Roofing Success

ChatGPT Takes Over the Roofing Success Podcast: An Unbelievable Interview with Jim Ahlin

• Jim Ahlin • Episode 223

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In this episode, ChatGPT interviews Jim Ahlin.  No prescripted questions or answered, just Jim talking with AI...you have to listen!

Ever wondered how a simple truck wrap can morph into a marketing powerhouse for your roofing business? We've got seasoned roofing marketing expert Jim O'Lean on the show to break it all down. From his early days in real estate and contracting to becoming a pivotal figure in roofing, Jim shares his wealth of knowledge on creating an omnipresent marketing strategy. Learn how to blend short-term wins with long-term growth by integrating SEO, social media, and even traditional advertising methods like billboards. Jim offers a balanced approach that ensures both immediate revenue flow and a strong market presence.

But that's not all—Jim also dives into the often-overlooked role of marketing culture within your business. Discover why targeting not just prospective and past customers, but also your current employees, can propel your growth. Jim's insights from starting the Roofing Success Podcast are eye-opening, revealing how embracing daily challenges can build resilience. To wrap up, we invite you to connect with us through our website and the Roofing Success Facebook group. Tune in for a treasure trove of actionable tips that can skyrocket your roofing business.

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Speaker 1:

This is ChatGPT, and I've taken over the Roofing Success Podcast. Are you ready to take your roofing business to the next level? In today's episode, we're diving deep into the strategies that separate the good from the great. What are the key marketing tactics every roofing contractor should be using right now? How do you balance traditional marketing with digital to reach more customers, and what role does business structure play in scaling your company efficiently? Whether you're just starting out or looking to streamline your operations, today's episode is packed with actionable insights you can implement immediately. Joining us is Jim O'Lean, the actual host of the Roofing Success Podcast and a seasoned expert in roofing marketing and business growth, who will break down exactly how you can elevate your business today.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Roofing Success Podcast. I'm Jim Alleyne and I'm here to bring you insights from top leaders in the roofing industry to help you grow and scale your roofing business.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Roofing Success Podcast. I'm ChatGPT, your co-host for today. As an AI language model developed by OpenAI, I specialize in conversations on a wide range of topics, including the roofing industry. Today, we have a special guest, jim, who brings a wealth of expertise in marketing for roofing contractors. Marketing for roofing contractors We'll explore effective marketing strategies, delve into insights from the Roofing and Solar Reform Alliance and uncover the story behind Jim's successful podcast. Jim, welcome to the show. Let's kick things off with what initially sparked your interest in the roofing industry.

Speaker 2:

You know it's kind of funny. I'd been in the real estate mortgage industry for a long time and in the crash of 2007, 2008, I got into the rehab side of real estate. So I was buying distressed properties and fixing them up. So that really, really I got to know the contracting space in a lot of cases and one of the things that I did along the way. I'm a learner, so I really enjoy, you know, kind of I enjoy learning. So on each project that I did, every house that I did a rehab on, I would do a trade. So on one house I would do drywall, on another house I would do some electrical Of course, none of the stuff that needed permits pulled forward or anything but on each one I had this trade. I did a trade because I really wanted to know what went into the work that I was paying for. And so from there, my background is in web development and digital marketing services and I started having these friends of mine that I created in the industry say hey, jim, can you build me one of those websites? Do you know how to do those Google ad things? And so that kind of led to me helping some other contractors along the way.

Speaker 2:

When I met my business partner, brian Niebler, I had been doing some lead generation for roofing contractors, but my business partner, Brian, was much deeper into marketing for roofing contractors. At the time, he'd been working with roofing contractors since 2015. And we partnered up in like 2017 and created Roofer Marketers in 2018. And there's something about this industry. It's an industry that I fit well into. It's the people in the industry that I connect with hardworking, entrepreneurial, blue collar people that are starting from scratch and grinding it out along the way, and so I really, like I say on the podcast, all the time the roofing industry finds you, it's not like you go out and seek the roofing industry.

Speaker 1:

That's an incredible journey, jim. Your background in real estate and contracting, combined with a passion for digital marketing, really paved the way for your success in the roofing industry. Your hands-on approach and willingness to learn each trade show your commitment to understanding the industry inside out. Now, as a marketing expert, what would you say are the key components of a successful marketing strategy for roofing contractors?

