In this ICYMI cut, Kristian Hall shares the service-first sales-recovery process behind millions in recovered home-service revenue. Learn why the best follow-up starts with research, a Happy Call that gets the customer talking, intentional listening, and checking every box before trying to close.

How much revenue is already sitting inside estimates your team did not close the first time? In this ICYMI highlight, Kristian Hall revisits the phone-based sales-recovery process that helped her recover millions in home-service revenue without stepping inside the home.

Kristian explains the progression of the process: find the gold already inside the opportunity, review and assess the customer before calling, make a Happy Call instead of jumping into a sales pitch, listen long enough to understand what the customer actually needs, and check every box before moving toward a recommendation.

The larger lesson is simple: sales recovery is not about having every answer or pushing harder. It is about doing the research, staying curious, letting the customer talk, and working the opportunities the business has already earned.

• Recovering millions in home-service revenue by phone

• Why existing unclosed estimates deserve another look

• Finding the “gold” left behind in the original sales process

• Reviewing customer history before making the follow-up call

• The purpose of the Happy Call

• Getting the customer talking instead of immediately selling

• Why intentional listening beats trying to have every answer

• Checking every decision box before moving toward a recommendation

• Staying curious and becoming a better people person

00:00 — Kristian Hall and the Sales-Recovery Opportunity

01:34 — Millions Recovered by Phone

02:03 — Find the Gold and READ the Customer

03:02 — The Happy Call: Get the Customer Talking

03:59 — Listen Instead of Having Every Answer

04:56 — Check Every Box Before You Sell

05:23 — Stay Curious

Next:

Pull 10 unclosed estimates from the last 30 days. Review the notes and customer history before calling, then make each follow-up a Happy Call: ask what changed, let the customer talk, listen for what is really holding up the decision, and do not move to a recommendation until you have checked the important boxes.

What would happen if your team stopped treating unclosed estimates as dead leads? Kristian Hall shares how she recovered about $5.5 million last year entirely by phone—and why she is on pace to clear $6 million this year—by slowing down, doing the research, and serving the customer before trying to sell.

Kristian walks Chris Crew and Jeremy Self through her path from restaurant work and loan officer to 11 years in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. She breaks down her five-step approach: Find the Gold; READ the room (Review, Assess, Evaluate, Develop); make the Happy Call; listen intentionally; and check every box. The conversation also covers managing summer chaos, building a referral pipeline, learning the trades step by step, and the three-month relationship that helped her close a 17-system, roughly $200,000 opportunity.

Above all, this episode is a reminder that sales recovery is not a volume game. It is patient, curious, service-driven work that helps customers make the right decision and helps home-service businesses capture revenue they have already earned the opportunity to win.

• Managing peak-season pressure through scheduling, delegation, and focus

• Recovering approximately $5.5 million in revenue entirely by phone

• Kristian’s path from restaurant work and lending into the skilled trades

• Why service, trust, and curiosity matter more than a hard sell

• The five-step sales-recovery process: Find, READ, Happy Call, Listen, Check

• Using ServiceTitan notes and history to prepare before calling

• Following up when a customer does not answer

• Intentional listening and the five boxes behind a confident decision

• Building a referral pipeline for slower seasons

• How patience helped close a 17-system, roughly $200,000 opportunity

• Learning HVAC, plumbing, and electrical one step at a time

• Why home-service businesses should work existing leads before demanding more

00:00 — Cold Open: Finding the Gold in Sales Recovery

00:34 — Kristian Hall’s Production Management Role

02:17 — Managing Peak-Season Chaos

05:31 — Recovering $5.5 Million by Phone

08:12 — Kristian’s Path from Wyoming to the Trades

16:05 — Why Service-First Sales Wins

18:05 — The Five-Step “Find the Gold” Process

22:22 — The Happy Call and Intentional Listening

25:45 — Checking the Boxes and Building Grit

29:09 — Doing the Work Through Slow Seasons

33:03 — A Three-Month, 17-System Sales Story

40:38 — Stop Chasing Volume and Work Every Lead

In the third mailbag episode of season two, Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew take on audience questions focusing on customers—how to handle them, serve them, and keep your sanity in the process. They break down what to say during a follow-up, how to deal with refund requests, and why the "customer is always right" mindset might be holding you back.

