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Successful Life Podcast
Self-Improvement Podcast for Contractors that want to learn about how to grow their business through management and marketing. Develop business ideas to improve your business experience and be successful. Real stories from real business owners.
Successful Life Podcast
Michelle LaFrance's Path From Digital to Ductless Brilliance
Michelle LaFrance, an icon in the HVAC industry, opens up about her unexpected journey from the world of digital web development to becoming a trailblazer for HVAC contractors. After the 9/11 events, Michelle faced a major career shift, leading her to launch her own company amidst a challenging economic backdrop. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience and the importance of maintaining a positive mindset, as she navigates the common misconceptions about contractors, painting a picture of a field full of dedicated and admirable people.
Listeners are treated to Michelle’s cutting-edge marketing strategies that have turned a small HVAC business into a leading force in the Pacific Northwest. Unravel the secrets behind her success, from SEO mastery to building a niche directory filled with quality backlinks that enhance online visibility. Her narrative on the necessity of differentiating your business in a competitive market through genuine interactions and unique value propositions provides invaluable insights for contractors eager to elevate their market presence.
In this episode, we also delve into the emotional aspect of entrepreneurship, as Michelle shares how she overcomes fear by aligning her actions with her true desires. Her mantra of confronting fear with a "what's the worst that can happen?" attitude serves as a powerful reminder for all entrepreneurs. Through candid conversations and personal anecdotes, Michelle inspires listeners to act boldly, make meaningful connections, and push through the challenges of the HVAC industry with confidence and innovation.
https://ductlessdirectory.com/
https://theductlessguy.now.site/home
https://www.audible.com/pd/9-Simple-Steps-to-Sell-More-ht-Audiobook/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Steps-Sell-More-Stereotypes-ebook/dp/B0BRNSFYG6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OSB7HX6FQMHS&keywords=corey+berrier&qid=1674232549&sprefix=%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1
https://bit.ly/4bFz4yc https://www.housecallpro.com/successullife
https://www.facebook.com/corey.berrier
https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreysalescoach/
Welcome to the Successful Life Podcast. I'm your host, Corey Barrier, and I'm here with Michelle LaFrance. Did I say it right?
Speaker 2:LaFrance, lafrance, lafrance, yes.
Speaker 1:I mean, I tried one of the hardest names probably I've ever had to say on here. I usually mess up Smith, so hey, it was close. How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm doing great. Glad to be here with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, michelle, for those folks that may not know anything about you or I'm sure most people do give us a high level overview of who you are and what you do and all that good stuff.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, well, great question. Well, I don't know why sometimes I get stumped. I was going to say I'm just another person in humanity right now, navigating this crazy world that we live in, and aside from that, what I do for work is I'm known by many people in the HVAC industry. I work specifically with HVAC contractors that want to grow their ductless business. There's a story like someone asked me you know, as a little girl, is that what you really always wanted to do? And I go no, I ended up in the space, becoming the ductless marketing guru, and I'm fine with it, I'm good with it. I love what I do and, more importantly, I really love the contractors that I get to work with, because I work with some of the nicest people that I have ever met. So that's basically what I do on the surface level.
Speaker 1:Isn't it funny how, if you're in the industry, the perspective is that we work with the best people on earth, but if you're an outsider, you think contractors are the biggest pieces of trash on earth. How is that possible?
Speaker 2:What a great perspective because they do. What a great perspective because they do. They suffer from being like the used car salesperson. That is so true. Maybe it's I don't work with those guys, right, and so right in my, in my agency, I just decided long ago I've got a passion for contractors. Then maybe I should tell you how that came to be, please. That's probably relevant. Let's talk about that. And it's really relevant because some might say that we're in a difficult time in the industry. It's slow, it's an election year. The world is just batshit crazy right now. Like what the heck is going on. We have got to keep our head screwed on straight. We have got to have our spirit in the right spot. So let me tell the story and hope that it might be encouraging to some of the listeners.
Speaker 2:I used to work before I became an entrepreneur. I worked for a very large digital web development agency in Portland, oregon IT consulting, web development, all of that and we did websites that were two, three, four $500,000, big websites for big corporations. But guess what happened? A buzzkill called 9-11, right, so that was just last week, some 20, some years ago. But what happened after 9-11 is people really hunkered down in their home and the tech industry got annihilated. And I was working for a huge company and we went from 160, some people, down to 130 people, and then it was 90 people and 80 people and 60 people and I'm still sticking around for some reason. I guess they liked me. I thought I was productive 33 people, 19 people, all the way down to 11 people.
Speaker 2:We all knew that we were on a sinking ship. But where are you going to go? Because every other web company at the time was going bankrupt, you know well, basically going bankrupt because technology came to a grinding halt. And so there came a day that they literally came in and never experienced it before. Right Pulled the network, pulled the phones and there was 11 of us left and we went OK, bye, bye, and we walked across the street to was it Pete's Coffee at the time? Anyway, coffee house. And then we went to unemployment and it was just one of those moments like, oh crap, what in the world am I going to do? I got a mortgage, I got three horses. Like well, this isn't working for me. That's how I started my company. It was sheer survival.
