Discover how Parker & Sons grew to $80M Per Year...

On this episode I interview Josh Kelly - Marketing Director for Parker & Sons. If you are not familiar...their company does over $80M per year and is on pace for $100M this year!!!

Listen in as I pick Josh's brain on what they are doing to keep their phones ringing, trucks running & BUSINESS BOOMING.

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Parker & Sons Cooling, Heating & Plumbing - www.parkerandsons.com
Based in Phoenix, AZ serving the greater Pheonix Metro Area
Full service HVAC & Plumbing
$80M Revenue / 400 employees
- Growing extremely quickly and on pace to do $100M+ this year
In business since 1974

Example of a "Melvin" ad

On the interview Josh explained that they do a lot of TV & Radio. He shared that they came up with a unique campaign that helped to differentiate themselves from the industry norms called the "Melvin Campaign". Here is an example of one of their Melvin Ads:

In this episode, Josh Kelly shares keys to successfully marketing your plumbing or home service business, giving tips from his experience. Kelly has led the marketing team at one of the top 5 plumbing companies in the country, Phoenix-based Parker & Sons. This HVAC & Plumbing company is currently on pace to reach $100 million in business this year. Listen along this episode to hear Kelly elaborate on best marketing practices and how to maximize your business’s impact.

Be a Big Fish in a Small Pond

Kelly emphasizes through this episode the importance of being a big fish in a small pond. He says it is important for you to have the strongest presence while being efficient. He uses examples of running ads on smaller radio stations or targeting neighborhoods as the market your business can saturate and be the “big fish.” He also mentions roadblocking certain times on television stations as a way to be the “big fish” advertisement-wise. By having a smaller pond, consistency, frequency and longevity in marketing are more easily attainable.

What is Your Message and Is It Memorable

Kelly says that it doesn't matter as much whether your message is good or bad. Instead, it is whether it is memorable. He tells us about Parker & Son’s Melvin campaign which plays to the perception that plumbers are people you don’t want to deal with and don’t trust. They do so by showing a plumber you wouldn’t want working on your house then, juxtaposing this shady plumber with Parker & Sons, a quality family service. You remember what their company is not and what they are.

Don’t Just Pick One Marketing Source

Parker & Sons does not limit itself to one, two or three marketing sources. Kelly tells us that his leads are spread wide enough throughout many sources, that they cannot limit them to just one. He gives marketing examples of bathroom walls at Diamondback sporting games, television ads during typically non-recorded segments, talk radio shows, sponsorships, and others to show where they have been the big fish. He adds that if a company cannot diversify its marketing, to at least make sure it is dominating where it is marketing.

Online Reviews Are Key

RevuKangaroo, an online review system, was born from Kelly’s experience at Parker & Sons. He saw the need for online reviews since 87% of their customers were looking up their company before doing business with them, and most customers were only doing reviews if they had a negative experience. It aids home service industries in boosting their reviews and boasts a 15% boost in revenue in the 1st month in the program. Kelly emphasizes that even if you don’t used RevuKangaroo, your plumbing business should be doing something with reviews.

Outline of This Episode

[1:51] Overview and history of Parker & Sons
[6:49] Be a big fish in a small pond
[8:12] How to dominate a small pond
[10:45] Increase average value per customer
[14:43] Parker & Sons message and how they get that across
[26:04] Strategies in working with radio marketing
[37:17] The importance of following up on leads and creating systems for this
[40:05] The two types of marketing
[44:39] Online reviews & RevuKangaroo
[52:20] Jam (training) session information

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect With Josh

Jam Sessions:

Josh mentioned that he conducts "Jam Sessions" during the interview. You can learn more about the JAM Sessions by clicking here.

Please post your comments & follow up questions below! Also, be sure to subscribe for the podcast so you don't miss any of the upcoming interviews:

Subscribe for the podcast & get emailed as new interviews are posted

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Josh Nelson is a marketing expert that specializes in helping Plumbing Business increase their sales & grow their business by more effectively MARKETING. He is a recognized speaker, author and regularly presents at PHCC, ACCA and Plumbing Contracting Associations. His articles have been published in Plumbing & Mechanical Magazine, Contractor Magazine and HVAC Insider. He is the author of The Complete Guide To Internet Marketing for Plumbing Contractors.

Plumbing Marketing Profits – who has written 84 posts on Plumbing Marketing Tips, Ideas & Strategies for Plumbers | Plumber Marketing.