Why Your Next $15,000 Customer Chose Someone Else Ep 111. - Branded Bull Podcast

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[00:02]
A
This is the Branded Bull Podcast, a show dedicated to helping take your business to the next level with winning marketing and branding tips and strategies built for today's competitive world. Ready for your business to make its mark and stand out from the competition? Let's get into it.
[00:25]
B
Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Branded Bull Podcast. I am your host, Adam Fullerton, and this is the show built for GRE business owners who want to stand out, get bound and win more work. Today I'm going to share with you a personal antidote about something we're doing in our own personal lives and the journey we've taken to find a contractor to help us with our new house's flooring. Which is kind of crazy to say. We're actually super excited. My wife and I have been in the hunt for about two years, if not longer now, trying to buy a house and the market is insane and we feel the pain just like everybody out there. Prices are through the roof and we finally got a decent deal on a house. And, well, this Thursday, we're excited to finally close and make it our own. So super exciting over here and I'm sure we'll share more about that in the coming months. But for now, I want to share again, a personal story, personal anecdote about what happened to us when trying to find a contractor. Right. This is what we talk about. This is what we preach about. This is, is huge. This is so important, and that is simply the ability for someone to understand who you are, what you do, where you service, and to find credible details or credible information about what you do as a business. And so we have been going through this whole process of saying we need to get flooring done for the house. We're going to rip out all the flooring. It's all old and gross and we want to get all new flooring throughout the house. And it's going to cost us a pretty penny, right? Probably about $15,000, plus or minus. And that's a lot of money for us. And I'm not excited to spend that much, but I'm also excited to have all new flooring and feel proud of the way we're going to make the house look. But anyway, that said, here's the biggest thing we went looking around. My wife posted in a community Facebook page, right? That's step number one. We always tell people, go into community Facebook pages wherever you're living and join them, be active in them and make sure you have a Facebook profile that people can tag or those community groups. It's Huge. It's just a free way to get more visibility, potentially referrals, potentially customers. And that's the whole point. You always want to look for the freebies. There's no reason not to. I'm not saying every person that gets referred to you is the right fit or the, or, you know, needing everything you do, but it's just a simple way to get in front of more people without always needing to be the person in the group. Other people can also share your Facebook profile in that group, you know, community group. But what she did is she went to a local community group. She said, hey everybody, we're looking for help with our floors. We're looking for a general, general contractor or someone that is good at flooring in the area we're moving into. And we're looking for a quote, basically. And so a lot of people commented, which is phenomenal. And we got a lot of different recommendations. And in particular, one person that reached out to my wife and had a great conversation with her proved his work through some different pictures and that's awesome. The only problem though is that we just didn't have enough information about him to make a comfortable, solid decision. Yeah, the pictures that he shared looked great. That's awesome. But we couldn't find any other information about him. He does have a Facebook page. It does have a little bit of information and that's great. But that is a baseline for everybody. In this day and age, you have to have more than just a Facebook page with a couple photos and a small status update every now and again in order to have people trust you. And I mentioned this because if you're doing 25 a week cuts, it's one thing. But if you're doing $15,000 projects, it's completely different thing. And you have to realize in put yourself in your potential customer's shoes, depending how much money they're spending, they need more proof. They want to see that you're more trustworthy than just a Facebook page or a couple of photos shows. It's all about trustworthiness. It's about credibility. And if you aren't putting yourself on the map with those sort of trust signals, then you're absolutely going to be missing out left and right. And so right now we actually went over to Home Depot, who obviously is a massive company. They have a very simple formula to use when trying to figure out flooring. I don't know if we'll go with them or we'll go with the contractor, but I'm telling you right now, it's something I shared with my wife. We're going to be talking to this guy about how he can better position himself to potentially land customers like us in the future. Especially, again, when it's a $15,000 or more project. Right? So the struggle is that we found somebody who reached out to us through the community group and said, hey, here's my work. I'd love to work with you guys, but the problem is we just don't know enough about this person and we can't find enough about this person to see how credible they are. A couple photos is great. And we love small businesses. We're huge on small businesses, obviously, given what we do and who we support and who we work with. But that's the whole point, is that just because you're a small business, it does not mean you should act like a small business and have no access to information for potential customers. You should have a portfolio, a gallery, a website. You should have multiple social media platforms. You should have everything ready to go. And if you don't, you are going to be missing out. Maybe not on every single project or every single weekly lawn care, you know, customer, but in the grand scheme of things, you will be missing out and holding yourself back. And so obviously I'm here as a pundit for websites and what we do, but you start where you think is right. We always believe that your website is the final destination. It is the one source of truth and it is one of the best investments anybody can possibly make for their marketing and for the online presence. But you do. You do what you want with that information. Again, this is just a personal story, a personal antidote of what we run into recently on this week's episode. And I beg you, just put yourself in your customer's shoes. Would they hire you if they can't find anything about you online? Would they hire you if it looks like your Facebook page is outdated and there's not a whole lot of information? Would they hire you for small projects, medium projects, large projects, and if they can't find out how long you've been around and just understand how trustworthy you truly are. Pictures, website reviews, they all work together. Next week, I'm going to talk about the trust pyramid and how each layer of these different things helps build more and more trust, more and more credibility. But again, I wanted to share with you a personal antidote and what we ran into and just a very simple thing that is something that you can overcome as a small business, which is getting more and more of your information out there to Potential customers who are trying to get answers and see proof of your work, especially the more and more that they spend. $25 a week, not so bad, $50,000 projects, you better come with all the receipts and make sure that you look legitimate. And having a website, without a doubt, as well as other social media profiles, reviews and more. So that's what I've got for you guys on this, this week's episode of the Brand of Bull podcast. I hope that helps. And that was just again, a personal story that I wanted to share that we went through and how relevant it is to you guys in the green industry or contractors or plumbers or anything. It doesn't matter. We all operate the same way. We go to Google, we go to Facebook, we look for referrals, we look for companies and, and ultimately we're trying to find information about them so we know that they're trustworthy, they're credible, and that whatever amount of money we spend, whether it's $15 or $15,000, we know we're going to get quality service and a professional partnership and relationship with that much money spent. And if you can't prove that or give that to a potential customer, they're absolutely going to be looking elsewhere. So again, thank you for tuning in. If you guys have any questions, as always, any topics you want us to talk about, Visit us@brandable.com Send us a message. Subscribe wherever you're listening to. If you like what you hear, consider leaving that five star review as well. And as always, guys, I'll catch you guys on next week's episode. Take care.
[08:34]
A
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Branded Bull podcast. The podcast dedicated to giving you expert advice and actionable ideas so that your business can make its mark and stand out from the competition like what you heard in today's show. Visit brandedbull.com to see how we can help you achieve your marketing and branding. Go. Also, please consider leaving a five star review. And again, thanks for listening.

