TOM Talks Online Marketing

Derrel Allen and Kris O’Connor catch up with Jeromie Ryan of Specialize Plumbing, a regular networking partner and the plumber who recently replaced Derrel’s water heater. Jeromie’s path to the trade ran through the military, SMU, and a two week stint working for a Washington politician before he realized a cubicle wasn’t for him. Thirteen years ago he left another plumbing company with zero clients and built Specialize Plumbing word of mouth from there, with a side hobby of flying his own plane between job sites across North Texas.

Topics covered:

Why the trades are wide open right now: the average age of a master plumber has climbed from the mid-40s to around 65, and Jeromie makes the case for checking out a trade before writing it off, including his take on why AI won’t be replacing the person holding the wrench anytime soon.

Grassroots over big ad spend: Jeromie’s marketing has always leaned on networking, symbiotic relationships with general contractors, and word of mouth rather than throwing money at ads, though he’s eyeing Google Ads as the business scales.

The responsible master plumber distinction: what separates a master plumber from a responsible master plumber, why that license number is legally required on every truck, invoice, and website, and why checking a plumber’s license with the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners matters before hiring anyone.

Reaching a younger demographic: Derrel and Kris quiz Jeromie on why his next generation of customers is finding plumbers on TikTok, and make the case for short EIEIO-style videos (educate, inspire, entertain, inform, offer) as the way to meet that shift without needing to be a full time content creator.

Specialists, not generalists: how Jeromie built his team around specialists, a dedicated camera guy, a dedicated leak detection guy, rather than trying to do everything in house, and why he believes everybody doing what they do best makes everybody more money.

Educate, don’t decide for the customer: Jeromie’s approach to giving customers the full picture on a repair versus replace decision and letting them choose, rather than pushing one option.

Connect with Jeromie Ryan: specializeplumbing.com, or [email protected].

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O’Connor -- Kris O’Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor welcome Grayson Rogers, a financial advisor with Raymond James, a guest they met through Lone Star Business Builders and someone Derrel trusted enough to become his own client. Grayson's path into the industry started with watching his grandparents lose a secure retirement to a handful of preventable mistakes, a dot-com bust, a pension issue, and the 2008 financial crisis hitting in close succession, and that experience shapes how he works with clients today.

Customized planning, not cookie cutter advice: Grayson walks through how two very different clients, one managing a Parkinson's diagnosis, one in his thirties making $700K a year, need completely different strategies, and why generic investment advice misses what actually matters.

What a fiduciary actually means: a clear breakdown of why this standard matters, acting in a client's best interest even when it costs the advisor money, and why that's rarer in the financial industry than people assume.

Planning for a longer life than you expect: why Grayson defaults to projecting a long retirement window instead of a short one, and how that single assumption changes whether a plan actually holds up.

The onboarding process: how Grayson builds trust before ever talking numbers, starting with getting to know a client as a person, then gathering the full financial picture, then building a plan together before anyone commits.

Why relationship beats pitch: Derrel and Kris talk about how rare it is to find a financial advisor who doesn't feel salesy, and why Grayson's approach, no quotas, no product pushing, is exactly what builds the kind of trust that earns referrals.

Connect with Grayson Rogers: search "Grayson Rogers Raymond James" (a popular musician shares his name, so include "financial advisor" or "Raymond James" in your search).

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC. Nothing in this episode should be taken as personalized financial or investment advice.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O'Connor -- Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor sit down with Jeromie Ryan, owner of Specialize Plumbing and the education officer for Lone Star Business Builders (LSBB), the networking group all three of them belong to. This one's a departure from the usual marketing deep dive, instead it's a full breakdown of how to actually get value out of networking, something most people either avoid out of fear or do wrong by walking in trying to sell.

Derrel opens with how he stumbled into networking decades ago, including a near miss meeting the future founders of La Madeleine without realizing it, and how Lone Star stood apart from other groups he'd tried because it was built around education and real relationships instead of just showing up and handing out cards.

Networking is relationship building, not a sales pitch: why Jeromie's biggest warning for newcomers is simple, stop selling your product the moment you walk in. Groups turn people off fast when they come in pitching instead of connecting.

