Build to Win

How John Lifted His Closing Rate 10 Points in 60 Days

Most contractors are running their sales reps into the ground and wondering why their closing rate keeps dropping. In this episode of Build to Win, Jonathan Weinberg and John Kolbaska break down the lead distribution change that lifted John's net closing rate from 27% to 37% in 60 days. John caps his reps at 5 to 7 leads a week instead of the usual 10 to 15. Every appointment gets full effort, fewer leads get burned, and commissions stay the same because reps are closing a higher percentage. He walks through how to route leads by project type, lead source, and zip code, why hometown and showroom-area appointments close highest, and the day-of-week sit rate data most contractors are missing. The episode also covers a closing move John picked up at the Wealthy Contractor Success Society, where the owner gets pulled into the deal before the rep can leave the home. Plus a real story about how one discounting control fix is worth more than $500,000 a year to a contractor John has been consulting with. If your closing rate is stuck and your reps are burning out, this is the playbook. Key Takeaways:  00:00 Intro 01:32 Recruiting Like an Inbound Lead 03:56 How John Went from 27% to 37% Closing Rate 05:44 Lead Distribution and Creating Scarcity 08:00 Why Overworked Reps Burn Leads 11:48 Weekend vs. Weekday Closing Rates 13:44 All-Party Sit Rate by Day of the Week 17:54 Routing Leads by Zip Code and Lead Source 19:06 High, Medium, and Low Intent Buyers 22:06 Scarcity Creates Leverage 24:28 Ticket Size and Adjusting Lead Volume 26:04 The "Burn It to the Ground" Drop Strategy 30:04 Consulting Case: $500K–$600K Lost to Unreviewed Discounts 32:06 Final Thoughts Additional Resources: 🔥 Watch our FREE on-demand webinar: HERE [https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_campaign=32&utm_medium=Audio&utm_source=RedCircle] ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ [https://www.builderprime.com/]  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: / builderprime   [https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/] LinkedIn: / builderprime  [https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/]   Jonathan’s LinkedIn: / jonathanweinberg [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/]    John’s LinkedIn: / john-kolbaska-a271a757    [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/] Instagram: / builderprimecrm   [https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/] — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Lead Aggregators Are Costing You 50% in Marketing. Here's How to Flip the Game.

A lead aggregator rep told John straight up: send you 100 leads at $75 each, you'll close one job. That's $7,500 in marketing spend for a single $14,000 sale. Fifty percent cost of marketing. She said it with a smile. That conversation kicked off the playbook Jonathan Weinberg and John Kolbaska break down in this episode. John walks through the exact terms his team puts in front of every aggregator now: pay per issued lead at his real cost, pay per demo, or a flat percentage of the closed sale. About 40 percent of providers sign. The other 60 percent walk, and that filter is the whole point. Then John gets into a contact rate problem most owners haven't caught yet. Carriers are flagging outbound numbers as spam likely after roughly 50 calls in a day, and once a number gets flagged it stays flagged. In this episode: * The three pay structures John uses with lead aggregators * Why 60 percent of providers walk away and why that's a good thing * The spam-likely flag killing your contact rate * The area code trick that lifted pickup rates 10 percent * The exact call cadence his team runs every day If you're a specialty contractor spending real money on leads, this episode hands you a system you can put in place this week. Key Takeaways:  00:00 Intro 01:28 Why I Stopped Playing by Their Rules 04:06 How a Great Lead Source Got Ruined 06:24 The Strategy Meeting That Changed Everything 08:00 Here's Exactly What We Pay Lead Aggregators Now 10:04 Why 60% of Aggregators Walk Away 15:08 She Said 1% Close Rate Like It Was Normal 23:28 The Hidden Reason Your Contact Rates Are Tanking 26:00 What We Found After Counting Every Call 29:52 Two Small Changes That Are Adding Thousands Per Day 31:06 The Three Call Windows That Actually Work 36:00 Final Thoughts Additional Resources: 🔥 Watch our FREE on-demand webinar: HERE [https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_campaign=30&utm_medium=Audio&utm_source=RedCircle] ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ [https://www.builderprime.com/]  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: / builderprime   [https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/] LinkedIn: / builderprime  [https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/]   Jonathan’s LinkedIn: / jonathanweinberg [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/]    John’s LinkedIn: / john-kolbaska-a271a757    [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/] Instagram: / builderprimecrm   [https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/]

