Direct mail isn’t dead—and it won’t die until mailboxes die.

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew break down why direct mail still works and how to get the most out of it in the digital age. They discuss how to craft high-impact direct mail, ways to write an opening line that keeps readers hooked, how to keep your mail out of the trash, and the creative strategies that grab attention—like mailing preloaded iPads.

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why direct mail is still effective, how to get your message opened and read, and how to incorporate it into a winning marketing strategy.

• Is direct mail marketing dead? Kenny starts by explaining why direct mail marketing is alive and well.
• While many people think direct mail is outdated, it’s far from dead. As long as people have mailboxes, direct mail will continue to be an effective strategy.
• Chris points out that people still check their mail, making direct mail a direct-to-consumer channel.
• Kenny shares how most people sort their mail. They stand over the trash can and toss out ads immediately. Understanding this behavior is key to designing mail that avoids the trash bin.
• According to Chris, direct mail is more than just letters--it also includes postcards, shared mailings, and even high-end packages that grab attention.
• Chris emphasizes that direct mail guarantees your message reaches the mailbox—something digital ads can't always promise.
• Chris shares creative direct mail strategies that get your mail opened. Some marketers used to send iPads with preloaded videos about their product—because if someone receives an iPad, they’re more likely to open it and watch the video.
• If your mail doesn't grab attention right away, it goes straight to the trash. Kenny stresses the importance of standing out instantly.
• According to Chris, a great way to stand out instantly is to add creativity to envelopes in three simple ways:
• Make it hand addressed: Open rates of hand addressed envelopes are exponentially higher than those of typed ones.
• Fold your letter for maximum impact. Not all folds are equal. Chris explains why a C-fold (instead of a Z-fold) makes a letter easier to read and more likely to be engaged with.
• The power of a compelling opening line. Your first line should be catchy enough to grab attention and expertly written such that it gets the reader to read the next line.
• Consistency is key in direct mail marketing. Chris reminds us that, just like in digital marketing, people need to see a brand 7 to 10 times before they take action.
• How to integrate direct mail into a bigger strategy. Kenny and Chris discuss how direct mail shouldn’t exist in isolation. It should be part of a multi-layered marketing campaign, including digital ads and social media.
• Follow the money to target the right audience. Chris explains how to use data like median household income, home value, and age of home to ensure you always send mail to the right prospects.
• Successful campaigns use direct mail alongside other channels such as social media, paid ads, and content marketing for the best results.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e8

The Blue Collar Success Group

City-data.com

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew talk about all things business reviews. They share compelling statistics about the role reviews play in the purchasing process, how to handle negative reviews, and how your online presence can either multiply or diminish the effectiveness of your marketing dollars.

You’ll hear the 4-step process Chris uses to approach online reviews, how you can get more quality reviews, and how Chris used a 3-star review as a marketing asset.

• Kenny Chapman kicks things off by discussing that everything is sales.
• Kenny introduces the main topic of this episode, reviews, by emphasizing their importance.
• Chris Crew talks about how the customer experience and referral customer dynamic worked before the World Wide Web became the go-to resource for everybody.
• When it comes to online reviews, it’s important to remember that different searchers have different criteria around reviews.
• Chris shares his four-step approach to looking at the online reviews a business has received.
• According to Chris your reputation as a business hinges upon how you handle things when they don’t go great – and not upon what you do when things go great…
• Kenny talks about how reviews are approached at the Blue Collar Success Group, and the role Amazon has played when it comes to reviews and their role within the buying process.
• 93% of consumers say online reviews impact their purchasing decision.
• Kenny finds it mind-blowing to have almost 80% of people trust an online review as much as they do recommendations from friends and family.
• The fact that approximately 54% of consumers would only consider using a business with a minimum four-star rating means that half the population expects you to not be perfect.
• 87% of consumers prefer businesses with three-to-five-star ratings before considering them.
• Chris touches upon a couple of scenarios in which you may have received negative online reviews – and how to deal with them.
• 70% of customers say they’re more likely to leave a review when an account is responsive to reviews.
• Chris sees an online review as a confirmation that says, “you did a good job!”
• At Blue Collar, it’s important for different team members to know how to effectively get online reviews – Chris role plays how to get a review as a technician.
• Kenny points out that, for him, whenever a customer makes a purchase, they buy the company and the technician, then they buy the product or service.
• Kenny explains how home service businesses can get more quality online reviews and how they can get their team members to buy in.
• Spoiler alert: privacy and secrets are long gone!
• For Chris, your online presence is either a multiplier or a divider of your marketing dollars.
• Kenny and Chris talk about how to leverage positive online reviews as marketing materials.
• Chris shares how he leveraged a three start review as a marketing asset.
• The key takeaway: It’s not just about collecting five-star reviews—there’s hidden magic in all reviews if you leverage them properly in your business.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e6

The Blue Collar Success Group

Professional Tech Academy

Yelp

Amazon

Tony Robbins

Oprah Winfrey

Peter Diamandis

This episode is a mailbag episode in which Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew tackle a couple of crucial questions from audience members.

From the biggest concern that keeps them up at night to the #1 cause of business failures and increasing credit card transaction fees.

You’ll hear Kenny and Chris shed some light on these important issues, some of which will help you grow your business.

• Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew kick off the episode by addressing a question from audience member Haley, who asks about the challenges that are keeping them up at night in a time where consumers are financially struggling.
• Chris acknowledges that building a business is fun and rewarding and that different people have different concerns.
• The goal of pretty much every home service business owner is to grow top line – but it’s important to do it profitably, stresses Chris.
• Chris explains why growing unprofitably is the most painful thing in the world, and why you should get profitability dialed in first.
• Chris and Kenny share a real-life example of a company that did not focus on profitability in its first three years–and how its business transformed once it did!
• Kenny brings Wall Street and unicorn startups into the conversation.
• Process optimization is the challenge that keeps Kenny up at night.
• Activity, commitment, courage, focus, confidence, implementation, and non-stop training all contribute to making a company take notice and want to hire you
• Chris discusses an approach that can generate very strong margins on low-end equipment.
• Scheduling is the focus of the next audience question…
• Chris touches upon the importance of having a call priority matrix in the context of sales.
• Kenny reiterates that it’s about being profitable, as well as the fact that less is more.
• “Every day, we’re doing the best we can in the human experience, in the service business world,” says Kenny.
• Remember: your best is all you’ve got!
• Audience member Taylor asked Kenny and Chris for help in creating scripts and verbiage regarding a 3% credit card fee – something that Taylor’s customers don’t like.
• Chris’ advice to Taylor is to increase all prices across the board by 3% and assume that everyone will use a credit card.
• Not being priced correctly is the #1 reason why businesses fail.
• Kenny and Chris bring up how a customer may feel if they’re presented with increased credit card fees, as well as other types of fees.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e5

The Blue Collar Success Group

Professional Tech Academy

Les Brown

Office Champion Academy

Venmo

Bud Light

“How do I turn ‘just looking’ prospects into paying customers?” is probably one of the most recurring questions among home service salespeople…and that’s exactly what hosts Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew tackle in this episode of the Home Service Business Success show.

They talk about the importance of having a process to follow, common mistakes salespeople make when visiting prospects’ homes, and why you shouldn’t fight objections but rather follow them.

You’ll get to hear Chris and Kenny skills practice (aka role play) and share the step-by-step process that, if followed, will allow you to close more prospects.

• Today’s episode addresses how to turn “just looking” prospects into paying customers.
• Chris Crew views process as something that “outperforms anything and anybody.”
• Chris discusses the importance of not making assumptions in sales – and the consequences when you do.
• Uncovering a prospect’s motive is the most important task when you walk into their home for the first time.
• Trying to shortcut the process and qualifying prospects too quickly are two of the biggest mistakes home service salespeople make.
• Kenny Chapman believes it’s imperative to allow the process to do what it’s meant to do.
• Chris and Kenny engage in skill practice (aka role play) and break down the process you should follow to qualify a prospect when visiting their home.
• Kenny emphasizes the power of running a process while allowing prospects to feel they are in control.
• Chris and Kenny unpack the scenario where a prospect says, “I’m going to look to get a couple more estimates before I make a decision.”
• Remember: when there’s no established buying criteria, prices become the default criteria prospects will rely on.
• For Kenny, it’s important to remember that prospects are always “just looking” until they’re not…
• Chris and Kenny advocate not fighting the objection, but rather following it – by following the conversation, you’ll win more often than not.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e3

The Blue Collar Success Group

Sales Specialist Academy

HSBS season 2 episode 2 - HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e2

Best Buy

“I need to speak to my spouse.”

That’s an objection that many home service salespeople fear – you hear that, you’re doomed…

Why do some people bring that point up during an appointment and what can you do to conquer that objection to successfully close the sale?

In today’s episode of the Home Service Business Success Show, hosts Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew discuss how to prevent the “I need to speak to my spouse objection.”

You’ll hear about the mindset needed, the reasons for that objection, and strategies you can use (like alternative closing and the “be-back appointment”) to overcome it.

• This episode looks at what home service companies can do leading up to and during the “I need to talk to my spouse” objection they may face.
• For Chris Crew, the intake process whenever a phone conversation about the estimate for a big ticket item is taking place is key for setting up – and ultimately closing – the sale in person.
• One of the key steps of the process is to understand who the main decision maker is and ensure that they will be present at the time of the in-person appointment.
• Additionally, it’s imperative to communicate to prospects that there’s an expected time commitment, which will help when meeting them in person at their home.
• Chris shares a simple strategy you can use to increase the chances of all parties being present at the time of your visit.
• The “I need to talk to my spouse” conversation typically arises toward the end of an exchange – Kenny Chapman believes that it should occur earlier, rather than later.
• Kenny believes that every big purchase (of $1,000 or more) is a decision that people should discuss with their spouse/significant other.
• Chris and Kenny talk about the fact that, as a high-performing salesperson, you’re going to have to do some nights and weekends.
• Kenny touches upon how COVID not only changed the way millions of people work but also the impact of those changes on the sales process of home service businesses.
• Chris brings up the concept of the so-called “be-back appointment” into the conversation – including when to rely on it.
• Chris and Kenny discuss the mindset needed and the steps you can take to facilitate the “I need to speak to my spouse” conversation and turn the momentum your way.
• Chris provides a breakdown of the “alternative close” strategy that you could leverage when having sales conversations.
• “Alternative closing goes back to consultative selling when I’m more involved with identifying what the customer wants, instead of me telling them what they need,” says Chris.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e2

The Blue Collar Success Group

Sales Specialist Academy

IFTTT – If This Then That