Speaker 1:What did it feel like watching all of that happen right in front of your eyes, knowing there was an end? I mean that had to be. What was the time, actually, what was the span of time that it went from 160 to 11 to quitting?
Speaker 2:So 9-11 was the big impact. I remember the the day after my birthday's, on September 10th, my boyfriend had just taken me out to dinner sterling roses. It was just a beautiful night, and then we woke up to 9-11. So always kind of hits home a little bit with me, right, and I didn't know what to do with myself. Like we just looked at each other and he's like, well, I guess I'm going to go to work and I go I didn't know what to. I actually got my car and I drove to work downtown Portland, oregon and it was so eerie because there was like no cars on the road and I got to the office and I guess most people stayed home. But the receptionist was there and I walked in and she was like we're just numb. She was, I was like hi, and she's like hi, and we're like we didn't know what to do and there's a handful of other people. We just walked around like lost puppies. I mean we're all in shock, right, and it was just such a bizarre time. So 9-11, and then it was the following spring, so that Camus were pretty big and really successful. We hung on for a long time, but it had to. It was in the spring. So, whether that was March, april, may, they pulled the plug.
Speaker 2:And then I sat around for the summer. I cried. I, you know, I had a mortgage and three horses. I was scared, I was confused, I mean, I had no idea what to do. And I was like, well, this is what I know, what to do. And so I was like, okay, well, we better name the company. And that took me way too long. I was like what am I going to name the company? And I finally arrived at Smarty Pants because I thought you know what? I'm going to have a company. I need four things out of it. Okay, number one I need the company to say what it does.
Speaker 2:It was an era where there was all these weird names that didn't mean anything, like Verizon. I'm like, what's a Verizon? It's horizon, with a V and an E it's at the beginning, you know. Or Unisys, and I'm like what's a Unisys? It was like let's take these two words and slam them together, and I hated that. So my company name was going to say what the heck it is that I did Like you would be like oh, that's it.
Speaker 2:So I went to the dictionary and, well, I was thinking about all the idiot and dummy books and so I know quite a bit about how to build websites and how to market companies, but I don't want anyone to feel like they're an idiot or a dummy. And I had to go buy idiot books on topics I didn't know. I'm like you're buying condoms or something you know when you're underage. I'm like I'm hiding this idiot book, right, like I don't want anyone to know. I feel like an idiot, like I don't want anyone to feel like that. So I went to, I called my old boss in California and I had to look up in the thesaurus and I go, I want people to feel the opposite of an idiot.
Speaker 2:So we went and looked up whatever word we looked up and we she was going well, okay, genius. And I'm like, well, that's arrogant. Like we don't want to be an idiot, we don't want to be arrogant. Well, there's genius, there's this, there's sagacious. And I go sagacious web marketing. Like what the heck is that? And down the list we go. And she said well, there's just one name left and I said what is it? She said Smarty Pants.
Speaker 2:And I about howled I was laughing so hard. And I go Ann, what are you going to do. You're sitting at your desk and this was back in the day like we had to cold call, right, the internet is kind of still pretty new. I go, what are you going to do? You get a phone call and it's me on the other line. I'm like, hey, it's Michelle LaFrance with Smarty Pants.
Speaker 2:We howled. I mean I was snorting, I was just like I thought it was so funny, and I go, gosh, can I pull it off? So, anyway, went off on left field on you with that question but that's how I named my company. And then it was just like one foot in front of the other, like, well, where am I going to go for business? Well, who's going to hire me? Like, how will I reach them? And I literally cold called and I literally went to business parks with a flyer. They would say no soliciting everywhere. And I'm like, oh yeah, that doesn't apply to me. I would go literally door to door with my flyer going, hey, who needs a website? So that's literally how it got started.
Speaker 1:So where you started and then you moved into marketing, tell me more about marketing Douglas and how that directly impacts the company.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is the part of the story that I want to be encouraging. So, wherever the listeners are in their company maybe they're a new entrepreneur, maybe they're, maybe it's gotten slow for them I always operated out of the belief that somebody, somewhere, needs my services, and you have to believe that, because if you don't, then just seriously hang it up. So I'd be like somebody in the state of Oregon needs a website, you know, and somebody could hire Smarty Pants. So my initial websites were the hair salon. It was a car rental place, a car towing, speeds towing in Portland, oregon. They chose me as their web developer back in the day, but I wanted a niche, and so that's the other thing that I think is so important is finding a niche, and I go well, anybody and everybody needs a website back in 02 and 03. And hang on, the dog is barking, barking. Do you mind if I this is you hear it?
Speaker 1:yeah, no, I can't hear it. No, I can't hear it okay, am I fine?
Speaker 2:yeah, I don't hear it. Yeah, barking dog back there. So back in the day, you know, everybody needed a website and I'm like I just really like to be a little bit more targeted than that. And so I was sitting there thinking about well, it was February, march-ish at that point in time I'm in Portland, oregon, it rains quite a bit, and I'm like I people are like oh, it's in our the next six months or next year. We need a website. And I'm like I can't wait for that. Who needs a website now? And so I started honing in. I'm like, well, it's raining, it's been raining all winter long. Well, if you're doing roofs, fencing, landscaping, hvac, whatever so I had this list down like once this weather breaks, someone's going to need a website. And then, lo and behold, I got introduced. Oh, I found my home.