Why Financing is the Most Powerful Tool in Your Sales Process

Most contractors know they should be offering financing. In this episode, Jonathan and John break down why it's the most powerful tool in your sales process, and exactly how to use it. The average home improvement job is $14,000. The median household savings account has $8,000. They walk through the math, the mindset, and the exact three-option pricing structure that makes payment options the default, not a backup plan. They also cover why offering cash discounts is one of the fastest ways to tank your close rate, and what to do instead. Here is what you will get from this episode: •Why the median household can't comfortably write a $14,000 check •How to present payment options without ever leading with the total price •The three-option pricing structure that closes more deals •What happens to your close rate the moment you allow cash discounts •How to get started with financing today if you're not offering it yet Stop leading with price. Start leading with payment options. Key Takeaways:  00:00 Intro 01:12 The One Thing Every $100M Home Improvement Company Has in Common 03:56 Never Say the Word "Financing" in Front of a Customer — Here's Why  08:22 The Real Reason Customers Say "I Need to Think About It"  11:52 How to Turn a $14,000 Price Tag Into an Easy Monthly Yes  14:46 Present These 3 Options and Watch Your Close Rate Climb  18:44 Why Giving Cash Discounts Is Slowly Killing Your Business  23:24 How to Handle the Customer Who Asks for the Total Price  25:28 The Hidden Remarketing Strategy Hiding Inside Your Finance Reports  30:50 How to Get Started With Financing This Week — Step by Step  35:10 Why Removing Cash Discounts Jumped Their Finance Rate From 35% to 78%  40:00 Final Thoughts Additional Links & Resources: Presentation Link: Why Financing is the Most Important Tool in Our Sales Process [https://gamma.app/docs/Why-Financing-Is-the-Most-Important-Tool-in-Our-Sales-Process-8l3gj8aavaemi94?mode=doc] 🔥 Watch our FREE on-demand webinar: HERE [https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_campaign=30&utm_medium=Audio&utm_source=RedCircle] ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ [https://www.builderprime.com/]  📱 Connect with us on social media: * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/ [https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/]  * Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/]  * John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/]  * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ [https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/]  — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Why Your Competitor's Sales Reps Are a Trap (And Who to Hire Instead)

Hiring sales reps from your competitors feels like a shortcut. It's not. In this episode of Build to Win, John Kolbaska breaks down how he grew his sales team from 7 to 12 reps — and why the best candidates aren't coming from inside your industry. You'll hear how he built a full-time training program, what it actually costs to onboard a bad rep, and the two things he tests in the first three days to weed out the wrong hires fast. If you're trying to scale a sales team and keep burning through recruits, this one's for you. 🎧 Listen now. Key Takeaways 00:00 Intro 01:36 Why you need a full-time sales trainer 03:50 Recruiting is a marketing funnel 07:52 The real cost of a failed rep: $15,000+ 13:42 Early role-play and tech screening 17:38 Never hire your competitor’s failed reps 19:24 Recruit from lower-ticket industries 26:18 Always lead with financing Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our FREE on-demand webinar: HERE [https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_campaign=29&utm_medium=Audio&utm_source=RedCircle] ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ [https://www.builderprime.com/]  📱 Connect with us on social media: * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/ [https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/]  * Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/]  * John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/]  * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ [https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/]  — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Why Your CRM Data Is Costing You Jobs

Most contractors trust their reports. But if the data going into your CRM is wrong, every decision you make from it is wrong too. In this episode, Jonathan and John break down what bad CRM data is actually costing you. John found that 64 of his 300 zip codes drove 90% of his business. He also cut his speed to lead from 44 minutes to under a minute — and his appointment set rate doubled. If you're flying blind on your numbers, this episode will show you what to track and how to get it right. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 00:42 Garbage in, garbage out 03:23 Leads stuck in the wrong funnel stage 07:00 Hiring a data scientist 12:38 The zip code discovery 18:30 Speed to lead: 44 minutes to 40 seconds 21:33 Speed to issue and the 36-hour sweet spot 25:13 Booking rate and sales capacity 40:30 Bolt Insights overview Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=28 ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/ [https://www.builderprime.com/]  📱 Connect with us on social media: * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/ [https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/]  * Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/]  * John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/]  * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ [https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/]  — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!