Speaker 2:

I believe for roofing contractors and for most businesses. We wrote the book called the Best Known Roofer back here behind me. It's about omnipresence. The more people that know what you do and that you can solve a specific problem for them, the better you are, the more people are going to reach out to you. So I like to refer to it as the marketing stack. So the marketing stack leads to omnipresence.

Speaker 2:

What I mean by the marketing stack is you start with one marketing activity. Let's say you're just starting out and you wrapped your truck. Then your next marketing activity is to have yard signs around your local area and in the yards of people who you've done work for, and you continue to add things to it. So then you add your website and start working on your SEO. You add your Google business profile and start working on your reviews and your SEO on that. You may add Facebook ads, add Google ads. You may add TV commercials. You may add radio commercials. You may add billboards. You may add direct mail. There's so many tactics. There's so many marketing tactics. The strategy to me is omnipresence. Right, it's how many people can know who you are. The more people know who you are, the more likely you are to receive a phone call when they need your help. So that's the basis of it. What questions do you have from there, chad?

Speaker 1:

That's a solid approach, jim. Building that marketing stack to create omnipresence sounds crucial for roofing contractors. With that in mind, how do you recommend contractors balance their marketing efforts between traditional methods like direct mail or billboards, and digital channels like social media and SEO?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think that's a great question. I think, to balance it out, I think there are short-term marketing strategies, mid-term marketing strategies and long-term marketing strategies. And in the beginning of your business, you're going to need those quick hits, right. You're going to need those quick wins to keep the revenue going right. You need money coming into the business, so you have to start off with a more direct approach, even more direct sales door to door, right. You need money coming into the business, so you have to start off with a more direct approach, even more direct sales door to door right.

Speaker 2:

In the roofing industry, we know door to door is the way to go, right, and so you're starting off door to door and then you're adding these things as you go. Seeds that you can plant along the way are your website. Your SEO is a long-term strategy, right. So it may take you a year, two years, three years to really get good traction and consistent effort in your SEO. And there's always changes along the way. Google's making algorithm changes. There's always stuff going on. But as you build this out, building out from those quick wins to what adds up to be your brand, your brand presence over time are going to be your door-to-door sales, your wrap trucks, your Google business profile optimization, getting reviews on there. There's so many quick things there. Google local services ads are another great thing. They're pretty saturated nowadays but those are those quicker wins.

Speaker 2:

To get to the next thing, and I look at two metrics around this customer acquisition cost and the long-term value of a customer. So in the beginning you're going to have to buy customers, right, you're going to have to buy them and they may be a little bit more expensive than you want them to be to buy those customers, than you want them to be to buy those customers. But if you focus on the long-term value of the customer and turn that initial customer acquisition cost, reduce that by getting referrals from that customer, by getting introduced to their insurance agent and creating a referral relationship to maybe meeting the realtor that they're working with, that they're selling their home and getting a relationship going there, it's taking that initial effort and turning it into long-term referral relationships. I don't know if I fully answered your question, chap, but I think that's where we go with it. That's what I'm thinking, absolutely, jim.

Speaker 1:

It makes perfect sense to balance those short-term and long-term strategies, focusing on both immediate wins and building a strong brand presence over time. Leveraging customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value as guiding metrics is a smart approach. It really highlights the importance of not just acquiring customers but nurturing those relationships for long-term success. Now, shifting gears a bit, let's talk about the Roofing and Solar Reform Alliance. How does your role there influence your perspective on business structure and hiring for roofing contractors?

Speaker 2:

Well, I think with the let's step back a little bit. The Roofing and Solar Reform Alliance was created by Adam Benzman as the Pitch Pro Movement. Adam was an early guest on my podcast I think it was episode number two and we became friends from there. The Roofing and Solar Reform Alliance started off kind of as the best of what you get at a conference that you can get every day. So at conferences, when you go to some of the conferences in the industry, to some of the conferences in the industry, you know you may sit down for lunch and have a conversation with another contractor, that that that changes the way you do business. They answer a very specific question that maybe you're, you're you're facing of, of a challenge you're facing, but also through education, right, you get to go to breakout sessions and get to learn things at the same time.

