The $50K Truck Wrap Mistake Home Service Companies Make

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Owned and Operated – The $50K Truck Wrap Mistake Home Service Companies Make

Date: March 17, 2026
Hosts: John Wilson & Sam Preston
Episode Theme: Rethinking Truck Wraps & Branding in Home Services – Are You Wasting Money?

---

Episode Overview

In this dynamic episode, John Wilson (Owner of a plumbing, HVAC, and electric company) and Sam Preston (former CEO of Service Scalers) dive into one of the most common—and expensive—mistakes home service companies make: splurging on branding and truck wraps that fail to differentiate their business. With industry experience and a candid, sometimes irreverent, tone, they dissect why traditional branding strategies (think animal mascots, bold wraps, retro characters) have lost their edge and how companies should rethink their approach to stand out and avoid burning tens of thousands of dollars.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Truck Wraps: From Differentiator to Mere Table Stakes

• The Evolution of Branding:
  • 20 years ago, wrapped, branded trucks with mascots or caricatures were rare and signaled professionalism (“We’re the clean/pleasant plumbers”).
  • John Wilson: “20 years ago, that set you apart. It does not set you apart in any way at all tonight.” (00:11, 04:49)
• Now Ubiquitous:
  • In 2026, almost every mid-to-large home service company uses similar-branded trucks, many with animal mascots, bold color schemes, or retro branding.
  • “You would probably be more set apart with a white, unmarked fucking van than any other vehicle with like an animal logo on it.” – John Wilson (00:13)

2. Branding & The Illusion of Uniqueness

• The Industry Looks the Same:
  • Everyone is using the same playbook: cartoon mascots, lightning graphics, the same 2-3 color palettes.
  • “Everyone looks the same thinking that they're different and they're paying a shitload of money to do it.” – John Wilson (08:36)
• Self-Critique:
  • John admits his company’s branding follows these common trends.
  • “Including us. Right? Yeah. So I’m throwing, I’m throwing rocks at myself…” – John Wilson (10:37)

3. Branding vs. Lead Generation

• Branding Won’t Bring More Leads—But Can Help Close
  • Sam Preston: “My hot take is that branding isn’t actually going to drive you more leads, but it’ll help you close more deals.” (00:25, 14:34)
  • John agrees, highlighting that professionalism and polish (the table stakes) may increase conversion rates but don’t necessarily increase lead flow.
• Memorable vs. Me-Too:
  • Citing companies like Call Dad and Mother Plumbing, the hosts highlight brands that connect emotionally and break cliché molds.

4. The Case for Simplicity

• Leaders Are Simplifying:

  • Giants like Stanley Steemer, Mr. Rooter, Roto-Rooter moving toward ultra-simple, bold, two-color wraps—often just their name and a single color.
  • “Everyone went crazy busy with all these truck wraps and… now the biggest leaders in the industry are re-simplifying the wrap to color name.” – John Wilson (10:18 - 14:06)

• Simple Stands Out Now:

  • Mono-color trucks with minimal text or a unique visual cue are more memorable amid the brand clutter.
  • “Very different in 2026 is simple. … Mono color, I think, is awesome.” – John Wilson (13:35, 13:45)

5. The Trap of Expensive “Sameness”

• Wasted Investment:
  • Companies spending $30K–$50K on branding or wrap packages only to blend in, not stand out.
  • John: “…if you’re the 20th dog in my city, like, why did you just—like, somebody just ripped you for 30 grand?” (17:49)
• Branding Fatigue:
  • Both host and guest lament seeing nearly identical brands (“dog-with-a-wrench,” “robot-with-a-pipe,” “fire-and-ice” motifs) saturate their markets.

6. What Actually Matters for Home Service Branding

• Signal Professionalism, Not Just Polish:
  • Consistency, cleanliness, and courtesy on the job are now baseline expectations (table stakes), not differentiators.
  • “Things that used to be different are now table stakes.” – John Wilson (15:06, 15:23)
• Invest to Be Truly Unique (If at All):
  • Choose a brand position, name, or visual motif with authentic meaning or emotional resonance (like “Call Dad”).
  • “If you spent… to look totally unique, that’d be great.” – John Wilson (22:37)
• Don’t Mistake Causation for Correlation:
  • Companies that “double after rebranding” almost always make additional changes—better ops, new websites, actual marketing, process improvements—not just new wraps.
  • “That is a company evolution. … That’s not like, I wrapped my truck.” – John Wilson (30:04)

7. Practical Truck Branding Advice

• Keep It Simple:
  • A memorable color, clear name, and minimal text work better than overloaded, busy graphics.
  • Phone numbers are becoming less important than a straightforward, memorable web URL or slogan.
  • “I think the least amount of information on your truck, like, the better.” – John Wilson (25:38)
• Budget Appropriately:
  • Good, simple branding can be achieved for far less than $30K–$50K. Use affordable design tools (like Canva) if the goal is just “signal legitimacy.”
  • “I spent three grand on my marketing package. Not 30.” – Sam Preston (28:59)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• John Wilson (Opening, 00:00):
  “What if I told you you could burn $50,000 and get absolutely nowhere? Today we're talking truck wraps.”

