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Million Dollar Electrician - Sale to Scale For Home Service Pros
Accelerate your electrical service business to six-figure months and seven-figure success in record time. Hosted by Clay Neumeyer and Joseph Lucanie, this podcast breaks down the proven frameworks, sales systems, and high-performance strategies used by top electricians and service teams, worldwide.
Each episode delivers real-world scripts, elite communication tools, option-building tactics, and premium homeowner experience frameworks that help contractors grow fast, close confidently, and dominate their market ethically.
If you're ready to shorten the path to consistent $100K+ Service months, build a recognizable premium brand, and step into the next level of leadership and income, this is the place. Plug in, level up, and get ready to scale with speed.
Million Dollar Electrician - Sale to Scale For Home Service Pros
S3 EP24 The $1.2M Lesson Most Electricians Ignore | Robert Gailie
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Robert Gailey started just like most electricians…
Doing side work after hours, trying to make extra money, and competing on price just to win jobs.
At the time, he was bringing in around $165K a year on the side.
Fast forward a few years and now his company is doing over $1.1M to $1.2M per year.
So what changed?
It wasn’t more leads.
It wasn’t working harder.
And it definitely wasn’t lowering his price.
In this episode, Rob breaks down the exact mindset shift that helped him:
- stop being the “cheap electrician”
- gain confidence in his pricing
- close bigger jobs without pressure
- and build a business around service, people, and real value
We also cover:
- why most electricians stay stuck doing side work
- how to stop competing with cheap contractors
- what actually makes customers choose higher-priced options
- how to handle price objections without dropping your price
- the real cost of trying to figure business out alone
If you’re an electrician trying to grow your business, get out of survival mode, and finally take control of your schedule and income, this episode is for you!
⚡️ We’re doing something we’ve never done before…
Service Loop Electrical is hosting our first-ever in-person event and we’re keeping it small on purpose. 26 seats total. That’s it.
The Whistler Service Summit 2026 brings together top electric service business owners for 2 days of real training, live roleplay, and hands-on coaching at Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler, BC.
You’ll be in the room with Clay Neumeyer, Joseph Lucanie, and Forrest Schwartz dialing in your sales, marketing, and operations in real time.
No fluff. Just the systems that help you earn more and take back control of your schedule.
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⚡️ Connect with Robert Gailie (GO Electric NY)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.a.gailie
Email: Robert@GOElectricNY.com
⚡️If you want portable generators to become a real revenue stream, reach out today!
📧 Email: jesse@duromaxpower.com
🌐 Website: www.duromaxpower.com
📞 Call: 909-490-5789
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#electrician #electricianbusiness #electricalcontractor #tradesbusiness #sidework #smallbusinessgrowth #servicebusiness #bluecollarbusiness #pricingstrategy #salesmindset
The Hidden Cost Of Going Alone
SPEAKER_01What do you think is the real cost of trying to figure this out on your own?
SPEAKER_02It depends how long you wait, I guess. But uh I mean, if you're starting new in business and you try to figure it out on your own, it's gonna take you probably five to seven years to really start to be profitable and understand that you charge what you charge because there's a reason for it, not because it's a fictitious number that somebody created, but that could be three, four, or five hundred thousand dollars a year over that time where you could skip the line and maybe in two years be where you are or where you would be in seven by doing it the hard way. So you easily could be a million-dollar loss.
SPEAKER_01Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to the Million Dollar Electrician Podcast, where we help home service pros like you supercharge your business and spark up those sales.
SPEAKER_04I'm Joseph Lucani, and together with my co-host Clay New Meyer. We're here to share the secrets that have helped electricians sell over a million dollars in a single service bank.
SPEAKER_00Now, it's time for sales. It's time for sale. It's time to become a million-dollar electric.
Meet Rob And Rapid Growth
SPEAKER_01Hey, real quick, if you're an electrical service business owner and you're tired of figuring out a loan, then let's enough. ServiceTook Electrical is hosting our first ever live event, the Whistler Service Summit 2026. It's May 29th through June 1st in Whistler BC, just 26 seats. You'll have access to me, Joseph Forrest, real role play, working through your leads, working through your business, working with you on your strategy. There's only 26 seats available, and we want you to attend. Whether you're new to our ecosystem, familiar with our process, or a longstanding client or fan, we want you there. So click the link below or go to go.serviceloopelectrical.com forward slash summit. See you at Summit. Hello, hello, hello. Welcome back, guys. We've got another great episode, another great client interview. You know, we never do that thing where we put the guest in the back in green room, you rob. We just brought you in and started with a couple of laughs. We're so happy to have Robert Gailey with us today with Go Electric. This is literally the only local electrician that Joe actually refers, who's been uh a part of our friend network, a part of the network. We're all of this started back on a Facebook group back in August of 2021. Uh Reb's Gross Live. We used to do this Wednesday night thing, and Rob's one of the OG members. I think, Rob, you said you were around 165K a year moonlighting at that time. And just in January, you had your first full-time year on your own past 1.1 million, just about 1.2 million growth from uh 600k last year. So just an incredible story for you guys. This one's gonna be fun. We're gonna have some laughs for sure because uh boy, hey, I was embarrassing as hell back then. Gringe worthy content. But Rob showed up for it, and Joe uh has personal favor for Rob being local here. So this is gonna be a great time. Rob, welcome to the show. And Joe, how are you doing today, brother?
SPEAKER_04I could not be in a happier place. I mean, like literally, I feel like I'm surrounded by two friends. Like he's an awesome guy. Like he's genuinely an awesome person, and I'm just happy to hang out with my friends and really contribute to the industry at the same time. So I'm I'm swimming in it, man. I'm happy.