Tune in to get practical tips, a fresh perspective, and the kind of straight talk that helps you show up better—for your team, your clients, and yourself.

• Chris starts by explaining how to master sales follow-ups and why most follow-ups fail without proper anchoring.
• Learn why salespeople who know how to anchor always close more deals and how ditching strict scripts gives you the flexibility to connect authentically.
• Chris shares ways to pick up a conversation with prospects without wasting time, including practical phrases you can use immediately to keep things moving forward.
• Why Chris recommends eliminating the phrase "follow-up" from your vocabulary and the mindset shift that creates better sales conversations.
• Kenny highlights why every sales follow-up should be treated as one seamless sales appointment.
• How to handle upset customers: Kenny breaks down why the "customer is always right" myth can actually hurt your business and what to do instead.
• Chris explains the secret to dealing with difficult customers: Don't take it personally because it's never really about you; it's always about them.
• Understand why some customers won't be reasoned with and how to focus your energy on the 95% who truly want to work with you, instead of the small percentage trying to take you down.
• Kenny reveals how to keep your team motivated when offering money-back guarantees, especially when technicians might feel they're losing commission when customers ask for their money back.
• Why giving refunds, even when you did everything right, is a long-term business win: Kenny shares the mindset of "life gives more to the giver."
• Learn why developing an abundance mindset is crucial for business success: Kenny explains how knowing there will always be more customers keeps scarcity fears at bay.
• Chris shares three keys to supporting entrepreneurs during stressful times: Patience, communication, and candid conversations that open the door to real solutions.
• What to do when frustration with employees builds: Chris shows how vulnerability and honest communication can turn tension into teamwork.
• Chris explains why getting clear time frames after delegating tasks keeps projects on track and how to avoid the "handoff hangover."
• According to Kenny, there's no such thing as financial independence. There's only emotional independence. When we reach a certain milestone of money, then the emotional freedom kicks in.
• Kenny emphasizes putting relationships before results. This is the secret behind his strong partnership with Chris and why business wins flow from personal trust.
• How to practice accountability in relationships: Kenny advises taking 100% responsibility for what's yours and letting go of what isn't.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e15

The Blue Collar Success Group

Blue Collar Success Laws: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Problem-Solving, Productivity, & Profit by Kenny Chapman

The blue collar trades have created incredible careers for people who often never planned on working in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or home services at all.

#ProudToBeBlueCollar® Show tells those stories.

Hosted by Chris Crew and Jeremy Self of The Blue Collar Success Group®, each episode features someone from the home service industry sharing how they found the trades, what the early years demanded, the turning points that moved them forward, and the practical tips they use in their role every day.

You’ll hear from people across the entire business—not just owners and executives, but salespeople, service technicians, installers, CSRs, dispatchers, managers, coaches, and other professionals building real careers in the trades.

If you already work in home services, you’ll find ideas you can use. If you’re considering a career in the trades and want to know what the path actually looks like, start here.

• Real career stories from across the home service trades

• HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and the broader home service industry

• Guests from every seat in the business—not just the corner office

• How people found their way into the trades

• The turning points that helped them advance

• Practical tips and skills listeners can use in their own roles

• A show for owners, managers, technicians, salespeople, installers, CSRs, dispatchers, and future tradespeople

• Hosted by Chris Crew and Jeremy Self

• Produced by The Blue Collar Success Group®

• Helping more people see the career opportunities available in the trades

Episode 1 Drops 9/23/26

00:00–00:20 — The Hook

00:20–00:45 — What You’ll Hear

00:45–01:09 — Invitation to Listen

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew sit down with Kelton Balka, owner of Tennessee Standard and a fifth-generation plumber. Kelton shares how taking care of your team isn't just the right thing to do—it's the smartest business move you can make. From scaling his plumbing company to over $1 million in monthly revenue and building a culture where people don't want to leave, he breaks down what it really means to invest in your people—and why profitability is just a byproduct.

