Service Business Mastery Podcast: "What Homeowners Actually Want From Contractors"
Hosts: Tersh Blissett & Joshua Crouch
Guest: Zach (Founder of Mantle)
Date: January 14, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode dives deep into what homeowners truly value when hiring contractors for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and major home service projects. The conversation pulls insights from a major 2025 study conducted by Mantle, surveying over 400 homeowners about their buying experiences. The discussion covers myths around price sensitivity, the importance of reputation and responsiveness, homeowner education, and how modern tech—including automation and AI—can help contractors meet evolving customer expectations. Tangible, data-driven guidance is offered to help home service businesses transform their approach, improve customer satisfaction, and increase sales.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Customer-Centric Mindset in Home Services
- Customer Obsession: Zach credits his experience at Amazon for instilling the ethos of "customer obsession," emphasizing that truly understanding and advocating for the end user—homeowners—is crucial.
"Stay really obsessed and do what’s in the best interest of the customer." (00:00, 17:19)
- In-Field Learning: Mantle spends 30-40% of team hours on contractor ride-alongs to understand how products are used and where users struggle, both contractors and homeowners.
2. Personalized & Empowering Sales Experiences
- Homeowner as Shopper: Traditional in-home sales are too often lectures, not genuine shopping experiences.
"How do you just let the homeowner be the shopper again?" (04:21)
- Self-Discovery in Buying: Creating space for homeowners to realize and own their needs—rather than being told—reduces buyer’s remorse and increases satisfaction.
"It’s not about telling someone what to do, it’s about asking the right questions to get them to self-discover—or in this case, buy." – Joshua (04:52)
3. The Reality of Big-Ticket Home Purchases
- Lack of Excitement: Unlike cars or houses, big-ticket home systems (like HVAC) rank as the third largest purchase for many Americans, but are met with confusion or dread rather than excitement. (07:03)
- Mythbusting Price Obsession:
"69% of homeowners say that price isn’t the most important thing." – Zach (23:17)
4. The 2025 Mantle Consumer Survey
Why Do the Research?
- Wanted to capture modern homeowner mindsets, debunk myths, and give back to the industry with actionable data. (18:52)
Methodology
- Over 400 verified shoppers surveyed in late summer/fall 2025 (18:52, 20:26).
- Focused on those who had recently shopped for major HVAC or home service work.
Core Findings
- Price is NOT King:
- Only 31% of homeowners selected price as the top factor.
- Comfort, quality of installation, and energy efficiency often ranked higher.
- Value and trust consistently trump low price.
"It all gets to value rather than just price." – Zach (23:21)
- Contractor Mistakes Identified:
- Overemphasizing price in messaging.
- Lecturing homeowners instead of empowering them.
- Letting responsiveness, reviews, and follow-up slip—especially when busy. (22:45–26:58)
- Homeowner Education:
- Most customers want short, relevant education before or during the buying process—not a technical lecture.
"Most homeowners know very little when they start… but 5–10 minutes of the basics and just even asking them questions…" – Zach (27:24)
5. How Homeowners Find and Choose Contractors
Discovery Channels
- AI Search (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.):
- Only 3% of homeowners used AI platforms in 2025 to find contractors—even lower (1.5%) outside millennial age groups.
(32:41)
"Most likely, tomorrow, 97% of your prospective homeowners will not find you via AI search." – Zach (33:17)
- Only 3% of homeowners used AI platforms in 2025 to find contractors—even lower (1.5%) outside millennial age groups.
- Google:
- Leading source, but only 33–34% found a contractor this way.
- Referrals/Relationships:
- Nearly as important as Google: previous customer relationships, friend/neighborhood referrals are critical.
- Online Reviews:
- Over 50% say reviews are critical to selection.
"Over 50% of homeowners say that online reviews was really critical for the contractor they ultimately selected." – Zach (36:00)
- Responsiveness:
- Many homeowners contact multiple companies, and expect several won’t even call them back or show up! (38:12)
6. The Critical Role of Reputation & Responsiveness
- Promptness & Follow-Up: Homeowners want quick responses and clear communication—many drop contractors after a single bad (or absent) follow-up.
- Managing Declines: How you react when someone chooses another provider shapes your reputation and future referrals.
7. What Homeowners Want to See on Contractor Websites
-
Pricing Transparency:
- 69% of homeowners actively search for pricing or ballpark cost information before anyone comes to their home—yet only 15% find useful, clear info.
