Welcome back everybody to Behind the Tool Belt episode 310 310. I am your host, Ty Cobb Backer, and welcome to this Wednesday edition. We will be back after our short intro from our sponsors. Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of Behind the Tool Belt, the show where we build people, businesses, and building a legacy. I am your host, Ty Backer. And I am also a fellow traveler on this journey we call growth, leadership, and doing business the right way. And today, today, today is a big one. It's uh episode 310. We're two weeks away from six years bedazzlement with my gouda cheese and crackers, a little bit of wine with that. Anyhow, we're gonna dive into, I think, one of the most powerful business secrets that has helped us grow over the years. Um, and so if you're in the the roofing space, um shit, home improvement, landscaping, rental, solar, any business that relies on people, you know, and or businesses. Um, whether you do, you know, um door-to-door, B2B, what whatever, whatever, whatever, it all it all pretty much is people dependent. So this episode, we're we're gonna, I'm gonna try to give you the roadmap to uh building building a network. We've we've talked about network, but I want to wanna dig in a little deeper on network referrals, all that stuff, because we're kind of we've kind of been on that kick for the last past couple weeks. We've we've done some things where um we did uh trunk retreats. Okay, and I'm gonna use that as an example. So the first one that we attended, Dotties, man, that thing was off the freaking chain. There was, man, I don't even know, three, four, maybe potentially more thousand people with that. We had a we had uh pickup truck there, we threw some hay bales, we had the old smoke machine out there, and and it was free. It's free to enter. And then the um second one, we um actually ended up winning like first place for best trunk, the bed of the truck. And the amount of touch points that we that we generated. I mean, I just and in our local community, thousands, thousands, and with in the matter of 10 business days. And from that second one, we got a pretty good referral uh for community building that actually, I believe, hosted the trunk retreat. Um, we had the referral come in at Ben and our carpenters go out, they want these big porches, these reverse gables built over the doorways, and and uh it's it's it's a good one that somebody, you know, within the community uh that that has a facility in our community that provides a lot of services for for our town here in in Dover and in New York areas. It has the it's a community center, it's the library, the fire departments out front. So it it's to me is a it's a pretty big deal. And we not that we don't handle all of our referrals with you know with delicacy, but particularly this one um is is pretty big deal. And so for the amount of time and effort that went into it, it was well worth it. And you know, a lot of people may have thought, you know, man, they they they they go over and beyond the hours and the time that goes into something like that, especially at the home shows, it's worth it. It it's worth our time. That is the most valuable thing, most precious, most valuable that you can't even you can't even put a value on it the amount of work. And that's you know, when we've talked about before outworking everybody. That that's exactly that's exactly what I'm talking about, right? Like we're we're not saying how hard we're working. We we went out there and we performed, we hosted, or not hosted, but participated in the trunk retreats, the home and garden show that's coming up. So sit back, relax, and take it in. Take some notes. If you got any questions, please put them in, put them in the comment section. And I'll be more than happy. If I don't answer them here, I'll I'll get on and and I'll answer them for you guys. But uh, if you're in any of these spaces that that rely on people, this episode is going to be you know the roadmap to building a network so strong that your pipeline should and couldn't or shouldn't shouldn't run, shouldn't run dry. And um, you know, and and the importance of you know building a brand, a reputation, and a network. So, so for all things equal, okay, people do business and refer business, okay, to people they know, like, and trust. And we talk about that, but there's there's a p there's a key key component there. Like, yeah, people do business with people that they know, like, and trust, but let's talk about the referral aspect of that, right? I'm not going to refer somebody that I don't know like or trust, especially trust. I may know them, I know of them. I'm not aware of what type of quality of work that they do. And I may even say that if I do refer somebody, like, yeah, I see these guys all over the place, you know. But that's step one, right? Is that omnipresence, that touch point, right? Because if they see you long enough, their natural instinct, I believe, is that they're going to trust you. Right? They see you everywhere. Like, how are they so successful? How are they everywhere if they're doing something wrong? They obviously have to be doing something right. I feel like I'm yelling into the microphone