Allan Ferguson - Plumbing Profits Formula

Motivating your technicians to show up the same way you do was one of the biggest challenges I faced for many years.

It begs the question, why is it so hard to keep your technicians motivated?

And is there a way to keep them excited and motivated to do great work?

Fortunately, I found a way.

See, what most plumbing business owners fail to do is to set goals for their technicians.

(Because I can promise you, they aren’t setting their own goals)

And if they do try to take their team through a goal setting process, they’re doing it wrong.

But along my journey of struggling with low-motivating technicians, I found a hack that worked a treat.

I call it the Chunking Process.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: We started by identifying our technicians long term goal (Like a house)

Step 2: We chunked that financial cost into 5 year, 3 year, and 1 year goals.

Step 3: We continued to chunk that down into 3 month, 1 month, and 1 week goals.

Step 4: We chunked those weekly goals down to the job level.

Meaning they were motivated by each individual job, as they saw how it aligned with their long term goals.

Best of all, their goals become aligned with yours and the company's goals.

Creating win-win dynamics for everyone.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on with it.

Allan Ferguson

🔴 48.2% of you will hate this

There are two types of plumbing business owners that we speak to.

Plumbing Business Owner #1:

Who would rather ‘Do it yourself’

Who takes the information provided,

With the goal to get results,

And implements.

If that’s you, my hat goes off to you.

But then, there’s the second kind.

Plumbing Business Owner #2:

These are the business owners who are interested in working with us.

Where we build the systems out and plug them straight into your business…

…(Within 7 days from your onboarding)

And train your team to implement the systems for you.

These are the business owners who want to shortcut the learning curve.

They want to avoid the usual roadblocks, failures and the frustration of doing things on their own.

If plumbing business owner #2 sounds like you, click the link below…

https://thesuccessfulplumber.com/evaluation-call

You can schedule an evaluation call with myself, or one of our other coaches.

In this evaluation call we’ll:

Review your existing strategy and systems: Take a look at what is/isn’t working in your business.

Uncover the #1 bottleneck: Uncover the #1 bottleneck restricting you from growth.

Develop an action plan: Develop a plan that will get you results in your business ASAP.

Ultimately, we’ll create your strategy to help your business progress as fast as possible.

If this sounds like you and you want to start paying yourself more as a plumbing business owner…

…Click the link below, book a call…

https://thesuccessfulplumber.com/evaluation-call

…and we’ll install our systems into your business (within 7 days of onboarding).

Speak soon.

Allan Ferguson

🔵 [DAY 7] 7 Low Cost Strategies To Book More Jobs

How many strategies are you using right now to bring more cash in the door?

Most plumbing business owners just rely on marketing companies (full of empty promises)...

…Which is why I want to give you my best 7 low cost strategies to book more jobs.

Without having to rely on a marketing company or advertising dollars to get the job done.

Curious to see what those 7 strategies are?

As per usual, it’s completely free.

No opt-in required.

Click the link below and get access now.

https://thesuccessfulplumber.com/growthoptimisation

That’s all,

Allan Ferguson

🔵 [DAY 6] Empower Your Team To Reliably Run Jobs Without Sacrificing Quality

These days, it seems like it’s getting harder and harder to have reliable technicians.

Technicians who are motivated, hard-working, with great attention to detail.

Why is it that so many plumbing businesses struggle with their team?

I know you’ve probably thought about or tried creating systems.

And maybe you’ve put systems in place but nobody seems to follow them.

What if there was a way to get consistent high performance from your team?

Fortunately, there is a way.

And I’ve put it all into this lesson for you.

You can click the link below to get access to it now for free.

https://thesuccessfulplumber.com/consistenthighperformance

I hope it helps.

Allan Ferguson

🔵 [DAY 5] Walk Away From Twice As Many Plumbing Jobs With Profit In Your Pocket

I want to share with you an absolute horror story that your customers could very well experience.

Worse yet, your failure to prevent these problems is costing you $$$.

