Today’s episode in 50 words:

Every lead you don't convert in the first few minutes is probably gone forever. In this episode, CHIIRP CEO Ryan Fenn reveals how AI-powered follow-up, smarter messaging, and outcome-based automation are helping service businesses book more jobs… without sounding like a robot. If you're not using AI to convert leads yet, someone else is.

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FULL EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

• 00:00 — The AI arms race has started, and most contractors don't know they're losing. Ryan opens with an announcement no other podcast has heard yet: CHIIRP rebuilt their entire platform from scratch to be AI-first. The window to get ahead of your competitors is closing fast.

• 03:00 — The data behind how fast you need to respond to a new lead will shock you. Speed to lead is still the #1 conversion lever — but if your CSR isn't calling back within a very specific window, you're statistically handing the job to your competitor.

• 08:00 — AI isn't just for follow-up anymore. It's reshaping the entire sales conversation. Ryan breaks down where AI fits into the future of home service sales — and which parts still need a human in the loop.

• 12:20 — Why humans will always have a role, even when AI becomes indistinguishable from a real person. Ryan makes the case for the specific things humans do in sales that AI literally cannot replicate — and how to double down on those advantages now.

• 21:20 — How to "download your brain" into an AI system so your business can run without you in the room. Ryan reveals the method for turning 20 years of trade experience into systems that train, respond, and sell on your behalf — 24/7.

• 22:11 — Most contractors are using AI for sales emails completely wrong. The mistake isn't using AI to write — it's letting it write for you instead of with you. Ryan draws the line between AI as a ghostwriter (bad) and AI as an editor (game-changing).

• 27:24 — Features are the last thing you should compare when evaluating AI vendors. What separates partners that actually move the needle is something most contractors never think to ask about. Ryan tells you exactly what questions to ask before signing.

• 33:02 — There's one word in contractor follow-up messages that could be tanking 90% of your response rates. Once you hear it, you'll want to audit every automation you currently have running.

• 36:00 — Can you respond too fast to a lead? The answer is counterintuitive — and it has real implications for how you configure your AI follow-up. There's a sweet spot, and most people are missing it.

• 40:57 — Static drip campaigns are dead. AI agents don't send the same message to everyone on day 1, day 3, day 7. Ryan explains how dynamic, behavior-triggered agents are converting leads that old automation would have burned.

• 49:00 — The one thing Ryan says contractors should stop doing immediately if they want to compete in the next 3 years. No hedging. Direct answer. You'll want to hear this before your competitors do.

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