In this episode, John Wilson and Brandon Niro are joined by Zac Dearing from Mantel for a fast-paced, trivia-style breakdown of what homeowners actually want when buying HVAC and home services in 2025. Mantel just surveyed 500+ homeowners nationwide, and instead of guessing in the dark like most of the industry, we put real customer data on the board. John and Brandon compete to predict homeowner behavior — how many contractors people call, where they find you, what earns trust, how pricing impacts decisions, and what parts of the sales process truly move the needle.
The results are a gut-check for any contractor, operator, or sales leader. Homeowners are still overwhelmingly finding contractors through Google and repeat relationships, AI search is basically nonexistent (despite all the noise), and reviews dominate how people assess quality. Even more interesting: millennials and baby boomers shop very differently, and the “price objection” narrative isn’t as universal as we treat it in training. If you’re trying to improve close rate, tighten your sales process, build real trust in the home, or decide how transparent to be with pricing and warranties, this episode is stacked with insights you can act on immediately.
What You’ll Learn
- How many contractors homeowners contact before choosing one
- The real top channels homeowners use to find contractors in 2025
- Why AI search (ChatGPT/Perplexity/Claude) isn’t driving discovery yet
🎙️ Hosts & Guest
Host
John Wilson
Co-Host
Brandon Niro
Guest
Zac Dearing
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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC
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Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast