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Home Service Industry marketing and branding gurus, Crystal Williams and Emily Fleniken speak the language of contractors by talking condensers, co-op dollars, service agreements, and equipment warranties, but also the language of entrepreneurs by talking ROI, creative strategy, trending tactics, employee retention, and community engagement. You’ll be entertained by the comical banter, but informed by the holistic approach to marketing and branding. On the daily, you’ll find this dynamic duo working the grind at Lemon Seed Marketing, but this podcast is an outlet for us to share their experiences with the masses, From the Yellow Chair.
193 Episodes
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Send us a text Leads aren’t dying. They’re expiring while your team gets to them. We unpack a practical playbook for contractors to capture more jobs without buying more clicks, focusing on speed to lead across online scheduling, AI-enabled chat, and automated follow-ups that never sleep. Joined by Danielle from Contractor In Charge and OnePath, we talk through what actually converts: fewer fields, faster confirmations, wider time windows, and a frictionless path from “I have a problem” to “I...
Send us a text Tired of launching “great ideas” that die in the field? We break down a practical playbook for moving from technician to owner and getting your team to champion marketing initiatives without the eye rolls. The throughline: earn trust, speak with conviction, and keep every rollout simple enough to sell at a kitchen table. We start with buy-in and why it begins with you. If you don’t believe in your maintenance plan, financing offer, or private label shift, your team won’t eithe...
Send us a text Shoulder season has a way of telling the truth. When the weather stops handing you leads, response-based digital channels cool off, and the real drivers of growth—outbound effort and tight operations—step into the spotlight. We walk through a practical playbook for HVAC, pest, and home service pros to build demand on purpose, not by accident, and to convert more of the calls they already get. We break down the three-bucket framework—call-to-action, brand, and cultivation—and e...
Send us a text What if working with your spouse or sibling could be your unfair advantage instead of a constant tug-of-war? We sit down with women leading HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and home service companies to unpack the real playbook for thriving in business together: define lanes, plan ahead, price with confidence, and protect the parts of life that matter most. We start with the stories behind Anchor Heating and Air in Charleston, Rogers Heating & Cooling in Virginia, and High Five...
Send us a text Ever wonder why some home service brands feel trustworthy before they even quote the job? We pull back the curtain on three simple, overlooked moves that stack trust fast: a brand ecosystem audit, a hyperlocal micro influencer network, and a documentary-style install video that shows the work, the manners, and the finish line. First, we map every place your brand lives in the real world—fleet wraps, uniforms, CSR tone, on-hold music, reviews, email signatures, invoices, social...
Send us a text Phones get quiet, bills don’t. We tackle the slow-season squeeze head-on with a blueprint for building maintenance clubs that are easy to sell, rich with perks, and powerful enough to turn downtime into dependable revenue. Rachel kicks things off before Crystal and Emily dive into the strategies we use with HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and pest control companies to keep cash flowing when the weather won’t do the heavy lifting. We start with the essentials: simplify your plan to on...
Send us a text Most contractors don’t have a marketing problem—they have a systems problem. We sat down with Skip Wilson, CEO of Draft Media Partners and a veteran of iHeart’s digital era, to break down how to replace tactic-hopping with a durable plan that compounds. We start with the core: define a real audience, clarify the action you want (calls, forms, financing inquiries), craft messages people actually care about, and then build a channel mix that won’t collapse when a platform changes...
Send us a text Tired of adding hours and still feeling stuck? We dive straight into the moves that create freedom: pricing for profit, selling outcomes in the home, and using a simple, layered marketing mix that actually compounds results. Our guest, Ryan Lee—former landscape lighting owner turned coach—shares how a 10% price increase can double profit for many service businesses, why on-the-spot closes beat emailed quotes, and how to use personal branding to smooth out slow seasons. We get ...
Send us a text How quickly are you responding to potential customers? In today's instant-gratification marketplace, that question might determine whether your contracting business thrives or struggles. When a homeowner discovers a pest problem at midnight or needs an emergency HVAC repair, they're not waiting until your business hours—they want answers now. Nick, a serial entrepreneur who has built three organizations to nine-figure revenues, drops a bombshell early in our conversation: "If ...