Speaker 2:So I have always worked with contractors and it was home builders and remodelers, and I joined their association and I just hunkered down in there and they're like a brotherhood, even though these home builders compete. I got my first website and then I go, you know, I'd really like some help and these guys were so good. They're like, you know, my buddy Steve, he needs a website. And they're like you know I'd really like some help and these guys were so good. They're like you know, my buddy Steve he needs a website. And they're like you know my buddy Kurt down in Salem he needs a website. And all of a sudden I became the home builder marketing gal and during that time I worked with remodelers as well. And then one HVAC client Hang on just a second Okay, unexpected barking dog. But here's where the story gets really interesting, and I think for anybody on a journey, like, if you have faith, the next thing always appears. And I didn't realize it.
Speaker 2:But while I was working in the home building industry, it was the executive director up in Vancouver, washington new HVAC contractor that needed a website, and he's like you know. We got this gal named Smarty Pants. She's helping all the builders. I think she could probably do an HVAC website. And so he called me and I did an HVAC website and we did it really well. Met Fab Heating in Vancouver, so fast forward, and this is really a story about divinity. That's what I think we're talking about. So, tim, I built his website and we did a really good job and we got him some business. But guess what happened. I built his website in 05. We had three really great years, but the next buzzkill of 08, that recession.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, come on. So I just recovered from the 9-11 thing because I lost a lot of money in the stock market crash. I built it up with the builders and remodelers. I got an hvac contractor in my wheelhouse and now we have 08 and those home builders. They dropped like flies oh, I bet I mean some of them committed suicide yeah guys that bought like 300 lots or whatever.
Speaker 2:And it was just so terrifying and I go oh my goodness, here we go again, like it was like this terrible economic time, and I just took a deep breath and I go can I just do this, like seriously? And so I did the same thing I did the first time around. I was somebody needs my services. I don't care if the unemployment rate is 25%, that means 75% of the people are still working and that means that all I need is one company in the state of Oregon to hire me. And so I turned the news off. If people called me and wanted to talk about how scared they were, how fearful they were, how bad it was, I haven't gotten, I don't have time and I'm like I can't talk and I knew who the people were, so I just stopped taking their calls and I go. I can't put my attention there. All I know is someone in the state of Oregon needs my help. You know who it was the HVAC guy.
Speaker 1:The same HVAC guy.
Speaker 2:The same HVAC guy. So I look back at this and I go, oh, there's just always divinity running through. I feel like, even the hard times right, like I never crashed and burned. But it was hard, I'm not going to lie. And so it was MetFab Heating and he calls me up and he was talking about Michelle. I need X amount of money to break even and he had a big sheet metal house, parts inventory, sales teams, all of that, and he goes I'm breaking into my 401 to keep my company afloat and I just really can't do that much longer. So I wanted to know would you make me number one in the search for a ductless heat pump? Now everybody else is dying on the vine. I'm telling people don't jump. I became a shrink more than anything else, and I got somebody that wants me to make him number one in the search. So I'm so excited I go yes, yes, tim, I can. And I had to ask him what's a Douglas? He like I don't even know what you're talking about. And that's where my story really changes, because it changed his company.
Speaker 2:He went on in that depression, recession, whatever you want to call that. He went on. This contractor was 25 years old. He went on to have the best year in the history of his company 364 ductless heat pumps sold. And I was in heaven because I got someone to market.
Speaker 2:So at first, what happened is we did the website and I said, okay, sure, well, we need some content. And he sent me brochures and I added some content onto the website. And then we're looking at the analytics and he's emailing me Thank you, thank you for what you've done for my company. Thank you, thank you. And I'm like one happy customer and like 300 depressed people. We go look at the analytics and who knew people are searching for something or another. And so I'm like Tim, you know that lobby, that you have put a unit in the lobby, let me know when you're done. And he's like why? And I said, well, you're doing really well, you're sending all the salespeople out, right. And he's like, yeah, and I go, you're that busy and you're booked out six weeks. Let's bring them on in, let's make it even better. Like this is bring the bees to the honey. So he's like I put it up in my unit and I go to the website and I go come on in touch. It feel it. See it here. It's remarkable, it's a modern way to heat people. Now we're bringing all the people in there's rebates. And there was the. There was some big rebate back in the day that the government did to stimulate the economy. I forget what it was called, but there was those rebates and Washington rebates.
Speaker 2:And all of a sudden this guy is like 368 systems for 364, somewhere around there in the year and he goes on to become the Douglas heat pump contractor in all of the Pacific Northwest, beating out the big, big guys up in Seattle. Like there's some big contractors. And my guy in Vancouver is kind of like the it's not a glamor place, you know, it's a nice city, but whatever, this guy wins it. And so that was. And I think I'm speaking to just being tenacious and perseverant, because at the big trade show then that came up, he won the award and you couldn't hear a pin drop. Perseverance, because at the big trade show then that came up, he won the award and you couldn't hear a pin drop when the guy from Vancouver, washington, won the award with 364.
