SEO is constantly changing, and what worked well last year may not work at all now. With new technologies and new rules constantly evolving, it’s critical to stay on top of the latest developments. In this podcast, I'll sit down with one of the industry’s top experts to examine what contractors need to know about best practices for SEO in 2018.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• SEO: What it is and what it means
• How to be the “best answer” for Google searches
• How important the map rankings are on Google
• How Google determines the best answers for searches
• How to increase your Google rank
• It all comes down to confidence in how Google decides whose website is the better answer
• Getting more content out there with blogging and pictures
• Best practices that benefit your SEO
  • Mobile-friendly website
  • Regular updates
  • Accurate business listings
  • Getting good backlinks (How? Aaron explains!)
  
  
• Why it’s always essential to get online reviews
• How Google access your business’s social media
• Your expectations and results when you hire an SEO company
• What ROI you can expect in hiring an SEO company
• What you can expect to pay for monthly SEO services
• Pitches and “guarantees” to avoid (Aaron tells you how to look for red flags!)
• Questions to ask before hiring an SEO company
• SEO tools for roofing contractors
• Coming in February: Aaron’s advice on using paid social media ads, at the NRCA Expo in New Orleans, LA

Resources:

www.altavistasp.com

Visit Aaron’s website and look for Five SEO Tools for Roofing Contractors and Seven Great Questions Roofers can ask a Potential SEO Company.

Email or call Aaron: [email protected] and 443-960-4004

Find Aaron on LinkedIn

Our workforce is the #1 asset in our businesses, so it is critical that we protect that investment. In today’s interview with construction labor attorney Philip Siegel, you will learn how to avoid the top 5 employment mistakes made by so many contractors.

Top 5 Employment Mistakes Contractors Make:

• Not knowing when and what to pay for employee travel
  • Compensable and non-compensable situations
  • What the law allows
  • What records to keep
  • What qualifies for overtime pay
  • The liability limits for violations
  
  
• Not understanding what it takes to prevail in an OSHA case regarding “unforeseeable employee misconduct defense”
  • You must have work rules in the employee handbook
  • Provide training on those rules
  • Have self-inspecting job sites
  • Find violations and administer discipline
  
  
• Not understanding controlling employer liability in an OSHA case
  • What the law requires: to “act reasonably to detect and abate violations”
  
  
• Not having sexual harassment and discrimination programs
  • Specific policy addressing harassment and discrimination is necessary
  • The policy should be reasonable to follow
  • The policy should have reasonable reporting mechanisms, with at least two people by name
  
  
• Not knowing how to handle non-compete and non-solicitation clauses
  • They must be in place!
  
  

Philip presents the longer version of this breakdown, including even more common contractor mistakes at the International Roofing Expo in New Orleans in February, 2018.

Resources:

Visit Philip’s website for more information, especially about his highly recommended retainer program!

www.hpsslaw.com

Email Philip: [email protected]

Call Philip: 404-522-1410

Are your website visitors being converted into qualified leads that turn into sales? Most of those visitors are not ready to commit to a click or a call, and if you don’t have a way to capture their email addresses they could be gone forever. In today’s episode, you’ll learn how to set up a sales funnel that converts!

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Spencer’s podcast about marketing, especially for contractors (The first four episodes are available now!)
• Spencer’s family connection to builders and his focus on contractors
• Builder Funnel: a digital marketing agency out of Colorado Springs, CO
• Inbound marketing, conversions, and increased traffic
• What is inbound marketing? Attracting people to your business or website who are seeking your service or product
• Growing traffic: content creation, SEO, and social media
• Do I have to write blog posts?
• Where to find blog topics
• Lead funnels: how they work
• How to address those who aren’t ready to buy NOW, but a year or so down the road:
  • Meet them where they are
  • Provide them with value in their research process
  • Turn them into an educated buyer
  
  

Resources:

Website: www.builderfunnel.com

Podcast: www.builderfunnel.com/radio

Email: [email protected]

Do you know what the internet is saying about your business? In today’s interview with Aaron, you will learn how to control what is being said on online review sites and social media. We talk about how to set up a consistent process so you will get more positive reviews, the right review sites, how to handle a bad review, and much more.

