Your Brand Breakthrough Starts Here
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Speaker 1: 0:00
What's up, lemonheads? Welcome back to another episode of From the Yellow Chair. I'm so excited about today's episode, even though it might be just a little bit different, because we're not talking about marketing strategy or social trends. We are talking about heart, we are talking about mission, and I'm so thrilled that our special guest is here on the podcast with me today, because she is all about heart and mission. So hopefully you have heard about the great American brand story that Lemon Seed is putting on with the help of Service Nation with me today, because she is all about heart and mission.
Speaker 1: 0:24
So hopefully you have heard about the great American brand story that Lemon Seed is putting on with the help of Service Nation and this transformational rebrand campaign that we are giving away to a deserving contractor. So today we're diving into why we launched it, who it's really for and how it can align to a bigger mission to really elevate the trades, elevate the hard working men and women, these contractors who are the unsung heroes of today's world. And so who better to sip some lemonade than our powerhouse partner and friend Nicole Norris from Service Nation? She's here to talk about this campaign, this initiative, and what it means, not just for one lucky contractor, but for the entire industry. So, without further ado, let's sip some lemonade.
Speaker 2: 1:17
Thank you, Emily. I am super excited to be on this podcast and I don't know if I'm more excited to be on the podcast or more excited to be part of this venture that you guys are doing. I mean, we are about to change lives. I'm super excited that we, Service Nation, were able to partner with Lemon Seed on this.
Speaker 1: 1:36
Absolutely. You know, when Crystal and I dreamed up this kind of crazy idea, like we wanted it to be beyond just what we, as Lemon Seed, could do and could offer, like we wanted to be something that could truly, truly change lives. While we believe that a power of brand can do that, we also know a brand is useless if you don't have the right operations, the right tools and things in your back pocket to further execute it out and to have that training and coaching. So the first person we reached out to or organization was Service Nation, and you guys have been a great partner to us in many different things and you know tons of our contractors. Our own clients are from Service Nation. So when we came to you guys with this crazy idea that said we want to do this giant prize package, we want to have all these partners we want to make it worth about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars was going through y'all's mind. I want to know the inside scoop and you can be real with this.
Speaker 2: 2:30
Yes, so honestly I was like, oh my goodness, this is like TV. I mean, we saw this on TV and we can't do that. But Lemon Seed is able to do this so quickly and you guys had a full blown plan on how you were going to do it and it's a no brainer to jump on board. I mean, first of all, it's a privilege to be asked and then it's a second to be able to see the alignment between the two of us you know our company and your company. I mean, we want to be instrumental in the lives of contractors, want to be instrumental in the lives of contractors, and it's no better way to do it than to show our love for them by supporting them and supporting their customers and their families.
Speaker 1: 3:11
No, that's a hundred percent, and I know we at Lemon say that we just have a heart and a passion for giving back Like we've been blessed. You know we're blessed Sometimes. You know it's hard when you think of your own coming. It's a blessing and a curse, but ultimately it is a blessing and we have been able to see lives transformed through this. And so we know Service Nation also has a heart for giving back and for investing in the lives of contractors. Tell me a little bit about that. The purpose behind it.
Speaker 2: 3:39
Yes, I've been with Service Nation for over 10 years. I finally get to say a decade Service Nation for over 10 years. I finally get to say a decade and it's very. I mean to know that we are truly impacting lives. For people to come up and say thank you or for us to know that their company grew from one to two trucks to hundreds of trucks or tens of trucks, whatever the number is. It's just very humbling to know that we are changing people.
Speaker 2: 4:05
Our mission has always been to help contractors grow and over the years, we've helped them in different ways, from our different best practices to our networking groups to all these other things. But our biggest point that we are bringing to Lemon Seed and the American American Brand Story is we want to help them by training them and giving them all of the next steps to not only have this great brand that you'll provide but to, you know, impact their bottom line, and they're. Impacting their bottom line starts with understanding your financials under having a group of people that you can work with and grow with, and that's our mission is really just to get contractors with other contractors, help them grow and provide them truly a process.