Weldon went out for the weekend with his friend for a golfing tournament.

The week prior, he had a blocked drain and called his local plumber.

Once the plumber cleaned the drain, Weldon asked him,

“Aren’t you going to fix the root cause?”

To his dismay, the plumber replied with, “No, it’ll be fine.”

Weldon returned after the weekend to find his basement flooded with sewer.

The purpose of this story is not to teach you how to be a good plumber that avoids horror stories…

…This story highlights a missed financial opportunity that cost both Weldon and his plumber.

See, there are plumbers I speak to who are hesitant to do complete plumbing inspections on the jobs they’re attending.

“I don’t want to appear too salesy…”

This is a massive mistake.

As I always say, “If you don’t like selling, stop selling…

…just help your customer solve their problems by making them aware of them in the first place.”

See, when a customer knows about all the potential problems they have with their plumbing and drains,

Whether it’s today, next week or next month, one day they’re going to have to solve that problem.

But this is only scraping the surface of what I’m going to teach you in today’s free lesson.

So if you want to start walking away from twice as many jobs with profit in your pocket…

…Click the link below and get instant access to the free training.

https://thesuccessfulplumber.com/ultimateservicecall

That’s all,

Allan Ferguson

🔵 [DAY 4] The Sales System to Turn Any Drain Call Into a Profitable Repair

How do you consistently turn blocked drains into repairs and replacements?

This is the million dollar question.

(I’m not joking, the answer to this question can bring you an extra 1-10 million annually…)

And I get it…

You’ve probably tried it all before.

Hiring a team of technicians to do the job for you…

…(But it’s not that simple with this generation.)

And you end up paying them more than you pay yourself.

Scepticism is an all time high.

Information is abundant.

Competition is everywhere.

You need a system to take your customers from,

“Who are you, what is the problem, and why is your solution needed”...

…To “I know you, I like you, I trust you, and I want you to do the job.”

Which is exactly why I want to give you our sales system for free.

Instant access. No email required.

Just click the link below to get instant access to our sales system.

https://thesuccessfulplumber.com/diamonddraincall

Allan Ferguson

🔵 [DAY 3] The Perfect Pricing Strategy

Have you ever wondered if you’re overcharging or undercharging for your services?

Wish you could create “win win” deals that are not only profitable, but keep your customers happy?

See, I found myself going against my gut and following the pricing strategies everyone else was following.

Which left me losing jobs and underpricing for my services, leaving me with little to no profit left by the end of it.

At least, that was until I discovered this pricing strategy.

And today, I want to give it to you on the house.

(No, you don’t even have to enter in your email — you’ll get instant access)

Click here to get access to The Perfect Pricing Strategy:

https://thesuccessfulplumber.com/perfectpricing

Let me know how you go with it.

Allan Ferguson

🔵 [DAY 2] Position Your Company as The “Go To” and Attract Your Dream Customers

Have you ever considered why some plumbing companies thrive while others don’t?

This was a question I had myself.

The answer is simple:

The difference between a thriving and failing plumbing company is positioning.

See, the biggest growth in my business came when I decided to shift how I positioned my business.

We became the priority service provider among our customers by making this one simple shift.

And in today's free lesson, I want to teach you this one shift we made.

(And how you can make the same shift for yourself)

This is how you separate yourself from the masses of other plumbing companies.

And it’ll allow you to become the most sought after plumbing business in your area.

Curious to find out how to make this shift for yourself?

Click here to watch this week’s lesson: https://thesuccessfulplumber.com/whatbusiness

That’s all.

