Episode 8: Are You The Tooth Fairy Of The Trades?

Are you putting yourself out there as something you’re not? You might make money in the short term, but in the long run you’ll get found out, and the money will dry up. You can’t fake it til you make it in business, and Josh Kelly is a testament to expertise prevailing. The tooth fairy analogy is simple: at some point, your children (customers) will realize that you aren’t what you say you are, so being a real expert at what you’re doing is important if you want sustainable growth and customer retention.

Josh has scaled and grown his service company (among several other businesses) both profitably and professionally, and that all starts with being an expert. He doesn’t just pretend to know what he’s doing—he spends countless hours studying, learning, and analyzing all aspects of his multiple business ventures.

Parker & Sons

Josh Kelly is known for many things, but it starts with his proven track record as the marketing director for Parker & Sons, a full-service HVAC, plumbing, and electrical company based out of Phoenix, AZ. It’s a family company, and with Josh, it grew from a half-million dollar business to generating 120 million dollars last year. They’re projecting 140-150 million this year, and it’s not by accident. See, Josh knows it’s not just about being lucky. Sure, a little luck helps, but hard work, a lot of ideas, and implementing and refining systems are what he credits to the incredible success of the company.

When Parker & Sons first started, they didn’t have systems, they didn’t have processes, they barely made payroll, and they bought during the offseason in order to make money. With Josh’s direction, they set manageable goals each year, created systems and processes that set them up for success, and eventually grew to this size.

You don’t grow your company to 120 million with one or two good people, you do it with an entire team. Josh mentions that there are people answering the phones at Parker and Sons that care as much or more about the company than he does, and that’s the reason for success. They have a great culture, great systems, but it’s the people that make the difference.

Jam Sessions

Josh is willing to learn and do things that other people aren’t willing to learn and do, like traveling to learn and incorporate ideas from other successful businesses. Jam sessions are his way of taking the best ideas out there (and learning from the worst) and constantly searching for ways to fine-tune his own processes and increase his success. This process is mutually beneficial, and by sharing information Josh and other businesses can find ways to bypass the failures and implement proven ideas. Information is the power, and Josh has figured out a way to create a situation in which the information flow is rich. With “Jam Sessions”, Josh and others have round-table discussions about a variety of topics, sharing what has worked and what doesn’t to help each other figure out how to better their businesses.

Expanding Into New Territory

Once you understand how to create a successful business, the next step is often to recreate your success. As Josh knows, systems are repeatable—they just need tailoring to the specific venture. By finding the right people and developing processes for his multiple ventures, he’s found success in just about everything he’s touched. From Parker & Sons to online marketing, real estate, and software development, he has a proven track record of knowing how to take a business to the next level.

Tracking KPIs for every department of your business is a key here. Having specific KPIs for each department allows you to track and record your business down to the minute and use raw data to improve your system. If you aren’t utilizing KPIs and measuring everything, you’re making a mistake.

The Secret to Marketing

There are three things that work in marketing without fail: consistency, longevity, and frequency. This means having a consistent message that’s on-brand, and having it everywhere, as often as possible. Your message should be across multiple mediums, and convey a singular message that people will recognize. Josh calls this a “no-risk, guaranteed way to succeed”. Of course, as you may be thinking, this costs money. Josh would agree, and tell you that’s what it takes.

Still, your marketing budget should be considered. If you don’t have the budget to take over a city, start smaller. Become the king of a neighborhood. Spend all of your efforts on becoming the premier service provider for one specific area, and once you’ve taken it over, then you can expand. Rinse and repeat! Get out there and dominate, one house at a time.

Josh shares many incredible marketing stories and so much more during this episode. As always, we recognize that time is our most valuable asset and thank Josh for sharing his time and knowledge with us and our listeners!

You can find Josh online at Clover Marketing, and learn more about his awesome review platform, RevuKangaroo, here.