What happens when a nearly bankrupt pool company decides to answer every question its customers are asking?

For Marcus Sheridan, it changed everything.

After nearly losing River Pools during the 2008 recession, Marcus transformed the business through radical transparency and became the bestselling author of They Ask, You Answer and Endless Customers.

In this episode of the To The Point Home Services VIP Room, Marcus breaks down what home service companies need to do to win in sales and marketing today, from being transparent about pricing and building trust to adapting to AI and changing customer behavior.

He shares why pricing estimators can drive more leads, what makes AI recommend one contractor over another, why speed-to-lead matters, and how sales teams can build trust without relying on outdated or manipulative tactics.

If you want to win more customers and stay ahead of where sales and marketing are heading, this episode is packed with tactics you can put to work right now.

RESOURCES FROM MARCUS

Want to add a pricing estimator to your website?

Check out PriceGuide: https://priceguide.ai

Want to see how AI views your business?

Run your AI Trust Signals check: https://aitrustsignals.com

Want to learn more from Marcus?

Explore his books, including They Ask, You Answer and Endless Customers: https://marcussheridan.com/books

Put the customer’s questions first.

Learn more about Question First: https://questionfirst.com

00:00 - Welcome Back to the VIP Room & Marcus Sheridan Introduction

03:30 - Marcus' Story: River Pools Nearly Goes Bankrupt

08:00 - How the 2008 Recession Changed Marcus' Approach to Marketing

12:00 - The Origin of They Ask, You Answer

15:00 - Why Businesses Need to Become Obsessed With Their Buyers

18:00 - Should Contractors Give Pricing Over the Phone?

22:00 - Why Customers Get Frustrated When Companies Hide Pricing

26:00 - How a Pricing Article Generated $35M+ in Sales

29:00 - Why Pricing Estimators Can Transform Lead Generation

32:00 - AI Is Changing Search Forever

35:00 - What Makes AI Recommend One Contractor Over Another?

38:00 - The 3 F's of Innovation: Fear, Faster & Friction

41:00 - The "Mother of All Review Pages" & AI Trust Signals

44:00 - Why Contractors Need Awards & Expert Author Pages

47:00 - Speed-to-Lead & the Future of AI Voice

50:00 - Showroom vs. In-Home Sales

52:00 - Why Homeowners Should Know Who Is Coming to Their Door

54:00 - Stop Selling With Manipulation: The Power of Discovery

56:00 - Why 80% of Sales Training Should Focus on the Opening

58:00 - Teaching Homeowners to "Call Your Baby Ugly"

59:00 - Marcus' Final Advice for Home Service Contractors

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

What does it take to build a home services company that lasts for more than seven decades?

In this episode of To The Point Home Services VIP Room, we sit down with Bobby Ring, President and CEO of Meyer & Depew Co., to talk about the incredible 73-year history behind the company and how a family-owned HVAC business has continued to evolve through multiple generations.

Bobby shares how Meyer & Depew grew from a small commercial-focused company into a thriving $14M HVAC business, the lessons he learned working alongside his father, and what he is doing differently as his own son becomes part of the next generation of leadership.

We also dive into the challenges of working with family, empowering the next generation of leaders, building a culture that lasts, and why Bobby believes contractors need to get really good at their core business before expanding into additional trades.

From failed attempts at adding electrical to deciding whether to eventually sell the business or pass it down, Bobby gives an honest look at the decisions that come with leading an independent home services company.

Plus, the guys discuss why a $10M to $20M business should not be undervalued, the impact of joining Nexstar, how to improve closing rates, and one of the biggest problems in the home services industry: contractors not understanding the true value of what they provide.

If you're building a family business, leading an independent company, or trying to grow your home services business without losing what made it special in the first place, this episode is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to the VIP Room

03:00 Meet Bobby Ring and Meyer & Depew Co.

06:00 The 73-year history of the business

12:00 Bobby’s journey from employee to owner

16:00 Working with family and preparing the next generation

21:00 How to build a culture that lasts

26:00 Empowering leaders and letting go of control

30:00 Generations of comfort and trust

34:00 Marketing a 73-year-old HVAC brand

38:00 Why Meyer & Depew hasn’t added another trade

43:00 Why bigger isn’t always better in home services

46:00 Joining Nexstar and getting better at HVAC

49:00 What’s broken in the home services industry

52:00 Understanding pricing, margin, and the true cost of doing business

55:00 Staying independent or selling the business

Thank you to our sponsors!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

Lacey Peevey, VP of WeCo Rooter, joins Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor in the VIP Room to share how she and her husband John went from operating under a national plumbing brand to building an independent company of their own.