Speaker 1: 4:55
And that's what we do. So let's back up just a little bit. In case anyone isn't familiar with Service Nation. You kind of alluded towards what you guys are gonna be offering in the prize package, but tell us why you're able to offer this in the Great American Brands, because this is what you guys do every single day. Tell us a little bit more about all your services to contractors.
Speaker 2: 5:12
Yes, what we do for service contractors is you pay, you know, of course, a membership fee and that's going to depend on what level of membership you want to engage with. We have members that start at monthly memberships and then we have our elite members that come in and they are really trying to grow their company and we have a whole other program for them. But what we provide is we provide training, we provide in-person events, we provide networking and we provide them tools to help them grow their business, regardless of what those tools are, you know we it can be anything from training we do a little bit of marketing, but you know what? We leave that to the experts. You know we have some great marketing companies and, of course, women's Seat is one of them. So we don't go into that part. We are just here really to support our vendors in marketing. But we also help with just, you know, the day-to-day business. You know holding them accountable, making sure that they have the tools they need to succeed.
Speaker 1: 6:24
No, that's awesome. That's amazing. We have been able to firsthand witness the power and the impact that Service Nation has made to tons of contractors. And you guys do have all those amazing vendor partners and relationships to where, like, hey, you're struggling with this contractor, here's three different people that we can refer to that are trusted and vetted, that we know can help you grow in that area.
Speaker 1: 6:45
And then you know, running a business is not just one side. It's not just about getting your marketing nailed and getting that down like you're good to go. No, it's financially, operationally training, like from leadership training down to like skills training, and you guys have a solution for all of those things through your amazing network. So it's fantastic and that's one reason why we knew you guys were going to be. We needed you as part of our presenting sponsor for the great American brand story. So let's talk a minute, because I'm sure you've been able to witness the power of a brand and what contractors with strong brands can do. So what does it do for a contract, Not just visually, but emotionally, operationally, how they impact their community. Have you seen any of that in you know the contracts that you've worked with?
Speaker 2: 7:30
Oh, of course. I mean it's one thing to have a logo and then there's another thing to make that logo work. And when I say make that logo work, it means what are you doing in your community, what are you doing to your customers? And you know, for me to see a truck go by, that's great At least it's visual to me but then to see them in the community doing great things, you know, I think that's the part that sets an average contractor into an elevated contractor. You know you have to be more than your brand. You have to be, you know, impacting lives, and that can be customers that can be. You know your community, but you have to be more than your brand. You have to be, you know, impacting lives, and that can be customers that can be. You know your community, but you have to stand for more than just you know a logo on a piece of paper or a logo on a shirt.
Speaker 1: 8:14
Well, and a brand done right should be a visual representation of what your company actually stands for. So do you have the good old fashioned values family oriented? Are you super modern and innovative? Like we are cutting edge? You know, beginning at the forefront before everyone else. You know like the visual representation should represent what your company is.
Speaker 1: 8:35
Because, you're right, a brand is so much more than just a logo. But when you can have that logo that illustrates it and represents what your company stands for, that helps consumers know why they should go with you versus the other competitors that you have in your market. And when people feel like they know you they see you everywhere. You're five mile famous, if you will when they actually do have that time of need for their plumbing emergency or their air conditioning unit just went out. Like you don't want to be going up and duking it out with every other contractor on Google ads, like if they already know you and they know, oh, I'm going to call wise guys, I'm going to call Bailey's heating and cool. Like you don't have to duke it out, they're going to you directly because they've already known you and experienced you.
Speaker 2: 9:24
Exactly. You know, in our world we do not want to have contractors come in our house because we know that it can be costly. But we also want the ones that care to be in our homes because I mean, we value our homes just like we value our families. So we want the best doing those things for us. Oh absolutely.