"7 out of 10… wanted to find some semblance of pricing information… less than 2 out of 10 actually felt like they walked away with it." – Joshua (44:04)
- Massive opportunity: Most contractors don’t provide pricing clarity, so doing so is a differentiator.
-
Clear Value Proposition & Educational Content:
- Homeowners want to understand the differences between products/services and why certain options may suit them without being overwhelmed with jargon.
8. Building a Better Sales Process with Technology & AI
- Post-Visit Follow-Up:
- Mantle’s platform enables sales follow-up to be personalized, timely, and connected to prior conversations (call/text integration) (40:12).
- Data-Driven Sales:
- Track when proposals are viewed, shared, or not acted upon. (54:49)
- Their "Radar" feature detects when proposals are shared with competitors, giving contractors insight into how their quotes are being used. (55:54)
- Options & Empowerment:
- Letting homeowners adjust/compare options (e.g., add air scrubbers, choose energy features) boosts satisfaction and increases ticket values.
"When you stop trying to sell something and let someone buy something, they actually buy something more expensive." – Joshua (50:54)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Customer Obsession:
"Really easy to find and buy what you want [on Amazon]… But when it came to home services, helping my mom, it didn’t feel like a shopping experience. It felt like we were getting lectured at." – Zach (03:01) - On the Baffling Homeowner Experience:
"Third most expensive purchase most Americans will buy in their lifetime… And nobody’s excited about it." – Zach (07:03) - On Price Sensitivity:
"We think price matters a lot more than it actually does. 69% of homeowners say that price isn’t the most important thing." – Zach (23:17) - On Discovery:
"Most likely, tomorrow, 97% of your prospective homeowners will not find you via AI search." – Zach (33:17) - On Reviews & Relationships:
"Over 50% of homeowners say that online reviews was really critical for the contractor they ultimately selected." – Zach (36:00) "If you treat [homeowners] well, especially in those final moments—even if they don’t pick you—that builds your reputation." – Zach (37:28) - On Website Pricing:
"7 out of 10 wanted to find some semblance of pricing… less than 2 out of 10 actually felt they had a pretty good understanding." – Joshua (44:04) - On Presenting Options:
"Even presenting options is something in the trades it’s taken a long time… Let them pick. Just little things like that can make such a difference." – Joshua (50:54) - On Post-Visit Process:
"We’re commonly seeing 60 to 70% of the time the person is leaving without the deal closed yet." – Zach (41:58)
Important Timestamps
- Amazon’s Customer Obsession Principle – 00:00, 17:19
- Mantle Team’s In-Field Approach – 15:14
- How Homeowners Feel About HVAC Buying – 03:01, 07:03
- Mantle Survey Purpose & Method – 18:52, 20:26
- Top Mistakes Contractors Make According to Data – 22:45
- Price Myth Busting – 23:17
- Homeowner Discovery Channels (AI/Google/Referrals) – 32:41–34:58
- Reputation & Responsiveness – 36:00, 38:12
- Homeowner Website Needs (Pricing, Info) – 42:50–44:23
- Empowering Sales Process & Tech – 40:12, 54:49
- Mantle’s Impact: Sales and Data Insights – 49:52, 55:54
Practical Takeaways for Contractors
- Don’t Assume Price is Everything: Focus messaging and sales efforts on value, comfort, trust, and a quality experience.
- Prioritize Reputation & Responsiveness: Ironclad follow-up and clear, authentic reviews are key—both online and via personal referrals.
- Give Clear, Useful Pricing Info: Show ballpark pricing or structured price explanations online to stand out from competitors.
- Let Homeowners Control the Journey: Answer questions, empower choice, present options, and avoid the one-solution-fits-all “lecture.”
- Use Technology to Remove Friction: Implement platforms that track communications, follow up automatically, and provide managers with real insights.
- Learn from Real Data: Adapt every year as homeowner behavior evolves—surveys and fresh analytics can shape your “new normal.”
Where to Access the Full Report & Mantle Demo
- Survey & Insights Download:
usemantle.com/survey - Book a Software Demo:
usemantle.com
This episode is a must-listen for any contractor aiming to stay competitive, deliver what today's homeowners care about, and thrive as the home service industry evolves into 2026 and beyond.