Beyond The Tools

As a contractor, how do you stand out in your local marketplace?

In a crowded industry, competing on price or quality of work will only go so far. The real key to staying ahead of your competition is to provide value for your customers by staying ahead of new technologies and standards.

In today’s episode of Beyond the Tools, Krystal chats with Curtis Mercer, President and CEO of K&P Contracting Ltd., President of Heat Seal Ltd. and owner of LRM Consulting Solutions. He began his wide-ranging career as the youngest ever Town Manager in Newfoundland, eventually moving on to work for the federal government until he joined K&P Contracting.

You'll learn how K&P has established itself as a leader in energy efficiency for the past 45 years, building the first R2000 and Net Zero Ready houses in Newfoundland in 1981 and 2014 respectively.

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/curtis-mercer-standing-out-for-the-right-reasons/

What does your online presence say about your business?

The impression you give to prospective customers on social media is just as important as the ones you give in real life. However, many small business owners fail to maintain a consistent and professional presence online and it can hurt their companies.

In today’s episode, Krystal brings some "tough love" in the form of tips for ensuring your social media highlights the best your business has to offer and speaks to potential customers in a way that makes them want to work with you.

Through the lens of local residential construction businesses, Krystal shares the story of a "rusty van" and the insights it gave her into the importance of creating a positive impression in ALL areas of your business.

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/13-the-rusty-van-effect-why-a-positive-online-impression-is-vital/

On today’s show, we interview Jess Chapman of ethree Consulting who shares with us her distilled wisdom on hiring and retaining the right people within the construction industry during a labour shortage. Particularly, you will learn how to protect your company culture even as you scale your business to the next level.

As an experienced consultant, Jess has observed up close the difficulties that organizations face as they attempt to build dream teams.

And as someone who started off as a solo entrepreneur, our host, Krystal has personally experienced the practical difficulties that small businesses, and particularly service businesses, face as they enter the growth phase.

You will learn how to balance the importance of business growth and differentiating your business in the marketplace without breaking the bank – so that you can attract the right people who will get the job done.

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/episode-12/

Worried about attrition and the ripple effect that losing a key team member can have on your small business? Losing a key team member is always difficult. But it need not be stressful. Krystal is recording this show just after her trusted Facebook ads specialist informed her about her decision to quit.

Seven years back, when Krystal had started her business, losing a key team member would send her stress levels shooting through the roof. But NOT today. Krystal has learned that planning and preparation are so important as they allow her to remain calm and focused.

On today’s show, you will learn the critical things that you need to do so that your business can easily transition to a new hire and not get stuck losing momentum.

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/11-managing-the-unexpected-losing-a-team-member/

How can home contractors leverage social media to scale and grow their business?

In today’s show, Krystal talks to Krista Pippy, Part Owner and Director of Sales and Designs, Dream Kitchens and Renovations. Krista gives us a peek into her social media strategy as she discusses her “Kitchen Talk” video series and new book, Beyond Design: Complete Kitchens, now available on Amazon.

Posting great content on social media is something that most business owners struggle with. On today’s show, you will learn how to build a great following and generate business through social media by keeping it down-to-earth and real.

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/10-krista-pippy-attract-local-leads-with-compelling-social-media-content/

Are you doing all your lead follow-up manually? Manually following up on leads is exhausting. But for your business to thrive, you must be available to your current clients, your team and to new leads coming in. It’s exciting to have leads coming in once your paid ads are up and running. But, do you have systems in place to manage all your leads?

In today’s show, Krystal shares how using marketing automation for lead follow-up can help reduce stress and overwhelm.

Email marketing is one of the most obvious yet under-utilized tools. Listeners will learn how the latest CRMs can allow them to build and nurture relationships with leads in a totally hands-off and automated manner.

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/9-how-to-supercharge-your-marketing-efforts-using-automated-lead-follow-up/

The biggest mistake that marketers make is that they give up too early. In today’s show, Krystal shares how patience and persistence helped her set up a profitable Facebook campaign that allowed her to expand her business beyond her local market.

Krystal is a digital marketer and Facebook ads expert with a significant client base in her hometown. Last November, she started running an ads campaign to build a nationwide presence. Specifically, she is targeting the home services space.

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/8-patience-in-advertising/

If you have primarily relied on word-of-mouth marketing and have shied away from running paid ads till now, you are missing a massive opportunity to take your business to the next level.

Paid advertising is the only truly dependable source of new potential customers.

On today’s show, Krystal not only dives deeper into running traffic but also reveals the pros and cons of the two most popular advertising engines – Google and Facebook.

While advertising on Google will get you leads that are lower down the funnel, Facebook allows you to be in front of people who might buy six months or a year down the line. You will discover what to expect in terms of lead flow and conversions when you advertise on these two platforms.

This show will be especially useful to those who have yet to jump on the advertising bandwagon.

So if you have been sitting on the sidelines, not sure of which platform to use to drive traffic, this episode is for you.

What You Will Learn In This Show

• How running paid ads can allow you to take your business to the next level
• What should businesses and marketers know before they start advertising on Google and Facebook?
• How advertising on Facebook can allow you to get in front of leads who exhibit buying intent
• And so much more…

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/7-google-vs-facebook-which-is-the-best-advertising-platform-for-your-business/

Are you sick of competing on price? Do you feel like you’re only attracting tire kickers? It can be frustrating to keep having to drop your price to get the job, and oftentimes you feel like you’re getting further and further away from your goals.

In today’s show, Krystal shares how you can leverage Facebook ads to position yourself as a leader in your local market and attract the right kind of leads. You can elevate your brand so that you can overcome the most common objection: pricing. Consequently, you can set yourself up for long-term growth and generate the profit you deserve.

Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/episode-6/

In today’s short but powerful solo, you will get some great tips on how to scale up your business to another level.

Drawing from her recent interview with Ryan Peyton, Krystal shares how many businesses fail to establish the systems and processes that are necessary for delegating out your non-core tasks.

She shares her own experience with her ad agency and reveals how she has moved away from building out ad campaigns to focus solely on sales, marketing, and high-level strategic thinking.

 Find the full show notes for this episode at:

https://reflectivemarketing.com/podcast/episode-5/