• Kelton starts by sharing his journey from being a fifth-generation plumber to running his own successful company — and why he nearly avoided plumbing because everyone told him there was "no money in it."
• Kelton shares how going to college was his way of making sure he could run a business and be a great tradesman.
• Kelton reveals the hardest hump in growing a business: Going from one truck to four. That jump took him to $1.2 million in revenue.
• What is the real recipe for business success? According to Kelton, it comes down to business smarts, on-the-ground experience, and understanding your numbers.
• Kelton reveals what Tennessee Standard is all about--and how they plan on becoming Knoxville's #1 plumbing company, give tradesmen a path to real wealth, and become a light in the community, all for the glory of God.
• Kenny and Kelton agree that ego has no place in business. If you want to build something sustainable, you must get rid of your ego.
• According to Kelton, plumbing is a people business. You're not selling parts — you're selling labor. And if you don't take care of your people, you won't make it.
• What is the smartest move you can make early on in your business? Kelton says: build a financial model. It may just be a big spreadsheet, , but it shows you exactly what happens when you sell X, spend Y, and what's left at the bottom.
• Kelton reveals how to scale from $3 million to $6 million and stay profitable.
• How to invest in your people according to Kelton:

1. Pay better than average.

2. Train consistently — they train four days a week at Tennessee Standard.

3. Provide top-tier equipment — it improves both results and morale.

4. Build a real culture — even small things like lunch or coffee make people feel valued.

• Chris and Kenny explain why delegation isn't about handing off your work — it's about empowering your team and giving them the tools to win.
• Kenny on financial modeling: The magic of spreadsheets is that they don't have emotions. You can make smart decisions without letting fear or excitement cloud your judgment.
• Chris shares the benefits of vulnerability in leadership and why it's not weakness.
• Kenny challenges owners who don't love their business or are in it for the money: If you're just showing up for the money and don't love what you do, don't be surprised when no one else cares either.
• According to Kenny, it's not that we have a lack of skilled labor in the trades, it's that there's an overabundance of bad ownership in the trades.
• Kelton exposes a common trap: Thinking you should start a business just because you're the best technician.
• Kelton on training fears: "What if I train them and they leave?" He believes that if you don't train them, they're definitely leaving. So invest in them and give them a reason to stay.
• Kelton reminds us--don't take it personally when someone leaves. Business is fluid — some people are here for a season, and that's okay.
• Kelton on why building a sellable business matters: even if you don't want to exit, it forces you to build systems, track profitability, and make better long-term decisions.
• For Kelton, a healthy profit margin in home services is around 20%.
• Kelton's final takeaway: stop chasing shortcuts. Put in the work and treat people the way you want to be treated.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e14

The Blue Collar Success Group

Tennessee Standard

Kelton Balka on LinkedIn

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew discuss why efficiency is the key to running a profitable business—and how to actually build it into your daily operations.

They break down the biggest mistakes contractors make when trying to run lean businesses, the overlooked habits that drain time and money, and how to train your team to think and act with efficiency in mind.

Tune in to learn what to track, what to eliminate, and how to tighten up your systems without sacrificing quality—so your team wins, your customers win, and your bottom line grows.

