Episode Summary
In this episode, Rodric sits down with entrepreneur and former teacher Billy Sammons, founder of Live Local Warm Marketing, to talk about ditching cold leads and building a business on relationships instead.
Billy shares how a simple decision to film a free commercial for a local brewery turned into a repeatable strategy for meeting business owners, becoming the “mini mayor” of his town, and growing his business for 16+ years without buying leads or getting yelled at on cold calls at 9am.
They dig into why builders and other local pros can’t afford to just sit in their trucks waiting for million-dollar jobs to fall from the sky, how to become the person everyone in your town knows and trusts, and why old-school human connection is about to matter even more in an AI-saturated world.
You’ll also hear Billy’s simple 3-step warm marketing framework, his barebones video setup, and a powerful conversation about burnout, time, and only saying yes to opportunities you’d be willing to do tomorrow.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn
- Why Billy walked away from cold leads after one week and built his business through warm, local relationships instead.
- How a free commercial for a local brewery became the blueprint for Live Local Warm Marketing.
- The power of serving business owners first so they open their audiences up to you.
- How builders and other pros can stop “doing nothing” for marketing and start attracting ideal clients locally.
- Billy’s simple 3-question framework for warm marketing: who you need to meet, how you can add value, and what they actually need.
- The minimal tech setup for effective local video: phone, tripod, and lapel mic.
- Why handwritten notes, lunches, and “hand-to-hand combat” will always beat passive social media alone.
- How to think about burnout, boundaries, and time so you can keep adding value without working yourself into the ground.
Highlights & Timestamps
[02:30] Who is Billy Sammons and what is Live Local Warm Marketing?
Billy introduces himself and explains how he teaches entrepreneurs to grow with warm marketing instead of cold leads, paid lists, and miserable cold calls.
[03:40] The brewery commercial that started it all
Billy shares his “superhero origin story”: a new local brewery, a free commercial, and how that one act of generosity turned into more videos, more relationships, and a thriving referral network.
[04:50] From growing an audience to serving business owners
Billy realizes that the real niche isn’t just building his own audience—it’s meeting business owners, giving them something valuable, and letting their audiences discover him in return.
[05:45] Builders doing “nothing” for leads
Rodric talks about home builders who spend $0 on marketing, sit in their trucks waiting for million-dollar jobs, and then wonder why they don’t have leads. They riff on simple lead magnets, real value, and how warm marketing fits in.
[07:45] Case study: becoming the preferred builder for a big employer
Rodric shares a client example: a builder who approached a major trucking company to become the preferred builder for their C-suite. Billy breaks down why it’s smart and how he’d think about adding value to larger companies.
[09:30] Finding pain points and adding value (including short-term rentals)
They brainstorm ways builders can help with relocation, short-term housing, and solving real problems for big employers—then tying that into permanent home builds.
[10:30] Where do you start if you’re overwhelmed?
Billy walks through a starting point using real estate as an example: lenders, title companies, breweries, bakeries, charities, schools, and other local hubs where you can easily add value and become the local expert.
[11:40] Don’t overcomplicate it: Billy’s 3 questions and simple setup
Billy shares the three core questions—Who do you need to meet? How can you add value? What do they need?—and the only gear you really need: a phone, tripod, and lapel mic.
[12:50] From high school teacher to “mini mayor” of his town
Billy explains how his background as a teacher and his frustration with big box stores erasing local identity pushed him to get off the sidelines and help small businesses tell their stories.
[14:00] The myth that you “have to” buy leads
They break down the industry lie that you must buy leads and pound the phones to pay your dues—and why warm marketing, face-to-face, is cheaper, easier, and more loyal than cold lists.
[16:00] Hand-to-hand combat vs hiding behind social media
Rodric shares his “hand-to-hand combat” philosophy: lunches, coffees, office drop-ins with donuts, and handwritten thank-you cards that nobody else is sending—especially in the age of AI and digital everything.
[17:10] AI saturation and why human connection wins
Billy predicts a wave of generic AI content that becomes white noise—and explains why a real human showing up to create a podcast or video with a business owner will always stand out.
[18:50] Burnout, time audits, and protecting your calendar
They talk about burnout as more people try to “do it all” with AI’s help. Rodric shares his time audit work with clients and how much money builders leave on the table staying stuck in low-value tasks.
[20:15] The “Would you do it tomorrow?” filter
Rodric shares a simple decision rule: if you wouldn’t have time to do that speaking event or opportunity tomorrow, you probably won’t have time in six months either—so say no now. Billy loves it and plans to use it.
[21:30] When Billy last updated his LinkedIn (and why it matters)
Billy answers the previous guest’s question about LinkedIn, shares that he recently updated his profile after pivoting the business, and they laugh about outdated glamor shots and profiles that still say “pizza shop” from 12 years ago.
[23:00] Final encouragement: go give in your community
Billy wraps with a simple challenge: it’s a perfect time—especially around the holidays—to get into your community, give without expecting a return, and trust that the residual benefits will show up down the road.
Notable Quotes
“If you give business owners something of value, they open their audience up to you.” – Billy Sammons
“Don’t make it complicated. If you make it complicated, you won’t do it.” – Billy Sammons
“If you’re always making yourself useful, you’re always going to be around.” – Billy Sammons
“It’s so much cheaper and easier just to warm market and meet people face-to-face than it is paying for cold leads you have to hound.” – Billy Sammons
Connect with Billy
📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billyrealtor
📲 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@billyrealtor
📲 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-sammons-9951181a/
🌐 Website: www.LiveLocalWarmMarketing.com
💥 Try Billy’s 5-Day Live Local Warm Marketing Challenge – a short, action-focused way to test the system and start adding people to your sphere in just a few days.
Connect with Rodric
🎙 Million Dollar Flip Flops Podcast
📖 Grab Rodric’s book – Million Dollar Flip Flops (100% of proceeds go to Send a Student Leader Abroad)
🌍 Learn more about the Send a Student Leader Abroad (SASLA) foundation – empowering students through entrepreneurship and global travel
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