turn into a customer?
