The AI Trades Blog
AI tools, marketing tactics, and automation strategies for home service contractors.
Google Local Service Ads for Contractors: The Complete Setup Guide
LSA leads cost $5-$130. Here's how to set up Google Local Service Ads, get verified, and pay less per lead than your competitors.
How to Stop Losing Leads to Missed Calls
78% of callers who hit voicemail hang up and call your competitor. Here's the no-code automation that texts them back in seconds.
How to Use AI for Dispatching and Scheduling in Your Home Service Business
Home service contractors miss 27% of inbound calls, losing $45K-$120K/year. Here's how AI dispatching and scheduling fixes that.
How to Manage Rising Tariff and Material Costs as a Roofing, Plumbing, or HVAC Contractor
Copper up 38%, HVAC equipment up 57% at one firm. Here's how roofing, plumbing, and HVAC contractors protect margins in 2026.
5-Touch Estimate Follow-Up Sequence for Contractors
44% of contractors follow up just once on estimates. A 5-touch automated sequence over 14 days can lift close rates from 22% to 35%.
How to Use AI for Scheduling and Dispatching in Your Home Service Business
70% of home service businesses now use AI scheduling. Here's how to cut drive time 20%, capture missed calls, and add $1,750+ per week.
How to Buy a Home Service Business: A Contractor's Acquisition Guide
Service businesses sold for a median $400K in 2025, up 32% in 5 years. Here's how contractors buy one the right way.
How to Grow Your Insulation Business: A Contractor's Complete Guide
Insulation leads cost $70-$200 each. Here's how to get more of them, close more jobs, and build a business hitting $500K-$1M per rig.
How to Set Up Online Booking for Your Contracting Business (And Win More Jobs)
94% of consumers choose contractors who offer online booking. Here's how to set it up and recover up to $14,500/month in lost revenue.
How to Stop Sending Techs Out Without the Right Parts
51% of failed first-time fixes come from missing parts. Here's how to build a pre-dispatch alert that catches shortages before the truck rolls.
How to Grow Your Mini-Split Installation Business as an HVAC Contractor
Multi-zone mini-split jobs pay $4,800–$18,000 installed. Here's how HVAC contractors capture more of them with smarter marketing and operations.
How to Send Customers a Monthly Energy Savings Report
HVAC contractors lose 7% of their customer base yearly to silence. A monthly savings report from Ecobee or Nest fixes that in 3 hours.