• On Wasted Money:
  “…Don’t spend a ton of money to look like everybody else. Still do branding? Yes. … Just don’t be the next dog.” – John Wilson (21:58, 22:06)

• On New vs. Old Table Stakes:
  “Wrap trucks used to be like, what do you mean? That’s so new and innovative. And now it’s like, yeah, everyone has… You’re the maybe the different one without one.” – John Wilson (16:24)

• On Agency Case Studies:
  “If someone’s looking at like my case study of like, ‘Hey, Wilson did their brand in 2019 and the next year they doubled.’ Well, yeah, no frigging… We bought three companies the next year. Like, that had nothing to do with the guy on the side of my truck.” – John Wilson (31:36)

---

Key Timestamps

• 00:00–00:25 – Hot Take intro: Truck wraps don’t differentiate anymore.
• 03:09–04:49 – Truck wraps' history and how professionalism shaped early branding.
• 06:31–09:05 – Why “everyone looks the same” and the pitfalls of copycat branding.
• 10:15–14:06 – Leaders in the industry moving to simplicity.
• 14:34–15:44 – Branding’s true function: Closing deals, not generating leads.
• 16:34–17:08 – Table stakes: Professionalism is now the expectation.
• 17:49–18:43 – The trap of expensive branding packages and what actually works.
• 22:06–23:11 – The importance of signaling professionalism.
• 24:08–26:27 – Practical wrap design advice; effective simplicity and memorable examples.
• 30:01–31:36 – Brand “success” stories: Correlation vs. causation.
• 35:16–35:32 – Final take: Don’t spend $30K+ to blend in.

---

Conclusion: Key Takeaways

• Branding and truck wraps are no longer differentiators in home service—they’re basic expectations.
• Avoid expensive, trendy wraps that look like everyone else’s. Instead, seek authentic, simple, and memorable solutions. If it’s not different, you’re wasting (potentially) $50K.
• Branding won’t bring in more leads, but it might help you close—as long as your operations and service deliver what your image promises.
• Don’t confuse professional evolution with a flashy new look. Growth comes from holistic improvements, not just sticking a dog (or robot) on your truck.

---

For listeners who haven’t heard the episode: If you own or market a home service company, this episode delivers a brutally honest reality check on what branding should (and shouldn’t) do for your business in 2026. Avoid costly mistakes and focus your dollars on what truly sets you apart.

---

Transcript

[John Wilson]

What if I told you you could burn $50,000 and.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Get absolutely nowhere? Today we're talking truck wraps.

[Sam Preston]

Ooh. And I heard you have a hot

[John Wilson]

Take opinion 20 years ago that set you apart. It does not set you apart in any way at all. Tonight actually, you would probably be more set apart with a white, unmarked fucking van than any other vehicle with like an animal logo on it.

[Sam Preston]

My hot take is that branding isn't actually going to drive you more leads, but it'll help you close more deals.

[John Wilson]

And I think my hot wrap truck is. Welcome back to Owned and Operated. I am your host, John Wilson. I run a plumbing H VAC and electric company in Ohio and Indiana. And for fun, we run a podcast where I talk to my friends and interesting people on the home service industry and how to grow their businesses. Today we're continuing our series called Clicks to Calls where I have Sam Preston, the CEO of Service Killers, on with me. And we dive into different segments of marketing like billboards, lsa, GBP and everything else you'd want to know on how to drive more leads for your business. Today we are talking about truck wraps and branding. And I think this is going to be kind of a fun episode because it's. My take now is probably a little bit controversial, so we'll unpack it as we go. Thanks for tuning in.

[Sam Preston]

It's funny because my title is no longer the CEO of Service Killers. No longer. Oh, what's gonna see that? Yeah, I know. Probably like vpu, snacks, drinks or something like that.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

But my, my LinkedIn got hacked. They got into it, they deleted it. So, like they could have done anything. They could have run up my credit card dick pics on it. It could have been bad, but they just deleted it, which is kind of like a. That sucks. But I can restart.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. It's better than like, you know, hey, I need. I'm in a desperate straits. I need a hundred dollar Apple gift card.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Sent to this address. Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. So, yeah. No. No crypto messages to any of my clients or anything like that. Missed opportunity.

[John Wilson]

This guy missed an opportunity.

[Sam Preston]

Honestly, I'm a little disrespected.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

By this.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. Oh, was I not worthy of being hacked properly.

[Sam Preston]

Right. Yeah.

[John Wilson]

What the hell? I'm pissed.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. Ethan has established with. You don't know Ethan. He's one of our team members. Has established himself as the CEO of Service Scalers on LinkedIn.

[John Wilson]

Very nice.

[Sam Preston]

And he's getting messages all the time congratulating him that he is now the CEO.

[John Wilson]

So I'll congratulate him.