After joining the business in 2017, Lacey and John helped grow the operation to nearly $7M. But when the time came to renew their agreement with the national brand, they made the decision to go out on their own.

Lacey breaks down what it took to fully rebrand the company into WeCo Rooter, why they were willing to take a step back to build something they could truly own, and how the business is now approaching $6M while continuing to build momentum.

The conversation also covers customer service, building trust, training technicians, pricing, growing the average ticket ethically, and the challenges of scaling a plumbing and drain business toward $10M.

Plus, Lacey shares what she believes is broken in home services, from customer service and licensing to continuing education and staying up to date with new technology.

00:00 – Intro & Meet Lacey Peevey

02:00 – How Lacey and John Got Into the Business

05:00 – Joining a National Plumbing Brand in 2017

08:00 – Growing the Business Toward $7M

11:00 – Why They Decided to Go Independent

15:00 – Leaving the National Brand the Right Way

19:00 – The Challenges of a Full Rebrand

23:00 – Building the WeCo Rooter Brand

27:00 – Growing Back Toward $6M

31:00 – Customer Service & Building Trust

35:00 – Training Technicians Beyond Technical Skills

39:00 – Ethical Pricing & Growing Average Ticket

43:00 – Scaling WeCo Rooter Toward $10M

47:00 – Building Relationships & Finding the Right Training

50:00 – What’s Broken in Home Services?

53:00 – Final Thoughts & What’s Next for WeCo Rooter

Thank you to our sponsors!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

Jack Hope, Owner of Hope Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, joins the VIP Room to break down the journey from a small plumbing company to a business that did roughly $62M in 2025 and is pacing toward $75M.

Jack shares how he and his partner started Hope Plumbing, the pivotal role Nexstar played in helping them build systems and scale, and why they spent years focusing almost exclusively on plumbing before expanding into HVAC and, more recently, electrical.

The conversation dives into the strategy behind dominating specific neighborhoods, why old-school tactics like door-to-door canvassing still work, how to know when it's time to add another trade, and why Jack believes having the right people in the right positions becomes the biggest growth lever once you reach scale.

He also shares his most underrated and overrated KPIs, why he believes average ticket can be overrated, and the importance of building trust with customers instead of simply maximizing every individual call.

00:00 – Intro & Meet Jack Hope

03:30 – Building Hope Plumbing From the Ground Up

07:00 – The Early Days & Learning From Mistakes

11:00 – The Nexstar Turning Point

15:00 – How Hope Took Over Its First Market

19:00 – Why Door-to-Door Canvassing Still Works

23:00 – “Win One Zip Code at a Time”

27:00 – Why They Stayed Focused on Plumbing

31:00 – Going From $2M to $60M+ in Plumbing

35:00 – Adding HVAC Through Acquisition

39:00 – Why Electrical May Be Easier Than HVAC

43:00 – The Opportunity in the Electrical Market

46:00 – What’s Broken in Home Services?

48:00 – The Health of the Trades Workforce

50:00 – Jack’s Rapid-Fire Growth Questions

51:00 – Best Growth Lever Under $10M vs. Over $50M

53:00 – Most Overrated & Underrated KPIs

55:00 – Jack’s Advice for Growing Home Services Businesses

56:30 – Final Thoughts & Outro

Thank you to our sponsors!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

Patrick Somers, President & CEO of General Air Conditioning & Plumbing, joins the VIP Room alongside special guest co-host Moe Abbas (CEO of Sales Ask).

Patrick’s journey is one of the most unique in home services. He started as an entry-level maintenance technician making $10/hour and worked his way up through leadership before eventually buying and leading the same company.

In this episode, Patrick breaks down what it really takes to scale a business, earn buy-in as a young leader, and build a high-performing culture. The conversation also dives into operating in a seasonal market, maximizing every opportunity inside the home, and how top companies are using training, systems, and AI to improve performance.

If you’re looking to grow your business, develop leaders, and get more out of your team, this episode is packed with real-world insights.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & guest introductions

03:15 Overview of General Air Conditioning & Plumbing ($17M → pacing $20M)

06:10 Patrick’s journey: from $10/hour tech to leadership

11:45 Rapid promotions & earning team buy-in as a young leader

17:30 Buying the business & structuring the deal

22:10 Operating in a seasonal market (Coachella Valley dynamics)

27:05 Maximizing opportunities inside the home

31:40 Training techs to think like sales professionals

36:20 Cross-selling between trades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical)

40:45 Using AI & call tracking to improve performance

46:10 Coaching, role play, and improving close rates

50:30 Leadership philosophy, culture, and alignment

54:10 This or That segment

56:00 Outro

Thank you to our sponsors!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

What does it take to lead the next generation of a home services business that's been around for nearly 70 years?