What to actually look for in a group: Jeromie's list covers quality over quantity, real referrals and real revenue, the right mix of industries (not just two competing trades sitting together), member participation beyond just showing up, and relationships that extend outside the meeting itself.

Own your backyard: Kris shares advice from a mentor early in her garage door business, win your own city before trying to expand regionally or nationally, the same principle Jeromie applies at Specialized Plumbing before franchising out of Allen.

Fish with the right bait: why trying to network with everyone catches nothing, and why a focused pitch aimed at the right audience lands better than a wide net.

Integrity and referrals: once someone refers you, their name is attached to how you perform, which raises the stakes on follow-through and honesty when a job doesn't go as planned.

Building your elevator pitch: Derrel breaks down the StoryBrand approach, address the client's problem, the solution, and how easy it is to work with you, while Jeromie and Kris add tips like ending your pitch with your name instead of starting with it.

Where to actually find groups: Chamber of Commerce, BNI, Rotary, Toastmasters, Meetup, and why LSBB runs differently, with vetted members, consistent one-on-ones, and a hot seat format where the group acts as each other's board of advisors.

Connect with LSBB: lsbb.org

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O'Connor -- Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor welcome Tyler Clifton, founder of Harvest and Harvest Connect, a LinkedIn connection turned in-person meeting turned great conversation. Tyler's a sixteen year entrepreneur who's founded, grown, and sold multiple companies, and after exiting three of his four businesses and moving to Texas, he built Harvest Business Solutions to help business owners with funding and credit. That work led straight into Harvest Connect, where he now teaches marketing to business owners, with a current focus on home services, roofers, HVAC companies, and general contractors, offering geographic exclusivity so he only works with one client per market.

Topics covered:

Buyer intent marketing: Tyler's fishing analogy says it best, having great bait doesn't matter if you're casting where there's no fish. Buyer intent means finding the people already looking for your service and putting your business directly in front of them, which doesn't always lower cost per lead but dramatically lowers customer acquisition cost by converting more of the leads you already have.

The three ways to grow revenue: acquiring new clients, raising prices, or getting existing clients to buy more and more often. Tyler and Kris agree database reactivation, following up with people who already trust you, is the most overlooked piece of marketing most business owners ignore.

The technician, manager, entrepreneur split: pulled from The E-Myth Revisited, why so many small business owners are technicians who are great at the work but never learned to run the business itself, and why letting go of control to bring in outside marketing help is often the hardest and most valuable step.

Marketing as connection, not exposure: Tyler's take from How Brands Become Icons, that the goal isn't putting your business in front of everyone, it's connecting with the people who are value-aligned with you, the same way people are naturally drawn to others like themselves.

The personal touch in a digital world: from Kris's handwritten thank-you note process to Tyler's take on why AI can speed up the work but can't replace the human relationship building that actually keeps clients around.

Tyler's best marketing tip: a lesson picked up at 22 selling furniture, people want to feel important, and marketing that makes a customer's problem feel important beats marketing that just pushes a product.

Connect with Tyler Clifton: bttom.com/url/harvest

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O'Connor -- Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor welcome Phil Carlson, Metro Director for the Christian Businessmen's Connection (CBMC) in Dallas-Fort Worth. Cowboy hat, New York roots, SMU background, Phil's an interesting mix, and he shares his path into marketplace ministry and how CBMC helps business leaders bring their faith, personal lives, and professional work into one piece instead of three.

Phil walks through CBMC's 96 year history, founded in Chicago during the Great Depression, and how it evolved from evangelistic luncheons into a global movement built on one-on-one discipleship and peer advisory groups. Derrel, Kris, and Phil dig into how real vulnerability changes company culture, strengthens marriages, and reshapes what business networking actually looks like.

Topics covered:

Deep networking vs transactional meetings: why trusted, real relationships produce meaningful business results where card-swapping never does.

Vulnerability as a leadership tool: how business owners build trust in peer advisory groups by putting personal, financial, and relational challenges on the table.

Four generational discipleship: unpacking Operation Timothy (based on 2 Timothy 2:2) and why one-on-one investment compounds exponentially over time.