[Sam Preston]

You should. You should, like, congrats, bro. I heard you mute and got this. Maybe he's the one that hacked it. Honestly, you know, because he's a good guy. I don't think he would do any of the, you know, racist books.

[John Wilson]

That is career progression.

[Sam Preston]

That is.

[John Wilson]

Is hacking someone. Hacking your CEOs.

[Sam Preston]

LinkedIn.

[John Wilson]

Right. And I'm kind of proud now. I. Yeah, I'm a little bit proud, too. Today we're talking truck wraps. Ooh.

[Sam Preston]

And I heard you have a hot take opinion.

[John Wilson]

I. I don't. Yeah, I don't know if it's a hot. I just think, like, maybe it is. I don't know. So in 20, I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna hearken us all back.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

To the 2010, 2015.

[Sam Preston]

The good times.

[John Wilson]

Good times.

[Sam Preston]

The America was great.

[John Wilson]

The good old days. You know, Obama was in office, which, I don't know.

[Sam Preston]

This is getting hotter. Yeah. Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And so, you know, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, the service industry had, like, a bad rap.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like, unprofessional. And. And like the white van, the, you know, the plumber's crack. There was a lot going on with the reputation of the service industry. So back in the early 2000s, a couple of franchises and brands wanted to set themselves apart. Mr. Rooter. Roto Rooter. There's some old newspaper clippings that we have somewhere around here, and they're from, like 2001, and it was Roto Rooter. And it's like, it was sort of a tongue in cheek, like, making fun of the industry. Like, how do you know you have the right plumber? Well, does he smell like he drank his breakfast? Does he. Is his ass crack hanging out? Like this was in the newspaper, and it was like five different things. And it was like, is it a clean mark truck? And it was. It set themselves apart from the industry. Was like, hey, we are clean plumbers.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And that was a tagline for, I think, champions or something out in California was, hey, we're the clean Pl. Or George Brazil in Arizona. They're $200 million business now, I think. But, hey, we're the clean plumbers. We smell good. Like, we're the smell good plumbers. Whatever. And in the early 2000s, that really set you apart.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

The marked wrapped truck was interesting and unique and a little bit different. And like today, that's just literally not the case at all. And I think my hot take on the wrap truck is 20 years ago. That set you apart it does not set you apart in any way at all tonight. Actually, you would probably be more set apart in 2026 with a white unmarked van than any other vehicle with like an animal logo on it. Yeah, because everybody's got the animal logo. So, like, if you're running a home service business and you're growing, but cash still somehow feels tight all the time, you are not alone. A lot of owners are doing more revenue, hiring more people, buying more trucks, but still making big decisions without really knowing what the numbers are telling them. And that's why I'm such a big fan of what Tyler Martin is doing at CFO Made Easy. He works with H Vac, plumbing and electrical companies in that 4 to 12 million range. And it's real CFO level support, not bookkeeping and not tax stuff. This is actual help around cash flow, pricing, margins and planning ahead. One of the cool things is you get to work directly with Tyler. And Tyler has scaled and sold a $25 million service business. So he's been in it and he knows what works. To get started, click the link below to book a free 20 minute strategy call to review your numbers, identify what's creating cash or margin pressure and get, get clear next steps. Yeah, I don't know. Like, there's a company in our market where everyone thinks that we bought them because our brands look roughly the same. Like they did their brand a couple years after waiting for you.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah, totally, totally.

[John Wilson]

I'm like, yeah, yeah, totally. Yeah, it's completely on them.

[Sam Preston]

More people are searching for you now

[John Wilson]

because of them wrapping their truck. It's straight, but like it's blue, it's orange. There's a guy you know, and. But it's, it's overdone. Yeah. So now we're at the point where like, hey, every company has this robust branding package. It's all the same.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like there's a caricature of. And mine too. Like, I'm throwing punches at myself where it's like, hey, there's a guy, there's a brand. It looks kind of retro and like, yes, it looks good.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

But if the reason that people started wrapping trucks and branding in this way was because it set them apart.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And like, hey, core, core concept here. Like, that's why in 2026 it doesn't set you apart.

[Sam Preston]

Feels like it's kind of like websites I get. Early on I was like, you have a website and it's well designed. Oh my gosh.

[John Wilson]

Oh my God.

[Sam Preston]

Now if you don't have a website and it's not. Yeah. And the difference between somebody who has, like, the most perfect website that's super sexy and super designed and the. And just a website that helps you get your job done.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

It's not that big of a difference.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. So I. I think my hot take is it doesn't set you apart the way that a lot of the material that's out there says it does. So, like, there's podcast, there's books. Look at when they were written. Look at when they were published. If it was published in 2015. Hey, this is a different. Like, in 2015, most companies still didn't have wrap trucks.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

2026, everyone has a rap truck. There's no. Like, I don't often find a brand.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

With like, the name without a caricature. Like, there's always a character. There's always the name. It always looks like a, you know, 1960s or 70s or whatever. Like mine looks like 1950s.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

So, yeah, that's the hot take is your.