SPEAKER_01Rob, welcome. How are you doing, brother?
SPEAKER_02I am doing fantastic. I'm happy to be here with you too.
SPEAKER_01Awesome, man. Yeah, we were just giving Rob praise uh for a number of reasons that I just mentioned. Um, but Joe, you mentioned that you've referred him locally now. You've had Rob do work for your neighbor, did you say?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, um, you've done work with my neighbor. I think I gave you another job as well. Um, there was another I think it was a new construction opportunity. But like the thing is that I don't refer like anyone. Like that's just one of those things. But I've known you for so long now. And I even get advertisements for your company in my own address. I've seen you drive through my neighborhood. So I'm like, okay, I know the person, I've trained the person. If I can't trust you, like who am I even gonna trust at this point? You know? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Rob, one of those things I want to say to your case, and this is interesting, but I see there's a spectrum of electricians. And the spectrum is like a bias to action spectrum. And I consider you a really high bias to action, except for in one category, and that is actually signing up for our programs and joining us. You I think you may have a record with us for the most free strategy calls over the years since 2021, man, and we enjoyed every single one. Um, but I really intend to go deeper on your story today. Can you tell us a bit more about what it was like back then in in 2021 days where you're moonlighting still and you're finding us on rebs and just starting to even pay attention to some of the stuff we were talking about? Like, why was it important to you? Why was it attractive to you at all?
SPEAKER_02Um, I've always been very like growth-minded. Like I I never settle for where I'm at. Like, I just continually want to keep pushing forward. So it was just a constant like, what can I do? What can I learn? Where can I learn to try to do better and be better? And that's how it got started in rebs. And uh I was always very much the you know, just be the cheapest guy so you get the work, and that's how you get more business. And it was just a different way of thinking, and it took a little time over time of learning different strategies and uh ways of doing business and you know, being more service-oriented than actual um worrying just about price. So that was uh a serious mindset shift for me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I've seen you with your spreadsheets, and I gotta give you credit for that too. You've done quite a bit of math and your own workbooks. You track uh a lot of these metrics really diligently now. What was that shift that finally got you to realize, you know what, I I can't be this cheapest guy anymore?
SPEAKER_02Um, I so I think the biggest thing was just seeing that other people made it possible. And I I was very much just an electrician, like kind of just do everything. And it was never like a target on, oh, I just do new construction or I just do service service. Like it was just a broad spectrum. And I still do a mix of everything, but even through the construction work that I do now, it's service-based. Like there, it's more about how I treat people, how I the, you know, the the experience that even the contractors get, and they say get to say, wow, that guy does something different than most people. And that that's really what's changed a lot for me.
SPEAKER_01That's so interesting. Based on what you just said, how do you choose construction worth keeping or going after even versus the ones you don't? Or is it all relationship-based? Like how do you make that decision for go electric now?
SPEAKER_02So there's really, I mean, like two ways that we get work, and that's Google and Facebook, uh, and I guess a third word of mouth. So it's building those relationships with people personally, and it's not it's not really so much for them about the money, it's more that they know they want us and they want us to take care of them the way that they see we take care of other people.
SPEAKER_04That is absolutely cool. I love that. And the craziest thing is because that defeats a problem that most people have when it comes to these larger projects where they're like, I'm competing against these guys who are willing to drop their pants for the job. You know, if they want me to do it, uh they want me to do a whole rewire in two days. It's like these impossible standards for ridiculous prices. But if you can just bypass that completely and say, like, we don't even do this, but I'm willing to do it on as long as you understand that there's gonna be an investment for my level of service. And they go, Yep, I'm cool with that. Like, that is the absolute place you want to be. And I'm so proud of you for getting there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And I I think uh when you understand what your pricing is, that you can be confident in when you meet with a uh customer, like, and they're oh wow, that's pretty expensive. You you in your heart and mind, no, but it might sound expensive, but that's what I have to charge, and that's what it's gonna be. And when they see that, they kind of understand um and see it in a different perspective.
SPEAKER_01Do you ever move on your price then? And do you worry about those people undercutting you?
SPEAKER_02We all have competition, but in my mind, I let I don't let competition bother me.
SPEAKER_01Okay. What does that mean though? How like most guys they'll hear that and they they they can understand that you said it, but it's so hard to separate from competition. Like, do you really not feel any threat of people going under your price?
SPEAKER_02There's gonna be people that are gonna be below my price, but I don't feel like it's a threat. Just because we again we do things differently than most people, and that makes us stand out that we're we're only competing against ourselves in that manner. Because nobody's putting in the time and effort to learn to be better, to be different as much as we do here. And that's that's really what the catalyst of change is.
Honesty And Trust Sell Work
SPEAKER_01Bingo, being different. I love that. What do you think is your biggest difference right now in your local market?
SPEAKER_02This is a a funny thing for me. Honesty is so important to me that you know, if I go to the the gas station and buy something and they give me five dollars wrong and change, like in my heart, I have to give them that money back because if I'm dishonest there, where else will I be dishonest in my life? And like correcting that problem, even when it's like would that five dollars matter to anybody? No, but it matters to me. And because of that, that look like comes through my personality, who I am, and through the things we post, and it's just uh truly who we are, and that I know that makes a difference long term in any relationship you're gonna build.
SPEAKER_01So values-based. So if for instance, just hypothetical, you found out that Joe had actually referred another electrician in the area, that would be a reason to not be friends anymore for you.
SPEAKER_02I mean that we check out. No, I I feel sorry for that the customer, that's all.
