The Fire Time Podcast

By Tim ReedBusiness Marketing Careers

The Fire Time Podcast episodes

June 07, 2022Sean Kraemer - Life of a Chimney Sweep
Despite what some misguided folks say, the chimney sweep business isn’t a dirty, low-dollar industry. After experiencing the culture of this industry first-hand, Tim thinks hearth retailers can learn a ton from it.
In today’s episode, Tim chats with Sean Kraemer (Podcaster and Owner of Holy Smoke Inc.) about his story about buying and transforming the business he worked for so that it could grow and support his family. Given that Tim and Sean have lived somewhat similar lives—Sean was also in a punk band—this conversation is an eye into the minds of two young business owners striving to serve their employees, their customers, and their communities in any way they can.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to appraise and advertise your business when you’re ready to sell it (and how to prove the company makes money on repeat).
Why you need to be in the right mental state before buying a business (and why you’ll likely end up in a rut if you’re not).
How to find a mentor when you need one (and why doing so will make you aware of your levels of incompetence).
After attending the National Chimney Sweep Guild Convention, Tim was amazed at the tight-knit nature of the industry. These people genuinely care about each other and the people they serve. If we could combine our two industries, we could all grow together. Listen today to learn more and get involved.

Check Out The Life of a Chimney Sweep Podcast
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55 min
May 31, 2022Clay Dennis - Building a Business That You Can Sell
“I started looking at my company as a retirement plan.” Do you look at your company the same way? Chances are, you probably don’t. But building a business you can sell is all about keeping the end in mind and reverse engineering from there—and this conversation covers how to do that like an expert.
Today, Tim talks with Clay Dennis, a man who titles himself a believer, a coach, and a friend when called. Clay tells Tim about how his business almost literally killed him, how he built his business like a retirement plan, how he eventually sold his business, and how he segments his life into acts.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How you can build a business that works as a retirement plan (this is mandatory if you want certainty in the future).
What you should know about the three fates of every business (this will help you decide how you want yours to end).
What you should do when a manufacturer’s suggested products aren’t moving (this is a hard truth that only the most dominant businesses embrace).
Stop operating your business day by day—focus on the end instead. Building a business that you can sell is essential to finishing life well. Listen today to learn how to craft a better future.

Nearing Home by Billy Graham

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59 min
May 24, 2022Megan Lee - Taking Your Place in the Industry After Growing Up in It
Would you be okay with giving your team members free products so they can experience the lifestyle they provide? If not, you should seriously reconsider your approach. Salespeople that speak from experience are better equipped than those who just read the manufacturer's manual.
In today’s episode, Tim talks with Megan Lee (Key Account Manager at Looft Lighters) about her experience growing up in, and working in, the barbecue industry. As one of the leading women in our space, Megan brings some new topics to the show, including how to use social media to make a difference, how to attract young people to work in our industry, and what young women in our industry need to know.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why you need to be a sniper—not a shotgunner—if you want to attract the right customers (making a message for everybody is making a message for nobody).
Why you should always call customers and not waste time emailing them (our industry is built on relationships, and emails aren’t very relational).
Why positioning your brand to be aligned with a lifestyle is crucial (this makes your brand a provider of value, not a provider of a commodity).
Experience is everything—plain and simple. As a leader, it’s essential to allow team members to experience your product in their own lives. That way, when customers come to your store, team members can tell them about the value a product has brought to their own lives. Listen today to learn more.

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48 min
May 17, 2022Tim Schurrer - The Secret Society of Success
How do you define success? Making lots of money? Being famous and influential? It’s okay to want these things, but it’s also worth considering what else you’ll want once you have them.
In today’s episode, Tim sits with Tim Schurrer (author, speaker, and former COO of StoryBrand) to discuss Schurrer’s new book, The Secret Society of Success: Stop Chasing the Spotlight and Learn to Enjoy Your Work (and Life) Again. Their conversation begins with Schurrer sharing his understanding of success, then offering a series of examples.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What the secret society of success is (and how to become a part of it).
How to create a culture where people feel valued (and why soft skills drive hard results).
What taking the spotlight off of yourself will do for your business (and why doing so creates thriving relationships).
Do you view success as an opportunity to have a spotlight on yourself, or do you see it as an opportunity to help others? Leaders of the best companies in the world consistently make it clear that the second definition is why they do what they do. Redefine what success means to you by listening to this episode.

