Industry playbook

Start an AI automation agency for trades businesses.

Plumbing, HVAC, and electrical companies doing $2M–$10M in revenue are the most underserved high-value market for AI automation. They’re operationally bleeding money, they know it, and they pay cash when they see ROI. This is one of the fastest paths most clients use to close their first paying customer — short sales cycles, clear ROI math, and decision-makers who pick up the phone.

Preview the template

See a sample trades agency website.

When you join, we build you a real agency website on the same template — branded for your firm. Walk through a fully-functional sample for trades now.

Open the trades sample site

Sample opens in this window · clearly marked as a demo

The market

Why trades is a high-leverage niche.

There are over 130,000 plumbing companies and 100,000 HVAC companies in the U.S. Most are running ServiceTitan, Jobber, or Housecall Pro — good software, but it doesn’t eliminate the bottleneck. The bottleneck is always the same: too few techs, too much paper, and every missed call is $400 walking to a competitor. Owners are not sophisticated buyers of "AI," but they are sophisticated buyers of "another 10 jobs per month." Sell the outcome.

Client outcomes

What you can actually sell to this niche.

These are the exact services clients of this track pitch. The scope, the pricing, and the reference builds are all in the engagement library.

AI receptionist / call answering

Inbound call answered 24/7 by a voice AI; qualified leads booked into the CRM; unqualified triaged. Typical engagement: $5,000–$8,000 build + $300–$600/month service. The single highest-ROI product for trades.

Quote & pricing automation

Intake form or voice note → AI generates a structured quote → tech approves and sends. Cuts quote time from 2 days to same-day, which is the #1 lever on close rate. Typical engagement: $8,000–$15,000.

Dispatch & routing optimization

AI-assisted daily dispatching based on tech skill, geography, and job urgency. Pairs with ServiceTitan or Jobber. Typical engagement: $6,000–$10,000.

Review & reactivation outbound

Post-job review requests via SMS + AI follow-up with lapsed customers for maintenance plans. Recurring revenue bolt-on. Typical engagement: $3,000–$5,000 setup + retainer.

Pricing

How this vertical actually buys.

Trades owners quote jobs for a living. They understand fixed pricing. Never bill hourly; always quote project fees. Framing: "This will earn you 10 extra jobs per month at your average ticket of $X — payback in Y weeks." Say the number out loud on the call.

Objection handling

The objection you’ll hear on every discovery call.

Prospect says:

But ServiceTitan already does this.

Your response:

ServiceTitan is a platform. You are building the custom AI layer on top that their generic features can’t handle — voice intake, custom quote logic, specific integration with the owner’s existing parts catalog. Position as "ServiceTitan plus an operator who makes it actually work for your shop." Owners nod at this every time.

Inside the program

What you get if you pick this niche in Week 1.

The program includes the trades proposal template, the AI receptionist build architecture (Twilio + Vapi + ServiceTitan integration), and the exact outbound email sequence that books discovery calls with trades owners. This is the niche Erin knows cold — expect him to role-play trades owner objections with you before your first pitch.

  • Trades proposal template
  • Niche-specific discovery-call script
  • Reference architecture and vendor matrix
  • Outbound email sequences tested in this vertical
  • Deal-review session when you land your first real prospect

Frequently asked

Trades questions we get on the call.

Apply to work with Erin on trades.

5 new clients per month across all verticals. Tell us your niche on the application.