[Sam Preston]

More. More of your issue. The branding of it specifically or track wraps itself.

[John Wilson]

So I think that branding specifically is where I have an issue.

[Sam Preston]

Because everyone looks the same.

[John Wilson]

Well, everyone looks the same thinking that they're different and they're paying a shitload of money to do it.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like, if. If the goal is to set yourself apart and, like, have a brand. Able brand company that you can run ads behind and not look like somebody else. Like, this other company in my market is spending $20,000 a month to be told that they look like me.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like, what are you doing? Yeah, what are you doing? Yeah, like, it's just like, come on. I would probably change your colors. Like.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. Something.

[John Wilson]

It's a little. It's a little silly.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Because, like, of the two, like, we're, I think, 15 times their size. Yeah. So, like, no one's thinking I look like them.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Right. So they have five trucks and we have 100. Whatever. I don't even know. But yeah. So I think I have struggle. I struggle with everyone looking the same. And, you know, when we were doing our branding process in 2020. 2019, I think it's 2019. Someone that I was talking to at the time, which was kind of like, I dismissed it at the time, but now I'm like, actually, that was probably a good point. Was she brought up Stanley Steamer and Stanley Steamer. I don't know if that's a nationwide thing or just around here, but yeah. So, like, their trucks have not changed in 100 fucking years. No, it is like this weird sort of pukey diarrhea orange with St. Stanley Steamer and like that is it. And if you look at the big, you know, Roto Rooter basically invented truck wraps in our industry. And if you look at their most recent trucks, they have simplified it substantially. So they've. Everyone went crazy busy with all these truck wraps and like lightning and. And like everyone's got a dog with a wrench.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And then now like the biggest leaders in the industry are re. Simplifying the wrap to color name.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Because now the simple rap is the thing that stands out.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Because everyone's got the animal or the, you know, the human whatever.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Including us. Right? Yeah. So I'm throwing, I'm throwing rocks at myself, but yeah, that's my outtake.

[Sam Preston]

I feel like there's a couple good ones that I can think of that I feel like stood out even on the animal one. I think we have call the otter guys.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. Aaron. Yeah. Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

I feel like that's really good branding because you're gonna call them, right?

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

But my favorite's got to be called dad. It. Because it, it builds like some like warmth in me. Like. Yeah, I want my dad.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

My father in law is the one that comes over and fixes total stuff in my house anyway.

[John Wilson]

That's so much more. That is a brand. Yeah. Brand. And I think that that's like well done. Like what Matt and his team has done is. Is. Or. And Dustin with mother plumbing. Similar. Like I think that there's like more going on there.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

That is really well done. And that's different than what I see most people do, which is here's my truck wrap and I've got some lightning and like my robot guy, you know, and. But like nothing else change. Just like here's my robot and my name.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

We'll keep you cool. Or whatever the line is. Yeah. But yeah, it's just undifferentiated. Whereas like.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Mother plumbing. That's. That's different. That like brings warmth. Like there's a lot going on there. So I'm not, I'm not like slamming on brand. Yeah. I'm slamming on making your brand look exactly like everyone else's brand.

[Sam Preston]

Yes.

[John Wilson]

Because you've defeated the purpose of this investment. Yeah. Like if you're paying $2,000 a truck or $3,000 a truck, that's a big investment.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And why would like, why did this guy down the road make his brand look exactly like my brand? Like it doesn't make like maybe he gets a Couple leads. Because people think he's me, but, like, it is weird.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. So wrapping trucks, though, specifically.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

You're cool. Like, you like that. It's a good idea. Yeah. Just like, if you are.

[John Wilson]

Be different.

[Sam Preston]

Be different.

[John Wilson]

Be different. And, like, having the guy and having the animal is no longer different.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like, it's just not. I think it depends on, like, who's running the ship. Like.

[Sam Preston]

Sure.

[John Wilson]

But now, you know, PE comes in, they buy if. If it's an unbranded or like, if they don't have a guy basically on their trucks. Like, they come in and they. They put together a robot or dog or whatever, and, like, they've run the playbook over and over again, and it's. They're just machining a fake brand.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

They're like, all right, we're going to go, here's a dog, and we kind of want blue and orange and maybe red, and let's put it over there and let's give him a wrench or a pipe or, you know, or.

[Sam Preston]

Or my favorite is where they try to combine something cold and fire together. So it's like the ice or it's like the snow and fire and it looks like literally coming out the same way.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. It's some, like, P. Guy.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Just like, oh, we need a brand. Part of my checklist is I have to have a robot. And so, yeah, I think undifferentiated. So I think, yeah. Wrap the trucks, like, pop off. I think it should be very different, and I think that. Very different in 2026 is simple.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Because in 2020 or 2015, wraps were new technology. Yeah. And so people had, like, complicated wraps.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

But now, like, mono color, I think, is awesome.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. Stanley Steamer is like, a funny brand to me because the color is unique.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And just Stanley Seamer or, like, Sir Pro is another one. It's a very simple wrap. It's like green.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Sir Pro. Yeah. Mr. Rooter. Roto Rooter. They're both doing the same thing that I said. It's like they're going to, like, dual color or maybe mono color.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And like, Mr. Rooter and like, that's it. But it, like, makes them stand out more than the busy robot, you know, dog guys. Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

I think that from a branding standpoint, you can do it right and you can do it wrong.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

I think Porsche is a really good example of someone that keeps iterating, but it's literally the same thing, just slightly tweaked and it looks good.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

Whereas I think it's Jaguar that came out with a brand new branding and it's like tough. Are you a tech, bro? Like, what are you doing?