SPEAKER_04You know what? That is actually my point. No, I'm gonna jump in on that because I have a policy where if I genuinely like someone, I will refer the best people I know. But if there's just an absolute a-hole where I'm like, I wouldn't give this to a friend. I know all the competition that's still on our area, and I will send those that I despise that call. Be like, there you go, call them. They're gonna give phenomenal work for you. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm gonna hang on to this one a step deeper, and I hope you won't mind me going that level deeper. You mentioned honesty, so very value-centered. We have to do this a certain way and maintain integrity. How does that translate in the client's experience to different from other people? Do you think, Rob?
SPEAKER_02When you are that way, you have those values, it comes out through how you act, and people can read it. And I they they subconsciously see it before they actually even know that it's true.
SPEAKER_01Something you feel. What do you mean by that, Joe?
SPEAKER_04So there are certain ways. I mean, as you know, I'm a spiritual person, there's a certain aura that someone can give off or a certain feel if you're you know aware of it. And that's why whenever we talk about going to the front door, we hold ourselves in certain positions. We try to give us the best energies we can. But you can tell the difference between someone who's saying something because they're trying to take something from you or someone who's saying something because they genuinely believe it. It's in their tone, it's in their body posture, it's in the speed that they deliver it. So you can tell for the most part if someone is being dishonest and being a salesperson compared to like this is this person's core personality. And I believe Rob to the extent that like he's a genuine friend. I know he's a good person. And I'm certain that other people would sense that as well if they're aware of how to perceive energy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, frequency resonance is a term I like to use for this. And I don't think we talk about it enough, but we do put an energy out. There's a frequency that's being emitted, right? And I actually believe going back again, Rob, to the early days when you first saw me go live in a Facebook group, no matter how weak I may feel my message was at that time, there was a frequency resonance, and it must have had to do with the reason you would have stayed and watched. I mean, for example, everyone who was in there at that time knows and and knows that Lloyd Mills has a disability, for example. And you would see people come on and go, is this guy drunk? And it just was the way that he could speak, and he did. So he would show up and speak. And I always honored that about Lloyd. I really respected that he would just show up and he was who he was, and he wanted to help electricians. What was it do you think about that frequency resonance, or or do you remember? Is there something significant about it where you were like, okay, I could hang for this, I could actually listen to these guys, versus some of the other people that were like, this is bullshit, I'm out of here.
SPEAKER_02Again, it uh it's not something that like I physically saw or heard, I think. It was more just that like you guys were there just trying to help genuinely and take care of people and like change the way they think about things. And that's an attractive thing in all aspects of life, no, you know, regardless of just the the rebs of things, you know, like when people are genuine and true, like it's it's easy to read and it's uh uh internal attraction that you might not even know is happening.
SPEAKER_01Nice deep dive on that. How do you teach that to your people today? Or is it something you teach?
SPEAKER_02Um, so it's kind of funny when I I do every lesson that I come up with that that I do try to teach my guys, uh, it's so much it it works well in business, but it's so much less about business that it's it applies to just real life. Like everything can apply to life. Like business and life are very much ran the same way. Um and I what's that? I said, yeah, they're hand in hand completely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So uh uh it's just teaching good life values from experiences. Uh you know, over time you learn these things, and now I can portray that to somebody else to teach teach them a way so they can live a better life. And if they live a better life, they can they'll be happier coming to work. They'll be happier doing their job.
SPEAKER_01Do you have an example? Like, what do you teach them to do to live a better life?
SPEAKER_02Uh I guess just the um the way I I would think to make somebody think about how who they are as a person, w being that honest person, like um if you steal from somebody, people are gonna think that you're a thief. You know, if you're somebody that volunteers your time to take care of people, they're gonna think you're a good person. And that's and it's not so much that it's uh thinking that that's true, it's that it actually comes out in who you are because that's who you truly are. And that's what you're gonna attract.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, you your vibe attracts your tribe.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01So is it your vibe alone that you feel is responsible for the 1.1 million in the last year, Rob?
SPEAKER_02Uh well, I would say there's strategy and tactic on top of that, but it uh I I honestly believe that sometimes, like, because there's people that talk about us, and I'm like, I don't even know how you found us, how you know us, but they know us, and I'm like, it's really just amazing that that can happen on top, and then you stack strategy and tactics on top of that, and it makes a um a huge wave and impact.
SPEAKER_01Amazing. From that 1.1 in the last year, I mean, you doubled your revenue essentially, you've gone full time in this in this period. That's a lot of change and a big adaptation to you. Were you worried about going on your own, even though you already had 600k? Was there still some fears of of taking that leap and leaving your employer, Rob? Uh, no, not at all. Nothing. He was ready. Boy was ready, joke. I love it.
SPEAKER_02You know, it's I was ready three years before.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. You know what? It's almost like the best way I can compare it to is you know, when you work with someone who has an addiction to something, they won't stop until they know that they need to stop. And when they know they need to stop, there's no change in their mind. That's the thing to do. I have a feeling that, Rob, you knew you needed to do your own thing, whether you weren't happy or whether there was something not resonating with you. And I I I relate to that. You know, when you know it's time to move, there's nothing that can change your mind once you see the light.
SPEAKER_02For sure. Yeah, like I and I loved where I worked. I loved the people I worked with, and that was the hardest part of leaving. It it wasn't really fear of what was coming.
SPEAKER_01What was it that finally made you jump? And you know what? Just saying, what was it that kept you in for an extra three years if you knew?
