Podcast Summary: Owned and Operated – Episode #236
"How Our Team Sells MORE With AI"
Host: John Wilson
Guest: Tal Shub, CEO of Craft.ai
Date: August 26, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Tal Shub, CEO of Craft, to discuss how leveraging AI technology has enabled home service businesses—including John’s own $30M operation—to increase sales conversion, streamline training, and improve objection handling. They explore the transition from early tech resistance to high adoption, real examples of sales uplift through AI, and the nuanced differences between trades in handling leads, processes, and average ticket values. The episode is rich with actionable insights for owners looking to integrate AI into their own sales teams.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. What Is Craft? The Problem & the Solution
[02:05 – 06:34]
- Craft is described as an "AI sales engine for home services," listening to customer interactions, providing real-time coaching for service professionals, and helping recover lost revenue by supporting follow-up sales.
- Quote:
- “It’s capturing those interactions, giving real time coaching opportunities and then helps you recover those revenues from each and every one of those opportunities.” (Tal Shub, 02:14)
- The company is young (started last year), aiming to serve an industry historically underserved by real-time, holistic technology.
2. Tackling Tech Resistance and Driving Adoption
[08:21 – 10:56]
- Early deployment of AI tools met heavy tech resistance; some team members initially left due to discomfort with being recorded.
- Resistance has lessened with time and product design improvements. Peer accountability and clear processes drive usage now.
- Quote:
- “We had one person give pushback… Like, we have to know what you’re saying to this customer. We have to know how this is going.” (John Wilson, 09:39)
- Service professionals are more open to tools perceived as directly useful for their work.
3. Real-Time Coaching: Checkpoints & Call Summaries
[10:56 – 13:24]
- Key product feature: Checkpoint Mode—techs can tap into Craft during a break in a customer call, get a summary and AI insights, and receive options suggestions tailored to the conversation so far.
- These summaries can be fed directly into ServiceTitan, reducing admin workload.
- Quote:
- “During the breakaway, service professional can tap craft and get a full summary, AI insights, even options, suggestions… makes their job easier. They don’t have to spend all that time writing out those notes.” (Tal Shub, 11:20)
4. Data-Driven Sales Improvements
[13:36 – 17:20]
- Storytelling Boosts Sales: Calls that include the company story average $285 more per ticket.
- “From the conversations where they are mentioning the company story, average ticket is higher by $285.” (Tal Shub, 14:18)
- Handling Price Objections: Price is the most common objection. Analyzing objection data revealed that early mention of financing options is correlated with success.
- “On the conversations where your team is mentioning financing options first, they are typically able to handle those objections better... It’s $2,000 higher per ticket.” (Tal Shub, 16:18)
- Open-Ended Questions: Top performers ask >15 open-ended questions per call, significantly increasing their chances of closing a sale.
- “If they’re asking more than 15 open ended questions, more likely to be a win.” (Tal Shub, 17:10)
5. Team Dynamics, Training, and Process
[17:56 – 21:12]
- Teams with stronger sales processes outperform others. Viable implementation of AI requires buy-in and leadership from service managers, not just trainers.
- John’s company pivoted from only one-on-one coaching to having the sales manager train service leaders, multiplying impact through group training.
- Quote:
- “We really now understand it’s the service manager that’s driving this thing into the team with like their twice or three times a week training.” (John Wilson, 18:44)
6. Lessons on Sales Process from Other Industries
[27:28 – 29:36]
- Industries like windows & roofing have more mature sales processes because their leads are seldom “hot” or urgent—unlike plumbing or HVAC.
- In home services, technicians must learn to become salespeople, mastering objections, rapport, process, and options presentation.
- Quote:
- “I think because of the lead, you can build a big business on break fix... They’re not thinking about objections. They’re just like, here’s a water heater.” (John Wilson, 28:22)
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- “Team is everything in, in any industry, right? With AI speed, speed is everything.”
— Tal Shub [08:09] - “If we sum everything up, it’s always the lead.”
— John Wilson [27:31] - “I think a lot of the results we’re seeing is the top performers … really do a lot of following the process, but also a lot of things core to building rapport and trust.”
— Tal Shub [19:55] - “People just don’t ask [for the sale]… you didn’t ask… just go back in and ask. And they did. And it was like $4,000.”
— John Wilson [21:25]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- What is Craft? – 02:05
- Early Resistance, Peer Accountability – 08:54
- Checkpoint Mode, Real-Time AI – 10:56
- Sales Results & Insights – 13:36
- Importance of Process & Training Leaders – 17:56
- Role of Lead Quality and Process in Different Trades – 27:28
Best-in-Class Tips from Craft’s Data (Tal Shub, 19:55 – 21:12)
- Top reps follow process, build rapport, and establish trust.
- Ramp-up for new industry reps is far faster with AI call reviews.
- Specific example: An experienced rep tripled their average dollars per lead just by learning to ask for the sale.
How to Learn More about Craft
- Visit craftflow.com
- Email Tal Shub directly: tal@craftflow.com
Final Thoughts
John and Tal’s conversation reveals that AI, when executed with the right team and process focus, can dramatically lift sales performance in home services. Data-driven training, real-time coaching, and process reinforcement are critical to success. Integrating AI isn’t just about tech—it’s about people, leadership, and using insights to drive measurable improvement.