How Your Home Service Company Can Outperform 99% of Your Competitors
You’re great at your trade—but let me ask you this… is that really enough to grow your business?
Most contractors think doing great work is all it takes to win. The truth? That’s just the start.
Today, let’s talk about what steps you need to take to outperform 99% of your competition. I’ll show you what separates the top 1% of contractors from the rest—and how you can join them.
At Footbridge Media, we help contractors grow their businesses. Just like you, we’ve grown our business on our own from the ground up. Now, we have over 20 years of experience to get you more leads and customers. We’ve helped contractors break out of the cycles and pitfalls that trap small businesses and block them from reaching their full potential.
The Truth About How Home Service Businesses Work
So here’s the truth. Being excellent at your trade is really important, but when you’re a business owner and operator - it is no longer the most important thing.
You can have the best techs and most highly skilled laborers in the world, but if no one knows who you are and no one is hiring you - that doesn’t really matter much.
Most contractors start their own businesses because they have a passion for their work.
But the reality is you can’t grow a business with only that.
Chances are you are inexperienced when it comes to running a business. You may suck at sales. You may not be a real people person.
And you know what? That’s how 99% of your competitors are, too.
The difference between businesses like that and businesses that grow and boom is the focus on BUSINESS. I mean not trade skills, but being better at running a business and solving the harder problems.
What business skills are we talking about?
Master the One Skill That Actually Grows Your Business—Sales
You need to become better at sales, first and foremost.
It’s not what you think, and no, you don’t have to be a ‘salesperson’ to succeed.
Most contractors think sales is pushy or manipulative—it’s not. It’s just solving problems.
Successful businesses don’t sit around waiting for leads; they actively sell their value.
When a homeowner hesitates, it’s usually not about price. It’s about trust. If you can confidently explain why your work is worth it, you’ll win more jobs.
Another big part of sales that people miss out on is follow-up and follow-through. Most sales are won on the second or third contact, not the first.
Businesses grow and thrive when you have a good game plan. You should not just wing it every time you have a conversation.
You need a clear sales process. Guidelines that shape how you call or email leads, when you follow up, how you talk to a prospect, and what you talk about.
Create a simple script to stay consistent and confident every time you talk to a lead.
Use Reviews & Referrals to Dominate Your Local Market
There’s a simple way to turn past customers into a never-ending stream of new business.
People trust other people more than they trust ads—so stack up your reviews.
Make it ridiculously easy. Send them a direct link, remind them a couple of times, and watch the reviews roll in.
Referrals can also be a game changer. The key here is to give customers an actual reason to send work your way—a discount, a gift card, something that keeps you top of mind.
A business with 100+ great reviews will beat a cheaper competitor every time.
Your best marketing? Happy customers who won’t shut up about you.
Work on the Business, Not Just in It
This is what truly separates the top 1% from everyone else.
Look—if you’re always in the field, you’re never gonna scale. You have to step back.
That means hiring good people so you can focus on growing the business.
It means creating systems—so things run smoothly even when you’re not there.
The time you spend on marketing, sales, and hiring? That’s what builds long-term success.
Here’s the hard truth—your biggest bottleneck is probably you. Fix that, and everything else follows.
Whether it is sales, reviews, referrals, or really any part of your business that isn’t the actual service itself – you only get to that point of comfortable success when you have methods in place.
It requires that you have systems in place for pitching customers, how you actively ask for the review, and how you get people excited about referrals.
And that all starts with being comfortable enough to step outside of your comfort zone and do something that isn’t easy for you to do.
If you do these three things—master sales, dominate reviews, and start running your business like a real business—you’ll leave 99% of your competitors behind.
Most people won’t do this. That’s why most businesses struggle.
Pick one thing right now that you’re going to do to step out of what is easy and solve the bigger problems that your business continually faces.
If you’re ready to break out of that cycle and grow for real—the pros here at Footbridge Media are always here to help. Our contractor marketing program helps home service pros to prioritize business growth without needlessly adding to your day.
"Contractor Marketing Tips And Tricks" - The Footbridge Media Podcast
About Chris Lonergan
Chris Lonergan has over 12 years of contractor marketing experience with Footbridge Media. With a background in web design, print design, content creation, and online marketing, Chris is focused on providing quality marketing and business solutions in the construction and service industries - helping small business owners to more efficiently manage their companies and grow their operations.
Chris Lonergan has previously contributed to and/or been featured in PM Magazine (Plumbing & Mechanical | Contractors x Engineers), theNEWS (ACHR - Air Conditioning | Heating | Refrigeration), Service Roundtable's blog, inPAINT Magazine, the SMB Marketing Agency Show, and the Green Industry Podcast. Chris is also a past SGI/CertainPath breakout session presenter.