Speaker 2:Most contractors like their job, like they didn't even know that that was possible, and they're like how did you do it? And he's like I hired her. And so there is the backstory. As long as that is about really finding a niche, really having faith in yourself, in faith. I believe in God, that, like here, I am right in this situation and so I don't really see an alternative. So there just has to be somebody that needs me, and I think people give up along the way and you just really can't.
Speaker 2:Because here I am all these years later and in my agency we were building websites. But I got bored with that because you're just cranking out another website, right, cranking out a site, cranking out a site. And I went to my team and I went oh, I don't know if I want to. You know, when I get to the end of my life will I be like, oh, I'm so happy. You know, I built 600 websites in my life. I go, I don't know. I really want to add value to the contractors.
Speaker 2:So as I saw the future growing for Duckless Heat Palms, I saw the opportunity for a niche and I saw an opportunity to not just give my customers a marketing tool, a website. There was so much more. So I work off the website and I do all kinds of things that Google likes. So every contractor needs to get found off their website in a place that's relevant and high in authority relevant and authority. So I went to my team and I go well, let's build it. And they said what I go?
Speaker 2:I'm done cranking out websites there are other people that can do that but I want to be the relevant and authority. I want the compelling marketing content. I want to be able to go into a territory and have my guy blanket the first page because of all you have is a website. You just got one asset. So I come to a territory and I've got some of my contractors like one of them's on the first page eight times and nobody is disruptive. What I'm doing is disruptive. Nobody even knows it's possible. So I come in with video and case studies and press releases and I created a directory and I do everything that Google loves. All the contractor has to do is plug into what I'm doing, because I already created the powerhouse and you just got to plug into it. So that's how I do it and I love it.
Speaker 1:Does that formula, the knowing what Google loves, make sense? I don't know. To the average person. I couldn't begin to tell you what Google loves. So what have you found to be the most effective? You know, when you say what Google loves, is this blogs, is this kind of? Give me an idea of what that looks like, if you don't mind.
Speaker 2:I don't mind at all. You know, when we were still building websites and this is for anyone building a website there's on-site SEO and there's off-site SEO. So you would build a website and tune it up and do all the things you can do the paid advertising, all the SEO but Google wants a reference off the website to your website, and so we were like struggling, like we can blog someplace. Most companies buy the backlinks, right? So there are certain companies that are good at backlinks and you go buy them and then sometimes you get a mixed bag, and so you could have one contractor and maybe they got a thousand backlinks to their website, but they're real mediocre, they're not really that relevant, and that's what happens to most contractors. Somebody gets backlinks to their website, but they're not really relevant. On the contrary, a powerful backlink that's from an authority source that's highly relevant is going to outperform a contractor with thousands of crappy backlinks. So I decided to build a directory. So when I went to the team, I go well, what should we build? Because we can build it. We're SEO experts, right? We're web developers, we have all these skills.
Speaker 2:And I decided on a directory because I could take a directory. So it's called the ductless directory. I wish I would have named it something else, but at the time, directories if you might remember, there was a time when directories really didn't show up on the search. But now there's a directory for real estate, there's a directory if you want to buy your car, there's a directory for every industry, and it had to have been like maybe in 2010,. I was at a big web conference when they were talking about how powerful directories were going to be and that every industry would have them. So that was a light bulb moment. And then I got Matt Fab over here coming in and he's crushing it with ductless heat pumps. And so, to be honest with you, most of my peers thought of SEO people, other digital agencies. They thought it was kind of dumb. You're going to build a directory for ductless heat pumps Like nobody knows what it is.
Speaker 1:I know what it is. I'm not sure I know what it is. When you say directory, I'm like all right, so do I even know what she's talking about. So when you say like break it down, like I'm five well, you know what a ductless heat pump is. Yeah, I know what a ductless mini split is yeah same thing, it's a heat pump.
Speaker 2:Ductless mini split heat pump yeah, same thing. So bypasses the forced air. Right, you're forcing with a furnace or air conditioning. You're forcing the air through that dirty duct work. It's going through maize, right, People have asthma and allergies and they can't even tell. Like sometimes they go, oh, we turn the furnace on in the fall and we all get sick and I'm like, well, that might have something to do with your duct work, right, and so the the heat pump. It's really a heat pump, that's really the product. That's everybody is going to be using a heat pump to heat and cool their home. And I really got that.
Speaker 2:And the ductless heat pump is such a problem solver. You got a hot and cold spot. You're converting your attic, your garage, right, you've got whatever you know. You just want to reduce your energy bills, you want to participate in the rebates, you, you know. The list goes on and on. So even in in just a ductless heat pump, it's such a specific product.
Speaker 2:But what I help contractors with is there's so many verticals with, is there's so many verticals. I'm like you guys go, go to where the asthma, where people are that have asthma and allergies there's an association for. Go there and just take that lane. So I'm going to start talking about the niche right, this niche marketing. That's what I do. My niche is HVAC contractors that want to grow ductless. Nobody is better at it than me. Nobody is doing what I'm doing because I had to build all the assets first, like I financed myself. I got over $200,000 in building a directory and a YouTube channel all these things that Google loves and then I have to educate the contractor to why they want to participate in it. So there's a bit of an education, right, but the easy way to say it and I hope I'm answering your question let's say you're a golfer and you're going into some type of a competition and your competitor shows up.