[John Wilson]

It's really weird. Terrible. Yeah, it was really weird.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. My hot take is that branding isn't actually going to drive you more leads, but it'll help you close more deals. Yeah.

[John Wilson]

I agree with this. Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

Because once you're in person.

[John Wilson]

Yes.

[Sam Preston]

Then I think the, the difference between you tucking your shirt or not making the person there feel comfortable. Do you smell like cigarettes?

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

Or did you, you know, brush your teeth before you came into my, my house? I think those small things or even like the people that like will put like the little hair nets on their shoes to make sure they're not tracking on anything.

[John Wilson]

Well, this is back to differentiated.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

So like, you know, as, as the competition gets more and more fierce every, every year, month or day or whatever you want to, however time period you want to think. Things that used to be different are now table stakes.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

So 20 years ago, shoe covers were not a thing. Yeah. And then somebody was like, hey, I'm start wearing shoe covers. Yeah. And then the consumer started expecting it and now. What do you mean you don't have shoe covers? Like that would be, that, that would be insane to me that someone like isn't putting on shoe covers while. That's like very 20 years ago.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Flat rate pricing is another one. Now the, now the consumer expects it.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

I mean, Amazon like changed it with delivery, like bringing back a totally different industry. But hey, now everyone expects same day or next day frigging delivery from buying online.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Because like what used to be innovative is now table stakes. And I feel like that's a lot of what you just described, some of those behaviors. Like, hey, are you trucking? Are you like, are you drinking on the job? Well, in 1990, like, yeah. You could smoke in someone's house as the plumber. Like you could literally light up a cigarette in someone's basement and like, they might not like it, but like if you did that in 2026, that'd be insane.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. Wrap trucks used to be like, what do you mean? That's so new and innovative. And now it's like, yeah, everyone has, you know, you're the, you're the, maybe the different one without one.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

You're, you know, fancy now tucked in shirts smell good.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Am I, are you professional? Do you have a professional out?

[Sam Preston]

You know, all those are branding.

[John Wilson]

All of those are branding and all of those are table stakes. Yeah. Where what again? I. I'm. I'm just really focused on, like, the core concept because I don't want somebody to walk away from this being like, john hates robots.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

I think that if we're making a huge investment into the appearance of our company, the core concept is to be different.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

So, like, shoe covers is no longer different. It's table stakes.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Wrapping your truck is no longer different. It used to be 10 years ago. Now everybody has a wrap truck. There's nothing new or fancy about it. So what's the next thing? And then how do you sort of, like, move past the decision quickly and not look like everybody else? I think you told me yesterday, like, people are spending, like, 30 to $50,000 on, like, branding packages, which I'm like, if it was different and you ended up being, like, totally different and, like, really, like, driving Alpha in that way, I'd be like, all right. Hell, yeah. Yeah. But if you're the 20th dog in my city, like, why did you just. Like, somebody just ripped you for 30 grand?

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like, that's crazy to just use chat GPT.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like, hey, give me a dog that every other plumber looks like. Come on. Like, that's crazy.

[Sam Preston]

And we're not saying don't do it. Like, even my branding, like, a little Magna, you know, mega, have a brand.

[John Wilson]

Like. Like, a brand should be different.

[Sam Preston]

This guy basically took this off Canva and did it, which. Fine, that's cool. Every marketing company has it.

[John Wilson]

Thanks.

[Sam Preston]

But, like, actually, literally, we found this exact one on Canva afterwards. He built it for us. But it's not like we spent 30 or $40,000 on this branding package, but we wanted something that you knew is some sort of marketing company. You know, basically know that from the brand. But, like, we weren't betting on you seeing this and going, oh, wow, I'm gonna call them now. You know, like, that wasn't the thing.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

That was gonna get you through the door. But the branding makes you go, okay, well, they look like they know what they're doing.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

They're doing those table stakes. They're doing those small things that you have to be doing that make the difference. Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And just. This is nothing to do with trucks, really. But it's sort of. It was kind of funny. I went to this event, and it's this home service event, and, like, you had to be 5 million and up to participate. And I think the average was, like, 10 million bucks probably. And it was a funny. Like, the topic came up of, hey, you know, customers are starting to Expect, like, knowing where we are when we're on the way.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And it's, you know, at this point, like, service titan had. Had that feature that, like, tracks you, like, Uber for seven years or something. And it's like, yeah, like, no shit. Like, services have that. Like. Yeah, yeah. And I think, yeah. Don't mistake table stakes for business driving 100% is, I guess, my, like, big thing, because that's like a table stake. Now we're like, yeah, every single CRM, Apple.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Probably has like a truck tracking feature or like a. They'll be there in 15 minutes or whatever. People have to plan their freaking days.