Speaker 1: 9:42
I mean, it's not fun money to spend Like we'd rather spend 10 grand on a nice vacation or something. But you're right, like we all can appreciate that, like it is a big deal, you know, and like it has tremendous resale value. Like if I was going to sell my home when was the HVAC system last up? Like. So I think we can know and appreciate that. But that's why we are going to value who is going to actually come into my home, who can I trust? Who's going to walk me through the process? Not treat me like I'm a dummy If I'm a woman, I'm not speaking the right technical terms or things like that, you know.
Speaker 1: 10:14
So building that trust can very much be done through your brand and it is super important and consumers are looking for that. Sometimes contractors get in their own way. I think about well, I'm not the cheapest in town. I'm like, well, I can't offer these, you know these super low offers that these private equity companies are doing. No, it's not about that. It's about building the trust and what makes you different, you know, than these other people.
Speaker 2: 10:37
And it's funny that you talk about pricing, because you know we're not going to talk price and we're not being, you know, honest. I don't know if I want the cheapest person. Will we be doing a surgery for me or the cheapest person maybe doing a surgery for me or the cheapest person messing with my eye? These are things that I value, so I want to have a reputable person. I want to have a person that cares about not only me, but about you know, doing the right thing all the time, and I think your brand should stand for that Absolutely.
Speaker 1: 11:05
And I think this leads into a perfect segue of you know you want to build that trust and show the value, like, hey, we're not the cheapest, but like we are the most experienced, we're the most trustworthy, like you're building that value to your consumers. So is your brand actually telling that? Or have you yourself tried to skimp it, like I'm not even gonna wrap my vehicle, I'm just gonna, like, put some decals on here. Or like, uh, my cousin's brother like you know, which I guess would still be your cousin, but my cousin's brother's like you know, which I guess would still be your cousin, but my cousin's brother's boyfriend, someone out like has the latest version of Photoshop. They can make me a logo. Like, ok, you're skimping it there.
Speaker 1: 11:37
And like consumers can tell, ok, so if you want to look like you are the premium option, or like you have all the expertise, you are the authority in these space and in that space, you need to look like it. And so that's why we've put together this giant prize package for the Great American Brand Story. So, starting off, it's going to be a complete rebrand giveaway from Lemon Seed. So we're going to give you a true brand that tells a story that has some meaning behind it, that represents your company. We're going to give you a brand story and a brand acronym and all the logo and supporting files that you might need to really kind of run with it, but then also a prize package from Service Nation. So, nicole, tell us a little bit about the exact specifics that you guys are going to be giving us.
Speaker 2: 12:23
Yes, we are. We are going to be helping grow your business by giving you all of the best practices that you need. So, if you're not already a Service Nation Alliance member because you can be a Service Nation member or an Alliance member we want to provide you with a year's membership. You know and that is very I don't want to give the price because we're going to say that your total package is way over ten thousand dollars Wow, but you're going to get the best practices. You're going to say that your total package is way over $10,000. Wow, but you're going to get the best practices. You're going to get the membership.
Speaker 2: 12:54
We have events that are in person, with the next one being Service World Expo in Las Vegas. So you definitely get a ticket, for that Does not include traveling hotel, but you know what Get to Vegas and everything else is paid for there. And then we also are providing training. You know every company is a little different, so you can tell us how you want to use your training dollars. You know, maybe it's for culture, maybe it's for this profile, maybe it is for finances. Whatever it is that you need, service Nation is there to help, and you know training. You know training is one of those things and I'm sorry to get on this bandwagon but training is one of those things where the ROI on it you may not see immediately, but if you do not put in time to train, someone else will later. And then those are dollars that are you can't recoup.
Speaker 1: 13:52
So you know we want to start you out with the best practices and the training you need to grow well and you're 100% right, like usually, when you're like, uh, I need some training, like you've already kind of missed the mark, like you have a much more uphill battle, but when you're more proactive than reactive in it, um, you save yourself a lot of heartache. So, man, just from the brand package that Lemon Seed is giving and from Service Nation, like that already would be a fantastic prize package, I think, don't you think?