Summary4 min read

Branded Bull Podcast: "Why Your Next $15,000 Customer Chose Someone Else" (Ep 111)

Release Date: August 4, 2026
Host: Adam Fullerton

Episode Overview

In this episode, Adam Fullerton shares a personal story about the search for a flooring contractor for his new home, using it as a real-world example of why small businesses, especially in the green industry, miss out on major jobs—sometimes worth $15,000 or more—because of weak online presence and poor credibility signals. Adam unpacks the customer perspective and offers immediate, practical marketing advice for small business owners looking to win bigger projects.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Personal Story: Searching for a Contractor

Adam and his wife recently bought a house and needed new flooring, a significant investment of around $15,000 ([00:25]).
They started their contractor search in a local community Facebook group, echoing Adam’s own advice to use such platforms for free exposure and referrals.

2. Where Contractors Lost the Sale

An independent contractor reached out with a good conversation and strong photos, but Adam and his wife couldn’t find enough credible information about him online.
"We couldn't find any other information about him... he does have a Facebook page... but that is a baseline for everybody." ([02:25])
For small jobs, customers might accept this. For major investments, "they need more proof. They want to see that you're more trustworthy than just a Facebook page or a couple of photos." ([03:42])

3. Trust Signals Make or Break Big Deals

Adam contrasts the difficult decision with simply going to Home Depot—a company with obvious trust, presence, and credibility.
He reflects on the “trust pyramid,” hinting at a fuller explanation in the next episode.

4. What You Should Have as a Small Business

"Just because you're a small business, it does not mean you should act like a small business and have no access to information for potential customers." ([04:47])
Essentials include:
- A portfolio or gallery of previous work
- A professional website (considered the “final destination” and “best investment for your marketing”) ([05:34])
- Multiple active social media platforms
- Accumulated online reviews

5. The Customer’s Perspective

"Put yourself in your customer's shoes. Would they hire you if they can't find anything about you online?" ([06:03])
Scale your credibility to the size of the project: weekly lawn care is different from a $50,000 renovation—each requires different levels of trust and proof.