SPEAKER_02It was well, what kept me in was definitely the people. I I loved who I worked with. I enjoyed every day that I went to work. Uh, you know, we always have our bad days, but it was overall very good. But I just knew you you watch the track record from 160 to 400 to 600. It's you know, you could see the compounding effect, and I'm it was time to to go. And I'm turning work away left and right at the time. So I'm like, well, let's give this a uh real shot, you know, because what's what's the the alternative is I stay at my job for five, ten years and I'm 40, 45 years old, and now I gotta start like the time to start is now before it's you know, maybe it's uh this is a little bit too much of a risk for me at this point in my life. So take the risk while I I was young enough to do it. Makes sense.
Building A People-First Shop
SPEAKER_01I get that. Measured, measured and managed. So it's about a risk profile for you. I suppose. Rob, I noticed a turning point in the last six months or so. And I believe you even came to a class and it led us to a discussion about what do you want? Are you clear on what you want from your business now today?
SPEAKER_02Uh I believe so. I mean, when I started in business, it was always about money. That was, you know, make as much as I could. And uh in the beginning that worked and it was good and it propelled our my life and like got me ready to leave and work for myself. Uh, but now it's so much more about people. Like I can't wait to have a lot of employees so I can impact their lives. And uh the work is just a byproduct of good people.
SPEAKER_01The work is just a byproduct of good people. Joe, you believe that too?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I I have actually a belief where you don't work for the customer, you work for your employees, and your employees work for the customer, so the customer comes back to you. If you treat your employees right and you can make it so that they they genuinely respect you, or they at least see, even if they don't respect you, it's like I see this person is looking out for me. I'm gonna work a little harder than if you only hands me a check. Because if that's all it is, anyone can offer a higher check. But if you get a decent check and you can feel like this person's looking after me, they're not using me like a tool, I'm not digging trenches 12 hours a day, they're gonna take care of your customer better than anyone else with better incentives because they believe in what you're doing and why you're doing it. And because they see that, the customer will say, you know what, I want to keep working with this person because he's got such a great team, they're all so good to me. So it's a feedback loop that constantly resonates. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02And that's uh a lot of that. Like I I have some really good employees. And the like the other day, one of my guys, he was my first like hire that was somebody I didn't know. And uh, he got me a cup that says the world's best boss. And I I don't it wasn't as like a joke, it was more like just a really a thank you for like always taking care of him and respecting him, and you know, like not for an ego thing for me, but it was just nice to know that I'm doing the right thing for him, that he feels that way. That's a big thing. It's the it's the meaning behind the gift, you know.
SPEAKER_04Like anyone can he didn't build you a statue, it's just a small little mug, but at the end of the day, what it represented was the fact that you you're living your purpose, which is to aid others in their growth and their personal development. And those waves create ripples, you know, it just continues to spread out and spread out and spread out. So you don't know that what you're doing is gonna benefit someone 60 years from now. Who knows if they're gonna go to do amazing things after that, you know?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely, and the impact that they might have on other people's lives outside of that.
SPEAKER_01Waves definitely. Ripple spread. Ripple spread. The mug reminded me of uh Jim Jeffries' stand-up comedy. You guys ever watch that one where he talks about the uh best dad mug? I I love Jim Jeffries, man.
SPEAKER_04It's you got you gotta have a certain sense of humor to appreciate him, but like he is he is a really funny dude.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Best dad ever. See that? That costs me nothing. A good gift. Anyways, back to the point, which is Rob. Most uh most entrepreneurs we find tend to build their companies around things they didn't like about their past. Not to get you to throw sand, but is there experience or a time that kind of shapes your leadership today that you feel like, hey, I want my company to do this because maybe I didn't have that same experience? So, yes, somewhat.
SPEAKER_02So, like we grew up, we were, you know, we weren't dirt poor, but we didn't we had bare minimum needs. And uh I that was always I that created the work ethic in me. It's like I never want to have to deal with this. Like, I I want whatever I want when I want it. So make the path that that's possible. Um, so that started the work ethic first. Um it changes everything about you. Like you start to see other things and like you start to grow and become a different you, and that's uh really powerful. There's just so much good in that. Uh but like my old job, great place to work, but the way I do things now, um, there's so much missing there that could make such a positive impact on other people. Um, like everything was pen and paper still there and every Every morning you walk in and you don't know what you're doing until that minute and it's like nothing's prepared, uh everything's disorganized and it it's just a little bit messy. And now I get to see that and I d like I don't have to be that way. And that alone I think is what's helped our um revenue growth so fast. Uh, just because we can be organized, which is a lot for me, but now that's why we're uh hiring people and putting people in place to kind of take some of those hats off of me because it's a sure is a lot of hats.
SPEAKER_01It's a great answer, Rob. If you were us, if you were going to go and help someone else that five years ago was in your situation, what would you want to tell that person if all you had was an hour? What's the number one thing you would try to teach them to help them on their journey, Rob?
SPEAKER_02Oh man, that's uh an hour is not enough time, but that's why you had so many hours with us, right? Yeah, yeah. Honestly, it it's it's just a different way of thinking. That's the most important thing, which I think is very hard to teach somebody. It's more once you I think this way, I learned something new, and now I see a different perspective, but it takes time to build up and know, okay, now I understand why they said that. So just changing that thinking shift would make such a huge difference. And if you're allow your mind to be available to see something different, you'll move away faster.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I was gonna say, I think another way of visualizing that, because I agree with you completely. How I interpreted that is almost like a chain code. And what you're doing is you're taking one brick and replacing it. And it's like, okay, I see this, but it's in the culmination of the exposure to that message and that thinking that allows the person to actually change. So they don't realize all these microtransactions are happening, they're changing their perspective until suddenly the chain is complete, and they're like, How did I get here? It's like, oh yeah, I've been here for you know two years and now I understand my thinking is different, I am different. Where did it happen? It was no major happening, it was just all the small lessons along the way that tell you to be a better person.
