Talk Of The Trades

💪 How contractors win on social media without faking it is the focus of this episode of Talk Of The Trades, as Dennis Ayotte sits down with Jen McKee of Kee Hart Marketing to unpack what actually works for home service businesses. They cover authenticity, video strategy, consistency, profile optimization, and why contractors need to stop overthinking content and start showing up as themselves. 💯 😎

If your marketing feels forced, inconsistent, or overly polished, this episode is packed with practical takeaways you can use right away. Subscribe, watch to the end, and share this with a contractor who wants better results from social media. ✅

💡 Chapters 💡

0:00 Introduction to Jen McKee

1:38 From restaurants to marketing leadership

9:33 Why social media matters for contractors

12:28 What home service companies get wrong on social

23:25 Authenticity, branding, and building trust

27:55 Why video content wins

32:53 Optimizing social profiles for search visibility

43:39 Mindset, growth, and leadership habits

52:33 Delegation and scaling without burnout

56:45 The Growth Experience and final takeaways

🌐 Connect with Jen McKee:

Kee Hart Marketing: https://keehartmarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-mckee-72114824/

The Growth Experience: https://thegrowth-experience.com/

📢 Follow Us:

Talk Of The Trades: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadhub/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leadhubagency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadhub/

🎧 More Episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ocMWKCzR8kzO5W7Zaz0FC?si=710b2f6bbfed401d

🌐 Google Business Profile is your AI‑ready business card—use this 2026 checklist to boost local visibility, conversions, and trust. Hosts Aaron Watters & Dennis Ayotte explain what to fill, how Instagram posts and events/schema feed Google and where GBP can outshine your website. Subscribe for more Talk Of The Trades!

💡 Chapters0:00 Cold open & rapid‑fire agenda1:06 Meet the hosts (Dennis & Aaron)3:10 LSA: 3 hard “don’ts” (name, address, pausing)7:15 LSA: must‑dos + “hidden” metrics (API/Data Studio)10:55 Google calling for quotes; AI‑to‑AI conversations12:29 GBP as your AI‑facing business directory14:13 Fill every field: badges, amenities, inclusivity & pricing16:20 Social signals: Instagram posts indexed in Google18:51 Events & schema + local credibility (chambers, location pages)23:35 Client win‑backs & wrap📢 Follow Us:Talk Of The Trades: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTradesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadhub/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leadhubagencyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadhub/🎧 More Episodes: Talk of the Trades

💪 💼 Building killer sales teams takes more than motivation — it takes coaching, culture and trust. In this episode of Talk Of The Trades, hosts Aaron Watters and Dennis Ayotte sit down with sales veteran Rob McCann, founder of McCann Sales Consulting, to break down what actually works when it comes to hiring, training and leading high-performing sales teams.

With over 25 years of experience and a track record of scaling teams, Rob shares real-world lessons on sales coaching, ride-alongs, handling slumps and why most “objections” are really just stalls. If you’re a business owner, sales manager or contractor looking to close more deals with fewer leads, this episode is packed with practical takeaways you can use immediately. Watch the full episode and learn how to build a sales team that consistently wins.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction & Meet Rob McCann

3:00 From Law Enforcement to Sales Leadership

7:30 Phone Sales vs. In-Home Sales

12:00 Rapport, First Impressions & Likability

18:30 Hiring High-Performing Sales Teams

25:30 Training, Ride-Alongs & Coaching

32:30 Sales Slumps & Accountability

38:30 Turning a No Into a Yes (Ride-Along Story)

47:00 Objections vs. Stalls & Price Conditioning

57:30 Trust, Follow-Ups & Closing Long-Term

👤 Mentioned: Rob McCann

https://www.mccannsalesconsulting.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-mccann-493a69386/

📢 Follow Us:

Talk Of The Trades: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades

🎧 More Episodes:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0ocMWKCzR8kzO5W7Zaz0FC?si=89c71d8200cf49d1