What you’ll hear in this episode:  

• Personal experience stories that show why online reviews matter:
• My garage doors needed replacing, but I couldn’t remember what company put them in. I was happy with the workmanship, but why have I had NO contact from them? I googled several, read their reviews, and made a choice. What do YOUR reviews look like?
• I needed new towels, so I looked on Amazon for the best reviews and the highest ratings. Knowing nothing about the towels other than the reviews, I made the purchase. Are YOU missing the boat compared to your competitors?
• I had to go to the dentist and get a crown, to the tune of $1500. There was a “Leave a review for us on Google” sign, but I forgot to do it. They emailed three times until I finally clicked on the link and left a “happy” review. All they had to do was ask and make it easy! How persistent are you in getting reviews?
• The bottom line: ONLINE REVIEWS REALLY DO MATTER!
• Let’s flashback to Episode 6 with Aaron Hockel:
  • What is online reputation management?
  • Why reviews matter
  • The top five most important review sites for contractors
  • How to control the review process
  • Prepping the customer for solicitation of the review
  • How to direct customers to the sites where you need improvement or only have a few reviews and to the Big Three (Google, Facebook, and Yelp)
  • What is SERP?
  • How to track reviews and handle bad reviews (they are inevitable, so be prepared!)
  • What to do and what NOT to do about a bad review
  • Aaron's tips: go online, own your profile, and verify your information
  
  

Resources:

Visit Aaron’s website: www.altavistasp.com (A no-obligation, free consultation, and evaluation available to TRS listeners!)

Email Aaron: [email protected]

Call Aaron: 443-960-4004

www.reputationstacker.com

www.yext.com

The only way to grow a profitable roofing business for the long haul is to build an effective sales team. On today’s podcast, I talk sales with Becca Switzer, owner of Roof Sales Mastery. Becca teaches roofing contractors how to find, hire, and train successful salespeople with her proven step-by-step system that avoids all the typical mistakes most business owners make.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why a great sales team makes ALL the difference in your business
• “Nothing happens until someone sells something.” --Henry Ford
• Becca’s background and the path that led her HERE
• Who should I hire?
  • What NOT to do
  • Leave what you did in the past
  • Don’t hire people already in the industry
  
  
• How should I pay?
  • The problem with straight commission
  • The “pay-per-appointment” strategy
  
  
• Mistakes that salesmen make:
  • Wasting time with details, being the “telemarketing call robot”
  • Not knocking on doors at the right time of day
  
  
• Tips for struggling salesmen:
  • Seek out legitimate training
  • Sound like a “normal human being”
  • Acknowledge how they feel
  • Apologize for knocking on their door
  • Use a name-drop
  
  

Resources:

Becca’s website: www.roofsalesmastery.com  (Find her courses here, too!)

Find Becca on youtube and Facebook: Roof Sales Mastery

Learn how to navigate through the difficult issues which arise with an employee using medical marijuana in today’s episode with labor attorney Philip Siegel. We discuss what an employer can and cannot do without running afoul with the ADA or state disability discrimination laws when an employee is a registered medical marijuana user.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Overview of the ramifications of legal medical marijuana laws for contractors
• State-specific issues
• The language of the law: why it’s confusing for contractors
• Why “impairment” is a big issue
• Can you fire someone for medical marijuana use if you have a zero-tolerance policy?
• The best advice: Have your supervisors well-trained in drug awareness
• Why the Americans with Disabilities Act does NOT protect the use of medical marijuana
• The difference between doing federal work and being under state laws
• Why employers may NOT want to drug test
• Why you as an employer MUST have a drug-testing policy
• A post-accident drug testing policy
• The Anti-Retaliatory Provision under OSHA
• Can you take action against an employee for off-duty behavior?
• The “Yes, but” answers
• What contractors can do to eliminate the risk:
  • Have a policy
  • Address discipline, but beware of a zero-tolerance policy
  
  
• Philip’s retainer program for roofing contractors

Resources:

Call Philip: 404-522-1410

Email Philip: [email protected]

Visit the website: www.hpsslaw.com

I give up my top 10 marketing tips from my 30 years as a contractor and from 30 podcast episodes with the top experts in the roofing industry. Learn how to set up a lead machine that converts into sales that are easy. And the best part is they’re free!