• Kenny starts by explaining why efficiency is one of the most important aspects of running a profitable business.
• For Chris, the first step to refining your efficiency is to document everything.
• You can't improve what you don't see. So, start by writing down everything from the moment a customer calls to the final delivery.
• Chris and Kenny discuss the benefits of mapping out your processes and then asking yourself, could this be more efficient?
• This simple question forces you to look at your systems critically. It's how you uncover bottlenecks, redundancies, and wasted time that's costing you money.
• Running a lean business isn't about slashing budgets or underpaying people. It's about building systems that get maximum results with minimal waste.
• According to Chris, most inefficiencies are hiding in plain sight. In the field, Chris constantly sees businesses losing time on things that should've been fixed years ago—extra trips, unclear instructions, missing tools, etc.
• Chris explains how to train your team to think in actions that save time.
• His rule: never make a trip to the truck empty-handed. Whether it's trash, tools, or supplies—always make each step count.
• No matter how dialed-in you think your systems are, there's always room to tighten things up. And the more you improve, the more profit you create without raising your prices.
• Kenny highlights how the most profitable businesses are always lean and focused. When you run tight operations, your team earns more, your customers stay happy, and you keep more on the bottom line. Everyone wins.
• Chris used to get frustrated when people didn't follow what felt obvious—until he realized he had to teach it, document it, and systemize it. That mindset shift changed everything.
• Kenny covers the best way to make efficiency a weekly discipline.
• Pick one area each week and ask: How can we make this faster, smoother, cheaper, or easier? Efficiency only improves when it becomes part of your daily habit.
• Kenny and Chris agree that business can only be profitable when they go back to the basics and track everything. Especially your billable hours. When you know exactly where your time and money are going, you can fix what's broken and double down on what's working.
• Final takeaway: If your pricing is solid, your investments are intentional, and your systems are efficient, you'll actually get to enjoy the profit you work so hard to earn.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e13

The Blue Collar Success Group

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew discuss why pricing is one of the most powerful—and misunderstood—drivers of profitability in home service businesses.

They break down common pricing mistakes, the importance of price integrity, and why efficiency, experience, and knowing your true costs all play a role in sustainable success. Tune in to learn how to shift your pricing mindset, stop undercharging, and build a pricing model that actually works.

• Kenny starts the conversation by explaining why pricing is the foundation to profitability.
• Chris reveals that pricing is not set-it-and-forget-it. Like gas prices, it moves constantly, and businesses that fail to adjust rarely succeed.
• Even with advanced software and real-time data, most business owners still struggle with pricing. Kenny and Chris dig into why the home service space still struggles to price correctly.
• Chris shares a simple truth: if you don't react to rising costs, it eats directly into your margins.
• Kenny urges a mindset shift from service provider to retailer. Retailers adjust pricing based on cost, supply, and demand—and so should you.
• According to Chris, smart pricing means you don't need to be constantly selling. Get your pricing right, and you relieve the pressure to chase endless volume.
• When you price based on your fixed and variable costs, you build a strategy that lasts. Chris breaks down how to price from your numbers, not your emotions.
• Kenny highlights that while everyone has a pricing strategy, the math is simple: you must charge more than it costs to operate daily. Anything less is a loss.
• Kenny shares how he designs pricing to stay profitable and still appear affordable. It's not about being the cheapest, it's about looking like the best value.
• Chris explains that in every business, you're selling time and materials. But when you package that with a powerful customer experience, you can (and should) charge more.
• Chris warns that if your customer experience is weak, your customer will be forced to judge you on price, and that's never a good thing.
• Kenny believes the easiest way to raise prices is to create an unforgettable experience. Memorable service buys you higher pricing power.
• Raising prices unnecessarily isn't sustainable. According to Kenny, customers today are spoiled for choice. The way to achieve long-term profit is to build value and trust.
• Chris and Kenny cover how inefficiency raises your cost of operation and therefore your prices. When you're efficient, you're more profitable and more competitive.
• Chris doesn't look at competitors when setting prices. He builds pricing around his own model and goals, not market noise.
• Chris talks about price integrity and why it's important in the modern business landscape.
• The foundation of pricing integrity: customers should pay only for what they're responsible for—nothing more, nothing less.

Mentioned in This Episode:

HomeServiceBusinessSuccessShow.com/s2e12

The Blue Collar Success Group