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.Is a Salesperson Different from the Person Who Makes The Quotes?
I had an interesting discussion with my mentor lately. Some background: I promoted a team member from carpenter to operations manager. I gave a base salary plus a percentage of gross profit above a certain mark. We didn't hit that mark so he basically just got his base salary for the quarter and was really disappointed, came in and just asked for a really high base instead. I was talking to my mentor about how our sales flow is structured and he mentioned I need to be thinking of the sales person as a lead generator, then the person who would be managing the execution as the person who needs to put the estimates together. That kind of blew my mind a little bit but the more he talked about it, the more it made sense. Keep in mind our projects are all custom essentially so there's different details for everyone, even if it's kind of the same thing. If I go and make the job walk, make the estimate then sell to the team, but then try to incentivize it based on a budget, it's not necessarily fair because the production staff had no part in making that budget. BUT if I'm able to create the "at bats", the foreman walks it with the client then assigns the amount of time and material it will take. Then there's less opportunity to miss details or something get lost in communication. I can give him a plaud unit to make sure to summarize everything. This would also solve the problem of clients treating me like the project manager even though I'm not supposed to be the project manager. I was the one that shook their hand and took their deposit so why wouldn't they send me the grout selections right? Anyway, if you read through all that - I'm curious what your opinion on this is.
How do I explain the value of my services without defending my prices?
What's one service that customers consistently underestimate the value of? For me, it's often the planning, preparation, and experience behind the work—not just the labor itself. How do you educate customers on the value you bring without feeling like you're defending your prices? I'd love to hear how others approach these conversations.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?What's one sales habit that helped you win more jobs?
Maybe it's asking better questions, listening more, or changing the way you showcase your pricing. What's made the biggest difference for you? In this Masters of Home Service episode, Kevin Valle (Pink's Windows) shares how focusing on serving instead of selling helped grow his business from roughly $3,000 a month to more than $80,000 a month. He explains why listening builds trust, how to make pricing conversations feel natural, and how to train a team to sell without relying on scripts. Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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.
At what point does a “good customer” stop being a good customer?
I think when you first start a business, a “good customer” is pretty easy to define. They book regularly. They pay their bill. They don’t cancel all the time. They’ve been with you for years. But as we’ve grown, I’ve realized there’s a lot more to it than that. What if they’re a great recurring client, but your team dreads going to their house? What if they pay on time, but constantly question the bill? What if they’ve been with you for years, but expect exceptions to every policy because they’re a “long-time customer”? Or maybe they’re profitable on paper, but the amount of time your office spends managing them makes you wonder how profitable they actually are. I used to look at keeping a client for a long time as automatically being a win. Now I think WHO you retain matters just as much as how many clients you retain. There’s also the part that makes this difficult: you build relationships with people. Walking away from recurring revenue isn’t always easy, especially when the customer hasn’t done one huge thing “wrong.” Sometimes it’s just 100 little things that add up over time. For me, I think the line gets crossed when keeping one customer starts negatively affecting our team, our operations, or our ability to properly serve the rest of our clients. So I’m curious… At what point does a “good customer” stop being a good customer for your business? Have you ever intentionally let go of a long-term or profitable client because the relationship just wasn’t worth it anymore?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?Are discounts teaching customers to wait instead of buy?
I’ve been thinking about this more as we use more offers during slower seasons. Discounts can work. I’m not against them. We’ve used first-cleanup offers, prepayment offers, reactivation offers, seasonal promos, and different incentives to get people moving. Sometimes a discount gives the customer the little push they needed. It can help fill routes and bring back past customers. It can create cash flow and get someone to finally say yes after sitting on the quote. The problem starts when discounts become the main reason people buy. If customers only take action when there’s a deal, you may be training your market to wait. They learn your normal price is flexible and that your urgency is artificial. That can hurt your business over time. For a recurring service business, this matters even more because the first sale is only the beginning. If someone signs up because of a discount, you need to know whether they actually value the service at the regular price. A discounted customer can still become a great customer. But if the discount attracted someone who was never going to pay full price, you may have created a churn problem instead of a growth win. I’ve had to think about this with our own offers. When we send a first-month discount or a reactivation offer, I don’t want the message to sound like: “We’re cheap right now.” I want it to feel more like: “This is a reason to take action now.” That’s a big difference. The offer should support the value, not replace it. For example, I’d rather tie a discount to a clear situation: First cleanup when starting recurring service Prepaid months Seasonal restart Route opening in a specific area Past customer reactivation Limited schedule availability Add-on bundle That feels different than randomly cutting the price because leads are slow. Random discounts can make the business look desperate. Structured offers can still protect positioning. The other thing I think about is who the offer is for. A discount for a loyal customer who prepays is different than a discount for a brand-new price shopper who hasn’t shown any commitment. A discount to reactivate a past good customer is different than chasing someone who ghosted 5 follow-ups and only responds when the price drops. Those are not the same lead. I also think discounts need boundaries. How long is it available? What service does it apply to? Does it require recurring service? Does it require card on file? Does it require prepayment? Does it apply to add-ons? Does it stack with anything else? Without boundaries, the discount becomes negotiable. And once customers learn your price is negotiable, some of them will keep negotiating. That creates problems for the sales process and the brand. The goal is to use discounts without damaging the perceived value of the service. If your service is reliable, professional, well-communicated, and priced correctly, the discount should not be the strongest part of the offer. The strongest part should still be the outcome the customer wants. For us, that means a clean yard, waste hauled away, gate photo after every visit, clear communication, and one less thing the customer has to worry about. The discount may get attention. The service has to justify the full price after that. Have discounts helped your business grow, or have they trained customers to wait for a better deal?