SPEAKER_02I I think about this as like uh when you're a child and you've never burned your hand and you touch something hot and you realize that it's hot, even though somebody's told you don't touch it because you're gonna get burned, you don't understand what being burned is until you touch it. But then once you do, now you can go back and say, now I understand what they're saying. Like so it's but hopefully you don't have to struggle or feel pain to be able to understand that. And can be a good teacher, but I get what you mean.
SPEAKER_01I get what you mean. Accelerated lessons. This reminds me of the apprenticeship model, and it's one of the reasons that I gravitated towards our trade, is I actually really love apprenticeship model learning, apprentice and master. I think it's been so helpful to go and learn theory while also having to go and practice it. And I think the aha moment happens at different times. Sometimes it's in the field when you're actually working through that, and then you realize, oh, that thing I remembered, it applies now. And it it means more than I thought it did before. Or the other way around, and you go in and you're learning the theory and you're able to reflect on, oh, I've done that thing before. And now I understand why I did it. Generally, Joe, I think what we've tried to do, and and we haven't said it in so many words before, but we've tried to take business and make it an apprenticeship model for electricians as well.
SPEAKER_04That makes sense. It really, really does because like when you think about what's included, it's not just like here, get the sale. It's like, here's how you think, here's the things that you can do, here's the perspectives. And that's why I share so many stories because I've lived a lot of experiences in my life. And I can say, you know, hey, turn off the breaker, yeah, you get that. But if I say the worst shock I got was because I didn't touch a breaker and I hit a bee's nest and land on my back and started rolling in poison ivy, someone's like, yeah, I get that. That makes a lot of sense. I don't want to deal with that anymore. So sometimes sharing lived experience is the best way of communicating how someone should think. Because like Rob's saying, maybe I can't let them burn themselves. But if I can say how I got burned, they might understand again.
Winning Without Discounting
SPEAKER_01Hey you guys, if this episode sparked something for you, imagine stacking that every single week. That's how businesses stop flickering and start running steady. If you subscribe to the show or leave a review if you're on audio, and if you're driving down the road, please pull over when it's safe because I've got something you're not gonna want to skip. For every person that subscribes and or leaves a review and fills out the form below, letting us know that you did that thing. We're gonna draw one monthly subscriber for our open circuit lifetime membership worth$1,500. And that's not all. Every six months, we're actually gonna draw another subscriber for our$5,000 scholarship, which you can use for any of our electric service packages to get your business and your service rocking better than ever. Come on, guys, let's brighten this thing up. Is it gonna be you? Back to the show. Rob, let me shift gears here with you. Help us with some sales understanding. You've you've done very well in sales. I want to just go a bit deeper with this and understand what you would say is one of your biggest and proudest moments in sales transactions where you felt, wow, this is validity that we do something special in service. Do you think of a big ticket or do any of those experiences come to mind for you?
SPEAKER_02I had one recently. And honestly, I would say I'm a very mediocre salesman. Like I do pretty well, but I'm still not that good at it. Um I my my closing rate, if I pushed it up 20, 30%, I mean, that would be ridiculous. But um I had a customer that wanted a bath fan put in first floor um bathroom with a finished second floor, and I gave him a price and I was double somebody else. And I'm already I'm changing his panel and putting in a transfer switch and putting a garage heater in. We're actually doing it next week. So then I gave him the price in the bath fan, and he was like, I I'm gonna get the other person to do it. Like, I that's just too much money. I said, Okay, I know that's what it is. I mean, and I I have uh a list of um guarantees that we offer lifetime craftsmanship warranty, clean house guarantees, pricing guarantees. All I have a bunch of stuff, and I just sent it to him and I said, you know, this is what we have to offer for you. And uh we kind of worked through it, and he's like, All right, we'll see. Maybe I'll just have you do it. I was like, that's that's fine. Like, if I don't, I don't, that's fine. Um, but yeah, that was uh uh I years ago I would have been like, well, I'll I'll do it for half. That's you know job sold. But that's not yeah. I'm like, I I just there's no point in doing that.
SPEAKER_04Isn't that the most liberating feeling though? Like, um we all remember, I'm sure all of us at some point remember being like this hungry guy who needed to get the thing done. And then being able to transition out of that person be like, if I don't get the job, I don't get the job. I mean, I'm grateful to the work with you, I'd like to work with you, but you know, if I don't, I don't, I can get that. And just watching them kind of shift like their brain breaks where it's like, you're not gonna, you don't, you don't want to negotiate. It's like I'd like to work with you, but this is what I'm offering, and this is why I'm offering it. Was it wrong of me to offer it that if it meant that was gonna be more than the competition? I'd like to proceed. And it just flips. It's like, all right, there we go, we got the job.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I again it's like an internal shift because back you know, years ago, I do they say, Oh, your price is too much. It's fear and anxiety. How do I solve this immediately? Drop my price, and now it's like, okay, I'm too high, that or I'm too expensive for you. I'm sorry that you feel that way, but that's what I have to be. And I don't, you know, I don't feel anything about that.
SPEAKER_04That's gonna make your price objection solid. You know, and you can hear the price objection and be like, yeah, I completely understand. You know, I get that I'm more of an investment in the competition, and just that unfazed look is just absolute gold.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. What's special about this guy? He just was unfazed by that. Yeah, that's uh that's a big confidence move. 1.1 million in sales, uh 1.1 once we were close to 1.2. How much of that was on your um calls specifically, Rob, that that you ran?