Google review scams are on the rise — and contractors are the top targets. In this episode of Talk Of The Trades, Aaron Watters and Dennis Ayotte expose the latest fraud tactics hurting home service businesses — from fake 1-star reviews to review extortion schemes — and share the exact steps to protect your reputation online. Aaron also discusses long-term planning, including the importance of attribution tools like The Graphite Lab's assembly feature for re-attributing call sources.
0:00 – Welcome Back & The TACCA Golf Tournament
1:40 – Why Networking Still Matters in the Trades
4:50 – Smart Networking Ideas for Contractors
8:10 – Leadership Groups & Building Business Relationships
10:55 – Google Review Scams Are Exploding
12:20 – How to Handle Review Extortion the Right Way
17:25 – Other Online Scams Hitting Contractors
20:00 – How to Protect Your Reputation Online
24:50 – How can businesses successfully manage big software or system changes?
33:45 – Planning for 2026: Budgets, Brand Awareness & AI
They also dive into networking strategies, Leadhub’s ClickUp transition, and best practices for 2026 marketing and budgeting.
👤 Mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/@thegraphitelab2379
👉 Subscribe for weekly insights on marketing, leadership, and business growth in the trades!
📢 Follow Us:
Talk Of The Trades: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades
🎧 More Episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0ocMWKCzR8kzO5W7Zaz0FC?si=219d22fb5f2d4ab6

👻 Audio was a bit spooky on this one but our studio is almost finished! 🥳😬 Google’s latest Search Console update left SEOs panicking — but Aaron and Dennis break down what really happened and what home service pros should do next. They also dig into GBP suspensions, AI-driven search and the importance of simplifying your marketing. ✅0:00 – Welcome to Talk Of The Trades1:00 – Pantheon Recap: AI Takes the Stage4:30 – How AI Is Reshaping Skilled Labor8:30 – Google’s Search Console Shake-Up Explained12:00 – What It Means for Contractors and Marketers15:00 – The GBP Suspension Epidemic20:00 – Top 5 Citation Sites That Still Matter25:00 – How to Show Up in LLM Search Results33:00 – Short Wins vs. Long-Term SEO Strategy40:00 – Simplify Your Marketing: Focus on What Works👉 Subscribe for more insights from Talk Of The Trades!📢 Follow Us: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades🎧 More Episodes:    • Talk of the Trades  

😬 Google’s latest Search Console update left SEOs panicking — but Aaron and Dennis break down what really happened and what home service pros should do next. They also dig into GBP suspensions, AI-driven search and the importance of simplifying your marketing. ✅
0:00 – Welcome to Talk Of The Trades
1:00 – Pantheon Recap: AI Takes the Stage
4:30 – How AI Is Reshaping Skilled Labor
8:30 – Google’s Search Console Shake-Up Explained
12:00 – What It Means for Contractors and Marketers
15:00 – The GBP Suspension Epidemic
20:00 – Top 5 Citation Sites That Still Matter
25:00 – How to Show Up in LLM Search Results
33:00 – Short Wins vs. Long-Term SEO Strategy
40:00 – Simplify Your Marketing: Focus on What Works
👉 Follow for more insights from Talk Of The Trades!
📢 Follow Us: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades
🎧 More Episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ocMWKCzR8kzO5W7Zaz0FC?si=5ba39aed098a4d9f

🤖 AI booking agents for home services—Dennis Ayotte and Aaron Watters compare bots vs humans, when to hand off and the KPIs that prove what’s working. Subscribe for industry wins and watch more episodes. ▶️
Chapters
0:00 – Cold open & welcome
0:44 – What’s new this week (quick host banter)
4:23 – Today’s agenda: AI agents + local SEO updates
5:55 – What AI booking agents can do right now in home services
8:52 – When bots should hand off to humans (and why)
10:08 – Scripts, IVR flows & QA for your AI CSR
14:24 – Metrics that matter: booking rate, CSAT & cost math
19:08 – AI-first local SEO: Bing Webmaster, Apple Maps & Yelp basics
22:33 – Aligning GBP, website, and pricebook taxonomy for AI crawlers
25:34 – ChatGPT referrals drop; Reddit & Wikipedia on the rise
30:16 – Keep one brand voice (even with AI content)
33:33 – Google’s new “Verified” era & cross-property trust signals
38:28 – PSA: Google Ads MCC phishing/impersonation scam
42:07 – ServiceTitan Pantheon preview
45:55 – Wrap-up & next steps
📢 Follow Us:
 Talk Of The Trades: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadhub/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leadhubagency
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadhub/
🎧 More Episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ocMWKCzR8kzO5W7Zaz0FC?si=1390ea8bc0eb4a8d