• The Top Mistakes that Contractors Make:
  • They don’t show up---Take the opportunity to represent yourself as a professional
  • They don’t return phone calls---Commit to returning every call, every day
  • The rep is not a likable guy---It’s a people business and a good personality is important
  • The rep doesn’t have a uniform---Always look clean and professional
  • There is poor communication---Start with a good contract and a well-written scope of work
  • There are surprise change orders---Be up front about changes and get the customer’s approval
  • The job site is messy---Think about the customer’s experience and let them know what to expect
  
  
• How to get more leads and convert them to sales:
  • Show up—and don’t do stupid stuff!
  • Know your numbers (Check out Episodes 19 and 29 for details!)
  • The who, what, where, and why of your ideal customer
  • Your website: it needs to be good! (Check out Episode 4 for more!)
  • Lead warming
  • Use a CRM program
  • Presentation (Check out Episode 22 for more!)
  • Follow-up and lead nurturing
  • Get more referrals and reviews (Check out Episode 6 for great tips!)
  • Build strategic alliances
  
  

Resources:

www.theroofershow.com: Download my free e-book about identifying your ideal customer!

If you’re a roofing contractor that does any storm restoration or works with insurance companies you’ll want to listen to today’s show. Are managed repair programs a passing trend or a shift in the way business will be done. We’ll cover all sides so you can be sure you are ready to take full advantage of any changes. 

My guest today is Reggie Brock, who has been in this industry in many respects. He represents Mad Sky Managed Repair Program, which is on the cutting edge of our industry. Since so many areas of our country have recently been affected by natural disasters, we can expect that we work will start pouring in. How can we as Roofers stay competitive while also keeping an eye towards shifts in our industry? Reggie will tell us how!

More to learn in this episode:

• The industry of storm repair is changing. Reggie fills us in with how.
• How managed repair programs are marketed.
• How we can fight scammers in our industry.
• Insurance pays for only 35% of the roof repairs.
• There are shifts happening in our industry. Not just trends changing.
• Taking cues from health insurance.
• The 3 moving entities that are working towards a good experience for policyholders.
• How we can manage with labor shortages.

Get in touch with Reggie

http://www.mrpprogram.com/

[email protected]

If you have leads that are falling through the cracks, this is the episode for you. Today I interview Jake Dempsey with the CRM program JobNimbus to learn how this software will simplify your lead funnel from acquisition to getting that coveted 5-star review from your satisfied customers.

It turns out, the answer to your lead problems is streamlining. Jake is going to show us how JobNimbus connects with all of your other applications and software like Google Calendar and Quick Books to make every step of the process easy to manage. Gone are the days where little slips of paper get lost in the shuffle and leads get left by the wayside. Now, each part of the process can be logged and finished in JobNimbus. In the long run, you are going to save money and boost efficiency. Listen to this info-packed episode to find out how.

More in this episode:

• Why CRM software is a must-have for your business.
• Jake shares the history of JobNimbus, and why so many Roofers are trusting the software.
• Don’t waste time on data entry again! JobNimbus makes it easy with automated tasks and emails.
• Understanding Zap Your Integration.
• We run through a demo of a job from leads to sales to completion.
• How you can use JobNimbus to coach and train your salesmen.
• Using streamlined CRM software can boost your customer reviews.
• The Key To CRM? Use It!
• CRMs build scalable, repeatable processes.

Links:

Go to Jobnimbus.com for Demos and a Free Two Week Trial + Tech Support

Jake’s number: (855)964-6287

7 Steps to Getting More Qualified Leads for your Roofing Business.

Most contractors just don’t like to deal with the bookkeeping side of their businesses and end up either hiring someone unqualified or worse. In today’s interview, we talk about focusing on your strengths and working around your weaknesses by outsourcing your bookkeeping.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• The importance of setting up a financial dashboard with Five Key Performance Indicators (Randal covered these in depth back in Episode 3)
• “Five at Five for Five”: cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, profit/loss, and balance sheet
• Sell work, Do work, and Keep score
• SWOT: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• Examples from “John” and “Michael” and their fictional companies
• The biggest problem for contractors: not wanting to invest in quality office equipment and bookkeeping
• Why roofing contractors’ accounting needs are different from other businesses
• Why you should outsource your bookkeeping
• How the outsourcing of accounting system works with Fast Easy Accounting
• How you know you can trust an outsourced firm for accounting
• “Good, the enemy of great”
• Why job costing is important
• Your board of advisors should include: tax preparer, construction accountant, commercial banker, financial planner, and Dave

Resources:

Find out more about Randal and his business: www.fasteasyaccounting.com

Email to receive Randal’s Five KPI’s installed for FREE on your Quickbooks, or call Sharie directly and say you heard Randal on The Roofer Show: [email protected] or 206-361-3950

Find The Contractor’s Success Map podcast to hear more from Randal