Episode Overview
In her first year running HVAC business True Pros, Katy Higgins went from garage startup to $6 million in sales.
A natural sales pro, Higgins was working in Utah, a conservative state that’s generally one of the last to welcome women into the male-dominated business arenas.
She didn’t let setbacks, such as a homeowner who only wanted to work with a man, get her down. She created a workplace where victories are celebrated and challenges are met head-on.
Even when Higgins was trying to get her foot in the door and women in the industry raised eyebrows, her technique was the same as it is now.
“When I go to a potential customer’s home, what problem am I trying to solve?” she asks. “I'm not there to sell something. I'm trying to solve a problem.”
Her process entails identifying with homeowners then relaying complex concepts for fixes in a way they can clearly understand.
Along the way she wasn’t given a guide or a tutorial on marketing her company, so she tried a multitude of approaches.
“For my marketing, I thought, ‘I'm going to try it all,” Higgins says. “I'm going to do it all. And thank goodness that I did.”
She was confident in her sales ability – she just needed leads to come from as many places as possible.
Higgins is proud of the entrepreneurialism she’s exhibited, even in the face of roadblocks.
“Entrepreneurship is not easy,” she says. “It takes a lot of tough skin, it takes a lot of effort, and not everybody's built for it.”
Higgins salutes the strong business owners who’ve stood with her during her rapid rise.
“Surrounding myself with other really strong people, not just women, but other business owners that I want to be like, has been really important,” she says.
Higgins’ final advice: Stay around those other women and entrepreneurs.”
Katy Higgins recently joined ServiceTitan’s Jackie Aubel on the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast, which included Higgins’ thoughts on:
[8:07] Why contractors need to focus on solving problems, not push products
[13:29] How True Pros went from garage startup to $6M in the first year
[19:43] Scrapbooks, celebrations, and staying focused on the positives
[26:13] Learning to be an entrepreneur
[30:22] Falling in love with Sales Pro and quadrupling closure rates
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or anywhere you get podcasts.
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