The Fire Time Podcast

Salespeople will almost always take the path of least resistance unless a process prevents them from doing so. This sort of operation was sufficient in recent times, but now more than ever, you need salespeople who have processes to pursue opportunities so that you maximize sales in the likely oncoming down economy. Listen to this episode to learn how to develop your team’s processes to be prepare...

There’s a tidal wave of government regulation coming toward our industry. While it certainly will disrupt our industry, that’s not necessarily bad. The best way to ensure good outcomes is riding the tidal wave together. Listen to this episode to avoid being swept away by upcoming government regulations. While we prepare Season 10 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio a...

In this bonus episode, Tim walks through the FTN HPBExpo guide. Click here to download it as a PDF so you have an intentional plan to win this year in Louisville! In addition, our team is hosting the first ever FTN EDx Scavenger Hunt. Collect points by completing challenges and scanning QR codes. The top three will receive some amazing packages from the FTN team. Click here to register for the FTN...

What does calling people by their names, deleting the email client off your phone, and truthfully understanding your authenticity and sincerity do for the people you interact with? It allows you to connect with them on a deeper level. These days, too many people fall victim to letting distractions impact the quality of their relationships. Don’t be like them; listen to this episode to hear what yo...

Many people don’t have any semblance of control over their schedules, and that negatively impacts their teams. By having “turn signals,” you can gain control over your schedule, show courtesy to your team, and build internal discipline that will make you proactive and intentional with your time. Listen to this episode to learn about turn signals, which will help you galvanize and rally team member...

“Team members should be treated the same way as customers.” If you repeat this statement often but it’s false day-to-day, it produces cognitive dissonance in your culture, allowing bad habits and toxicity to form. Maintaining this culture will deter young people from your company and ultimately lead to its demise. Listen to this episode to learn how to eliminate cognitive dissonance within your co...

Shockingly, there isn’t an industry-wide required certification process to put fire into customers' homes. However, there are many obtainable certifications that not only ensure your staff is expert at what they do but also plant peace of mind in your customers’ minds. Given the option, virtually nobody would choose an uncertified business over a certified one when dealing with something that coul...

When a salesperson is standing in front of a customer, it’s important to ask intentional questions. Listen to this episode to get a framework for finding the right tone for sales situations and asking questions that genuinely show customers you care. While we prepare Season 10 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions to audio articles from The Fire Time Magazine. In this week's ep...

Two-thirds of Americans believe that the climate crisis is a major issue that needs to be addressed. Yet, many of the major companies that occupy our lives daily continue to pump out tons of CO2 with little to no public scrutiny. This is because they offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits. People in our industry need to seriously consider this inexpensive strategy if we want our indus...

In recent years, our industry has been too occupied by intense demand to orient our businesses in accordance with shifts in society. Today, there are industry-wide struggles in labor, sales, supply, and electrification. These things are about to converge and impact our industry like never before. Listen to Grant Falco’s take and advice on these issues in this episode to better prepare for the futu...

Once you’ve paid for a TV ad, it’s gone. This isn’t necessarily bad, but before dumping money into marketing you buy, you should assess if you’ve fully taken advantage of the marketing you own. Listen to this Rapid Reaction Episode to learn more about the two different types of marketing and when to rely on each.  While we prepare Season 10 of the podcast, Tim will be giving weekly rapid reactions...

The Fire Time Podcast launched over four years ago, and the first episode featured today’s guest. After praising him as the George Washington of our industry’s Mt. Rushmore, Tim asks this guest to respond to a series of questions that came in throughout the last season. In today’s episode, Tim talks with the soon-to-be-retired Tim Rethlake (Director of Sales Effectiveness at Hearth & Home Technolo...

Too many people treat business decisions like killing fish. Today’s guest explains how he believes this mindset is detrimental to maintaining meaningful connections with the people a business serves. Instead, he claims, every decision should be thought of as planting a tree. In today’s episode, Tim sits down with Kirk Newby (President of Associated Energy Systems), a legacy maker Tim has long resp...

