Most contractors know they should be offering financing. In this episode, Jonathan and John break down why it's the most powerful tool in your sales process, and exactly how to use it.

The average home improvement job is $14,000. The median household savings account has $8,000. They walk through the math, the mindset, and the exact three-option pricing structure that makes payment options the default, not a backup plan. They also cover why offering cash discounts is one of the fastest ways to tank your close rate, and what to do instead.

Here is what you will get from this episode:

•Why the median household can't comfortably write a $14,000 check

•How to present payment options without ever leading with the total price

•The three-option pricing structure that closes more deals

•What happens to your close rate the moment you allow cash discounts

•How to get started with financing today if you're not offering it yet

Stop leading with price. Start leading with payment options.

Key Takeaways: 

00:00 Intro

01:12 The One Thing Every $100M Home Improvement Company Has in Common

03:56 Never Say the Word "Financing" in Front of a Customer — Here's Why 

08:22 The Real Reason Customers Say "I Need to Think About It" 

11:52 How to Turn a $14,000 Price Tag Into an Easy Monthly Yes 

14:46 Present These 3 Options and Watch Your Close Rate Climb 

18:44 Why Giving Cash Discounts Is Slowly Killing Your Business 

23:24 How to Handle the Customer Who Asks for the Total Price 

25:28 The Hidden Remarketing Strategy Hiding Inside Your Finance Reports

 30:50 How to Get Started With Financing This Week — Step by Step 

35:10 Why Removing Cash Discounts Jumped Their Finance Rate From 35% to 78% 

40:00 Final Thoughts

Additional Links & Resources:

Presentation Link: Why Financing is the Most Important Tool in Our Sales Process

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=30

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Hiring sales reps from your competitors feels like a shortcut. It's not.

In this episode of Build to Win, John Kolbaska breaks down how he grew his sales team from 7 to 12 reps — and why the best candidates aren't coming from inside your industry. You'll hear how he built a full-time training program, what it actually costs to onboard a bad rep, and the two things he tests in the first three days to weed out the wrong hires fast.

If you're trying to scale a sales team and keep burning through recruits, this one's for you.

🎧 Listen now.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Intro

01:36 Why you need a full-time sales trainer

03:50 Recruiting is a marketing funnel

07:52 The real cost of a failed rep: $15,000+

13:42 Early role-play and tech screening

17:38 Never hire your competitor’s failed reps

19:24 Recruit from lower-ticket industries

26:18 Always lead with financing

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=29

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Most contractors trust their reports. But if the data going into your CRM is wrong, every decision you make from it is wrong too.

In this episode, Jonathan and John break down what bad CRM data is actually costing you. John found that 64 of his 300 zip codes drove 90% of his business. He also cut his speed to lead from 44 minutes to under a minute — and his appointment set rate doubled.

If you're flying blind on your numbers, this episode will show you what to track and how to get it right.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Intro

00:42 Garbage in, garbage out

03:23 Leads stuck in the wrong funnel stage

07:00 Hiring a data scientist

12:38 The zip code discovery

18:30 Speed to lead: 44 minutes to 40 seconds

21:33 Speed to issue and the 36-hour sweet spot

25:13 Booking rate and sales capacity

40:30 Bolt Insights overview

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=28

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Some builders scale to millions fast while others stay stuck for years. The difference is not luck.

In this episode of Build to Win, Jonathan and John share the biggest lessons from Accelerate LIVE! 2026 and reveal why certain contractors grow from zero to five million and beyond in just a few years while others never break through.

They break down the real playbook top operators use including profit first thinking, hiring great people before obsessing over process, and implementing what most attendees never do after events.

If you have ever wondered why some companies explode with growth while others stay busy but small, this episode will show you what actually separates them.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Accelerate LIVE! Recap  

05:16 Only 2% Will Implement These Lessons 

09:29 From 0 to $5M

17:58 The Three P Framework for Scaling

29:55 Building Generational Wealth

38:41 Outro

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=27

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Most home improvement businesses are missing out on what AI can actually do for them.

In this episode of Build to Win, Jonathan and John break down how contractors can use AI the right way to save time, close more leads, and run a smarter business.

From using AI for content, emails, and texts, to designing lead follow-up sequences and analyzing your data, this episode shows how to treat AI like a junior-level employee instead of expecting magic.

If you’re just copying and pasting AI content or relying on it blindly, this conversation will change how you think about AI in your business.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Intro 

00:45 Moltbook drama

02:35 LLMs and their uses

08:31 Context windows and AI hallucinations

14:45 The proliferation of AI slop

25:04 The social network for AI agents

28:03 How home improvement companies can leverage AI

32:00 Builder Prime’s AI features

41:53 Outro

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=26

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Most business owners are already behind on their 2026 plan, even if they don’t realize it yet.