here. Might be just my headphones are down a little bit. You don't have to turn them up, Vic. I'm fine. As long as you can hear me, I'm good. Okay, good. Sorry. It's dry in here. You know, and again, I'm not perfect at any of these things. I've stumbled across them, I've read, done some research, and I'm still learning. Like I mentioned, I'm on this, I'm on this uh this journey, the trail to uh personal and professional development and continuously learning things along the way. And that's really what I want to make the podcast about is sharing my experiences with with you guys and bringing on some kick-ass guests and and things like that and how we've done it. I think that you know, our mission is to become a household name. And I think we're we're really the momentum is definitely in that direction of us, you know, creating that that omnipresence. And I like to share how we did things and give our give our team some props and shout-outs and and you know, things like that. But um, the key part there is, you know, people want to do business with those that they know, like, and trust, but also refer. And a great example of that would be Zach Fisher, who's on here, who refers us because he knows us, he loves us, right? And he trusts us, thankfully. You know, so I can't say enough about the know, like, and trust. And how do you do that? How do you get somebody to know, like, and trust you? Um, you know, and this this here, I think, is the part that that most people missed is um none of this happens by accident, right? We live in a world where people are starving for real connection, okay, real authenticity, not fake networking, right? And and here, here, you know, like here's my business card, you know. Um uh call me if if you if you if you ever need a roof. You you know what I mean? That that's not that's not authentic, right? People want authenticity, you know, like who gives a shit about what you do? And every opportunity is is an opportunity to network. And and I think we talked about this a couple weeks ago on the show. You could be in the line at McDonald's, okay, and that's that's gonna be your reputation, okay? If you're that person that's impatient, okay, and a lot of times I'll forget that I have something on my chest, I'll forget a lot of times that I'm driving in a vehicle that's branded, and I'll catch myself speeding, I'll catch myself um being very impatient at a light, you know, blowing the horn, thing, things of that nature. So every opportunity is a brand awareness opportunity. Doesn't matter if that idiot standing in the back of the line, raising hell and showing his butt to, you know, and and that's the thing that I that I've had to learn over the years is that everyone's watching, right? Everyone's watching, everyone's got their phone out, everyone's ready to hit the record button, and hopefully it's something good. And that's the problem with the world today is that everybody wants that drama and everybody wants that that bad stuff that they want to post on social media because unfortunately they feel less then, right? And they need that dopamine shot, so they're gonna post some bullshit on social media of somebody doing something wrong. And it's like, and as far as I'm concerned, you're throwing stones at a glass house. You know what I mean? I man, I just I wouldn't have the balls to throw somebody under the bus and and socially assassinate them, you know, on social media. Um, so anyhow, enough about that. Um, so nobody wants that fake stuff, right? They want that genuine, authentic, um, you know, care, value. What how are you going to make their lives better? Um, you know, and if you can master relationships, your business will become unstoppable. If you can master relationships in sales, if you can master relationships at home, if you can master relationships, all of these things will grow. All of this applies. Everything I'm gonna talk about today, if I can stay on track, will apply to your professional, your personal, your children's, your wives, your coworkers, um, relationships. It will bring value, right? If you walk into a room, the first thought that should go through your head is I'm gonna pick somebody out of the crowd and I'm going to bring value to their life. Now, I do know it's a hard paradigm to shift. I get it. We are born selfish and self-centered. I mean, look at an infant. They cry, they cry, and they cry and they cry and they cry and cry until they get whatever it is that they want. They don't know any better. We don't know any better until our brain starts to fully develop into the human being that we are today. It's somewhere along the line. Hopefully, that switch happens where you stop becoming so selfish and self-centered, where it becomes all about me, me, me, me, me. I'm gonna cry until I get what I want. I'm gonna stop my feet in line at McDonald's until they call my number, yada, yada, yada. And the world has become that. So if you can master relationships, okay, things will go a lot easier. Um, because no algorithm, no platform changes, no competition can take away real human key word here, loyalty. Okay. I can't count on both hands and feet the amount of clients, customers, homeowners, builders that we