Buy Schurrer’s new book: The Secret Society of Success
Build a Winning Team Podcast

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54 min
May 10, 2022Sam O'Donnell - Follow Up to Win
Customers who trust you enough to let you into their homes are customers you need to pursue until the very end. Far too many retailers focus their energy on the top of the sales funnel because it’s easy—but really, the gold mine is at the (more intimidating) bottom of the sales funnel.
In today’s episode, Tim and Sam O’Donnell discuss how crucial follow up is to a successful business. Being one of the industry authorities when it comes to follow up, Sam provides invaluable advice for any salesperson looking to grow.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
That it’s normal to experience fear when calling to follow up (this never goes away).
How making a follow up process can grow your sales by 50% (this doesn’t require even a penny spent on marketing).
That writing up more is selling less (this is essential to understanding what you should prioritize).
Calling to follow up is more straightforward than it seems. However, you must approach it from a place of providing value, not begging for the sale. Listen today to learn how the professionals approach follow up.

Google Sheets CRM

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44 min
May 03, 2022Dan Bonar - The Journey of a Young Executive
What if every person in our industry was required to get their hands dirty doing installations and working with customers on the ground level? We’d probably have a lot more highly capable people like this episode’s guest, someone who can’t overstate the importance of experiential knowledge.
In today’s episode, Tim speaks with Dan Bonar (VP of Residential Products at ICC Chimney) about his journey from his teenage years to where he is today and the lessons he’s learned along the way. Dan provides a priceless perspective on prioritizing customers before profits without going out of business.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How—in a highly commercialized space—do you differentiate your business’s offerings without lowering prices (the answer is in solving problems, not replicating products).
How to politely decline favors (the person asking will understand how valuable your time is after this).
How to bridge the growing gap between manufacturers and retailers (the key to this is changing your mindset).
When done for the right reasons, selling is all about providing value to customers through your product. Listen to this episode to redefine what selling means to you.

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42 min
April 26, 2022NEHPBA on the Battle of Electrification
There’s no doubt the fight for natural gas will occupy our industry for at least the next decade. Regardless of how pressing of an issue it is in your region, you need to start getting involved. If we don’t unite in this fight, it could be the beginning of the end of our industry.
In today’s conversation, Tim talks with the Northeast HPBA team that works to combat natural gas bans. They talk about the progress they’ve made in their region, the steps our industry needs to take nationally, and the developing technologies that could be our saving grace.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How your company can prepare for natural gas bans (this applies to everyone, regardless of region).
What setting aside one day per month to meet with people in power can do for your business and our industry (this is how we humanize our industry).
What Tim believes our industry's coherent message has to look like going forward (this is the only way governing bodies will take us seriously).

The fact is that, yes, we have treated our environment poorly, and yes, action needs to be taken so that our children’s futures are the best they can be. But we don’t need to abolish natural gas usage entirely to do this; we just need to provide an alternative solution. Listen to this episode to get informed on what you can do to keep our industry alive.

Contact NEHPBA
Click Here To Register For NEHPBA’s The Path Forward event on May 1-3

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56 min
April 19, 2022Jon Fox - Turning Your Company Into a Selling Machine
Far too many business people think that too much follow-up will scare customers away. When really, too much follow-up is almost always not a worthwhile concern. Customers will tell you if they find you annoying—it’s not your job to assume for them.
In today’s episode, Tim talks with returning guest and EOS Implementer Jon Fox to go back to the basics on all things sales. Over the course of this conversation, Jon reveals how to move from the convincing business to the curiosity business.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to determine if a customer’s a good fit before they’re a customer (this will make you enjoy your job more).
How—and why you need—to start using a CRM (this will double your sales straight up).
How to do follow-up regularly without seeming annoying (this is usually just a shift in mindset rather than a shift in action).

When done for the right reasons, selling is simply providing value to customers through your product. If you and your team can approach it in that way, no customer will ever see you wrongly. Listen to this episode to redefine what selling is to you and how it should be done.

