The Fire Time Podcast
Tim Reed
Are you tired of presentations that are only half relevant to your business? Many speakers are not practitioners of their material, simply teachers—not so with The Fire Time Podcast. This podcast is for the hearth industry and by the hearth industry. Host Tim Reed has over a decade of experience in the hearth industry, making conversations with guests relevant and extremely practical. In Season One, Tim speaks with twelve hearth industry leaders and provides content relevant to any position, whether on the retail or manufacturing side. Hearth companies everywhere are lost because the landscape of business has changed dramatically in the last ten years. They are trying hard, but they just don’t know what to do. The Fire Time Podcast equips hearth companies to win by sharing ideas and innovation from the best minds in our industry. This podcast will give you the tools to move the needle in your company and win in the changing landscape. This podcast is the first of its kind—specific to the business that you work in every day and simple enough to teach you what’s needed to succeed. Do not miss out on The Fire Time Podcast, available for Apple and Droid devices or at www.itsfiretime.com/podcast. The simple and repeatable steps provided will empower you to grow the bottom line of your company and inspire the team that you lead. ABOUT: Tim Reed is the Retail Sales Leader at Fireside Home Solutions in the Pacific Northwest where he helps his team members make it so stupidly easy to buy from them that there is no excuse not to. Starting as individual salesperson in an empty warehouse, he has grown Fireside’s Retail division by millions (after cutting his marketing budget by 90%). Tim has been invited all over the country to teach companies how to market effectively to their customers and sell more than ever before. His YouTube videos, sales blog, and “Fire Time Podcast” have become a resource for the industry and are actively helping thousands of people rethink their paradigms so that they can grow their businesses in the changing landscape. Tim learned “just enough to be dangerous” about sales, marketing, web development, and leadership from years of playing guitar in a failing punk band—which he swears has uniquely qualified him for his job today. Now considered one of the most innovative minds and compelling communicators in the industry, Tim uses his platform to serve others, helping them create clear messages that are wildly compelling to their audiences. Tim lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Jessica, two children, Olivia and Luke, and his 90 pound Golden Retriever, Walter. He still plays guitar in a failing punk band. CONTACT: tim@itsfiretime.com | www.itsfiretime.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 18, 2023 • 13min
"Improve Employee Performance with Better Job Descriptions" by Clay Dennis (FTM Rapid Reaction)
While we prepare Season 11 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from our industry publications. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to an article by Clay Dennis titled, “Improve Employee Performance with Better Job Descriptions”. This article was originally published in the June 2023 issue of The Fire Time Magazine and its simple wisdom is incredible—don't miss this audio article and Tim's rapid reaction to it!To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine.Read The Fire Time Magazine Reader Edition online: https://magazine.itsfiretime.com.Download The Fire Time Magazine app to get full access to the magazine (for free): https://www.itsfiretime.com/app.Pick up a copy of the 2023 Fire Time Journal: https://www.itsfiretime.com/journal.Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime.
Jul 11, 2023 • 12min
"Your Real Rival" by Tim Reed (Patio and Hearth Products Report Rapid Reaction)
While we prepare Season 11 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from our industry publications. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to the first article he ever wrote for an industry publication: “Your Real Rival”. This was the guest editorial in the September/October issue of The Patio and Hearth Products Report magazine. Hear Tim read this article and react to it nearly five years later to see if it still rings true.To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine.Read The Fire Time Magazine Reader Edition online: https://magazine.itsfiretime.com.Download The Fire Time Magazine app to get full access to the magazine (for free): https://www.itsfiretime.com/app.Pick up a copy of the 2023 Fire Time Journal: https://www.itsfiretime.com/journal.Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime.