In this episode of the To The Point Home Services VIP Room, Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor sit down with Ben Nalty, General Manager of Environment Masters, to talk about growing a third-generation family business, scaling across multiple trades, and stepping into the leadership role of a company his grandfather helped build.

Ben shares how he went from working around the business as a teenager to running HVAC service and eventually becoming General Manager. He breaks down Environment Masters' evolution from a business heavily focused on commercial construction into a residential service company across HVAC, plumbing, and electrical, and how the company has grown from roughly $25M to pacing $35M.

The conversation also dives into what it's like working alongside his father, navigating succession in a multi-generational business, and the decision to partner with Redwood Services. Ben explains what that partnership has changed, from stronger accountability and coaching to improving memberships, conversion rates, average tickets, and cross-trade opportunities.

Later, Ben turns the questions back on Chad and Aaron to get their advice on two challenges he's working through right now: generating more cross-trade opportunities and finding better ways to market and communicate with customers. Chad shares the cross-selling system that generated 900 additional appointments and roughly $1M in revenue in six months, while Aaron breaks down how contractors can build stronger brand messaging instead of relying solely on offers and lead generation.

It's a conversation about family business, leadership, growth, cross-selling, marketing, and what it takes to carry a decades-old company into its next chapter.

00:00 – Intro

02:45 – Meet Ben Nalty & Environment Masters

05:30 – Nearly 70 Years & Three Generations in Home Services

08:30 – Growing Up in the Family Business

11:30 – Ben’s Path to Running the Company

15:00 – Transitioning From Commercial to Residential Service

18:30 – Adding Plumbing & Electrical

21:30 – Taking Over Day-to-Day Operations From His Dad

25:00 – The Father-Son Dynamic in a Family Business

28:00 – Why Environment Masters Partnered With Redwood Services

32:00 – Navigating Private Equity as a Family Business

35:30 – What Changed After the Redwood Partnership

39:00 – Scaling From $25M Toward $35M

42:00 – Improving Memberships, Conversion Rates & Average Tickets

45:00 – Creating More Cross-Trade Opportunities

48:00 – Chad’s Cross-Selling Strategy That Generated $1M

51:00 – Marketing Beyond Just Buying Leads

53:30 – Final Takeaways

Thank you to our sponsors!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

What does it take to build a $35M home services business in just eight years?

In this episode of the To The Point Home Services VIP Room, Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor sit down with Helmi Ben Flah, Owner of Guaranteed Service, to break down the systems, accountability, and relentless execution behind his rapid growth.

Helmi shares his journey from software engineer to home services entrepreneur and how Guaranteed Service has scaled across HVAC, plumbing, and electrical since launching in 2018. He explains why his company doesn't rely solely on inbound demand, how they use customer data and AI to create outbound opportunities, and how technicians across different trades work together to generate more calls from the customers they already have.

The conversation also dives into the operating principles behind the growth: tracking leading indicators instead of waiting for revenue numbers, measuring nearly everything in the business, building accountability into the culture, and learning proven systems from other successful operators and actually executing them.

Later, Helmi opens up about one of the biggest challenges facing home services today: employee retention. He also shares what he'd do differently if he were starting over, before turning the tables on Chad and Aaron to ask what it really takes to scale from $50M toward $100M.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Intro

02:00 – Meet Helmi Ben Flah & Guaranteed Service

04:00 – From Software Engineer to Home Services Entrepreneur

06:00 – The Growth From $4.6M to $35M

09:00 – Execution, Accountability & Training

12:00 – Building an Outbound Machine

16:00 – Using AI & Customer Data to Generate More Calls

20:00 – Leading Indicators vs. Lagging Indicators

23:00 – Cross-Selling Between HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical

28:00 – Getting Technicians to Generate Multi-Trade Opportunities

32:00 – Building One Culture Across Multiple Trades

36:00 – Scaling Culture as the Company Grows

39:00 – What Redwood Services Changed in the Business

43:00 – Why Execution Beats Perfection

46:00 – What's Broken in Home Services?

49:00 – The Employee Retention Problem

52:00 – What Helmi Would Do Differently Starting Over

54:00 – How Do You Scale From $50M to $100M?

56:30 – Final Takeaways

Thank you to our sponsors!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

What does it really take to build and manage a $20M multi-trade home services business?

In this episode of the To The Point Home Services VIP Room, Chris Yano, Aaron Gaynor, and Chad Peterman sit down with Isaac Turpin, CEO and Co-Founder of True Corp, to break down the opportunities and challenges that come with scaling across multiple trades.