Speaker 2:You show up and all you get is one club. Corey, you got to go into this tournament. You only get to choose one club. What's it going to be? And you're like, well, I don't know, maybe I'll take my seven iron. You know, like that's what I would take. I take my only. I only get one club. I'm going to take my seven iron all day long.
Speaker 2:So that's what most contractors are doing when they go to market with a website. It's one asset. You can make it 100 pages. You can make it 500 pages, you can make it a thousand pages. But you're going in to the hottest industry, like where the future is for home heating, and you got your one asset. Oh, and you're going to pay for some ads Great. Or you could come into my program and I got a full set of clubs.
Speaker 2:Okay, all these things are going to rank. I'm putting you in my directory. Your listing in my directory will rank in your market. It sends right to the top of the search. So people go SEO takes a year and I go no, it doesn't. I can get you an additional result in six hours. Sometimes we're just like pop straight up to the top of the search and I just doubled the exposure for a contractor. It's insane. And that listing in my directory, because nothing I do is ordinary. So you think of a directory and you go oh yeah, a whole bunch of contractors get a name, address and phone number in a directory, not my directory.
Speaker 2:I bet everybody that comes in. You got to be a good contractor and you get actually the equivalent of a website, but it's on my directory and on that website you get an about section, you can write unlimited blogs, you can put unlimited projects, you get unlimited videos, you can put specials on there, you can put your hiring on there. I mean, I built like something so fantastic so you get in the directory and then I start doing some video because my YouTube channel is what? It's highly relevant and high in authority. So everybody's doing videos. But their videos don't show up on the first page of search but mine do, because I built it that way. Then I do case studies, so I got the full set of clubs and I'm throwing all these assets into the territory and they'll break.
Speaker 1:It's amazing. Wow, that's, that's fascinating. I literally had no. I mean, I, I, I understand what you're saying, but I just didn't. You know, I'm not a marketing person, so I don't know that I've ever really thought about it that deeply. But it does make sense. It's like if you've got it's kind of like real estate, You've got to have real estate in multiple or omni-channel presence, right, and so what that directory is, it also helps you, right the directory. You can market the directory because the directory markets the person.
Speaker 2:Yes, right, marketing the contractor, I'm giving him a pitching wedge, a sand wedge, a putter, a big bertha driver. Exactly.
Speaker 1:That's fascinating. Yeah, it's so good how often do you work with contractors that just use that marketing?
Speaker 2:let's call it marketing tactic let's say that they don't even necessarily want to sell ductless, but they use that to get to the top, to get in the house well, because we vet everyone, we know that there are people out there that recognize the value of a quality directory like what I've created my directory. On the surface. If you go look at it's a website yeah and it's a website that um educates consumers.
Speaker 2:The entire website is about hiring the right contractor. The website is all about solutions Like how does a ductless heat pump you know? What problems does it solve? Like when is a good time to consider a ductless heat pump? I'm not selling a brand, I'm not selling anything, but I'm selling. Every page on the website is like get the contractor straight.
Speaker 2:So I am a voice that I advocate, I promote, so I don't let everybody into my, into my directory. We turn people down all the time because this is a common one. It's a sales rep that works for a wholesaler and he sees ductless heat pumps flying out the door and he's like, oh, I could buy some here and I could buy some there. And oh, there's this gal, she's really good, and so I want to go be in her directory. And I go yeah, no, I can't advocate for you. If you're not attached to a brand, I can't advocate for you. If you haven't been trained, I can't advocate for you.
Speaker 2:My guys, I go look at their reviews, so every new listing goes on hold. And my guys go look at the contractor and look at the reviews and we go look at the website. Is the? Is the ductless just on on there someplace, or are they really serious, right? So I'm really going after a certain type of contractor. And what is new for me? This year, corey, I started having this happen where I get two contractors from the same market Okay, and then they start competing with one another. And this year I'm offering when someone comes in to wants to work with me and they're in a market where I don't have a contractor, I give them the option Would you like to have an exclusive? It's more of a win-win, like if I have just one contractor, like I had a guy come in out of Bozeman, montana.
Speaker 2:If you go search for Jack Liss, you'll probably see who it is, but we just started working together and already I've got him at the top of the search. Well, here was his complaint. He's like Michelle, there's these two other companies in my market. My company's better, my people are better, we have more integrity, I have better technicians, we're better in every single way. But you go do the search and I'm down there in the middle of the page and these people are ranking above me and I said, well, don't you worry about that. And we're going to take care of that, because everything I do off the website will elevate his website. It'll push the website up as well, as I'm multiplying how many times they get found. All of that is elevating the website. So I get to take these screenshots and tell my contract hey, do a search for this. What do you see? He's like I'm at the top of the search. Oh, my god, we beat him. I am piece of cake. Cake walk when you know what you're doing that's.
Speaker 1:That's absolutely fascinating. I've never heard anybody really explain it quite like that, and this may be common sense for some, but it's just not for me. Like I don't. I mean I do know that you could buy backlinks, I do know there's a score attached to them, but you know, outside of that, like I don't know, I mean I don't, like I don't know. I mean I don't know, like I don't, it's just not. And so I think too, one where you come in is a lot of times probably is people see your content and they go, just like me, like I don't know how to do that. So I got to get her to help me.