Marriage and family overflow: how personal growth at work carries into family life, plus a mention of women's marketplace groups like 4WORD.

The Gaslighting of American Christianity: Phil's book, and why he believes business leaders need to step up with confidence and excellence as culture shifts.

Connect with Phil Carlson: dallas.cbmc.com, or check out his book at stopgaslighting.us.

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O'Connor -- Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor sit down with Casey Eckert, an entrepreneur and independent distributor with LifeWave, to talk about how non-traditional businesses can navigate digital and local marketing. Casey shares her journey from lifelong educator to discovering LifeWave's drug-free patch technology after a debilitating injury, and how she built an organic business from the ground up.

Derrel and Kris help Casey unpack why the common belief that "everyone is my customer" actually stalls growth, and walk through practical strategies for finding a target niche, building a consistent posting rhythm, and getting past the fear of putting your message out there.

Topics covered:

The E-I-E-I-O content framework: a simple formula for structuring social posts and newsletters, Entertain, Inform, Educate, Inspire, and Offer.

Why you need a niche: why the birdshot shotgun approach to marketing fails, and how to use real customer feedback and data to find the golden few who actually need what you're selling.

Beating the blank page: practical tips on batching content, scheduling posts in advance, and setting appointments with yourself so marketing actually gets done.

The power of repetition: Derrel's story of a print ad campaign that took 27 runs before the phone finally rang off the hook, proof that consistency beats one-off efforts every time.

Compliance and educational marketing: how to market health and wellness products without making unapproved medical claims, using informational sheets, clinical trials, and community lunch-and-learns.

Whether you're a network marketer, an entrepreneur hunting for your real target audience, or a business owner looking for a structured social strategy, this episode is a practical blueprint for turning raw customer data into marketing gold.

Connect with Casey Eckert: liveyounger.com/caseyeckert, or call her directly at 214-642-4375.

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing
www.totalmagic.com

Kris O'Connor -- Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems
bttom.com/url/kris

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor welcome a very special guest to the hot seat, Kris's son Sean O'Connor, founder of Texas AI Guy. Sean's building a fast-growing business creating AI cinematic video ads that let small businesses compete with bigger brands on a fraction of the budget. From the early "Will Smith eating spaghetti" days to today's photorealistic models, Sean breaks down just how far AI-generated content has come. He explains how reference images build a detailed character sheet that locks in a subject's face, so that person can be placed in any scenario, outfit, or location without ever stepping in front of a camera.

Topics covered:

Cinematic content on a budget: how Sean builds custom action sequences, like a Nike-style ad for a youth baseball camp or a dancing mascot for a local ice cream shop, to instantly level up a brand's visual storytelling.

The stop-the-scroll problem: why you've got less than two seconds to grab attention on YouTube Shorts and TikTok, and why creativity is what actually earns that attention.

Getting reviews that stick: Derrel shares his selfie-mode video review technique from the entertainment world, and Kris breaks down her quest formula that helped a South Texas business land over 500 five-star ratings.

Altruistic marketing: how pro-bono video work for local community events and nonprofits skips the sting of cold emailing and builds real word-of-mouth.

Disclosing AI content: what you actually need to know about flagging AI-generated, real-looking people on social media, legally and platform-wise.

Plus a fun detour into the rumored MySpace comeback, and finally, the real story behind the name TOM Talks Online Marketing.

Connect with Sean O'Connor: texasaiguy.com, or search Texas AI Guy on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Derrel Allen -- Total Online Marketing

www.totalmagic.com

Kris O'Connor -- Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems

bttom.com/url/kris

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor tackle one of the most debated questions in digital marketing right now: is AI going to kill SEO? They cut through the buzzword noise around AEO and GEO and make the case for why traditional SEO is still the foundation everything else gets built on.

They break down how large language models actually work, and why these AI tools still lean on the same high-quality SEO sources they always have, they don't generate their own data out of thin air. AI is a powerful tool for tasks and presenting information, but it hasn't replaced the need for a website that's technically sound and authoritative.

Topics covered:

Defining AEO and GEO: what Artificial Intelligence Engine Optimization actually means, and why it often prioritizes prominence over locality.