started out when we started out in business, that we still do business with those same customers, clients, partners that have actually become partners today because of loyalty. Why? It's because how we made them feel. They know us, they like us, they trust us. Now, I'm not saying that we've been perfect, things happened, but it's how we dealt with those situations that mattered. And I'm I'm gonna give you uh I'm gonna share a story, okay, because some of this, you know, and I swear, I swear, if every salesperson, every entrepreneur, every technician could learn this, we would double in business. We would double in size. We would, we would absolutely double in size. And and uh it was a couple few couple months ago, whatever, a gentleman walked in the front door here, and I had no idea who he was. And I was there, it happened to to be a a uh homeowner that was dropping off final check. And so I thought I'd go out there and I'd talk to him for a little bit. And now, granted, most of you might think that the sale was over. Okay, sales never over, by the way. And we are all salespeople in one way, shape, or form. Think about that. So, why is it every time this time of day I get spam calls out the butt? So this nice gentleman walks in, he was a big dude, big older fella, and and um he came in and I was like, Hey, I'm Ty. And he's like, Oh man, it's great to meet you, and you know, and and uh through social presence and and things like that, he he um that's how he found us, and I asked I asked him a couple questions, like, you know, how did you hear about us? And he's like, Oh man, I've seen your podcast and I see your trucks everywhere and your billboards and and stuff, and your team did an amazing job. So I asked him a couple questions, and one of the questions that I asked him was, is um, and he started telling me he he um owns a business, he's retired today, and and um um so I I was asking him some questions, and and one of the big ones that I asked him was, I was like, you know, how did you start your business? And I love it when people ask me that question because I love telling my story. Okay. And now, mind you, this turned into what he thought would probably be a five minute, you know, I'm gonna drop a check off, get my final invoice and stuff like that. But it turned into a genuine, authentic conversation. And I really truly wanted to know, you know, how did the business get started? And uh he actually worked for the company and had the opportunity to buy out the the the existing owners. Uh it was a pretty cool story, you know, and and uh he loved, you could just see him light up. And and um I asked him, I said, I said to him, I was like, what what did you enjoy most about it when when um you know you were still working day to day? And he said, you know, I I enjoyed getting out in the field. They they built machinery and and it was manufacturing stuff like that. He's like, you know, I spent so many years, you know, on the floor and I spent so many years up in the office. He's like, you know, when I finally got myself into a position where, you know, not that he could do whatever he wanted, but where he got got himself in a pretty comfortable position where um he he could kind of pick and choose what he did throughout the course of the day. He said that um he'd like to get out in the field with the the teams that were installing these things and and show them how to how to do this stuff, um, because that's where he got his true joy. And he said to me, and it's something that I kind of live by too, he's like, you know, what I was taught was was was was meant to be taught. So what he had learned over the years was meant to be taught. So he wanted to pass on his trade to those people, his co-workers and co-leaders of all the things, the tricks of the trade, you know, especially out in the field, and how to deal with customers and the experience that the customer should be experiencing from the team and how impressed he was with his team. Um, but that's where he he found his true joy. So um after it was all said and done, and like I said, 45 minutes had had passed, and and he said to me, he said to me, he's like, anybody that I know, I am going to refer to you guys. He was like, I the experience from when um you know the first touch point when when he he called us, it was pleasant. The gentleman that came out to visit him and did the inspection on his property, and the team that went out and did the work, and he said, now he's like this. He said it was just so nice to come in here. He's like, I didn't know what to expect when I came in there. He's like, I see this big bright building outside, and and um, you know, it was just nice to meet the owner that the owner's here every day working, and and just like I did, like we we could relate on that level. You know, I met him where he was, and he met me where I was, and it was just a real, real authentic, genuine question um conversation that that we had. And and um, you know, I guess, I guess if anything, if if if one of the biggest messages that I can leave, I can leave with you guys is is if if if we want more, we have to give more. And and that's where it's at. People people think, right, referrals um are