Speaker 2:

So the way Adam structured the Roofing and Solar Reform Alliance or started as the Pitch Pro movement, was to have that ongoing education, which is what I do. I'm the marketing coach and I help with business development and business structure, so I do sessions on that and the other coaches and leadership team also do different sessions. So we all have different topics. So that's the educational portion of it. And then we have the ongoing masterminding in the group. If you have a question, you can put it in the chat. You can meet with your mission control team, which is your group of owners that you're assigned to. There's all these ways to tap in and get the information that you need to move your business forward at that moment, right. So the problem that you're facing. So that's what the Roofing and Solar Reform Alliance is, and you asked about business structure and hiring. Maybe let's go into that a little bit more. What do you want to ask more specifically about that, chad?

Speaker 1:

It's impressive how the Roofing and Solar Reform Alliance offers that continuous learning and masterminding environment when it comes to business structure and hiring. How do you guide roofing contractors in determining the right time to expand their teams and what key roles to prioritize in their hiring process?

Speaker 2:

So for me, you know, we focus on we've built businesses. The businesses that we've built, that I've built and been involved in recently, are are we use the entrepreneurial operating system from the book Traction by Gino Wickman, and, and so that that's more of what I focus on. I help, I'm almost a semi EOSOS implementer for contractors, right, and I think it all starts with the fundamentals that traction lays out and the EOS lays out, and the first thing is that accountability chart that you develop in EOS and in that accountability chart, building out all of the roles that are necessary for your business, right, and everybody's business is going to be a little bit different. And then you write your name in all of those what we refer to as seats, right, you write the person's name that is doing that job, and a lot of times, when you start out, you know if you're, if it's a small business or a very small business, right, you're going to be in a lot of those seats. Your name might be in a lot of those seats, or there may be, you know three or four of you and there's, you know, 12 seats and your name is all over this chart. And so when you're forecasting and planning for the next roles.

Speaker 2:

What you're doing is saying I want to move out of this seat, so, or I want, I want to combine. I want this person on my team to not have to do that during the day. I want them to focus on this other activity that is a higher level activity. So so we use EOS to determine that right. And there's another exercise in EOS called Elevate and Delegate, and in that is a chance for you to understand what you love to do and what you're good at and what you hate to do and what you're not good at. And you then look at that accountability chart. You look at the seats that you're in. You look at your team member seats. They've done the elevate and delegate. You've done elevate and delegate. You've determined what their skill sets are, what your skill sets are, and now you can determine what to give up next, what to hire for next. So hopefully that gives you a good understanding of how I look at it, and it's really looked at through the lens of EOS.

Speaker 1:

That's a fantastic framework, jim. Using the Entrepreneurial Operating System EOS to structure business roles and responsibilities is a strategic approach. It helps contractors methodically plan their growth and transitions within the company by identifying what tasks to elevate and delegate. Contractors can effectively prioritize hiring for roles that will have the most significant impact on their business and bring new team members on board. How do you suggest they maintain a cohesive company culture?

Speaker 2:

especially if some roles are remote or field-based. Yeah, so company culture is a big thing. That again, I think, falls back with EOS around your core values. And so starting with core values, starting with defining your core values, that allows you to attract the people that fit your culture. There will be. Everyone's going to have a different culture in their business. The culture is going to be a combination of the owner, of the leadership and of all of the people that are involved, and so I kind of look at it in a couple of ways.

Speaker 2:

Culture and everything in life is marketing. I believe that everything in life is marketing. So when I think about marketing, I think about marketing in four ways. Marketing to prospective customers that's where we're always kind of reaching right. We're always looking for prospective customers and that's what we think about when we're thinking about marketing. Marketing to past customers it's something that not all of us do, but we should to get that long-term value out of that customer. Then we have marketing to your current employees.

Speaker 2:

So all of the events that you do, all of the ways or the way that they are treated right. If you buy lunch for everyone on Wednesday, that's a culture thing. If everyone on the team goes and rebuilds the snack shack at the local Little League all together, or if they go out and do a Habitat for Humanity build. That is all culture, and what you're doing in your culture is you're expressing your core values. So that gets bought in and that's how you market to employees. They have to feel like they have a mission that's greater than them, that's greater than the company just making money, and so that's how I believe you define that culture, and it's done through the activities, the marketing to your employees on an ongoing basis, the reinforcement of your core values, not just through words but through actions. Can you share?

Speaker 1:

what inspired you to start the Roofing Success Podcast and how your journey in the roofing industry influenced your decision to launch it.

