What if your revenue wasn't stalling due to bad marketing? 

What if it's about what happens after the phone rings.

In Part 2 of this Contractors' Edge episode, Mike Stiers and Anthony Brown dig into the real money leaks they often find in home service businesses:

• Missed calls and slow follow-up

• Business hours that don't match how homeowners actually live

• Weak nurturing and almost zero rehash

• Sales reps with no system, no presentation, and no proof assets

• "Bid rate" as the silent killer in your sales funnel

• Awkward or non-existent financing conversations

• KPI blindness, owner bottlenecks, and weak budgeting

This is the breakdown of what they saw over and over this year both with clients and in rooms full of contractors, plus how to fix it before you roll into 2026.

If you listened to Part 1 (branding, website, SEO, social, local profiles), this is the other half of the picture: lead handling, sales, and operations.

If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, queue it up next – but don't skip this one.

Timestamps:
03:30 – Answer rate vs lead problem: why 3 minutes or less matters
05:30 – Business hours mistakes (you're not a bank) + peak call windows contractors ignore
09:10 – Extending "hours" with AI/voice assist tools and 24/7 perception
12:00 – Nurturing and rehash: why one touch isn't enough in 2025
15:10 – Call, text, email: building real contact sequences and drip logic
18:40 – Sales process: system vs "hope" and why you can't rely on unicorn sales reps
22:30 – In-home sales presentations: structure, proof assets, and FRS intranet project
26:45 – Bid rate: the silent killer (why 85–90% is the bar)
35:00 – Follow-up and cancellations: how lack of follow-up costs jobs you already sold
37:30 – Financing mindset: why contractors treat it like a funeral (and how to flip it)
42:00 – Turning a $15,000 project into a $250/month solution (without feeling slimy)
49:30 – How financing increases close rate and average ticket size
56:30 – Core KPIs: ROAS, CPL, raw leads, set rate, run rate, bid rate, avg sale, etc.
1:03:00 – Owner bottlenecking: when the business can't scale past one person's capacity
1:12:00 – Budgeting failures: realistic marketing % for maintain vs grow vs dominate
1:17:00 – Why bragging about "spending almost nothing" is actually falling behind
1:20:00 – Pro Tip of the Week: market conditions, consumer sentiment, weather, and competition
1:29:00 – Outro: how to work with Greenbaum Stiers + where to listen/subscribe

Sponsored by Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group
Helping home service contractors, non-profits, and local companies build stronger brands and create a more profitable business.
Always data-driven, creative-led, and strategy-focused.
www.greenbaumstiers.com

Connect with Hosts Mike & Anthony on LinkedIn
Want to go deeper, ask questions, or connect one-on-one?

Reach Mike Stiers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelstiers/ Reach Anthony Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-brown-419009106/

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