Jon’s Website
Last Time Jon Was On (Deep Dive on EOS Framework)

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1 hr 1 min
April 12, 2022Building the Heartbeat Report (Warranty %)
Just because your business doesn’t process many warranties doesn’t mean your customers are happy. Having—and tracking—a baseline warranty percentage that your team constantly strives to maintain is paramount to operating a business you actually understand, and that customers appreciate. How do you track warranty percentage, though?
In today’s episode—the finale of the heartbeat report series—Tim and Grant chat about warranty percentage as a keystone metric. They both explain how important this metric has been, in their experience, to win the fight against incomplete jobs.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What the three different types of warranties are (and who loses the most on each).
What a good baseline warranty percentage is (and how to achieve it).
What warranty percentage will tell you about your products (this will change how you communicate with manufacturers).

Not keeping track of warranty percentage—and the three other keystone metrics—is actively allowing for nasty things to get swept under the rug. Preventing this is simple; it just requires you to confront reality and to start asking questions. Listen today to get started.

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46 min
April 05, 2022Building the Heartbeat Report (Installation Completion Percentage)
Leaving a job incomplete without reason is insane. Doing so not only decreases customer satisfaction—it also costs you money. What if you could have your finger on the pulse of your business, understand the second an incomplete is hurting you, and correct course before things get messy?
In today’s episode, Tim and Grant return to discuss installation completion percentage—the third of the four keystone metrics that make up the heartbeat report. Grant also provides some real-world examples of how he uses this metric in his own business.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why the magic is not in completed jobs, but incompleted jobs (once understood, this will equate to tens of thousands in additional annual revenue).
Why you should strongly consider incentive-based pay for installers (this will make your installers feel like they own the company).
Why there are different types of incompletes (and which type you need to prioritize).
Stop judging the well-being of your business entirely on feel. Instead, build a heartbeat report that tracks key metrics and gives you the complete picture. Want to get started? Just press play.

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38 min

About The Fire Time Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Are you tired of presentations that are only half relevant to your business? Many speakers are not practitioners of their material, simply teachers—not so with The Fire Time Podcast. This podcast is…

for the hearth industry and by the hearth industry. Host Tim Reed has over a decade of experience in the hearth industry, making conversations with guests relevant and extremely practical. In Season One, Tim speaks with twelve hearth industry leaders and provides content relevant to any position, whether on the retail or manufacturing side. Hearth companies everywhere are lost because the landscape of business has changed dramatically in the last ten years. They are trying hard, but they just don’t know what to do. The Fire Time Podcast equips hearth companies to win by sharing ideas and innovation from the best minds in our industry. This podcast will give you the tools to move the needle in your company and win in the changing landscape. This podcast is the first of its kind—specific to the business that you work in every day and simple enough to teach you what’s needed to succeed. Do not miss out on The Fire Time Podcast, available for Apple and Droid devices or at www.itsfiretime.com/podcast. The simple and repeatable steps provided will empower you to grow the bottom line of your company and inspire the team that you lead. ABOUT: Tim Reed is the Retail Sales Leader at Fireside Home Solutions in the Pacific Northwest where he helps his team members make it so stupidly easy to buy from them that there is no excuse not to. Starting as individual salesperson in an empty warehouse, he has grown Fireside’s Retail division by millions (after cutting his marketing budget by 90%). Tim has been invited all over the country to teach companies how to market effectively to their customers and sell more than ever before. His YouTube videos, sales blog, and “Fire Time Podcast” have become a resource for the industry and are actively helping thousands of people rethink their paradigms so that they can grow their businesses in the changing landscape. Tim learned “just enough to be dangerous” about sales, marketing, web development, and leadership from years of playing guitar in a failing punk band—which he swears has uniquely qualified him for his job today. Now considered one of the most innovative minds and compelling communicators in the industry, Tim uses his platform to serve others, helping them create clear messages that are wildly compelling to their audiences. Tim lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Jessica, two children, Olivia and Luke, and his 90 pound Golden Retriever, Walter. He still plays guitar in a failing punk band. CONTACT: [email protected] | www.itsfiretime.com