about asking. Yes, that yeah, of course. I I we train our team to ask for referrals. It is, it is, but 90% of referrals happen because of how we make people feel was the point of the story. It's how we made him feel throughout the entire journey. I don't know how well the job went. I I really truly don't. But if it didn't, if we left a nail in the driveway and he ended up getting a flat tire, I don't know because he didn't bring it up to me. But I can tell you this it was it was how I made him feel. That was his lasting impression. I can guarantee it, and I can guarantee anybody ever needs a roof, he's gonna refer us, hands down. So the more the more you position yourself as a giver, the more people naturally want to help you in return. Not because they owe you, because helping helping you just feels right. You know what I mean? It just felt right to him, like, yeah, I'm gonna and and he was he was another business owner, the homeowner that owned um, you know, a business at one point in time. So anyhow, in the roofing space, particularly in the roofing space, we we have to um give homeowners clarity. Okay. We we have to sometimes educate them. We we have to give them transparency, peace of mind, and good communication. And I think that's where a lot of us, and I know I failed in any of these things. I fail on on a day-to-day basis. However, um, I do try to work on it and I review my night. I review my day every night to see where I could do better. And and um I wish that I could say I had more wins throughout the course of the day um on any given day. But um, you know, we're working on it, right? We're we're all traveling on this journey together. And in leadership, okay, we have we have to make sure that we're giving you know our team the belief, the purpose, and the tools to win. And I honestly believe in that in that circumstance with that gentleman that came in to visit us to drop off his final payment. I believe the team had the belief. I believe the team knew the purpose. I believe the team had the tools to win, right? The the message has been articulated well enough. That gentleman felt the warm fuzzies before he left here. And it was about it's about give, give, give, and the referrals flow naturally. Okay, we have to give if more than we receive. And um, so I want you I want you to imagine something. Okay, imagine you're not a salesperson. Imagine yourself being a connector, imagine yourself being a guide, imagine yourself being the helper, okay. And here's what this looks like, okay. If you walk into um a room, any room, like I said, McDonald's, networking, uh, office, okay, you should be thinking, who can I help? You walk into a homeowner's home, you should be thinking to yourself, when you got that appointment and that appointment set, the first thing it should go through your mind is is okay, I'm gonna figure out what their pain point is, okay, and what can I do to fix it? Okay, you meet someone new and you think, how can I bring value to them? Okay, the moment the moment you shift from what I can get to what I can give, your business, your relationship, your life transforms. Okay, and I would like to think on most days that I tried to lead by example of giving, right? This, if anybody who's ever worked here or works here or has hung around long enough knows that we are about giving, giving more than we receive in payment in payment. Um, and that is one way that we've been able to build, you know, trust. People know us and they like us. If not, hopefully they love us, like Zach Fisher does. Blood sweat and tears, crit. We'll always be my people. That's right. You too, buddy. Love you. Sorry, it's dry in here, boy. So if you're about building a reputation, okay, your personal brand, not through hype, even though I like hype, okay, but through continuous or consistent value, okay, you must become the person who follows up professionally, okay, shows up on time, um honors their word, makes people feel important, okay, and stays on top of of their mind, okay, without being annoying. Okay, that means following up. Okay. Now, on any given day, I'll fail miserably at all five of these things. On any given day, I'll be rocking on all eight cylinders. Some days I only hit half of them, right? But now that these are on the forefront of my mind, showing up professionally, showing up on time, honoring my word, making people feel important. Okay. And following up. Essentially, that's one of the ingredients of being and staying successful for the long term. You know, and for contractors, salespeople, leaders, this is gold. I mean, this is gold. We hear it all the time, and hopefully, I'm breaking it down in layman's terms, the way that I can understand things, and hopefully I'm articulating it in a way that you guys can understand this because most of our industry is built on low trust, unfortunately. You know, the roofing industry, the trades, landscaping. I I'm seeing some dude right now just getting demolished on social media. Landscaping company, I think, I don't know, some kind of contracting construction. I have no idea, but this dude um is getting just assassinated, man. And it's it really kind of sucks to see that, you know. Um, you know, because