When did you hire your first sales person?
I think a lot of us owners, if we aren't in the field, we are doing the sales and marketing. For you larger businesses, when did you get your first sales person? What support positions did you hire first? Would you do it any different? I've never worked a sales job (other than owning my company) so I don't know what compensation structure would need to be in place to get a good sales person. How much meat needs to be on the bone for this hypothetical sales guy? This is what the ol AI told me - My honest estimate: a home service business usually needs to be around $1.2M–$1.5M/year in revenue before a true salesperson makes sense, assuming the company already has consistent lead flow, clean estimating, production capacity, and gross margins around 50%+. Below that, you can maybe afford a salesperson on paper, but you probably cannot give them enough opportunity to make the role attractive without crushing cash flow or starving them of leads. A good salesperson is likely going to need a believable path to $75k–$110k+ total comp, which means they need enough leads and deal volume to sell roughly $600k–$1M+ per year, depending on average ticket and margin.Who Here Has Had Success with Yard Signs?
I'm a part of Home Service Accelerator and one of the main things they recommend is to use unbranded yard signs and put them in high value areas to get leads. It's a volume play. Basically you put out 100 signs but if you book one job (in my industry) it pays for the $400 in yard signs you spent (plus your time). Now I should mention I haven't been super consistent with this which I believe could be my issue. I also don't know who would hit up a yard sign for a kitchen remodel BUT you never know. My process to find where to put them is to go on the USPS website and find the mail routes with the highest average income then determine which streets to put it on from there. Is anyone else using this strategy? I'd love some pointers if you are having some success with it.
Optional line items
It seems like my ability to make a line item optional isn't available anymore. I have used it in the past where you check the box below the line item to mark it as optional, but that isn't showing up as an option any more. Is there a different way to do this and I'm just missing it? Any help is greatly appreciated!
How To Get Customers Without Relying on Thumbtack or Lead Generation Apps?
Hey yall. Im Simon 35 based in Brooklyn NYC and im a Mobile Welder. My jobs comes from Thumbtack however that platform along with others like it are beginning to get saturated with low ballers. Any advice you guys can offer for marketing and customer reach? Im open to all suggestions and guidance.
What are some ways to remarket your business that are effective?
I am basically starting all over from scratch other than the five or so clients that I currently have. I've been a solo cleaner since 2022 and have been able to keep my business afloat without any debt and making sure everything is in order in my office. From 2023 to the end of 2024 I had a very successful cleaning business because of a apartment complex I was cleaning for on a regular basis, I no longer have that client or situation. I am coming to a portion of trying to get clients again and I'm not sure if I need to lower my rates at this point, but I don't know if my marketing game is on point right now. So my question is what are you doing to market your business to bring in more clientele? How are you advertising? Thank you! - TeigHow I Create a Landscape Design, 2D Plan, and 3D Rendering Before Leaving the Client's Driveway
To close premium landscape deals on the spot, I use a fast, mobile-and-AI workflow that visualizes the final project before leaving the client's yard. Here's my method, and links to the programs I click on. Map I walk the property with Cam to Plan to instantly generate an accurate 2D layout using augmented reality. Sketch I drop that map into Procreate on my iPad with my Apple Pencil and start listening and observing. As the client shares their vision and seatbacks, I sketch design layers and notes directly over the map layout to build instant trust. This part is where you really design. You're listening to the client and creating solutions based on your breadth of knowlege and your uncanny talent to see the past, present, and future by looking at a plot of dirt. That part is 100% you. It’s about this point that I go sit in the client's driveway for 10 minutes and hash out my design, and when I’m getting close, I turn to AI. Polish I run that rough sketch through my own app that I spent months developing (not a developer) called PlotTwist: GrowingShade, created with Opal. It instantly transforms hand-drawn sketch into a clean 2D landscape plan with legible text, improved symbols, and architectural shading. It’s my design, but presentation ready. I use these glow ups in website and social media posts. Close PlotTwist 3D, another of my Opal apps overlays that finished 2D plan directly onto the original photos of the client's yard. Seeing a realistic 3D concept of their future space layered onto their actual home creates an immediate emotional connection that closes the deal. You do want to emphasize that it is conceptual, because this app isn't as accurate at the previous. Now you know all my secrets! Comment below on the programs and apps that you use! -La Madrina
Do handwritten thank you notes still make a difference?
Random thought: Have handwritten thank you notes become a thing of the past? In a world of emails, texts, and automated follow ups, I wonder if a simple handwritten note stands out more today than it did 20 years ago. Do any of you send them to customers, employees, referral partners, or vendors? If so, have you seen an impact? Curious to hear what others are doing and whether personal touches like this still move the needle.
As a new Handyman business, what do people suggest I do as affordable marketing options?
I currently use google ads which can be quite expensive as I build a customer base. I'm also planning to put decals on my work vehicle. What are some other cheap options I maybe haven't thought of? Should I work in partnership with other businesses?