Send us a text Ever wonder why some contractors seem to explode onto the scene while others struggle for decades without significant growth? The answer lies in avoiding what Crystal Williams and Eric Thomas call "the dumbest marketing mistakes" that plague the contracting industry. This candid conversation dives deep into the nine critical errors preventing contractors from reaching their full potential. At the top of the list: woefully inadequate marketing budgets. While most contractors ho...
Send us a text The search for qualified HVAC talent has contractors desperate for innovative solutions. In this eye-opening conversation, Crystal welcomes Flavia De La Fuente, founder of Field Pay, who's pioneering a revolutionary approach to compensation that's transforming how service businesses recruit, retain, and motivate their teams. Flavia reveals how today's workforce expectations have fundamentally shifted thanks to the gig economy. When 30% of young adults already earn from side hu...
Send us a text Feeling trapped in the Google advertising hamster wheel? You're not alone. As contractors face rising ad costs and diminishing returns from traditional search marketing, many are desperately seeking alternatives—but fear venturing into unfamiliar territory. This episode dismantles the myths surrounding lead aggregation platforms like Yelp, Thumbtack, Angie, and Nextdoor. Rather than dismissing these platforms based on outdated perceptions or single negative experiences, we exp...
Send us a text Ever wonder why your service business hits a ceiling despite your best marketing efforts? The answer might not be in your advertising strategy but in your leadership bench strength. In this enlightening conversation, Crystal welcomes leadership strategist Elise from Velocity Leader to explore how contractors can build depth on their teams. Drawing from her experience coaching over 150 contractors annually, Elise shares invaluable insights about identifying and developing leade...
Send us a text Ready to transform your contracting business? Crystal, co-founder and lead strategist at Lemon Seed Marketing, breaks down the three essential mindshifts that separate thriving contractors from those constantly struggling with marketing frustrations. First, you must recognize that you already have a brand whether you're actively managing it or not. Your logo, customer experiences, reviews, and market presence collectively form your brand identity. The question isn't whether yo...
Send us a text "Why would you not offer financing when it can increase your ticket price by 30% and close over 50% more deals?" This compelling question from Gail, Account Executive at FTL Finance, sets the tone for a conversation that could transform how contractors approach sales in today's market. Many contractors mistakenly believe financing is only for price-shoppers or worry that discussing payment options makes them sound pushy. The reality? Modern consumers expect financing options f...
Send us a text Think your Google rankings are all that matter? Think again. In this eye-opening conversation, marketing strategist Jonathan Bannister challenges everything contractors believe about digital marketing with his provocatively titled new book, "F*** Digital Marketing: Why Building a Memorable Brand Matters More Than Rankings." Bannister takes us on his unlikely journey from police officer to marketing expert, revealing how a desperate career pivot in 2014 led him to discover hard...
Send us a text Throw away the notion that digital marketing alone can build your home service business. In this eye-opening conversation, Lemon Seed Marketing founders Emily and Crystal reveal why so many contractors struggle with marketing that actually works—and how to fix it. The key lies in their signature three-bucket framework: be memorable (building your brand), be discoverable (generating leads through call-to-action marketing), and foster your existing customer database. This strate...
Send us a text Tired of guessing whether your marketing dollars are working? You're not alone. This eye-opening episode tackles the critical but often overlooked aspect of contractor marketing: proper tracking and measurement. Most contractors struggle to connect their marketing efforts to actual results. Without reliable tracking systems, we're left making gut decisions that may feel right but lack the data to support them. I break down why tracking matters, how to implement it effectively,...
Send us a text Have you ever wondered how some family businesses not only survive but thrive across generations? In this captivating conversation, Tucker Yarbrough reveals the remarkable journey of Yarbrough & Sons, a home service company that's grown from a $4.5 million business to pacing at $13 million by staying true to their roots while embracing innovation. Tucker opens up about being a "trade baby" – growing up in the business his parents founded in 1988, stepping away as his paren...
Send us a text Have you ever wondered why some home service companies thrive while others struggle despite similar services and prices? The secret lies in something deceptively simple yet profoundly powerful: brand reputation. In this eye-opening episode, Crystal breaks down why brand reputation consistently outperforms quick-win marketing tactics for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and pest control companies. She shares her firsthand experience working with family businesses in these i...
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