Google Business Profile suspensions are rising—and AI isn’t helping. In this episode, Aaron and Dennis break down the chaos around GBP verification, GLS review merges, and their hands-on experience with Gemini Ultra. Whether you’re a home service pro or agency marketer, this one’s full of local SEO gold (and a few AI rants).
👉 Subscribe for more episodes and marketing insights!
🎥 Watch next: Full playlist below.
⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 – Welcome Back & Episode Preview
2:45 – New Leadhub Office & Growing Pains
6:30 – GBP Suspensions & Google Verification Frustrations
10:45 – Pro Tips for Setting Up New Locations in GBP
14:30 – Post-Verification SEO: Do This First
18:15 – The Power of Google Reviews
22:00 – GLS & GBP Reviews Are Merging
26:00 – How to Get More from GLS Without Wasting Budget
30:30 – Traditional Media Is Not Dead
34:00 – The “Right Stuff” Campaign Breakdown
38:45 – Is Google Gemini Ultra Worth $220?
44:30 – AI vs. H.I. (Human Intelligence)
📢 Follow Us:
Talk Of The Trades: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadhub/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leadhubagency
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadhub/
🎧 More Episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0ocMWKCzR8kzO5W7Zaz0FC?si=2b02ede30e4b4035

Data doesn’t lie and Jerold Hall proves it! In this episode of Talk Of The Trades, we dive into how transparent marketing and a data-driven mindset help home service businesses close more deals and build lasting trust. Jerold, VP of Sales & Dealer Development at AmCoat (makers of Rhino Shield), shares how their dealers thrive using long-form content, lead quality tracking, and performance-first partnerships.
 👍 Keep watching for some expert insights!

⏱️ Chapters
0:00 – Welcome & BBQ Throwdown
4:40 – What Is Rhino Shield? Breaking the Paint Mold
6:00 – Who Should Be a Dealer? The Marketing-First Mindset
9:40 – Data-Driven Growth & Dealer Success
16:40 – Dealership vs. Franchise: What’s the Difference?
22:15 – They Ask, You Answer: Why Radical Transparency Wins
33:40 – Made in America & COVID Resilience
37:40 – Marketing Strategy & Lead Conversion
50:58 – Products, Fishing Stories & Final Thoughts

👤 Guest: Jerold Hall
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroldhall/
Rhino Shield Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RhinoShieldCoatings

📢 Follow Us:
Talk Of The Trades: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadhub/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leadhubagency
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadhub/

🎧 More Episodes:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0ocMWKCzR8kzO5W7Zaz0FC?si=716d872be3f34fd0

Transform your home service business with Contractor Commerce’s cutting-edge e-commerce platform and AI-powered buying journeys. In this episode, Paul Redman, VP of Sales & Customer Success at Contractor Commerce, reveals how contractors are boosting sales, improving customer loyalty and embracing digital transformation to scale their businesses.

🚀 Ready to grow your trades business? Watch till the end and subscribe for more insights!

📖 Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction & Guest Welcome

3:00 - Early Career & Ron’s Apartment Story

13:30 - Sales Philosophy & Controlling The Journey

25:30 - Scaling With Hard Work And Smart Hiring

34:30 - Contractor Commerce Overview & Market Education

41:30 - Real Customer Success Stories & Impact

48:00 - Overcoming Pricing Objections & Customer Loyalty

54:00 - Expansion Plans & AI Buying Journeys

59:00 - Closing Remarks & A Fun “Who’s Taller?” Game

📢 Follow Us:

Talk Of The Trades: https://linktr.ee/TalkOfTheTrades

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadhub/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leadhubagency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadhub/

🤝 Connect with Paul Redman & Contractor Commerce:

Paul Redman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-j-redman/

Paul Redman YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@contractorcommerce/videos

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com/leadhub

🎧 More Episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ocMWKCzR8kzO5W7Zaz0FC?si=f94bd774ed9d44ec