Want to be the winner in your market? Be the first to innovate.

These words of wisdom were imparted by Reese Bobby to his son Ricky Bobby in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (clip and clip).  Winners get more than their fair share, and a loser is just a loser.  No one cares about second place.  In our fast-moving world, the winners often take all […]

Best of 2016

As 2017 kicks 2016 to the curb, take a minute to revisit our most-loved blog posts of the year. Whether they’re new to you, or you need a review, check out these blog posts for inspiration to start the new year. The Google Lesson for Service Contractors Rise of the Machines in Service Industries Photo […]

The metal benders Will steal your customers

If you ask equipment manufacturers (metal benders), they will claim that your customers are technically their customers.  What’s changing now is that they want to have their customers pay them for maintenance and repair services instead of you.   I am, of course, speaking about how manufacturers are increasingly embracing the service business as the […]

Beat your low price competitor, chuck.

You know “one-truck Chuck,” or “white-van Stan” as I’ve heard him called before. He’s the one undercutting you and stealing your customers. It’s because he’s well rounded, and by that I mean he’s cut all the corners clean off. He has no overhead and he only wants to make a little more than his old […]

What’s your company worth?

In The Digital Wrap Book, Chapter 14 was titled the Digital Wrap Formula for Maximizing the Value of Your Business.  The chapter covered the technical, financial calculus that can be used to determine the amount a financial buyer might pay for a service contracting business (read the related blog post).  It also offered a good […]

Allow only the best drivers on your customer service bus

I keep finding ways to use the phrase “When you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” This week, it’s pointed at those of us at ServiceTrade. See, we’re a technology company, so we love using technology to help service companies meet the online customer engagement bar that Amazon has raised. We don’t cover as often as […]

Customer service is dead: 5 companies that killed it

Thanks to new technology, customer service innovations are not just an option, they are a must for most businesses, especially commercial service contractors. To be clear, by “customer service,” I don’t mean more smiling employees on phones reacting to disgruntled customers as this Google image search for “customer service” suggests. Truly modern customer service doesn’t […]

5 shocking things you don’t know about next-gen facility managers

First off, I have to congratulate you on clicking through to read this article. You are well on your way to understanding the younger, future generation of facility managers and you didn’t even realize it. “How” you ask? The title of this article is what is commonly referred to as “Clickbait” which is generally targeted towards […]

Innovation is not an option for service contractors

My kids have a Chick-fil-A habit, and I don’t mind because I also enjoy the comfort food they offer (particularly an Arnold Palmer with half lemonade and half unsweet iced tea).  On my latest Chick-fil-A run, I was bombarded in the restaurant with banners and promotions for Chick-fil-A One – the new Chick-fil-A mobile application […]

Make your business more valuable by being more valuable to your customers

Billy Marshall often speaks to industry association groups on topics that help service companies be more valuable, successful, productive and more important to their customers. This past May, he spoke in Indianapolis to fire protection companies about The Digital Wrap. What is Billy talking about? Watch the video to see! This 15-minute recording is crash course […]