Trade Operations Episodes

As commercial business becomes a bigger focus for more and more restoration companies, the topic of ERP's, PRP's, MSA's and other multi-site service agreements is becoming a more active conversation across the industry. During this show with Jeff Carrier, we get into his background as a restoration BDM going after commercial business, and why he ultimately decided to build his own tool for ERP's. It's a great discussion about commercial selling, as well as how to integrate ERP's into your selli...

In this episode Brandon and Chris meet Jeremy Reets, the godfather of training techs in the restoration business. Jeremy's been interviewed a gazillion times since starting Reets Drying Academy, but in this show, we take some unexpected turns with him. In particular, we talk about the family origins of the business. How did Jeremy's dad manage the boys once they were working in the family restoration company? How did that shape Jeremy's approach to building and leading the Academy? We also talk ...

In today's show we take a serious look at what digital marketing actually means to our business. What the current tools and resources allow us to do to expand our reach and grow our sales. Rico provides some key insights on how to simplify our approach and make these tools far less intimidating. Strap in and let's dive into it! Thanks for listening! If you enjoy the podcast please be sure to leave a review, follow the show (don’t forget to turn on your notifications!) and share with a friend. Y...

In this episode, Chris and Brandon sit down with a restoration industry veteran and innovator, Tom McGuire. We talk about how he first got into the restoration trade, why he started Large Loss Mastery, and what he loves about the business. We also talk about the software solution he co-founded, The Edge Plus 2.0, and get into how it's changing the large loss game and helping companies win more jobs and do it more profitably. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy the podcast please be sure to leave...

In this episode Brandon and I hear the origin story of the Blue Collar Nation boys, Eric Sprague and Larry Wilburton, and their training platform SuperTech University (formally known as Morning Tech Meeting). We dive deep on the importance of soft skill training with our technicians- how most of us spend money to get our techs all the appropriate certifications and technical training, but often fail to teach them how to "act" and "think" in the course of doing the technical work. Eric and Larr...

A version of "tripping over dollars to pick up dimes"- in this episode, Chris and Brandon talk about those times when our impatience or sense of urgency, actually costs us more time or resources, when a simple pause or extra dose of patience would have been more productive. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy the podcast please be sure to leave a review, follow the show (don’t forget to turn on your notifications!) and share with a friend. Your continued support is what makes this mission possib...

“What is it like to work here?” This was the question back in 2015 that started a five year journey for Clint Pulver, one that would ultimately become a whole new career helping owners, CEOs and managers around the world learn how to make their companies a place where their teams actually want to work. Over the course of five years, Clint became the “Undercover Millenial” and with his backwards hat, hoodie and sneakers, he interviewed more than ten thousand employees, across more than 100 comp...

Next to labor, collections has become one of the number one challenges for restorers, and in this episode with industry attorney Ed Cross, we dive into some of the strategies and resources available to put ourselves in a much stronger position when we go to collect on the money we and our teams have rightfully earned. You'll also get to hear some of Ed's favorite tricks of the trade, what he relishes about the work, and how to actually engage an attorney for help with collections, contracts and...

Any kind of meeting or face to face interaction with our teams is valuable- I think all of us would agree on that. But it's also an investment- are we making the most of that time with our teams? In this episode, Brandon and I dive into the core meeting rhythms and key recurring interactions we recommend for all the teams we work with, and deep dive on the why behind these meetings and what the agenda and focus is for each of them. Check it out- compare with what you and your team are currentl...

Do you ever wonder what's going on behind the scenes of our industry's most reliable and consistent Media partner? Michelle Blevins takes her role as a steward to our industry serious and it's clear that she isn't here to just be another marketing machine. She is in the corner of the restorer and has committed to bringing top quality information, insights and more as she continues to develop the C&R platform. Join us as we deep dive into her story, her mission and what drives her to remain comm...

The game of estimating is quickly changing. Technology, shifting relationship structures between the players and increasingly complicated environments are having their affect. It's critical we don't settle into a victim mentality but instead we advance our understanding and skill set so that we can continue to operate at the forefront of the industry. Remember we are the professionals and it's our job to help lead and educate all vested parties even throughout the scope and invoicing process. L...

Our tactical processes and procedures are absolutely mission critical and must be prioritized; however we must be equally driven to help our teams understand the true “WHY” behind those processes. By consistently speaking into our teams and casting a clear vision for where we are headed and why we focus on the things we focus on, we better equip them to push through challenges and overcome obstacles. In order to communicate at this level you have to know your people which requires the developme...

COVID, TPA’s and carrier consolidation have changed the landscape of our industry. It’s harder than ever to remain front of mind and to develop professional relationships, especially with agents. Join us as we get key insights from Gerry Edtl (more than 40 years in the industry!) as he shares his perspective on relational selling, looking at the claims relationship through the eyes of an agent and creating true value for our referral sources not just cheap talk. www.GerryEdtl.com Gerry@GerryEdtl...

Rachel Stewart, CEO and Co-founder of Xcelerate Restoration Software and past EVP of Titan Restoration We cover a lot of ground in this episode with Rachel: The importance of surrounding yourself with people that are smarter and more successful than you. (If you're feeling like an imposter or like you're in over your head, that's probably the group you need to be in) Discovering that other leaders "don't know what they're doing either" 😉 The importance of working with great partners- CPA, co...

Fear (often just a lack of proactive engagement) can cause us to not properly equip our teams for success. It’s critical that we ensure our teams have the right level of information. Yes, even the financials! so that they can have the highest chances of bringing big WINS in their role on our team. when we provide the appropriate amount of information based on each individual’s position, we empower our employees to have a real and significant impact on the future of our company. As leaders, we ha...

Very few things will actually help us differentiate our companies from the competition. At the end of the day the technical aspects of what we do are often interchangeable. So if that’s the case what can we do to actually stand out in the crowd? We focus on how we make our clients feel when delivering our services. OMG did we just say “how we make them feel”? Simply said, we have to focus on our client experience if we are going to get wins and create cheerleaders for our businesses. Is your tea...

Here is part 1 to our series on attracting and retaining great people. Today we focus on the onboarding process our new team members experience. Are we setting the stage correctly and in a super proactive manner or are we leaving first impressions to chance? The universal pain point for most organizations is filling the seats with A+ players. Are we taking an honest review of our company, the culture we have established and the actual benefits that we are providing our employees? It’s critical t...

Has your team fallen behind with Collections/AR? Do you have tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of uncollected money that's just sitting out there, aging? Is it causing you to lose sleep at night? Is your balance on your line of credit giving you heartburn? During today's episode Chris and Brandon break down collections, the impact it's having on your business, and tips and strategies for leveling up your AR operations. The better you get at collections, the more profit you make! For...