Allan Ferguson

38 years ago, I started my plumbing business with nothing.
No connections.
No business skills.
I was just a plumber with a dream to make something of myself.
Fast forward 17 years, and I finally did my first million dollar year.
That was 17 years of soul crushing failures, with many lessons learned.
10 years after that, I was making 14 million a year.
Just a few short years later, I was doing 22 million a year.
But I’m not saying this to brag
Far from it.
I’m saying this to highlight what it’s taken to learn the lessons I’m about to pass over to you.
For nothing.
Totally free.
Those first 17 years were some of the hardest years of my life.
Constant stress.
Overworked and underpaid.
Stumbling over my feet just trying to make it work.
But I kept at it.
And as I did, I learned.
And now, I want to pass those lessons over to you.
So here’s what I’m gonna do…
Over the next 7 days, I’m going to post one free lesson each day.
Lessons that will help you start paying yourself more as a business owner.
Here’s what you have to look forward to:
DAY 1: How to walk away from more jobs with a fair and healthy profit.
DAY 2: How to position your company as the “go to” and attract your dream customers.
DAY 3: The perfect pricing strategy so you can cover your overheads with confidence.
DAY 4: The sales system to turn any drain call into a profitable repair.
DAY 5: The system to walk away from twice as many plumbing jobs with profit in your pocket.
DAY 6: The system to empower your team to reliably run jobs without sacrificing quality.
DAY 7: 7 low cost strategies to book more jobs.
I’ll keep my promise of delivering these posts to you each day of the coming week…
…All you have to promise is you’ll watch the videos and implement them.
That’s all for now.
See you tomorrow.
Allan Ferguson.

Hey Everybody, It's Hot, You're Busy, But If You Want To Make A Lot Of Money, You Really Need To Read This Right Now!

Is your average ticket where it should be?
How effective are you on billable hours?
How is your turnover rate?

Are you blowing your goals away?

But Here’s The Most Important Question You Can Ask Yourself Even Though You May Be Generating A Lot Of Cash;

How Much Are You Leaving Behind On Every Call You Run?

I work with a lot of companies
We talk about their revenue
We discuss things that need to be done

And we always end up talking about the ;
“What Have I Left Behind Factor” or the “Unrealized Potential” associated with most jobs

And that issue creates a lot of problems, let me explain;
When contractors and I have conversations about KPI's and job performance I usually hear things like;

We’re really busy and it looks like we should be making money but my labor looks too high
Do I have too many people in the office, it looks like my overhead percentage is too high!
Why does it seem like my marketing percentage is through the roof?
These parts costs are eating me up
My unapplied labor is killing me!

And they truly want to know the answer to these questions, and sometimes the answer is painful, but if you can handle the truth, the reality of your KPI's is actually this;

The biggest problem in most cases is not your expenses and costs being out of whack, but your average ticket way too low because you’re not maximizing your calls and driving enough revenue and as a result all of your costs seem too high as a percentage, and it really is that simple.

And when I tell people that, most contractors say;
"How can that happen, I’m doing what everyone says I should be doing!"

Well it can happen and it does happen to many contractors of all sizes but in my years of experience and after working with a lot of contractors I've discovered how to fix the phenomenon of the problems I refer to as:

"What I Left Behind"
or
"Uncaptured Potential"

And the "What I Left Behind" or "Uncaptured Potential" situation is what is really holding you back,

"Uncaptured Potential" is a cost you are paying on every call you run but most fail to regain and it's costing you a fortune!

But this is an issue you can easily control and solve!
You really don't have to do that anymore, you really can fix the KPI issues many are challenged with and make the money you deserve, you don't need more leads, and you don't have to work harder, in fact it is EASIER than what most do now!

So if you would like to start to really make money and collect your “Uncaptured Potential” on every call;
I'd like to help you, and it's free!

I’m having a free webinar this Thursday, July 18 at 7pm Central

In this webinar I’ll give you the 3 simple easy to do, zero cost steps
it takes to:
Maximize your Profits and Collect Your "Uncaptured Potential"
on every call like some of the clients I’ve worked with for years that are achieving in excess of 37% EBITA, (and yes, that’s the correct number and it can be verified!)

You don’t want to miss this information, the session will not be recorded and in this session you will learn the secrets it takes to achieve these results that most people really don’t understand for FREE!