Jul 4, 2023 • 21min
"Service—The Dirty Word of the Hearth Industry" by Mark Stoner (FTM Rapid Reaction)
While we prepare Season 11 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's episode, Tim reacts to “Service—The Dirty Word of the Hearth Industry” by Mark Stoner (Owner, Ashbuster's Chimney Service).To hear more audio articles from our magazine, subscribe to the Fire Time Magazine Podcast: https://www.itsfiretime.com/magazine.Read The Fire Time Magazine Reader Edition online: https://magazine.itsfiretime.com.Download The Fire Time Magazine app to get full access to the magazine (for free): https://www.itsfiretime.com/app.Pick up a copy of the 2023 Fire Time Journal: https://www.itsfiretime.com/journal.Support The Fire Time Podcast financially: https://www.patreon.com/itsfiretime.
Jun 27, 2023 • 56min
Q & A - Season 10 Finale
In this episode, we round out Season 10 by answering questions that have come in over the last few months. In this episode, Tim responds to these questions:
How quickly should you greet a customer who walks into your showroom?
Where do you start if you've never managed a team before?
Should a business offer annual service plans and extended warranties to differentiate from their competitors?
How do you build a compensation plan for a sales team?
Should bonuses be split between sales and installation since they both rely on each other?
How do you know if a customer has the budget for the fireplace they are looking at?
Don't miss this episode—and make sure to check out next week's podcast for our new series of FTM rapid reaction until Season 11 kicks in September.Links from this episode:
Join The Fire Time Network
Support The Fire Time Podcast Financially
The Fire Time Magazine Podcast (Apple Podcasts) | (Spotify)
Jun 20, 2023 • 54min
Gideon Honeycutt and Kenneth Walker - Relationships Are Everything
In the Southeast US, there’s a noticeable positive difference in how people treat eachother. This difference also positively affects how business is conducted.In today’s episode, Tim chats with Gideon Honeycutt and Kenneth Walker (Blaze King and Valor's southeastern sales reps) to learn more about this difference in how people treat one another in the South.In this episode, you’ll learn:
What the tell-tale signs of well-paced relationship development are (and how going too slow or fast can severely mess things up).
How to know what is actually giving value to a customer (and why it is essential that you care about this).
What it’s like to sell fireplaces to regions where it’s always warm outside (and how this allows for richer relationships).
The Southeastern US needs to be included in conversations had elsewhere in the US. It’s an amazing part of the world that deserves to be examined and learned from, as the way human interactions occur can teach everyone a thing or two. Listen to this episode to learn more.Email Tim a Question for the Q&A EpisodeSign Up For The Fire Time WorkshopSupport The Fire Time Podcast FinanciallyClick Here to Join The Fire Time Network
Jun 13, 2023 • 38min
Jean-François Fauteux - Life After Electrification
In Quebec, Canada, electrification happened decades ago. Hearth stores survived this transition and have been selling more than just electric fireplaces ever since because of how they positioned themselves as a part of the solution.In today’s episode, Tim talks with Jean-François Fauteux (Coval Distribution), who believes the hearth business in Quebec has become stronger from electrification than it was before. Jean provides insight into what he thinks hearth dealers in the US should do to best prepare their businesses for when electrification fully sweeps the nation. In this episode, you’ll learn:
What nearly every electrified hearth dealer’s book of business is like (and how non-electric stoves are a part of the solution).
Why shaking pitchforks at climate initiatives is a lost cause (and why the only way we’ll influence climate-focused agendas is by working alongside the people pushing them).
How to convince customers that an electric stove will do everything they want (and how to do this with bio-fuel stoves too).
If we want to save our industry from electrification, we must present ourselves as a part of the solution to the people in power. The electrification movement is a tidal wave of change nearing the horizon that’s not going away, and we as an industry have to figure out what we can do to prepare. Listen to this episode to gain a perspective on what we could do.Access The Carbon AlmanacEmail Tim a Question for the Q&A EpisodeSign Up For The Fire Time WorkshopSupport The Fire Time Podcast FinanciallyClick Here to Join The Fire Time Network
Jun 6, 2023 • 1h 9min
Matt Bradley - Hiring and Inspiring Gen Z
If we want to be serious about hiring and inspiring Gen Z, we don’t have to offer more paid time off or higher wages. Instead, we first need to understand the forces that influence young people's worldview, and, second, sincerely connect with them.In today’s episode, Matt Bradley (Partnership Manager at WhyFire) explains how postmodernism plagued Gen Z and what can be done to reverse its effects. After a decade of teaching thousands of Gen Z high school students, Matt’s found how to cultivate genuine relationships with young people and empower them to do challenging things.In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why members of Gen Z believe there's nothing to strive for in life (and the three primary problems within this belief).