there's always two sides to every story, right? And if anybody knows this person, you know, I'm sure they know they know they know what's up. So but if you're but if you're reliable, you're honest, you're respectful, and you're helpful, you've already separated yourself from your competition. And things will change so unbelievably fast when you just suit up, show up, do what you say you're gonna do, be mindful, be helpful, okay, and follow up. You know, and and honestly, in that one sentence, you know, we could probably create a freaking book out of that. But anyhow, here's my here's my favorite part. Here's my favorite part. Okay. And um, I use this in my in in our own business, right? In my coaching and and uh my personal relationship is um, you know, simple, simple uh transition line um when when you're networking or or having a real conversation is um you ask them, like if I if I may ask, you know, how do I know, how do I know if someone I'm talking to would be a good fit for a referral for you? Okay, and when you do that, that one flips the entire game, that one sentence. It if if sorry, and I'll repeat that. How do I know if someone I'm talking to would be a good fit to refer your way? Okay, not many people ask that question to other people. What do you do for a living? Oh, I sell pretzels down on the street corner. Oh, okay. So you what what are your oper hours of operation? Okay, I'm here from 11 to 3 o'clock. Okay, great. I love your pretzels, I love the mustard, the homemade mustard, I love the sea salt that you're using on these things. Okay, I'm gonna refer. So anybody that I know that likes salt, anybody that I know that likes mustard, anybody that I that I know that likes pretzels, I'm going to refer to you because these are the best pretzels and become one of their biggest cheerleaders. Okay. So if now that anybody that I run into, I know Janna likes pretzels, I know Rocket likes pretzels pretzels. So that's my point. So the next time you're with somebody, ask them who would be the ideal reference, referral, referral for them. Because nobody ever asked that. Okay. Then that one line there makes you unforgettable. Makes you unforgettable. Whether they need your service or not. Then we're like, man, that dude Ty Backer, man, that owns that roofing company over there. You know, he's already referred me five other clients that came down here and bought dozens of pretzels for me down in the corner on Sunday afternoon when I was blah, blah, blah. Whatever. Whatever. Anyhow, it shows that you care. It shows that you care about their success, not just your own. Practice it. It's something you can practice, skill. Okay. Use it. I promise. It will change your life. It'll change your business. You know, and so here's the bottom line it's not, it's not just about networking, it's about how to become a better human being. Really, at the end of the day, that's all it is. Love this topic, by the way. So when you focus on connection and adding value, making people feel understood, okay, being a giver, okay, referrals stop being random. Okay. They become predictable, they become consistent, and hopefully they become endless. As long as you continuously suit up and show up. You know, and in our industry, roofing, construction, home services, that's everything. Everything that I had mentioned for the past 10 minutes, man. That that if you want to succeed in our business, when the phone rings, answer it. Run the appointment, get them a quote, do the job, do it to the best of your ability, give them as much value, have them feel like they've received more value than what they've paid you. And it's really not hard. A lot of it has to do with what's happening here. You know what I mean? It it has nothing to do with what's on that estimate sheet. Most of it is how you handled them, how you treated them, and how you made them feel before you left there. If they go with you and trust you, know you and like you. Okay, so what did you do? How did you make them feel? Did you find the pain? Did you find a solution? Did you give them a solution to their problem? You gave value to them. So, anywho, what time is it? How are we doing here? About 31 minutes into it. Anyhow, um, I think I'm gonna wrap this one up. I hope, I hope today's episode um brought you value, as much value as it has to me um on this journey that I'm on and the books that I'm reading and and um all the good stuff. So I hope, I hope, I hope it gave you, you know, the tools, um, so some tools that you could add into uh your toolbox, and I hope that it inspired you to build a deeper, deeper relationships that that last a lifetime. So thank you. Thank you for listening to uh episode 310 behind the tool belt. If this episode helped you, share it with your team, your friends, and or someone who's out there trying to grow, which I know a lot of you guys are guys and gals are out there. So make sure you follow the show, leave us a review, connect with us on social. Okay. You know we're on social all the time. So we can keep bringing energy, clarity, and leadership to the industry. I'm Ty Backer, signing off. Until next time, stay inspired, stay intentional, and keep building the life you were made for.