In this free program you will be given the real "Step by Step Play Book” that will allow you to blow your goals away!

The "Play Book" will outline and detail every single step it takes to beat the pants off of your competition and create the company you've only dreamed of.

So don't wait, contact us below to register

Just click below and receive your unique log in information. There are limited registrations available!

Click below now to register

https://technicalartscenter.square.site/

Just uploaded a new checklist - How to maximize profits & minimize call backs. Who wants a copy? 👇

Salesman’s Fear of Price

The biggest fear of salespeople is NOT… fear itself!

Salespeople have two major fears: #1 is rejection and #2 is price or fee.

Most salespeople (not you, of course) are hesitant when it comes to talking price or fee. The reason is, in their own mind, they think their prices are too high.

As a salesperson, I’m sure you’ve all shopped the competition – and they all offer similar items at lower prices. And you’re worried your customer will look at your price structure and say that your prices or your fees are too high.

LET ME GIVE YOU A CLUE:
That is the single biggest fear of every salesperson in the world, you included.

When it comes to price, the first thing you have to have, as a professional salesperson, is a deep-rooted belief that the value of what you’re offering far exceeds the price or fee that you’re asking. If you don’t believe this, the highest level you will rise in your sales career is to the level of mediocre. And worse, your prospective customer will sense that your belief system is not deep enough by your language.

Here are the telltale signs that you don’t believe deep enough:
1. You try to justify your price.
2. You apologize for your price.
3. You rationalize your price.
4. You have to go back into your presentation to clarify your price.
5 You try to ignore the signs that are evident hoping that they’ll go away.

And worse than everything on the list, you go back to your boss and say, “We lost one on price.” Let me share with you – you did NOT lose on price, you lost on perceived value and you lost on perceived difference. If the customer doesn’t perceive the value of your offering, if the customer doesn’t perceive a difference between you and the competition, then all that’s left is price.

When is that last time you walked into a Lexus dealer and had a price battle? Answer is never. But at Ford and Chevy, $50 can swing a deal on a $20,000 car because there is no perceived difference between one car or one dealership and another. I’m certain you’ve seen the car ads for a “dollar over invoice.” I don’t want to ruin your belief in Santa Claus, but that means that if they sell a hundred cars, they make a hundred dollars. I don’t know about you, but I’m not buying that. I think they’re lying to me.
Wouldn’t it be cool if one dealership put an ad on TV and said, “Our cars are $250 more than anybody else because the service we provide after you buy the car will not only blow you away, it will also enhance the lifelong value of your car. You invest another $250 in our dealership, you win back thousands when you trade your car in.”

Doesn’t that seem obvious?

In a price fight, everyone loses, especially all the sellers.

Jeffrey Gittomer

If you know, you know.

The home service industry down under is about to be awakened.

Whatever you do

Got some really cool s**t on the way, stay tuned.

Is about right.

Just got back from Denver last night after spending a few days with the Platform Partner Network, this group is the future of the Service Industry.

My big takeaway from the event, Call by Call, Virtual Call Management & Virtual Ride Along’s are the future, run your biz 1 call at a time & whatever you do: DFTC (Don’t F The Call)

Such a great post, thanks for sharing Ruth Anne King

FFB-Upload The research I've done shows that 75% of all small business financial statements are inaccurate.  (Many CPA's I talked with think the percentage is even higher).  I'm on a mission to reverse the percentage - 75% accurate!

You’ve got to watch this episode!
Billy Stevens & Landon Brewer talk about creating a cashflow business that you can implement as soon as this episode is over. https://youtu.be/RPbtbvou-KI?si=hQBFRwFwHOpaTzkC
It’s About Time!!

Cash Flow Advice For Your Home Service Business - Smart Advice! If you need more cash flow, you might not have to look any further than right under your nose. Billy and Landon take a deep dive and reveal ways to create ca...

Who is using Ai to improve Profitability?

Will Ai replace jobs in the plumbing industry, the short answer is YES.

