the rulebreaker

How a Master Plumber's Crazy Idea Changed the Game

January 08, 2025

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It's a sweltering day at the Grapevine Fest in Texas, and while other vendors are handing out the usual pens and keychains, Billy Stevens is standing behind a mountain of... plungers. Yes, plungers. His team thinks he's lost his mind. Who gives out plungers at a wine festival?

But Billy, the master plumber turned tech innovator, just grins. He knows something they don't: sometimes the craziest ideas make the most sense. By the end of the weekend, 1,200 people are proudly carrying their new plungers through the festival, taking selfies, and creating the kind of buzz most marketing teams only dream about.

"We generated $700,000 in potential revenue from handing out plungers," Billy laughs. "Try doing that with a pen!"

Today on Service Business Mastery…

STOP THINKING LIKE A CONTRACTOR

Start thinking like a membership-driven business that happens to do contracting.

Billy Stevens reveals how BillyGO grew to 10,000 members in six years by breaking all the traditional rules.

Watch the interview here (or listen here):

You can also read the show notes here.

In this issue of the Service Business Mastery newsletter, you’ll discover:

📈 3 Tactics To Implement Right Away

🧠 2 Big Ideas To Think About

🧐 1 Question To Ask Yourself

Let’s achieve mastery:

In partnership with:

This issue of 3-2-1 by Service Business Mastery is thanks to our partners at Lace. On average, Lace customers increase qualified booking rates by 23% in just 30 days. Learn more here »

Take these, implement them right away:

1️⃣ Ditch complicated maintenance plans for simple membership programs - stop promising tune-ups and start offering value-based benefits instead.

2️⃣ Focus on a tight 10-15 mile service radius - being everywhere means being nowhere in your customers' minds.

3️⃣ Make booking ridiculously simple - if you're asking customers if they have a "split system," you're already losing them.

Your best marketing opportunities aren't online - they're at local events where you can create memorable moments (yes, even with plungers).
The first call is everything - when your average first-call booking rate is only 50%, you're leaving money on the table every single day.

Are you still selling maintenance plans that promise "no breakdowns," or are you ready to build real relationships that create predictable revenue?

3 Ways To Experience The Full Episode:

▶️ YouTube

📝 The Show Notes