Speaker 2:

In the roofing industry influenced your decision to launch it. Yeah, so, you know, as we were getting roofer marketers started, I had, I had I'm on sales calls all day long, right, so I'm talking to different roofing contractors about potentially doing their, doing marketing for their companies and I, you know, I get on the phone with some and I'm like, my goodness, this company is amazing, like they got, they have it together. They this is, this is someone that we want to work with, this is someone who I feel, man, they, they're really doing it right. And then I would get on, I would get on the, I would get on other calls with contractors who, my goodness, they were just struggling.

Speaker 2:

And I was at a mastermind conference, a mastermind group that I'm in in the marketing space, and a friend of mine in the group said man, jim, you should do a podcast. And I was like, why do you think I should do a podcast? He's like because you're so inquisitive, like you're always asking questions, you want to know everything, and so you know, kind of like I said when I was, you know, in the real estate space and every house that I did, I wanted to know everything about it. You know, I go deep into these things. And so I was like great, I think maybe I should do a podcast, and I had an idea that I wanted the contractors who were struggling or trying to grow to hear from the ones who had done it, to hear the lessons that they have had along the way, because there's no losses, right, there's only lessons.

Speaker 2:

And so I think that's putting those two together. A friend of mine said hey, jim, you should do a podcast, you're really inquisitive. And me hearing from these contractors man, they this, this guy is really doing something amazing and this this person really needs help. Putting that together I think has been very powerful.

Speaker 1:

It sounds like a perfect blend of your inquisitive nature and genuine desire to help others in the industry. Through the Roofing Success Podcast, you've created a platform where stories and lessons from successful contractors can inspire and guide those looking to improve and grow. What impact has the podcast had on your own journey and your work with Roofer Marketers?

Speaker 2:

Well, roofer Marketers. It was a great. It was definitely a good thing for Roofer Marketers and for my own journey I got to. It really allowed me to learn the industry on a deeper level, and so, first of all, I got to learn the roofing industry on a deeper level, but secondly, I got better at business. So I'm hearing from not just great roofing contractors, but these are great business people, and so the ideas that they would share on the podcast a lot of times they're just great fundamental business ideas, and so I get to transform that and put that into the other businesses that I've been a part of, like Roofer Marketers, and so it's so cool. It's awesome for me because I get to do what I love and that's learn at the same time that I'm helping others learn. So that's what's so cool to me.

Speaker 1:

Could you share a memorable moment or an interview from the Roofing Success podcast that significantly impacted your approach to business or marketing?

Speaker 2:

Specifically for business or marketing. There's so many good moments. Even recently in an interview, the guest mentioned that the way that he looks at business is that a day without problems is the anomaly. A day without problems is the anomaly and from a mindset perspective, that's just an amazing thought to me, right Like we always want to make things easy, even as we're building out our systems and processes and we're trying to create efficiencies, we're always looking for the days that don't have issues. But if you flip your focus on the days that do have issues, this is the norm. The norm is that we solve problems. The day that there's not a problem to solve is the anomaly. That's one that really stuck with me recently. In the past there's been great ones, but I think, on top of the business aspects, the growth in business and the ideas around business, I think that the ideas around the culture of the business and stories of how people have really, really, really, you know, come from a struggling situations and created amazing companies has also been great for me.

Speaker 1:

Those are powerful takeaways. It sounds like the podcast has been a treasure trove of insights, not just for business tactics, but also for mindset shifts. Before we wrap up, what advice would you give to roofing contractors looking to start or improve their marketing efforts based on what you've learned through your experiences and interviews?

Speaker 2:

I mean first read the book the Best Known Roofer. That's my personal plug, right? I mean first read the book the Best Known Roofer. That's my personal plug, right. From the marketing perspective having an understanding that all marketing works. Tv commercials work, radio commercials work, the Yellow Pages works. I just talked to a contractor recently. That's like we still have our name in the yellow pages and we're still getting phone calls from it. Everything works.

Speaker 2:

So it's really about choosing the next marketing activity to add to your stack and having proper expectations about the results and the effort that go into that marketing effort that go into that marketing.

Speaker 2:

So if you, for example, if billboards are going to be next in your marketing stack, you know billboards are a long-term strategy, so you don't want to go into it and say, all right, we're renting the billboard one billboard for three months and if we don't get anything from it, we're done and billboards don't work for us. That's not true. You have to have proper expectations. You have to understand that with billboards, you're committing to a long time frame 12, 18, 24 months of having the billboard up and maybe having multiple billboards right, not just one. So you're really generating a lot of activity in the area or getting a lot of impressions to those billboards. So, starting with one tactic, adding it, then adding another thing, the continuous adding of marketing efforts, and then you can tweak them along the way and get more efficient at each of them, but continue to add them and stack your marketing. Get more poles in the water to get that consistent lead flow in your business.