Pricing Big Projects For Profit
SPEAKER_02I'd say probably like half-ish, maybe a little bit a little bit more. I mean, I sold all of it. Um working for me part-time, and I did hire a third guy later in the year, but it was pretty much me and two part-time guys. Nice. Yeah, really well done. And we had a a big project that sold towards the end of the year that was uh probably like a hundred thousand of that. What was the project, brother? It was a three-phase primary service uh to a transformer to uh 800 amp secondaries to and they they built a uh a machine that makes like um on your pill bottles the stickers that are on there. So it was it was a little weird. It's a 480 machine, so they only got 240, and then we had to put all these transformers in to bump it up to 480. I don't know why they just didn't get the service 480 in the first place, but whatever.
SPEAKER_01Interesting. So does that mean it wasn't a three-phase service? It was single phase? Is that what we're saying?
SPEAKER_02Uh no, it was uh three-phase uh 120, 240. Then we had to put transformers in after the MDP to bump it up. Okay, interesting. Our utility is very difficult. I think that's part of the problem, is they had it already set up and they're like, we're not changing it, we have to move forward.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, interesting. Utility companies are not fun. They're not fun in our area. Those are the ones that really bust you.
SPEAKER_01When you approach a job like that, do you still blend in your SSR, your service rate, or are you taking a different estimate approach? How are you making sure that you've got profit built into the bigger jobs too, Rob?
SPEAKER_02I I do SSR sometimes, and I still I use my old uh way of estimating, which is more build a uh takeoff time material. But the way that I build the hours out, it works pretty close to the SSR because uh we have our uh 50% markup on the material, which uh calculates for that um the material rate and some of the other stuff. And then we don't we don't bill like to the exact hour, like uh uh everything's a day, eight hours per guy, and build out that way. So you still get uh I it's a hundred percent efficiency, so you still end up with the same amount of hours, even if you're only getting you know six hours actual labor done.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think I followed there. So just by rounding up to the days, you you create that uh efficiency amount there. And so you ended up probably higher in this bid than on that project than other contractors?
SPEAKER_02Uh I believe so. I I know they got one other price, uh I believe. I don't know. When I showed up and did the work and that they they cared more about uh being quick and efficient than anything else because they needed the work done.
SPEAKER_01Nice. Well, quick and efficient's good for your profit too, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah, it was the best job I ever had.
SPEAKER_01So really like profitability-wise and and just rolling out and getting through it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so it was lifetime value, the highest customer I've ever had. I think the total project is like 175. So I think we were like 30 or 40 percent profit on the job. Nicely done, man.
SPEAKER_01Congratulations.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and then uh I was just there this past week and they said, Oh, we have something for you, and they gave me a uh$600 gift certificate to a very high-end restaurant around our area, which I was very blown away by that.
SPEAKER_01Got a tip.
SPEAKER_02I do and a decent one at that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's true more than anything else.
SPEAKER_04Because if you think about it, like when people think about commercial, because clearly, I mean, it's they're developing labels, it's it's meant for efficiency. The usual complaint is that oh, they just care about the money, they just care about getting in out, they care about the cheapest price. But what you did was the exact opposite. You're like, I'm not gonna cut my service. As a rule, I'm not gonna cut my price. I'm gonna serve you at the highest level, I'm gonna be quick, and I'm gonna be efficient. They liked it, even paying more than hiring the chief contractor, so much so that they tipped you$600 on top of it. That says a lot about how you operate, not just in your physical work, but what you're physically also bringing to the table as far as the experience goes. Like that just doesn't happen. So I love that you're doing that. And that's a great representation of who you are.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was wonderful. I always find it interesting how there's this scarcity mindset around pricing, and we have to work through this to get to Rob's level where you're able to confidently just roll with the blows and say, I'm cool with not getting this job, and that's okay. But then to be the higher priced person and to get the tip, I mean, this is telling us something, right? We uh we just recorded another episode. You guys may have uh watched it with Nathan Miles as well, uh, his second interview, and he was talking about the same phenomenon where uh a customer first approaches with, you know, I'm not looking for anything but your bare basics estimate. I'm gonna get the material, I'm gonna handle the other subs. I'm gonna I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, and they just kind of I'm all over you. And you end up still following a process and presenting options that still have the best option, which still includes everything and still is more than the price of anyone else. And in Nathan's case, I'm sure you've seen this, Rob, too. That person caved and bought a platinum. Have you experienced that? Robin, what do you think is happening when this switches in that way?
SPEAKER_02This was kind of a funny thing because the guy I was just talking about with the bath fan that he said I was too expensive. I the original work that I'm doing for him, I gave him six options, and he chose a platinum option because nobody else offered it, and he was pissed at the other people that they didn't offer it to him. So I was actually a little bit surprised that he even gave me a price objection in the first place for the bath fan, but we'll see where that goes.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's kind of consistent with what we talked about, Joe, which is like a lot of the times these objections handle uh happen at the smallest package because suddenly a customer can break it out and actually do the math, which again, I think this is valid. And with integrity, guys, not saying it isn't, it's just an illusion. Joe, what are your thoughts on this?