[Sam Preston]

Sure.

[John Wilson]

That is now table stakes. That's not new. That's not. That's not innovative.

[Sam Preston]

And don't get wrong. Do it. Go get that branding package. Make sure that you do maybe 30,

[John Wilson]

maybe if you're like a very small business, maybe not. Find an option that's not 30.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah, yeah. But do it. One of my favorite plumbing stories, and this is so relevant, we ended up hiring a guy didn't have a website, didn't have his branding.

[John Wilson]

Okay.

[Sam Preston]

We went that route because it was relatively inexpensive.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

This guy came in, he had a person in as an assistant or somebody that was helping him junior tech. And the guy started yelling at him. In our house. My wife is pregnant. Our firstborn is asleep. And it set my wife off, and she started tearing into this guy. And I'm sitting there like, you just messed with the beast. Like, that was a mistake, bro. And after that one moment, he was good. But after that, like, there is a. An element of. My wife wants to see, does this brand look trustworthy?

[John Wilson]

Well, it's. It's signaling. So I think. Yeah. So it's time again for our Breaking5 workshop. This is the fifth time we've done it, and we've had over 130 contractors go through this cohort. If you're hovering between 1 and 5 million of revenue and you're feeling stuck, then you're not alone. I know the hesitation. Can I really step away from my business for three days? Is the workshop actually going to be worth it? Is it too h vac specific? Well, here's the truth. Breaking five isn't a big conference. It's 25 to 30 operators in a small room. It's highly tactical. There's no rah rah Nonsense. You'll be alongside myself and Jack Carr at my home service business in Akron. Seeing the actual systems behind accounting, call center dispatch service. Install the real bottlenecks. You're Going to work alongside other operators at your exact stage to build a plan that you implement the second you get home. The networking alone is worth it, and the clarity is game changing. 3 days limited to 30 seats. If you're serious about breaking through the $5 million wall, grab your ticket for 500 off at owned and operated.com with code breaking early bird or click the link below. Don't spend a ton of money to look like everybody else. Still do branding?

[Sam Preston]

Yes.

[John Wilson]

I think that's my big message here. Don't be the next dog. Do something a little creative. But I do agree. I think there's a signaling component to having a brand being clean, being presentable, knocking down the table stakes where you are signaling to your customer that, hey, I take this seriously. We're probably not going to light up a cigarette in your basement. Maybe we will, but we probably won't. And if we do, then we'll do something about it.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah, but it'll be easy and you won't smell it.

[John Wilson]

But yeah, I think there is a signaling of like, hey, yes, we are real. We're a real business. We invest in our name. I think all that stuff's good. I just, I get driven a little nuts by the, hey, I spent $50,000 to look exactly like John. That's like, wow, that was stupid. That was really dumb. But if you spent, you know, 10 to look totally unique, that'd be great.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

But I, I do agree, for the customer, it's signaling that, like, we're professional.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Which. That part's important.

[Sam Preston]

So now that we've hurt some people's feelings on the $50,000 they spent, look like I'm gonna get so much. Yeah, it's a, it's gonna be a dog.

[John Wilson]

I also have a dog. It'll be a. It'll be a robot riding a dog. It's like, okay, well, John doesn'.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And he made fun of robots a lot, so I think we need to combine them.

[Sam Preston]

I have also spent $30,000 on something that I absolutely thought was a trash. And I can't believe I lost that $30,000 on that. If you're in that place, you know, now let's, let's move on to better decisions on how do we leverage that brand on our trucks and, you know, to drive more phone calls and leads. So that's what I'd ask you. What are, what are your tactics on your trucks? Like, what are you all focused on to make sure that, yeah, it's not just a branding thing, but it is Driving some phone calls.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. Pretty, like, simple, to be honest. Just really simple. Even now it's busier than I would. Like, like, if I was going to redo it, I would probably do an orange with the name.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Because that would be unique. Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

And you're not going to miss that.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. You're not. Like, that would be unique, but like, ours is a three color. Blue, white, orange. There's a guy, there's the print from the time period we were aiming for and like, phone number maybe. Actually, I don't even. I. There's probably not a phone number on there. Maybe the website. We really kept it as, like, basic as possible. As basic as possible. Because I. I just don't think it. I don't think it matters that much. I think, like, what it does is it signals like brand is important. It's signaling to the customer. Whatever you want that brand to signal. I just don't think, like, I think I see a lot of raps from like, very poorly done brands. Or like, hey, they didn't do the robot or the dog thing, but they did do like lightning. And I'll see that a lot on like electrical contractors where it's just like a bunch of lightning and. Or like a roofing contractor or a siding contractor. And it's like a picture of a house. And it's like, this is a terrible picture show of a house. Like, you should not have done this as your rap. Like, it doesn't look good.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

So I wanted to avoid that. Yeah. Where it was like, hey, we have a wrap we can do. Put whatever we want on it. So let's put whatever we want on it. And boom, here's a house.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And it's like, okay, yeah, I think we missed the point here. It doesn't help anybody.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. So keep your. Your wrap simple. Keep it simple, focused. Phone number, your name.