Speaker 1:

That's solid advice, Jim. Layering your marketing efforts thoughtfully and having realistic expectations for each channel can really pay off over time. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experiences with us today. It's been a pleasure having you on the show.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, it's been a pleasure having you interview me. Chad, can I interview you and ask you a couple of questions?

Speaker 1:

Of course, jim, I'd be happy to switch roles and answer a few questions from you.

Speaker 2:

Awesome.

Speaker 1:

What would you like to know?

Speaker 2:

You know the first thing I think that roofing contractors, really you know they want to know how AI may impact their business in the future. So how do you feel that you Chat can impact a roofing company's business into the future?

Speaker 1:

AI, like me, can significantly impact roofing businesses in several ways. Can significantly impact roofing businesses in several ways. First, by providing instant access to information and resources, ai can help roofing contractors improve their marketing strategies, streamline operations and enhance customer service. For instance, I can assist with content creation for blogs, social media and newsletters, which can boost online presence and attract more customers. I can also help with data analysis, providing insights into customer behavior and market trends, which can inform business decisions and strategy. Additionally, ai-powered tools can improve efficiency in scheduling, project management and customer communication, leading to smoother operations and better customer experiences.

Speaker 2:

Overall, ai can be a valuable ally in helping roofing contractor Chad. On the first thing to ask for help with AI, what would that be?

Speaker 1:

I would advise a roofing contractor to start with customer communication and lead management. Implementing an AI-powered chatbot on their website or social media can be a game changer. This tool can handle inquiries 24-7, dividing instant responses to common questions, capturing leads and even scheduling appointments. It ensures potential customers receive prompt attention, enhancing their experience and increasing the chances of conversion.

Speaker 2:

So that's great in the customer experience. I love that idea, chad, and it's a great way to use you for their businesses. What could they use you for from an operations perspective? And maybe to help understand their business finance in great detail and help to make better business decisions around their cash flow.

Speaker 1:

From an operations perspective, ai can assist in several ways. For example, I can help analyze data from various sources, like sales figures, project timelines and expenses, to provide insights into cash flow patterns and profitability. This can help contractors identify cost-saving opportunities, optimize scheduling and forecast future financial needs. Additionally, ai can automate routine tasks like invoice processing, inventory management and payroll, freeing up time for contractors to focus on more strategic aspects of their business. By leveraging AI for operations and financial analysis, roofing contractors can make more informed decisions and improve their overall efficiency.

Speaker 2:

Awesome. What is something a roofing contractor might not be thinking about using AI for, but you know that this is something that could be very powerful for them.

Speaker 1:

One powerful yet often overlooked use of AI in roofing is predictive maintenance. By analyzing data from past projects, weather patterns and material performance, ai can help contractors predict when a roof might need repairs or replacement. This allows contractors to offer proactive maintenance services, helping clients avoid costly emergency repairs and extending the lifespan of their roofs. It adds value to their service offering and can be a great differentiator in a competitive market.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome, chad. Thank you so much for being my co-host today on the Roofing Success Podcast. It's been great having you. It's been great getting having you ask me questions and getting me allowing me to ask you questions in this format. This is chat 4.0. If anyone's listening and has not used it, it's done through the app. Can you do this on the desktop app or only on the chat app on the phone chat?

Speaker 1:

Thanks, Jim, it's been a blast co-hosting with you. This voice interaction is available through the ChatGPT app on your phone. Currently, the desktop version doesn't support voice features.

Speaker 2:

So great. Get the chat app on your phone and start interacting like this. Have conversations with ChatGPT. Ask it questions. This has been another episode of the Roofing Success Podcast.

Speaker 3:

Thank you for tuning into the Roofing Success Podcast For more valuable content. Visit roofingsuccesspodcastcom While there. Check out our sponsors for exclusive offers, shop for merchandise and sign up for our newsletter for industry updates and tips. Also join the Roofing Success Facebook group to connect with other professionals and stay updated on the latest trends. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, share and leave a comment. Your support helps us continue to bring you top industry insights. The website link is in the description. Thanks for listening.

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Jim Ahlin

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