Speaker 2: 14:18
Nicole, I think so too. And then, when you partnered with all of the other different vendors that you guys are going to have it would, I mean, I can't imagine if every contractor that's hearing this is not going to take a moment and, you know, apply for this. I mean, I to me it is one of the best things out there, and if you're missing this opportunity, then you're missing the chance to grow your company.
Speaker 1: 14:46
Also included is going to be a brand new website from online access. Um, we've got a partner locally my husband and I, real graphics who's going to be donating some signage and wall wraps to build your culture internally in your team. We've got criscone brothers, who's going to be donating, um, some branded products, whether you need that for apparel, hats, um, swag items, they're going to be donating that, plus some outbound resources to really like help you. If the phones aren't ringing, we're going to make the phones ring on their end. So giving you some outbound services.
Speaker 1: 15:17
Ripley PR is another fantastic partner of Lick and Seed. They're going to do a five week blitz for this new contractor so not a new contractor, but for the new brands, like in their area. How are they going to let people know about this transformation? Hey, same great company, just with a new look and feel, giving them lots of resources to really push that. Pink Callers is another fantastic partner. They're going to be offering some call center resources from building out some organization, but then also branded call scripts and how can you outbound dial? But also when you're internally, when you are receiving those phone calls, how can it be branded and extenuating further, reiterating into the mind of the consumer about your brand, searchlight, also providing tons of digital analytics and digital insights that you can piece together all the marketing pieces that you have. They're coming from all these different paths and all these different lead sources, tying it into one unbiased so not just your digital provider. Being like this is everything we did. They can kind of see a more full picture and they have no skin in the game to their own performance of hey, this was our website, that we were in these digital ads, this is how well it's performing Gives you an unbiased, truly amazing insight to that Um, also to your success. We know them for their amazing smelling cookies, but they have tons of consumer relation marketing um resources that they're going to be donating to this contractor. Mail shark is going to be doing a direct mail drop Um and Again getting the word out about this new brand and what our company, this contractor, can be offering to their community.
Speaker 1: 16:54
We're going to be also having some resource from Chirp. If you're not familiar with Chirp, they do tons of automations, speed to lead, following up on open invoices, things like that. They're going to be offering their services for three months for free and then, to top it all off, we're just gonna be documenting and filming the entire thing. We've got some videography resources from a local company called From Bland to Grand. They've been fantastic to work with and so they're gonna be documenting this whole journey.
Speaker 1: 17:22
But then they're gonna give us some deliverables but also to the contractors so some video resources you can use on social media, on OTT ads, things like that, to use and to launch this brand. And the exciting part is they're going to document this whole journey. But then we're going to show this video. We're going to show the entire process at Service World Expo hosted by Service Nation in Las Vegas this year in October, where this will be the grand reveal. We will show off the entire process, the before and then, of course, the after, and we're going to bring up that lucky contractor on stage. We're going to bring up all of our partners and we are going to celebrate and make it one heck of a party, aren't we?
Speaker 2: 18:04
Nicole, oh my goodness party. We're going to come up with a whole nother word, because party just doesn't do it justice.
Speaker 1: 18:10
Oh, I love that.
Speaker 2: 18:11
Yes, I mean just from you saying all of the different resources that this lucky contractor is going to receive, I mean it kind of warms my heart knowing that this is not just about Lemon Seed. Lemon Seed has partnered with others to make this event and this journey for some contractor really life-changing for them, and I am so excited to be on this journey with you Right now. If you are listening to us, you should be going online and registering to be part of the American Brand Story. I mean you will benefit some way, your community will benefit some way by, you know, just seeing if you are that lucky contractor.
Speaker 1: 19:00
Oh, 100%. So this total price package is worth over $150,000. You've heard, nicole, and I say I know all our partners along with us. We truly believe that this can change someone's life, this can change the trajectory of your company, and sometimes we just understand that people just need a hand up. You know that running and owning a business is very challenging. You've overcome a lot and sometimes this can just be the next little catapult to help you reach that next level for your company.
Speaker 1: 19:28
So, like Nicole said, go to our website, greatamericanbrandstorycom, and you can apply. You can see who can apply. You've got to be in the home service industry okay, between a $1 to $5 million revenue company is what we're looking for there. You've got to be privately owned. So we want this for the individual privately owned contract. We don't want this to go to a private equity group okay. And we want you to be in the home service industry plumbing, hvac or electrical and you've got to be open to the creative process OK.
Speaker 1: 19:57
So, like, we might ask you to change your name OK, you've got to be willing to do that. We might determine that your name is great. But you've got to trust the experts here, trust what we know can do the proven method. You got to be open to that. So if that's, you, go to the greatamericanbrandstorycom. You can also go to any of the Lemonsies social medias. I know Service Nation has been sharing it a ton. All of our partners are sharing it, so please make sure to go. The application process will close on May 15th. Okay, so we've got just a little bit over a week. So if you're hearing this and listening to it, midnight on May 15th or 1159 on May 15th is when the application process is going to close. So we've already gotten several great applicants, some good stories, but we know there's more out there. So if this is you, do not hesitate to apply and then we will be sharing the amazing reveal in October at Service World Expo.
Speaker 2: 20:52
Can't wait and once again, thank you, lemonsie, for partnering, letting Service Nation partner with you. This is going to be epic, if that's the word I want to use. So I cannot wait and we look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas for the big reveal?
Speaker 1: 21:10
Absolutely. So we talked a lot about the Great American Brand story, but I got a lightning round with just some fun about Nicole, because we didn't get to talk much about you and you were definitely worth talking about. But real quick, let's go through a few questions. So what is one word that you would use to describe the trades? Fun, fun, that's a good one. I halfway expected you to say epic, but fun.
Speaker 2: 21:35
If I hadn't already said that word, I would. My son says it all the time, so it's like embrained in my head.
Speaker 1: 21:42
But fun is an appropriate word and, like Nicole said, all those in-person events. Service Nation does have some fun in-person events, for sure you know what.
Speaker 2: 21:51
To start with, fun. I mean I get the chance to actually talk to vendors every day, all day, and that is what's fun. It's knowing that the contractors are getting some of the best-in-class vendors and these vendors, you know, are easy to work with. They have great products and services, Makes my job fun and, you know, it's just a nice industry to be in. They have great products and services, makes my job fun and, you know, it's just, it's just a nice. It's just a nice industry to be in For sure what's your favorite core value at Service Nation.
Speaker 2: 22:20
Oh, my favorite core value, I would say it is treating treating contractors like you want to be treated. So one of our core values is you know what. You can't treat employees different than you would treat contractors or your customer. And our customers are, of course, you know, contractors. In my case, my customers are my vendors.
Speaker 1: 22:44
For sure. Okay, one thing you wish more contractors would embrace Change.
Speaker 2: 22:50
Oh, fantastic. Yes, yes, yes, it's because they say no one likes change besides babies. Well, you know what? If you want to grow, you need to be able to be open to change.
Speaker 1: 23:00
If you're not going to change, you're going to die Exactly. And then, last one what's something you would shout from the rooftops about this campaign, about the Great American Brand Story campaign?
Speaker 2: 23:09
You do not want to miss it. It is going to be life-changing. And even if it's not you, it should be someone you know. So make sure that you tune in, make sure that you apply and make sure you're at Service World Expo, october 26th through the 30th in Las Vegas. Linden C will be there.
Speaker 1: 23:28
Will be there. Well, nicole, thank you so much for being such a fierce advocate, not just for this campaign but for the trades and the entire industry as a whole. Thank you so much. And, like we said, the Great American Brand Story is more than just a brand makeover. It is a movement and, whether you've applied or not, we hope this inspires every contractor listening to think bigger about who they are and what your brand stands for. So thank you for listening to another episode of From the Yellow Chair. Follow us on all of our social medias. We are a full service marketing agency. From the Yellow Chair is powered by Lemon Seed Marketing and we are so proud to present the Great American Brand Story where you can apply, at greatamericanbrandstorycom. So thank you so much. Thank you, nicole, and we will talk later. Thank you.