6. Simple Fix: Get Your Info Out There

Adam urges small businesses to think beyond word-of-mouth and Facebook.
"If you can't prove that or give that to a potential customer, they're absolutely going to be looking elsewhere." ([07:43])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On establishing credibility:
"You have to have more than just a Facebook page with a couple photos and a small status update every now and again in order to have people trust you." ([02:45])
On competing for big jobs:
"If you aren't putting yourself on the map with those sort of trust signals, then you're absolutely going to be missing out left and right." ([03:50])
On the need for a website:
"Your website is the final destination. It is the one source of truth and it is one of the best investments anybody can possibly make for their marketing and for their online presence." ([05:34])
Advice to business owners:
"Put yourself in your customer's shoes. Would they hire you if they can't find anything about you online?..." ([06:03])
Summary warning:
"If you can't prove that or give that to a potential customer, they're absolutely going to be looking elsewhere." ([07:43])

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:25: Adam introduces his personal anecdote and the search for a contractor
01:35: The power of community Facebook groups for small business referrals
03:42: The gap between good work and a customer's confidence to commit significant money
04:47: Why small businesses should act big—building robust online credibility
05:34: The website as the cornerstone of trust and marketing
06:03: The customer’s trust hurdles and how businesses must adapt
07:43: Final advice—if you don’t have trust signals, customers will go elsewhere

Final Takeaways

Even with great skills and word-of-mouth, missing online trust signals can cost you your next big job.
A website, strong social profiles, reviews, and a portfolio are no longer optional—they’re expected if you want to win higher-value customers.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and ask: “Would I be comfortable spending $15,000 with my business, based on what I can find online?”

For more actionable tips and upcoming discussions (including "the trust pyramid"), tune in next week or visit brandedbull.com.