SPEAKER_04So it makes a ton of sense because in my mind I've seen it where customers will ask for the bottom, not because that's the option they want, but they're asking for the bottom so that they can make a mental comparison. So if you make everyone do the same work and you assume every electrician is the same, you get a base level pricing. And once you do that, then you narrow down who you're gonna actually interview, and then you'll entertain those persons' options. So, like, sake of argument, let's say, Rob, you weren't the dynamic human being that you are. Let's just say that you were the standard contractor and you had the rate that you had. You're serving a great level, but you weren't you. And then you have like the typical cheap guy who's gonna come in and said, I'm gonna do apples to apples comparisons. If you're gonna be more of an investment and he doesn't think there's anything special about you, why would he then be interested in your higher numbers? Because he's like, well, clearly he's a hundred hours more an hour than this, because this should only be a one-hour project. So then he just multiplies after the larger thing. But if you can actually go through and explain it and be like, listen, you know, if you want to take me at my worst, I may actually be the best fit to help you because we don't thrive on being the cheapest. We thrive on serving you in a level that no other person wants to do. So, like, if price is strictly that if I if if I were to offer you a better quality product with a better experience and it was a price you didn't have to harvest a kidney for, you know, is that is it wrong of me to want to serve you at that level? Is that going to disqualify us if I'm not the cheapest? And a lot of times it'll be like, well, no, well no, I'm not gonna disqualify you. And then those are the times when you can actually open the door and be like, let's see what I actually can do for you. And at the end, I'll offer you the bottom number and you choose what you think is best for you and your family. And you move forward.
SPEAKER_02100% you could be expensive and still suck. Yeah. It's not gonna be uh that's you you have to train yourself to be better to be worth it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, people are paying for the experience. Like something I think a lot of electricians really embody or understand is that um let's take generator example, right? They think the generator and they'll say it's literal, like, oh, do you lose power? Oh, you don't, then why do you want it? But really, it's an emotional purchase. They're doing it to solve a problem they have emotionally. There's a fear, an underlying fear that that's going on. And if you don't speak to that and your options aren't on code for it, they look as pushy. But if you can be like, I understand why this guy is a great hunter, and he actually just bagged an elk when he went up north to get it, and he's got 900 pounds of meat in his freezer. And if he loses all of it, he's gonna lose his mind because that's a year's worth of food for him. Now a generator makes sense. Now it's that's of course he doesn't want the portable, he wants the automatic so he can save all that. It's like, all right, and here let's build some redundant systems so you can be guaranteed this will never happen again, so much as me putting you in a membership where I'll come and I'll have notifications and I can monitor it for you. That's solving the emotional problem instead of chasing the literal problem.
SPEAKER_01We talked about aha moments and Joe, you continue to give them to me. The way that you just expressed that a moment ago about like that's not where we thrive. We thrive up here in that mid to high tier range where we can actually provide a fuller service. Man, if that's not the truth, what is? That just speaks so well to what we're talking about here. So thank you for that. Continual aha moments. Rob, what do you think is your biggest aha moment throughout your journey since um the beginning of this and moonlighting to 1.1 million? What's the big one for you if you had to nail one down? And if you had to, I'd accept three men. One to three big aha moments that that you needed to be who you are today?
SPEAKER_02Um, well, I guess through through part of business is uh realizing that it is it's not just about the money for every you know, some people it is, and but a lot of people it's not. Uh that was a definitely a big shift because you know, growing up when we didn't have a lot, money was important. So that was kind of a uh internal value that I had that I've grown out of. And uh if again, people say like if you want people to buy premium options, then be a premium buyer. And I that's like I've changed my own ways. Uh I I tend to buy better things because I want better versus what the cost of it actually is. Um even small things like go out to dinner, leave better tips, uh because it makes you feel good that you're taking care of somebody else, and it does come back to you tenfold. And that's what and you don't you can't uh you can't there's no spreadsheet that can track that, but I can tell you from doing it that it does come back to you, and it that that's uh it changes who you are again, and that changes your future.
SPEAKER_01That's huge. You know who buys premium? Your boy, your neighbor, Joe. I've seen it happen. I've never seen anyone approach door-to-door sales this way, and I don't mean going door-to-door, I mean a door-to-door knocking on your door. Yeah, where I literally pulled a phone out when I was at Joe's house last time because he's like, come here, come here. We're teaching this guy something. He brings a guy inside and he starts giving him a lesson. And I look at Mel and she's like, uh, all the time, kind of luck, right? Every time someone comes to the door, Joe's got to train them on sales, which is part of that giving back. But I've also seen Joe literally tell people, like, here's how I want to buy premium, and here's how to deliver this in a way that I can. It's that simple. And so, Rob, I can appreciate what you're saying, and uh, that makes perfect sense. As we're winding down, man, how do you think you've changed? What's the biggest difference between Rob now and Rob we met five years ago?
SPEAKER_02So much has changed. Again, it's just the the personality of who I am and understanding that it's more about other people than it is just about myself. Like, stop being selfish. Like you're here, you you have a purpose to take care of people, no matter who you are. Um, and if if you're if you have knowledge, like it I it took me a long time to get here and a lot of hard uh road to get there. So if I can help somebody say one year of time by a simple word of advice, like I am willing to do that. And I that again, that's why I'm an open book. Because nobody has to go through it. There, you know, if uh if there's advice out there, follow it. Uh, and I would highly suggest anybody starting join SLE. Join the get in the community chat because you'll see the the difference at people coming in in just a month's time, like how different they think, and you can see the trajectory of their their path from here on out is going to be way different. Come on over the comments. Yeah, curious, Rob.