The business owned by this episode’s guest experienced one of its greatest periods of growth during the 2008 recession. With the current instability of the economy, learning how to prosper when everyone else is suffering is in your best interest. This guest will explain how he did it. In today’s episode, Tim talks with Alan Newkirk (Owner of Newkirk Ventures and Master Hearth Professional), someon...

As the economy starts to tighten up, it's more important than ever that you're in control of your sales process. In today's episode, we begin a series of conversations with "Legacy Makers" that have seen turbulent times before and have come out the other side. This first conversation is with Jerry and Sheryl Isenhour (CVC Success Group)—a power couple that has been serving this industry faithfully...

As the market starts to shrink with the economy, the most important thing we can do is take the time to understand our customer's problem. It's simple. Companies who understand their customer's problem are in a position to advise a solution—and companies who don't understand the problem can't. In today's episode, Tim turns the page from speaking with Peak Performers to hit the sales process hard....

Imagine operating a hearth business that dominates its local market and coaching a kid's soccer team while being Tim’s accomplice in almost every endeavor. This episode’s guest does all these things in stride and has the humility to admit it’s not always easy. In today’s episode, Tim is joined by Grant Falco (Co-Owner of Falcos & Co-Founder of Fire Time Network) to round out the peak performer sec...

Today’s guest typically spends 250 days of the year traveling to chimney businesses and helping salespeople become rockstars. He’s booked two years out, and Tim says he’s “as legit as it gets.”  In today’s episode, Tim interviews the peak performer Alan Rush (Owner of Rush Profits and Partner at SureFire Training Academy). Alan has over 20 years of professional solution-selling experience, which h...

Standing in living rooms in a tattered t-shirt and jeans might sound like a terrible sales strategy, but it’s exactly how today’s guest began one of the largest hearth retail operations in the nation. In today’s episode, Tim talks with the peak performer Chris Becker (President of Twin City Fireplace), who slowly took over his father’s business after realizing working in a cubicle wasn’t for him....

Few businesses in our industry have over 20 trucks on the road, more than 100 employees, and no limit for growth. This episode’s guest, however, is the owner of businesses that fit these unusual criteria. In today’s episode, Tim talks with the peak performer Mark Stoner (President of Ashbusters Chimney Service and author of Blue Collar Gold). Their conversation starts with Mark’s life story, then...

If you don’t care about the outward-facing appearance of your business, why should a customer assume you care about the appearance of a fireplace you install in their home? In today’s episode—a divider between the up-and-coming leaders and peak-performers sections of this season—Tim talks with his sister, Christy Campbell (Graphic Designer for The Fire Time Magazine) about marketing, branding, and...

Moving from accounting to marketing to tech to fireplaces, this episode’s guest proves it’s never too late to make a drastic professional pivot. In today’s episode, Tim talks with Michael Verkruyse (VP for Associated Energy Systems), an up-and-coming leader. Michael brings a wealth of knowledge to our industry which he gained from working for small startup companies and Google. A large portion of...

A college degree in English and a teaching job were today’s guest’s attributes when she became a full-time leader at her family’s hearth store. In the seven years since this transition, she has helped market the business into something that physically and digitally is effective and true to her family. In today’s episode, Tim is joined by Jodi Harrington (Marketing & Purchasing Director for Classic...

Transitioning from the tech industry to the fireplace industry is something today’s guest never expected, even though he grew up watching his parents run their legacy business. However, this transition has set him up to help his family’s business overcome obstacles that many companies can’t. In this episode, Tim talks with Patrick Ryan (Purchaser for the Stove Shop), a young leader using data and...

A man bun and a love for surfing are what today’s guest had when he left a tech job in San Francisco for his father’s hearth company in New Jersey. Ever since this pivot, he has been committed to understanding and redefining how his family’s business operates. To start Season 9 of the podcast, Tim talks with the up-and-coming David Rettinger (Principal at Rettinger Fireplace). After beginning with...