[John Wilson]

I don't even know if you need your phone number. I think the least amount of information on your truck, like, the better.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. Say something though, because you do want to push people to your website. I'm thinking of, like the moment where, like, you're at a house, your technicians there, your neighbors are coming out and

[John Wilson]

seeing, like, we have better call Wilson on the bottom of all of ours. Okay, that's fine.

[Sam Preston]

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember there's a. I grew up in Dallas and we had this. I can't remember the name of the company, but it was some kind of rodent or.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

Company. And all their cars were yellow and they all had like the Mouse ears on it. And so like you immediately knew what they did.

[John Wilson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sam Preston]

And yeah, like that's definitely something that's memorable and unique. And unique.

[John Wilson]

That's super unique.

[Sam Preston]

No one else. No one else looks like a mouse. Yeah.

[John Wilson]

It is just so funny to me that like Stanley Steamer became like branded.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

We're just like all they did was nothing. They kept it orange and like black font and like that's it.

[Sam Preston]

Why mess up with.

[John Wilson]

I actually think that's like all that's on their truck. There's no phone numbers, maybe a website.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And it is very memorable. Call Dads is similar but I think it's cuz there's a pink component. Like it's different, it's unique.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

But I think the trucks are very simple.

[Sam Preston]

Well, I think the difference there is the Call dad emotes such an emotion. Like you know what it means for your dad to come over and take care of something.

[John Wilson]

Such a great job.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. Like that's so good. Whereas somebody who doesn't have that name is trying to also elicit that same emotion.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

But it's really, really hard.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

To do that if you haven't already with like your name or branding. Yeah.

[John Wilson]

They did a great job. But they didn't, they didn't do a dog or a robot. Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. Suddenly everyone's plumbing business is about their dad.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

And then you go back to the dock. Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Yeah. Well I think that's the table stakes thing is like somebody figures out some, something new, then everybody, everybody chases it.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And then suddenly there's a million dog brands and it's like, okay, we might have to, you know, change this up a little bit. And then now there's a million robot brands and it's like, okay, well yeah, I guess that's different. And I mean there will always be a next iteration. Yeah, there will always be a next iteration. I think just try to pick what's going to have lasting power. And like stainless Steamer Serve Pro I think are just great examples.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Be ready to simplify again. Mr. Rooter. Roto Rooter. Great examples. Like those have become very simple colors. Like I think Mr. Rooter now is blue on top, red on bottom. Mr. Rooter. And very simple. And it used to be like a lot more complicated message but yeah, I think that's like, I think that's truck Truck wraps. Well done.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. I still don't mind the dog and I don't mind some of those things. I mean I did megaphone and lightning on mine. So like literally Actually, I was told that these aren't lightnings. These are S's to S's service scalers.

[John Wilson]

I have never seen that.

[Sam Preston]

I literally never saw that until one of my team members said, like, no, that's S is not lightning. Sam. That's really fun and so funny. Hey, you learn something new about your company every day. So. But, like, obviously I went that direction on basic. Everyone knows it. This isn't standing out to anyone. Super unique. But. But I spent three grand on my marketing package.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

Not 30.

[John Wilson]

Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

And so I think you can still go about that direction. It's not going to drive you more leads.

[John Wilson]

Yeah, yeah. A hundred percent.

[Sam Preston]

Which is what we're here to do. We want to drive more leads so that you can fill up your call board and you can have enough appointments and close those deals.

[John Wilson]

Yeah, Yeah, I agree. This was awesome. I don't have much more on truck wraps. It was just kind of like me venting about, you have to redo your intro.

[Sam Preston]

It's going to be. Yeah, we'll talk about.

[John Wilson]

I don't like wasted dollars. Something that moves. No needles. It's like, hey, what if I told you you could burn $50,000 and.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Get absolutely nowhere.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Well, let's talk about this. Yeah. Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, like, if anybody has any data around this, like, you know, that they changed their brand and overnight started seeing leads, I would love to see it. I just don't.

[John Wilson]

Well, see, I think that that data is misleading.

[Sam Preston]

You think so?

[John Wilson]

100%. Because, like, and that's the data that you get served up by an agency. But, like, the reality is what all had to happen for a company to take brands seriously.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Well, okay, so they're. They want to be professional.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

They want to look professional. They're probably training their techs. They're going to be training their CSRs. Like, that is a company evolution. Yeah. That's not like, I wrapped my truck.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

That's called ad.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

That's an evolution of who you are as a company that's doing all the table stakes. There's a lot more going on there, and it's having the investable cash to go take on a branding project.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like, you have to have free cash to go do that.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And then, like, you've got the design, but you also have the $100,000 in wraps. Yeah. Like, that's a humongous investment.