Isaac shares how True Corp grew across restoration, remodeling, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, and aluminum, and why managing multiple brands, CRMs, teams, and service lines can quickly become complicated. The conversation gets into slowing down top-line growth to protect profitability, navigating a changing lead environment, cross-selling between trades, building a membership program, structuring plumbing teams, technician pay, and deciding whether your business should go wider or deeper.

Isaac also flips the conversation and asks Chris, Aaron, and Chad what they've learned from scaling their own home service businesses, including how to evaluate your market, build a membership base, structure departments, and create sustainable growth.

00:00 – Intro

02:00 – Meet Isaac Turpin & the True Corp Business Model

05:30 – Building a Business During the 2008 Housing Crash

08:00 – Centralizing Multiple Trades Under One Company

11:00 – The Challenges of Running a Multi-Trade Business

14:00 – Why More Revenue Isn't Always Better

17:00 – When the Leads Suddenly Stop Coming

21:00 – Cross-Selling Between Trades

24:00 – Building a Multi-Trade Membership Program

27:00 – How Cross-Selling Generated $1M in Revenue

31:00 – Getting More Revenue From Your Existing Customer Base

34:00 – How to Structure a Plumbing Team for Scale

39:00 – Sales Techs vs. Install Crews

42:00 – Technician Pay Structures & Incentives

45:00 – Should You Focus on One Trade or Go Multi-Trade?

48:00 – The Hidden Complexity of Scaling Multiple Trades

51:00 – Advice for Scaling Plumbing & HVAC

54:00 – Final Takeaways

Thank you to our sponsors!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

From a $6/hour plumber to leading a nearly $30 million home services company, Rich Bogda has built Service Professionals into one of New Jersey's most respected HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses.

In this episode of the To The Point Home Services VIP Room, Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, Aaron Gaynor, and special guest co-host Abdul Al-Asaad (Basic Capital) sit down with Rich to discuss:

• Building a family-owned business over 30+ years
• Transitioning leadership to the next generation
• Knowing when owners need to get out of the way
• Developing young leaders while keeping experienced employees engaged
• Recruiting and retaining top talent
• Using AI to improve operations
• Creating a company culture people don't want to leave
• Why technical training is becoming the industry's biggest challenge

Whether you're running a $2M company or scaling toward $30M+, this episode is packed with practical leadership lessons from someone who's lived every stage of the journey.

00:00 - Intro 04:18 - Meet Rich Bogda & Special Guest Abdul Al-Asaad

08:12 - From a $6/Hour Plumber to Building a $30M Business

14:45 - The Leadership Changes That Fueled Growth

21:18 - Why Young Leaders Are Changing the Company

29:10 - AI, Innovation & The Future of Home Services

35:42 - Retaining Employees & Building Long-Term Wealth

44:30 - What's Wrong With the Home Services Industry?

52:35 - Final Thoughts

Thank you to our sponsors!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

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

Contractors asked. Yelp answered.

In Part 2 of this special two-part VIP Room series, Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor continue their conversation with Yelp COO Jed Nachman and Hatch CEO Chris Bache to answer some of the biggest questions contractors have about Yelp.

After covering reviews and reputation in Part 1, the discussion shifts to lead transparency, lead quality, geographic performance, AI-powered customer experiences, speed to lead, contractor success stories, and what top-performing companies are doing differently. The group also explores where Yelp, Hatch, and AI fit into the future of home services marketing and customer acquisition.

Whether you're currently using Yelp or simply curious about where the industry is headed, this episode provides an inside look at the technology, strategy, and challenges shaping the next generation of home services growth.

If you missed Part 1, be sure to check it out first for the discussion on reviews, reputation management, and the Hatch acquisition.

00:00 - Intro

01:08 - How Yelp Defines a Lead

07:15 - How to Measure Marketing ROI

13:40 - Why Yelp Performs Better in Some Markets

18:55 - Tips for Contractors Using Yelp

27:05 - AI Search & the Future of Home Services

34:40 - Building Trust With Contractors

38:20 - Special Offer, Listener Feedback & Closing Thoughts

SPECIAL OFFER FROM YELP

New multi-location advertisers on Yelp may qualify for a 20% bonus advertising budget when they start campaigns before September 30. That means Yelp adds extra advertising dollars on top of what you spend.

To see if you qualify, fill out the form at:

https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

A member of the Yelp team will reach out to help you get started.

Offer is available to new multi-location Yelp advertisers only.

HAVE FEEDBACK FOR YELP?

As discussed in the episode, Yelp welcomes feedback from contractors. If you have questions, suggestions, or feedback on your experience with Yelp, you can reach the team directly at:

[email protected]

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Basic Capital: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Avoca.ai: https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: https://www.salesask.com/ 

Chiirp: https://chiirp.com/

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com