Speaker 2:Well, and it's like this I ask people all the time why do consumers go get three competitive quotes? And contractors will give me all kinds of answers Well, because of this, because of this, because of this, and I go, would you like my opinion? And they go, sure, and I go go search in your marketplace and you tell me if any one contractor stands out in the search, because here's what a consumer is going to see. They're going to see three paid ads, three contractors on the map and eight, nine, 10, or 11 in the organic search, and not one of you looks any different than anyone else. The consumer cannot tell if one of you is more experienced, if one of you has more integrity, if one of you is going to do a better install. They can't tell. That's why they go get three competitive quotes because they don't know.
Speaker 2:But when I come into a market and this is what my clients tell me, this one guy from Indiana he's like Michelle, it was so cool I could tell this consumer really wanted to search, she really wanted to get three competitive quotes and she called us up and she said I don't know.
Speaker 2:I guess you guys must be the ductless guy here, because I went online. I found you in this directory, and then I found you in this video, and then I found you in this press release and then I found your website and I find you here, there and everywhere and it relieves the angst of, like you know, who do I trust? And so she said, he said that she did all this research and I went out on the call and she's like I just don't even have any need to surge. I think you're the ductless guy. You convinced me that you were the best prepared, the highest quality to do this install. So when I hear that from my contractors that I can alleviate the three competitive quotes, it's like music to my ears, like, isn't that? What we're doing is solving problems, you know?
Speaker 2:making it easier.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So you get them in the house and then you know, where do you? What have you found to be the best next step? Because they have to sell themselves and if they're not genuine or they're or they are genuine, that's probably a big difference. But really, I think people buy everything that you said I agree with, but they also buy the person that's in front of them. But they also buy the person that's in front of them. And if you can tee up, you know the. You know a person who doesn't have integrity and you wouldn't do that, but if you did, you can have the best marketing in the world. It wouldn't matter, because that person's going to fail Right.
Speaker 2:Well, let's talk, let's just say, let's just say this I think we should title our thing just say no to the status quo. So let's say that we know that consumers want to get the three competitive quotes and let's say that three salespeople from each HVAC contractor walks through that front door and sits there. Now, what makes them different? Right, Everybody's doing the same thing. They got a website and SEO, website, SEO. They come in, they ask the same questions what are your comfort issues? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 2:But my guy gets to walk in and just say well, so great that you're interested in a ductless heat pump. It really is transforming the way people heat and cool their home. And I just want to let you up front, because you know, you probably don't know that most homeowners don't know that it's not the equipment, it's actually the installation of the equipment. Like, not all contractors are created equal. And just so that you know, I came prepared and I've got this press release. We've been recognized in this national directory. I have some case studies to show you and right, and they have some collateral that.
Speaker 2:And I have a program called the Duckless All-Stars, which I have four spots available and I didn't come to pitch that, but I'm always looking to solve problems Right? So some contractors say the competition is getting so fierce and I go what can I do to help? So I created a thing called the Duckless All-Stars. So if you're an all-star, you get to walk in and say I'm just one of 12 contractors on a nationwide basis that's been recognized as an All-Star.
Speaker 2:So if you choose to do business with my company, I can tell you right now we're going to get it right from the get-go. We're going to match the right unit to your home. I'm going to find the proper product placement for it, Guarantee a professional installation, because you're interested in ductless to have all these benefits which you won't get if you don't get a good installation. So my guy walks in with all this collateral now to differentiate themselves. So I'm going to help them get leads. I'm going to help them close sales. I'm going to help them differentiate themselves so they're not doing the same old stupid thing that everybody else is doing.
Speaker 1:I agree, look, I told you you have to be different. You have to show up different, because otherwise you just blend in with the rest of everybody else. And I think that's one of the biggest things that you know, that it's just one of the and here's the reason why I believe that happens because joe schmoe starts an HVAC company and what does he do? He looks at his competitors and he says, yes, they're doing it this way and their pricing is this way and this is this way, but you don't know what went into that, you don't know how they got to those things and guess what? You don't even know if they're making money.
Speaker 1:You have app, it may look like they're making money, but that doesn't mean you're making money. So good, yeah, yeah. So I'm going to follow this guy and I have no idea what is really underneath the hood.
Speaker 2:Well, Corey, I think you just tapped into something that's so true. It's the contractor, but, more importantly, it's the web developer. The web developer we know how to go spy on other people's websites. So the web developer went oh, who's your competition? Oh, let's go spy. Oh, they have a 200 page website, so we better build a 250 page website. That's what the industry is doing. It really doesn't know how to solve problems. So we just got to stop doing the same thing that everyone else is doing and just play a smarter game. So that's my mantra I'm going to help you play to win. Play a smarter game, outsmart, outrank and own your search. That's, that's what I do.
Speaker 1:So if folks that are listening and they think, well, this must cost a fortune, give me an idea, as and I don't know how and I don't know how you price things out but let's say I'm a $2 million contractor and I hear this podcast and I want to purchase your services. Or a $10 million, I don't know if it makes any difference, but how does it work? What kind of investment are people looking for to be in that top rank in Google? Because it's priceless, really. But just to give people an idea of what that investment would look like, if you don't mind, just ballpark.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So thank you for that question, by the way. So I have a step-by-step process. So the first step is the entry. We just rebuilt the directory. A contractor can come in and get that like it's a website off your website.