Loading summary

Transcript3 lines

[00:02]
A
This is the Branded Bull Podcast, a show dedicated to helping take your business to the next level with winning marketing and branding tips and strategies built for today's competitive world. Ready for your business to make its mark and stand out from the competition? Let's get into it.
[00:25]
B
Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Branded Bull Podcast. I am your host, Adam Fullerton, and this is the show built for GRE business owners who want to stand out, get bound and win more work. Today I'm going to share with you a personal antidote about something we're doing in our own personal lives and the journey we've taken to find a contractor to help us with our new house's flooring. Which is kind of crazy to say. We're actually super excited. My wife and I have been in the hunt for about two years, if not longer now, trying to buy a house and the market is insane and we feel the pain just like everybody out there. Prices are through the roof and we finally got a decent deal on a house. And, well, this Thursday, we're excited to finally close and make it our own. So super exciting over here and I'm sure we'll share more about that in the coming months. But for now, I want to share again, a personal story, personal anecdote about what happened to us when trying to find a contractor. Right. This is what we talk about. This is what we preach about. This is, is huge. This is so important, and that is simply the ability for someone to understand who you are, what you do, where you service, and to find credible details or credible information about what you do as a business. And so we have been going through this whole process of saying we need to get flooring done for the house. We're going to rip out all the flooring. It's all old and gross and we want to get all new flooring throughout the house. And it's going to cost us a pretty penny, right? Probably about $15,000, plus or minus. And that's a lot of money for us. And I'm not excited to spend that much, but I'm also excited to have all new flooring and feel proud of the way we're going to make the house look. But anyway, that said, here's the biggest thing we went looking around. My wife posted in a community Facebook page, right? That's step number one. We always tell people, go into community Facebook pages wherever you're living and join them, be active in them and make sure you have a Facebook profile that people can tag or those community groups. It's Huge. It's just a free way to get more visibility, potentially referrals, potentially customers. And that's the whole point. You always want to look for the freebies. There's no reason not to. I'm not saying every person that gets referred to you is the right fit or the, or, you know, needing everything you do, but it's just a simple way to get in front of more people without always needing to be the person in the group. Other people can also share your Facebook profile in that group, you know, community group. But what she did is she went to a local community group. She said, hey everybody, we're looking for help with our floors. We're looking for a general, general contractor or someone that is good at flooring in the area we're moving into. And we're looking for a quote, basically. And so a lot of people commented, which is phenomenal. And we got a lot of different recommendations. And in particular, one person that reached out to my wife and had a great conversation with her proved his work through some different pictures and that's awesome. The only problem though is that we just didn't have enough information about him to make a comfortable, solid decision. Yeah, the pictures that he shared looked great. That's awesome. But we couldn't find any other information about him. He does have a Facebook page. It does have a little bit of information and that's great. But that is a baseline for everybody. In this day and age, you have to have more than just a Facebook page with a couple photos and a small status update every now and again in order to have people trust you. And I mentioned this because if you're doing 25 a week cuts, it's one thing. But if you're doing $15,000 projects, it's completely different thing. And you have to realize in put yourself in your potential customer's shoes, depending how much money they're spending, they need more proof. They want to see that you're more trustworthy than just a Facebook page or a couple of photos shows. It's all about trustworthiness. It's about credibility. And if you aren't putting yourself on the map with those sort of trust signals, then you're absolutely going to be missing out left and right. And so right now we actually went over to Home Depot, who obviously is a massive company. They have a very simple formula to use when trying to figure out flooring. I don't know if we'll go with them or we'll go with the contractor, but I'm telling you right now, it's something I shared with my wife. We're going to be talking to this guy about how he can better position himself to potentially land customers like us in the future. Especially, again, when it's a $15,000 or more project. Right? So the struggle is that we found somebody who reached out to us through the community group and said, hey, here's my work. I'd love to work with you guys, but the problem is we just don't know enough about this person and we can't find enough about this person to see how credible they are. A couple photos is great. And we love small businesses. We're huge on small businesses, obviously, given what we do and who we support and who we work with. But that's the whole point, is that just because you're a small business, it does not mean you should act like a small business and have no access to information for potential customers. You should have a portfolio, a gallery, a website. You should have multiple social media platforms. You should have everything ready to go. And if you don't, you are going to be missing out. Maybe not on every single project or every single weekly lawn care, you know, customer, but in the grand scheme of things, you will be missing out and holding yourself back. And so obviously I'm here as a pundit for websites and what we do, but you start where you think is right. We always believe that your website is the final destination. It is the one source of truth and it is one of the best investments anybody can possibly make for their marketing and for the online presence. But you do. You do what you want with that information. Again, this is just a personal story, a personal antidote of what we run into recently on this week's episode. And I beg you, just put yourself in your customer's shoes. Would they hire you if they can't find anything about you online? Would they hire you if it looks like your Facebook page is outdated and there's not a whole lot of information? Would they hire you for small projects, medium projects, large projects, and if they can't find out how long you've been around and just understand how trustworthy you truly are. Pictures, website reviews, they all work together. Next week, I'm going to talk about the trust pyramid and how each layer of these different things helps build more and more trust, more and more credibility. But again, I wanted to share with you a personal antidote and what we ran into and just a very simple thing that is something that you can overcome as a small business, which is getting more and more of your information out there to Potential customers who are trying to get answers and see proof of your work, especially the more and more that they spend. $25 a week, not so bad, $50,000 projects, you better come with all the receipts and make sure that you look legitimate. And having a website, without a doubt, as well as other social media profiles, reviews and more. So that's what I've got for you guys on this, this week's episode of the Brand of Bull podcast. I hope that helps. And that was just again, a personal story that I wanted to share that we went through and how relevant it is to you guys in the green industry or contractors or plumbers or anything. It doesn't matter. We all operate the same way. We go to Google, we go to Facebook, we look for referrals, we look for companies and, and ultimately we're trying to find information about them so we know that they're trustworthy, they're credible, and that whatever amount of money we spend, whether it's $15 or $15,000, we know we're going to get quality service and a professional partnership and relationship with that much money spent. And if you can't prove that or give that to a potential customer, they're absolutely going to be looking elsewhere. So again, thank you for tuning in. If you guys have any questions, as always, any topics you want us to talk about, Visit us@brandable.com Send us a message. Subscribe wherever you're listening to. If you like what you hear, consider leaving that five star review as well. And as always, guys, I'll catch you guys on next week's episode. Take care.
[08:34]
A
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Branded Bull podcast. The podcast dedicated to giving you expert advice and actionable ideas so that your business can make its mark and stand out from the competition like what you heard in today's show. Visit brandedbull.com to see how we can help you achieve your marketing and branding. Go. Also, please consider leaving a five star review. And again, thanks for listening.