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- AI Isn't Everything...
Yo,
I’m bullish on AI and I’m not hiding it. But, it’s only useful when used the right way.
In the most recent episode of the Owned & Operated podcast, I saw down with Sam Preston and Ethan Wright of Service Scalers, a leading home service marketing agency, to talk about the rise of AI in marketing—and a whole lot more.
And speaking of AI…
Last year, we rolled out a new tool from our partner Avoca in the call center—and the numbers speak for themselves:
Call quality jumped from 40% to 95%
Booking rate’s locked in at 85%
Easily handling 400+ calls every week
AI’s not just hype. It’s becoming the competitive edge in areas from service to marketing and everything in between.
Book a demo (tell them I sent you) and then jump back over here to read the rest of the newsletter. ⬇️
AI and Automation are Changing the Home Service Game
Let me start with this.
AI isn’t entirely replacing “real” marketing strategies anytime soon. Or ever IMO.
But it’s absolutely having a positive impact on home service companies that utilize it. That will continue to be the case moving forward.
The biggest changes aren’t flashy new platforms or viral AI agents taking over.
It’s the small stuff—the things that make good businesses run faster and sharper.
Operators are using AI to:
Improve call center response times
Audit ad accounts and flag wasted spend
Spot breakdowns between leads and booked jobs
Cut hours of manual reporting and busywork
The smartest plays aren’t about cutting people. They’re about freeing good people to focus on better work.
It’s about automating the 20% of tasks that slow down the 80% of real results.
The Real Shift Happening Inside Marketing
While everyone’s chasing the next AI headline, the real change is already sneaking into marketing:
Search behavior is getting more conversational (“best 24/7 plumber with five-star reviews” is the new “plumber near me”)
Google's updates are quietly shifting to prioritize sites built for AI agents—not just human readers
Early paid ad tests inside ChatGPT are driving serious returns (real money, not just clicks)
But here’s the thing:
The fundamentals still matter more than ever.
Fast response still wins.
Great branding still wins.
Real customer relationships still win.
AI’s not a silver bullet — it’s a better toolbox
The model works if you use it the right way.
Some operators are setting up automations that quietly monitor CRM activity, ad spend drops, keyword shifts, even customer reviews—24/7.
Not flashy.
Not complicated.
But game-changing for spotting problems before they turn into lost sales.
The question to ask before chasing AI and automation:
Is this helping your best people do better work, or just giving you more dashboards to ignore?
It’s gotta have a positive impact on your business. No questions asked.
More Leads = More Sales = More Revenue
Remember that guy I talked about above? The guy in the podcast?
That’s Sam Preston of Service Scalers. His team has had one of the biggest impacts on our growth over the past 12 months.
Their LSA, GMB and SEO strategies focus on getting high-quality, consistent leads. PLUS their focus on performance tracking has shown us how to create a winning formula for our digital marketing.
Check out Service Scalers to see what they can do for your bottom line.
That’s all for today, but I’ll be back on Friday with another newsletter. In the meantime, find me on X and share something interesting.
👊
John
Disclosure: This newsletter includes sponsored content. However, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.
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