Speaker 2:I got my founder's special. It's $37 a month. Or if you want to sign up for the year, it's $370. That is like such an easy point, but we vet you right. So I got to make sure my team does right. And then they always ping me, you know, and I go, yeah, let them in. Or if I know that they're good, you know, let them in, let's go. Now.
Speaker 2:Once they get into the directory, they can fill it out themselves, but most contractors don't know how to do that, so there's a one time, so they'll just see it one time. Hey, would you like the team to optimize this for you? $300. Right, and we do a banner on their about section. We write a really robust about me, about who the contractor is, and I'll include their brand and projects and all this. Usually, you know, it's at least 1200 words, so we'll do that and then we'll put the first article in and then we do the site map and we submit it, and everywhere we go, I go gosh, gosh. This is so damn good, like six hours. Sometimes it's the same day. They're listing and the deck was drinking to the top. A little secret here there's some other digital agencies that put their contractors in the directory.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's smart.
Speaker 2:Well, it's smart and it really works out well, because there's one in particular that I really enjoy working with. He just says I put my guys in the directory, I'm like bloop up to the top and it drags the website with it and just like boop, all of a sudden, there they are. So that's a really easy point. Now, from there, the next step that you might want to do is get into one of our featured blog posts. So I'm blogging. Most contractors don't have a good message. They don't have anything to share on social. They go hire someone to do social and they get these stupid little memes and they're meaningless.
Speaker 2:I'm writing blog posts all the time Inflation reduction rebates. I'm writing about indoor quality hey, do you got a boiler Duckless and boiler Best friends? And so I write all this really interesting content and for $500 for the entire year. I take 10 contractors. You can't be in the same market. You get in my blog post, you get your logo, you get a backlink to your site and there's a share link. So now you can take that professionally written content and share, share, share and say, hey, we were selected as the contractor. In Boise, idaho, there's Pepe Heating and Pooling one of my favorites. Right here we are about this article about indoor air quality.
Speaker 2:So I'll write about all the marketing message that will address all these verticals. Let's plug into it. You want the powerhouse which is our video marketing, case studies, all that stuff. I'll do that on a market-by-market basis and I'm starting to give contractors the option to just take the exclusive right. Initially I was like, well, I'm going to be like Google, I'll take three contractors in a market. I don't, I don't like that, I don't. So I give them the option. But that pricing we're going to talk about a length of time and that starts at $2,500 a month and that's where I literally I push the competition off the first page. That's what I do, corey.
Speaker 1:That's crazy, it's so good, that's so good, like I think I mean that's. It sounds like to me you've figured out, you know a solution, a quick solution.
Speaker 2:It's quick yeah.
Speaker 1:So what's the process? So somebody wants to come on board with you. How long does it take? How much time do they have to spend with you? How much time does their assistant have to spend with whatever it is? Is it time consuming doing this process with you?
Speaker 2:It's a done for you service really Because, aside from the initial conversations, like I'm getting referred to like crazy, lately I got another new guy coming in and he's like sold. He's like I just want what so and so has right. So he used to send me the proposals. That's funny, but no, it really is done for you. So in the beginning I want to talk to the business owner because I have to craft a message that's unique for them, right and for their client base, and we're going to bring that to life in the videos and everything else that we do. But really, aside from getting in the directory, once I understand who you are and I look at your market, we just go to work. So for the business owners, like those guys that are on a year long contract with me, I said in the first three months can we just meet every week Because I have to train you. Now I'm going to do a video for you. It's going to rank, but now I have to train you how to get the engagement, like comment share. I want you to push it out on social and my marketing is not one and done right. So when I do a video that just says you're the go-to contractor in whatever city you're at. You can post that video every single month. You just say something different about it.
Speaker 2:So in the shoulder season, hey, it's time for a tune-up. But you might remember last year you had some rooms that were really cold. It might be a good time to consider a ductless heat pump to supplement what you already have going. So, but hey, guess what you got to make sure you hire the right contractor. That says call us for a free consultation. Right Now you're getting closer into winter, tired of high energy bills. A ductless heat pump, right. So I call it outflow, like I'm going to take over the search. But now let's take this compelling content and push it out into your market and say something and plant the flag in the airwaves of your market. Plant the flag, you are the ductless guy. I'm saying you are the ductless guy. And then, over and over and over, people run into you and, just like that guy in Indiana, this poor lady was trying so hard to get three competitive quotes and she was relieved. She was like I think I found what I'm looking for. You must be the Douglas Company, wow.
Speaker 1:Because if they use the same messaging, google slash whomever YouTube. Well, won't. I don't know about flag it, but it won't catch traction. Is that right?