How to empower members of Gen Z through mentorship (and how doing this will actually empower you too).
Practical principles for hiring and inspiring Gen Z (and the questions you should be asking when hiring).
If we want to make a difference with this generation, the ideas discussed in this episode are all we need to begin. You can develop young people with courageous strength entrenched in moral purpose. They'll show up to work even when it's difficult, go home and take care of their loved ones even when it's inconvenient, and show up energized and ready to go the following day. Get started by listening to this episode.Sign Up For The Fire Time WorkshopSupport The Fire Time Podcast FinanciallyClick Here to Join The Fire Time Network
May 30, 2023 • 41min
Johnathan Sanders - Invest in Video and Photography
A lot of businesses settle for bad stock photography because it’s what’s available. Producing quality content in-house is much easier than you might think, and its benefits will quickly become apparent once published. In today’s episode, Tim chats with Johnathan Sanders (Production Specialist, Spark Marketer) about why quality, locally-produced content is so crucial for hearth businesses to flourish.In this episode, you’ll learn:
What photography and video are for (this content is far more versatile than you think).
How to start creating quality content (this advice is for any business of any size).
Why content lets the customer experience your services before they commit to them (this is huge for increasing sales).
Right now, the economy is uncertain at best, and it’s more important than ever your business stands out. Listen to this episode to learn one of the most impactful ways to stand out.Spark Marketer’s WebsiteAccess the WhyFire Sales AcceleratorSign Up For The Fire Time WorkshopSupport The Fire Time Podcast FinanciallyClick Here to Join The Fire Time Network
May 23, 2023 • 37min
Stove Team International - Saving Lives One Stove at a Time
Smoke from indoor cooking fires kills more people annually than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. These deaths are easily preventable, and our industry is perfectly positioned to help prevent them.In today’s episode, Tim talks with Shelby Curtis and Mike Hatfield of Stove Team International about their efforts in facilitating the placement of low-smoke, fuel-efficient, and safe cookstoves in collaboration with local communities to support families and protect the environment. After learning about Stove Team International’s mission, the conversation progresses to how the Hearth Industry can become more involved in this noble cause.In this episode, you’ll learn:
What Stove Team International does to bring safe cookstoves to those in need (and how half of the world’s population needs such a thing).
The amount it costs to bring a stove to a family in need (this will blow your mind).
How to orient your business so that you can support Stove Team (this will allow you to never apologize for your prices again).
In our industry, it's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, but we need to take a moment to back up and think bigger. By making tiny tweaks to how we do things, we can make significant, life-saving changes for those in less privileged parts of the planet.Donate to Stove Team International
May 16, 2023 • 59min
Commit to Sales Practice (Building a Framework of Sales Management Part 7)
Being confident in sales skills is common, but reflecting on and critiquing them to get better is not. This is why committing to practicing sales day in and day out is critical to success.In today’s episode, Tim takes on something we have never done on the podcast before: he has a live sales practice with Curtis Coomer and Quinn Lackey of Barnhill Chimney.In this episode, you’ll learn:
The rhythm of a good sales practice session (this is something that has taken Tim years to master).
What needs to be put in place to commit to a regular sales practice with your team (this will allow your salespeople to grow drastically).
How to get past the awkward beginnings of a sales practice (this is what separates those who succeed the most).
What we do in this episode is something you must do if you want to go from playing defense to playing offense. Regular sales practice will take your team to the next level if you can stick to it. Listen to this episode to learn from some of the best at implementing a regular sales practice.Access the WhyFire Sales AcceleratorSign Up For The Fire Time WorkshopSupport The Fire Time Podcast FinanciallyClick Here to Join The Fire Time Network
