The free consultation is a 30-minute working session between you and a senior strategist about how your Ontario trades business gets work. It is free for eligible trades businesses, it is separate from any paid plan, and the goal is that you leave with something useful even if you never hire us.
What the consultation is, and who it is for
It is a structured conversation in person, by video call or by phone, built around your numbers rather than our services. It suits owners and general managers of established trades and home-service businesses anywhere in Ontario.
It is a good fit if any of these sound familiar:
- You spend money on marketing every month but couldn't say what it returns.
- Your calls dropped and you don't know why.
- A competitor appears everywhere and you are not sure how.
- An agency has sent you a proposal and you want a second opinion before you sign.
- You are about to add a truck or a technician and need the work to keep them busy.
It is not a fit if you are a homeowner looking for a repair. We are not a contractor, and we can't send anyone to a job.
What we cover in 30 minutes
We cover four areas, in roughly this order, and spend the most time wherever the biggest problem turns out to be.
- Lead sources. Where did your last 20 jobs come from? Referrals, Google search, the map results, ads, directories, repeat customers, signage. Most owners guess; a quick tally is often surprising.
- Job value and close rate. Your average ticket, your rough gross margin, and how many quotes or calls turn into booked work. These numbers decide how much a lead can sensibly cost.
- Leaks. Unanswered calls, voicemail that is full, quotes with no follow-up, a website that is slow on a phone, a Google profile that lists the wrong categories.
- Next steps. The one or two changes most likely to make a difference, who should make them, and whether that needs outside help.
What you take away
You get a short written summary after the call, usually by email, with the numbers we discussed and the changes we suggested. It is yours to keep and use with or without us.
A typical summary includes:
- your estimated value per booked job and per phone call
- the top two or three leaks we found, in order of cost
- a rough monthly budget range that would make sense for your size
- a plain statement of whether we think a paid plan would pay for itself right now
A worked example: what 30 minutes can find
Here is the type of finding that comes out of these calls, with placeholder figures. A roofing company in Simcoe County gets about 25 calls a week in peak season. The owner answers on the roof when he can, and about a third of calls go to voicemail. Of those, roughly half never leave a message.
That is about 4 lost callers a week. If he books 3 of every 10 callers and an average job is worth $9,000, those lost calls represent more than $10,000 of potential work every week of the season. No new ad campaign is needed to fix that. A shared phone line answered by the office, or a text sent automatically to every missed caller, would recover a large part of it for very little money.
That is why we start with the consultation rather than a proposal. The cheapest gains usually come first.
How to arrange one, and how long it takes
Call, text or email with your business name, trade and town. We usually reply within one business day and offer a few times, all within Mon–Fri 9–6 Pacific, which is noon to 9 p.m. in Ontario.
The call itself takes 30 minutes. If you want to go further afterwards, the pricing page shows the monthly plans, and the guide to briefing a strategist explains how to get the most out of the time. If you are already working with an agency, read the agency switch page first.
Common mistakes that waste the consultation
Three habits make these calls less useful, and they are easy to avoid.
- Talking only about tactics. "Should I be on TikTok?" can't be answered without knowing your job value and service area. Start with the numbers.
- Guessing your lead sources. Spend 10 minutes before the call counting where your last 20 jobs came from.
- Holding back the bad news. If a previous agency burned you, say so. It changes what we look for first, and nothing you say leaves the call.
The FAQ answers the questions owners usually ask about contracts and ownership before they book.
Frequently asked questions
Is the consultation really free?
Yes. Eligible trades businesses pay nothing for the first 30 minutes, it sits outside the paid plans, and no invoice follows.
What makes a business eligible?
It is meant for operating trades and home-service businesses, the owners or managers of which want help with marketing. If you are a homeowner looking for a repair, we are the wrong call, because we are not a contractor.
Will you try to sell me a plan on the call?
We will tell you whether we think a plan would pay for itself, and why. If the answer is no, or not yet, we say that instead.
Do I need to prepare anything?
Nothing is required. If you can share your website address, your average job value and roughly how many calls you get each week, the advice becomes much more specific.