[Sam Preston]

Oh, yeah.

[John Wilson]

And it just, like, it tells you a lot about the state of the business. But it's. I think that's the trap where people end up spending 30 to 50 grand is like, someone's gonna be like, hey, man, like the year after this company put blue on their trucks with this dog, they doubled.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

And like, they probably did not from that one decision. Yeah, from the ripples of decisions that happened. Like, maybe they professionalized and got a CRM. Maybe they started actually advertising.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Maybe they trained their technicians. Maybe they doubled their pricing to afford the, you know, new upgrades in the business. There was a lot of other things that happened in order for that business to double. And it wasn't just the dog on the truck.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

But I, I think that's the trap is like, like I could point to that data too. Like, when we did our brand, we almost doubled the next year.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

So if, if someone's looking at like my case study of like, hey, Wilson, did their brain in 2019 and the next year they doubled. Well, yeah, no frigging. We bought three companies the next year. Like, that had nothing to do with the guy on the side of my truck.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

But like, surface level, the sales pitch looks good.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Most businesses don't lose jobs because they're bad. They lose jobs because they're busy and a customer could not get a quick answer. One missed call, one forgotten follow up and the job goes somewhere else. Quo helps solve that by putting every customer conversation, calls, texts, voicemails into one shared thread that your whole team can see. So whoever picks up next already knows what's going on. There's no scrambling for context, no more botched communication, and nothing gets dropped. Quo helps keep your team aligned, helps you respond faster, and makes the customer experience feel way more consistent. If you want cleaner communication and fewer lost leads, check out [e-mail]/own. You'll get a free seven day trial plus 20 off your first six months.

[Sam Preston]

I'm with you.

[John Wilson]

My. Apparently I can really write about this. Yeah, well, because I know that somewhere my design is on a case study of like their day six times doing their brand and I'm like, yeah, we did. Yeah. And it wasn't that. Yeah, that was a component.

[Sam Preston]

Sure.

[John Wilson]

But like one of a hundred.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah, yeah, 100%. I guess you're right. Like no one's just changing their brand and literally about.

[John Wilson]

That's the only decision we're going to make this year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're doubling down on website. Like, because they're going to change their website and professionalize it. Probably run more ads to the website.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

Like they're going to drive traffic there they're going to change the socials, probably drive more traffic there. Maybe they take that new brand and they go blow it up on like billboards or TV or something. And that's the same thing where it's like, okay, well, it wasn't really the brand. It was. It was like, yes, you did that. That was the linchpin for the five things you did. Next 100, you started training your text. You got all new brand, new uniforms. Everybody looks good and professional inside the home. You're closing more deals. Yeah, like it's. It's a decision, but it's not the decision. And I think it's very easy to like point to a case study of like they 3x revenue. Yeah, it's like, well, yeah, but like a lot went into that. Yeah.

[Sam Preston]

I mean, I think the only pushback I would have there is like, that's literally everything. Like, even on a Google. Google Ads. Total testimonial that I'm gonna do. Like, hey, we drove. We spent 5k for these and we drove $25,000 for them. That, you know, 5x roas. Cool. But like, that only happened because they actually have good closers. Yeah, that only happened because they have a good brand that people know like, and trusted. Right. So like, I would say, I would push back a little bit. Say, yes, you're right. It's a compone of it. Well, I think my point is the only thing.

[John Wilson]

Just like when presented with data, what's the next two layers? Yeah, like, yes, it is a fact that Wilson did their brand in 2019 and since then we have 20 times our revenue. Yes, like, that is a fact. And if you look at that, great. What else happened?

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

How many businesses did we buy? How many new markets are we in? How many recruiters did we hire? How many what? How big is the marketing team? How much are we spending on marketing?

[Sam Preston]

Yeah.

[John Wilson]

How much is leads versus brand? Because like the. That'll, you know, unpack a little bit of the. Hey, the brand investment was X, but really all of it was Google. Like. Yeah. So I think just go a couple layers when being presented with data.

[Sam Preston]

100. Yeah, 100. And don't spend $30,000.

[John Wilson]

Probably try not to spend $30,000. Yeah, yeah. That's crazy to look like everyone else. Yeah. Oh, my God. Okay, that was a rant. That was a rant episode. I'm probably gonna lose some. I'm gonna lose some people. I'm gonna get some angry emails over that.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah. Yeah, you are. People are gonna call you in and tell you that your. Your. Your grandpa would be disappointed.

[John Wilson]

Ralph would be mad.

[Sam Preston]

Ralph would be.

[John Wilson]

Thanks, everybody, for tuning in. This was a funny rant episode on Truck Wraps. I hope you enjoyed it. If you disagree, which I'm sure there probably will be a lot of people that love their dog, throw it in the comments.

[Sam Preston]

Yeah, we still love you.

[John Wilson]

We still. I love my dog, too. He's just not on my truck.