Community Growth And Perfect Practice
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I appreciate that as well. Yeah, I'm curious how you perceive it, and I know you've been really busy too, so maybe you don't spend a ton of time in the chats there, but when you see someone like Brandon Schultz, who recently comes in, moonlights like you, like literally learning how to estimate service from like green field, don't know anything, trying to get the SSR right, showing up for these evening classes with Scott and Billy and just like hanging out like we did back in the Rebs days, and you see him on a one-month trajectory go from I have no idea to holy crap, I'm gonna start my own company, quit moonlighting and go full time. What what does that spark for you when you see those stories come to reality?
SPEAKER_02Uh so I've been lit listening and seeing his questions and watching his journey, and uh it truthfully brings me so much joy to see that how much struggle he skipped right over just by being uh Like absolutely incredible. And I'm like, that's you could sell that once a day, every day, pretty easily. And like he did not have that in his mind or heart that that's possible. And now he does because you could see the the jobs that he's closing, it's like mind-blowing. And I'm very, very proud of him for that. If I can throw in on that as well.
SPEAKER_01Joe, I think this is a this is a prime time for you to quote Emilio again, I think. Do you remember that quote he told you? Perfect practice. Oh yes, yes.
SPEAKER_04Oh yes, okay. I love this. I'm never gonna forget this quote, which is it's not that practice makes perfect. It's perfect practice makes perfect. And the concept is that if you're gonna do something the right way enough times, it becomes your way of doing something. And when you can do it your way, which is authentically, it just becomes as easy as breathing. And just to throw in on Brandon one more time, I was gonna say he is an absolute pleasure to teach when he comes to options class, like where I literally sit down and I'll help build custom options. The calls that he'll bring are so much fun because we were literally yesterday designing a gazebo custom build out where he's gonna do a carpentry build-out to hide a subpanel and then paint it and match. I'm like, that's that's a commitment to service, you know? I love seeing service mindset.
Final Question And Closing
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it reminds me of Christian, what you just said. Uh, we got to get on the podcast here soon. Uh, you guys, there's another story that you've got to hear, Christian, a guy who went from 70K months average to hitting his first 300k month in 2025 and just doubled sales with this incredible. But he in the class takeover, he said this. He said, I know that I went from being the sub that was always pissed on to becoming the general and controlling the subs so that I control the outcomes of these jobs and I can guarantee that better service and I get paid better for doing that. And I wish more electricians would just see that and believe that that's possible for them. We don't have to, like most electricians, you hear them say it, you see it in the groups, they'll troll on it. I'm not touching a paintbrush. But when they take a picture of their job well done, it's incomplete. There's a hole in the wall and paint missing. What would happen if we just embrace taking that on? And so I love that concept. And and guys, there's so much to learn from not us, even it's it's the community now. And that's what I love so much about the 2026 version of what we've done is we've kind of taken almost like a group like Rebs and filtered through it and found all the heart-centered people like Rob here who are focused on impact, who really just truly want to have a meaningful existence in their community that equally uh transcends just this money paradigm, but pays the way, paves the way with enough revenue to take care of people, like you're saying, Rob. So I want to honor that about you and everyone in the in our group right now, and just say, man, it's truly a blessing to to be able to serve with you guys, not even serve you guys, serve with you guys, be alongside you. And I'm I'm sure Joe shares that sentiment too. Rob, I've got one final question for you to close us out here, man. When you're ready. Go for it. You're ready for it? What do you think is the real cost of trying to figure this out on your own?
SPEAKER_02It depends how long you wait, I guess. But uh if you're starting new in business and you try to figure it out on your own, it's gonna take you probably five to seven years to really start to be profitable and understand that you charge what you charge because there's a reason for it, not because it's a fictitious number that somebody created. Um but that could be three, four, five hundred thousand dollars a year over that time where you could skip the line and maybe in two years be where you are, where you would be in seven by doing it the hard way. So you could easily a million dollar loss.
SPEAKER_01Wow. Yeah, I couldn't have said that better. Rob, I want to thank you so much. If someone you said you're an open book, if someone wanted to reach out to you and have a chat, are you open to that? Absolutely. What's the best way to reach you, brother?
SPEAKER_02Uh Facebook. Reach out on Facebook.
SPEAKER_01Robert Gailey, G-A-I-L-I-E. If you're watching YouTube, you can see the name down below right on Facebook. Add Rob as a friend and shoot him a message. He's been an absolute gem of a friend to us, uh, great contributor to their community and uh just a rising star. Um, you're definitely influential, man, and we love to see all the great work that you have done and everything ahead for you. Joe, anything to add to that?
SPEAKER_04Just know that like you're an amazing friend. I consider you an awesome guy, and you're not gonna catch me referring to anyone in the 845. And a shout out to anyone in the 845. You need electric work. This is your guy. I personally vouch for him. He's even seen the stuff I did. So it's really just really cool knowing that we're in the same community, serving the same kind of people. And every time I see you drive past my neighborhood, you know I'm gonna be waving.
SPEAKER_01Joe, be honest, when Rob does work for you, do you expect a discount?
SPEAKER_04No, you're gonna be laughing at this because anytime, anytime I actually work with someone, I have a very special condition to it. And I tell them, I want you to make money. Because if you don't make money working with me, you're never gonna look forward to working with me. And the moment you stop looking forward to working with me, you are not going to treat me the way I want to be treated. I teach customer service, I expect service, and I'm willing to pay for it. So charge me what you need. If I can't afford it, I won't take it. But I'd rather not afford it and not take it than force someone to do a job they can't do that they're doing as a favor, and then it compromises the relationship as a whole, and I never get to work with you again.
SPEAKER_01You know what that was? Mic drop. Thanks so much, guys. We'll see you next week on the Million Dollar Electrician Podcast.
SPEAKER_04Be well, my friends. Be blessed.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