E-E-A-T explained: why Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness are the benchmark for both Google and AI engines alike.

Technical foundations that matter: how Schema markup and well-structured FAQ sections let AI bots read and present your business accurately.

The shiny object trap: why chasing the latest high-priced marketing webinar isn't a substitute for nailing proven SEO basics.

Conversion vs aesthetics: why a $15,000 "beautiful" website is a wasted investment if it isn't built to make the phone ring.

Whether you're trying to understand how your business shows up in AI search or just want a solid foundation under your website, this one gives you the clarity to navigate where search is actually headed. As Derrel and Kris put it, the goal isn't to be beautiful online, it's to put cash in the bank.

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems, or debate the future of AI? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen - Total Online Marketing

Kris O'Connor - Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems

bttom.com/url/kris

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor sit down with Gary Upchurch, a reverse mortgage specialist from Mutual of Omaha Mortgages, to talk about reaching and serving the senior demographic. This one goes beyond general reverse mortgage info and digs into how to actually market to seniors, building trust and delivering real value to homeowners 62 and older.

Gary shares his own journey and how being a peer in that same age bracket helps him relate to clients working through retirement income and home equity decisions. He breaks down what a reverse mortgage actually is, a home equity loan with no monthly payment, and clears up common myths, from folks on a fixed income to wealthy estate owners with multimillion dollar homes.

Topics covered:

Educational content that works: why answering the "top 10" questions seniors ask through YouTube Shorts builds authority fast.

Referral partnerships: how Gary grows his business through trusted relationships with banks, financial advisors, and real estate agents.

The rule of repetition: why a message often has to land dozens of times in a noisy world before someone actually acts on it.

Digital tools for low tech professionals: practical ways to optimize a Google Business Profile and use AI to speed up ad creation and compliance.

The "greedy child" syndrome: how family dynamics shape the decisions seniors make around their home equity.

Whether you're a marketing pro looking to sharpen your approach to the senior market or a homeowner curious what a reverse mortgage could do for you, this episode lays out a roadmap for moving forward with confidence. As Gary puts it, it's about helping people get a reverse and move forward with life.

Connect with Gary Upchurch: bttom.com/url/ep14

Derrel Allen – Total Online Marketing

Kris O'Connor – Kris O'Connor Marketing Gems

bttom.com/url/kris

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.

Want to be a guest and talk about your own marketing gems? Reach out to Derrel at totalmagic.com/podcast.

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

Derrel Allen and Kris O'Connor sit down with a man of many hats: former Mayor of Wylie, Texas, professional magician, and seasoned real estate agent Eric Hogue. Eric shares his journey from corporate America to real estate, and makes the case that success in any industry comes down to a servant mindset, treating your career like a real business instead of a side hobby.

Topics covered:

Personal marketing that actually works: Eric breaks down why real estate is a relationship business first. He walks through his approach to staying top of mind, personal newsletters, and why he sends closing anniversary cards instead of generic birthday greetings.

Social media with intent: why Eric runs LinkedIn as his business tool, keeps Instagram for personal life, and skipped Facebook entirely during his time as mayor.

DFW housing market, boots on the ground: homes are averaging 44 to 55 days on market right now, plus a look at how the Texas State Fair slows North Texas business down every year.

From Clinky the Clown to the Mayor's office: Eric's path from shy introvert to professional clown who paid for college in a yellow suit and red wig, all the way to the presidency of the Texas Association of Magicians and testifying before Congress alongside David Copperfield.

Resilience and what now: Eric opens up about his 2022 health crisis, a heart attack followed by complications, and how it shaped the book he's now writing about navigating the unexpected.

Whether you're an entrepreneur refining your marketing plan or a buyer trying to make sense of today's market, this one's a masterclass in resilience and personal branding.

Connect with Eric Hogue:
Website: erichogue.com
Instagram: @EricHogueRealtor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erichogue/

Derrel Allen – Total Online Marketing

www.totalmagic.com

Kris O'Connor

bttom.com/url/kris

Follow the show: bttom.com/url/pod

The opinions expressed by guests on TOM Talks Online Marketing are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or Total Online Marketing LLC.