Not how you think it will, those that learn & use Ai well will replace those that dont embrace Ai

Prove me wrong

AI Foundations - YouTube Learn to leverage market moving AI tools.

Not using a checklist, can this be a life-or-death situation?

For years I have been an advocate of using checklists in all areas of my service companies, more so after we introduced flat rate pricing in 2004 and started implementing systems and processes shared by my good friends at service roundtable. On a more personal note, checklists were a big part of my powerboat racing career that if I did not use religiously, I can safely say would not be sharing this with you now.

After one of my technicians who had been with me for several years (pre flat rate pricing) asked me in team training “how the hell do we remember all the steps needed to run a service call, I answered by using a “step by step checklist” so you don’t have to remember anything except building rapport & value for the customer. Checklists for me were a fundamental business practice allowing me to focus on serving the customer at the highest level while freeing me up from having to remember all the steps needed in running a service call.

This is also something also I learned from the airline industry and numerous flights taken over the years, the pilots always used a pre flight checklist before taking the big bird across the pond. After giving this some thought, I was curious why? Pilots use aircraft checklists to prevent complacency by following every step to ensure aircraft are correctly configured for every phase of flight. Missed steps and incorrectly remembered steps have contributed to many aircraft accidents. Checklist use is mandatory by most large aircraft companies.

During the nineties as my company grew, I decided to return to a sport I loved & followed growing up being power boat racing. Let me tell you that the Australian’s are fkin crazy when it comes to speed & water, all the world records for speed on water are held by these crazy individuals.

While preparing for an upcoming race we were testing my boat and equipment at a local river, as well a fellow racer Robert was testing his new boat “Gatecrasher” with his mechanic, after chatting at the boat ramp we put our boats in the water. Robert took off before me, that day we were the only 2 boats on the river.

As I was heading into the 1st bend accelerating towards 100 MPH, (both our boats could hit 100 MPH in less than 5 seconds) I caught a glimpse of “Gatecrasher” coming into the same bend in the opposite direction. Robert was testing his new boat doing well over 120 MPH, his boat was in my direct line for the corner, within a few short seconds our boats collided head on. The last thing I recall was looking Robert in the eyes then coming conscious in the water sometime later, important “checklist point” we all had our full race gear on. Unfortunately, Robert died instantly as my boat impacted him directly, miraculously my observer & the mechanic both escaped any major injuries.

My injuries were considerable, enough to keep me from working at any capacity for some time. This was 1 of my many lessons on having a business that heavily relied on me, as well not having adequate systems in place for my team to fully run the business in my absence. To make matters worse I was informed possible charges of manslaughter were looming due to the fact a witness (the mechanic who was facing backwards while tuning the engine) said I was driving my boat out of control while being on the wrong side of the river.

Now if what happened was not enough, the court case dragged out for several weeks, I spent 2 days in the witness stand being hammered by prosecutors trying to prove I was responsible for the death of one of Australia’s wealthiest businessmen, even if I was found partly responsible, I was facing an 8 to 9 figure lawsuit and possible prison time.

So long story short I was cleared of all charges & awarded personal injury and yes, my lawyers had a nice pay day. I was cleared of all charges due to the fact the mechanic lied for personal gain (his insurance paid more if it was my fault) as well there where 3 witnesses (my skiers and an on looker on the bank) that confirmed my evidence.

So here are a few important checklist items that I used that saved my life:
1. Check condition of steering cable’s
2. Ensure engine cut off switch is operational
3. All personal safety race gear is compliant to race standards

What checklist items do you need for your company? If you want a copy of the checklists, I used over the years in my companies please direct message me with your details, I am more than happy to share with you.

I need to put this right here, I am willing to bet that over 80% of this group are not charging correctly.

Prove me wrong, I dare you.

Very few knows more about finance in the service industry than Ruth Anne King, this was taken at a Service Nation event.

Powerfull topic on where our great industry is headed.

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