Speaker 2:Well, thank you for saying that too, but there's nothing different about it. I go look at these websites and I look at the ductless mini-split and we're the number one ductless heat pump or ductless mini-split. And then I go to the competitor and everybody it's like the difference between telling and selling A tell story is hey, we're a Mitsubishi diamond contractor and we're the best, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. There's nothing compelling about this content at all. Right, and so I like what you said, because if you have something compelling to say, you can push it out there, get the attention. Use the videos that I do to get attention on your business, to drive, to pull them in. Too many people are just sitting there waiting for leads to come off the internet and there's so much more about this product that's so exciting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree. I totally agree. So how you know, if someone wants to get ahold of you and they want to join one of these tiers tier programs, where would be the best place for them to do that?
Speaker 2:I need to come up with the best place. Well, you can find me on LinkedIn. You can go to the ducklessguycom and that's a funnel that I built and it just has a snapshot of where I've done. I'll put you on there where I've done some podcasts, articles that I've written, some of the things that I've done and at the bottom of that page there's a form. Fill that out. That's the best way to get in touch with me and then we can start a dialogue about how to really elevate you and your market and just own the space that you're in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think what I like most about what you said is the fact that it's completely niched down and maybe it didn't start that way, but you stayed in your lane because you know, and it's so many people. I'll give you a great example and you run across this all the time Somebody has they started an HVAC company God knows if they're even doing well at it and then what do they do? They add plumbing or they add electrical and it's like dude, you got to stay in your lane, you got to own the neighborhood you're in first before you start branching out to all. Because if you branch out after you own your backyard, the likeliness of being successful because you've already got customers that you've paid for, so you have a customer base. So many people do it backwards.
Speaker 2:Well, and you can get what. I agree with you. You get what they're trying to do. They're trying to be the one solution. Right, you need this and that or the other.
Speaker 2:But the problem with it, you got to have some money to really pull that off. Because when we were doing full service HVAC websites, there's over a thousand keywords the amount of keywords for heating and cooling and furnaces and this and that and the other over a thousand. Now you go into plumbing. Guess what Same thing. There's over a thousand valuable keywords. You got a clogged toilet, you got a frozen pipe, you got this, you got that and you add electrical. So just be prepared to spend a lot of money to get found and visible for all of those.
Speaker 2:But here's a tip you could just decide to be the ductless guy in your area and niche yourself out and you could form your own posse, like form your own little group, like hey, who's a plumber in town and can we cross reference to one another? You know, the plumber sees an opportunity. Hey, you gotta call. You know my duckless guy. And the hvac contractor sees an opportunity. You know who I refer. I refer xyz plumbing. And then get an electrical dude in there, maybe a roofing dude in there. Have your own little posse so that you can fulfill, you can make it easy for the consumer that hey, like I want to trust someone else you know he's like a brother to me Like but make sure that you're associating yourself with stellar people. Right, but form your own little posse.
Speaker 1:It's just collaboration, right? Yeah, yeah, collaborate with people that can help you, and you know it's, I'm look, I think a lot of people, there's a lot of people in our industry that are willing to. You know, I'll give you some great examples chad peterman talk tommy mellow. They will let you walk around. Aaron gainer they'll tour you around their facility and show you anything they want, anything you want yeah, yeah so generous.
Speaker 1:But but there's a lot of folks that are just, they keep everything close to their chest and they don't realize that you're hurting yourself really by not, because guess what you could tell Aaron Gaynor can tell somebody how he did everything that he did, and it doesn't matter because they're probably not going to do it anyway and and they don't you know, he could give them step-by-step instructions. But even if he did that, what's the likeliness of them doing it? I mean, chris yano talks about this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's exactly right five percent of the people here are going to walk away and do something with this five exactly right so tell people, but you know they're not going to steal your stuff and take you over. But it's where a lot of people, a lot of people think, which is really like uh, kind of a um, not not victim mentality, but uh, what, what word am I looking for here? Um, what word am I looking for?
Speaker 1:scarcity that's exactly what I was looking for. You're right. Yeah, that's what it is. You can't grow that way. You got to have other people to help you yeah, you do.
Speaker 2:And you have to have yeah, you just have to have that perseverance, like I've been. Like, hey, any entrepreneur, any entrepreneur, I hit fear too. It's not like I don't have it. I don't sit in it very long, you know. I just in my world, I go, oh, if I do that, it's going to cost X amount of money. Oh, I'm going to do that or whatever. And then I get through it in a really short order. And usually here's my acid test question hey, michelle, when you get to the end of your life and you're a 90-year-old woman, do you think you'd look back at that, like, from that perspective, like should you do it? And I go, oh hell yes.
Speaker 2:I should do it. That's so stupid, like I don't want to get you know at the end of my life and go oh, I was too chicken shit. No, I should have done that, but I was too afraid and I wish I would have done that. I go oh, what's the worst that can happen? Okay, I can handle that, let's go. And so you got to go.
Speaker 1:I agree. Well, Michelle, this has been wonderful. I really appreciate you coming on today. And your name on Facebook is just how it's spelled on here.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, yes, and I had so much fun visiting with you. Yes, I had fomo, like everybody in the industry knows, cory, except for me.
Speaker 1:So I'm like, hey, cory with what you've done and I really appreciate you saying that it was very kind yeah, yeah, very nice to meet you.
Speaker 2:I really enjoyed our conversation me too, michelle.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much thanks for what you're doing for the industry as well oh, you're welcome thanks got it.