In this high-value snippet of Build to Win, John walks through exactly how he builds a data-backed business plan for the year ahead, using real CRM numbers instead of gut instinct.

From forecasting revenue, to planning marketing spend and headcount, this episode breaks down how to reverse-engineer a 2026 plan that actually holds up under pressure.

If you’re still dividing your revenue goal evenly across 12 months or waiting until Q4 to get serious about planning, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth in 2026.

Key Takeaways: 

Intro (00:00)

The $5M Planning Moment (01:14)

Building a Data-Driven Forecast (02:19)

Using AI to Identify True Seasonality (02:59)

Why Even Monthly Budgets Break Forecasting (05:05)

Demos Are the KPI That Matters Most (06:51)

Headcount Planning for Sales & Production (09:11)

When to Build Your Business Plan (10:19)

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=23

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

What if the one thing holding your contracting business back was sitting right in front of you, but you just weren’t tracking it?

John Kolbaska reveals the huge impact of overhauling his call center, slashing speed to lead from 43 minutes to under 60 seconds.

The result was a 50% increase in appointment set rate and the company's best December ever.

You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how separating new and veteran reps in training avoided confusion and burnout, and why his rehash strategy now closes 50% of lost sales.

This is the tactical episode you don’t want to miss. 🎧 Listen now.

Key Takeaways: 

Introduction (00:00)

Call center metrics and improvements (4:58)

Sales department strategies and training (25:26)

Rehash appointment setting and script (34:08)

Marketing and lead generation (49:52)

Sales revenue and growth projections (50:47)

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=23

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Josh Blickley launched BathWorks of Michigan just before the pandemic. Fast forward, and he's built on pace for $44.8 million in 2026. Part of the reason for his huge success is his forecasting, budgeting, and hiring strategies.

In this episode, he reveals exactly how he plans his year, starting in Q3 of the previous one.

You’ll learn how he builds alignment across departments, sets aggressive yet realistic goals, and plans staffing well in advance. Plus, his “money-is-no-object” marketing method might just change how you budget forever.

👉 Listen now to learn how to forecast smarter, scale faster, and stop letting slow months crush your growth.

Key Takeaways: 

Introduction (00:00)

Forecasting and budgeting for business growth (04:56)

Good rate of growth per year (18:41)

Seasonality and market trends in contracting business (26:34)

Key performance indicators (KPIs) and daily monitoring (34:54)

44.8M sales target for 2026 (42:43)

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=23

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Stop me if this sounds familiar. You run a home improvement business. You know your busy season, it’s spring. March, April, May. The weather is warming up, and people are thinking about home projects.

That’s what John thought, too. However, his assumption was based on gut feeling, as it has always been.

Then he looked at three years of his CRM data. He fed it into a simple spreadsheet tool from the Wealthy Contractor Success Society and let ChatGPT analyze it all.

The results blew up his entire business model. It turned out that his assumption about spring was completely off.

If you’re still budgeting like most contractors, you take your annual revenue goal and split it evenly across 12 months.

But your business doesn’t work like that. It has peaks and valleys. When you budget evenly, you end up overspending on marketing in slow months, and you're dramatically understaffed during your real busy season.

Tune in now to hear the full conversation about using AI, managing sales reps, and building a data-backed plan for the year ahead.

Key Takeaways: 

Introduction (00:00)

Business compass planning tool (01:16)

John shares his $1.9m to $5m growth story (03:12)

Using ChatGPT to identify sales seasonality (06:31)

Marketing spend adjusted based on slow months (17:52)

Demo count is marketing’s most important KPI (24:44)

Headcount planning for sales and production (33:52)

Business plan timing advice (42:26)

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=22

⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

When Kirk Koskiniemi launched his roofing company, he thought hustle was enough.

He sold every job himself. Worked builder leads and took whatever came his way just to keep the lights on. Within five years, he hit $5 million in revenue, but profit was another story.

It wasn’t until he stepped back, built a real sales system, tracked every lead source, and implemented EOS that the business truly became his again.

In this rerun episode, Kirk shares exactly how he did it. From ditching builders, hiring his first salespeople, to spending over $1.8M in marketing the right way.

If you're stuck wearing every hat in your business, this episode is your blueprint to getting unstuck. 🎧Tune in!

Key Takeaways: 

Introduction (00:00)

Meet Kirk (01:23)

How Kirk grew his business (02:34)

Let’s talk about marketing (24:34)

Why you need EOS (48:04)

Kirk’s future plans (59:11)

Additional Links & Resources:

🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=21

 ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ 

📱 Connect with us on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ 
• Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ 
• John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ 

—

Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!