For owners of local service businesses
You pay for leads. You live on paid jobs.
A plain-English guide to how Google, Meta, Yelp, Thumbtack and the rest really work, and how to turn every lead into a booked job. No jargon. No button-clicking tutorials.
- Built from real working meetings with owners
- Plain English, no button-clicking tutorials
- Early readers hear first when it launches
The problem
The report says "great month." The phone says otherwise.
If you own a local service business, you probably recognize some of this:
- Your leads are up, but you cannot say which ones turned into paid jobs.
- You are not sure whether the price you pay for a lead is fair, or what a customer really costs you.
- Your agency sends reports, and you do not know which numbers to trust.
- Yelp, Thumbtack, Angi, Google, Facebook: each one sells you something, and nobody explains how it works.
This book explains it, in the way I have explained it to owners in real meetings, again and again.
A taste of the book
The cheapest lead was the most expensive job.
A handyman company compared its lead sources. Look at what changed between the first column and the last.
Nothing on the first line could have predicted the last one. Chapter 1 shows you how to read the whole ladder, from lead to paid job.
| Source | Cost per lead | Cost per paid job |
|---|---|---|
| LSA (Google) | $39 | $94 |
| not compared | $148 | |
| Yelp | $31 | $159 |
Real numbers from a client meeting. Company and place are never named in the book.
What you will understand
Understanding, not instructions.
The book does not tell you which buttons to click. It shows you how the machine works, so you can ask your team, your agency or yourself the right questions.
What a customer really costs
Lead, booking, paid job, and the money that comes back. Which numbers to ask for, and which ones to ignore.
Where leads leak
The gap between the lead and the booking: calls, speed, estimates, follow-up, and why good ads can still fail.
How each platform works
Google search, maps and profile, Local Services Ads, Meta, SEO, reviews, and the paid marketplaces such as Yelp, Thumbtack and Angi.
Where the next dollar goes
When to cut, when to wait, when to push, how big jobs and referrals can hide a bad month.
Promotions and offers
When a discount brings customers and when it only cuts your margin.
Working with an agency
What to expect, what to ask for, and how to tell a good report from a pretty one.
Inside the book
Six parts. One idea in every chapter.
Contents are a draft and may change before publication.
Know your numbers
One scorecard from source to paid job, call tracking, tags and QR codes, and what to do when leads fall.
The gap between lead and booking
Speed to answer, missed calls, estimates nobody follows up, CRM discipline, and the money already in your own customer list.
How Google works
Why the click gets pricier, what people type, campaigns you should not touch, Local Services Ads, maps and profile.
How Meta works
People do not search, they scroll. Creative fatigue, audiences, and lead forms that bring junk.
Website, SEO and reviews
A site that asks for action, SEO as a library, reviews that bring customers, local search.
Money, capacity and people
The ceiling on volume, what you can pay per customer, seasons, technicians, other people's leads, promotions, agencies, and what to hand to machines.
The book is being finished
Join the early readers list.
Leave your email and you will hear first when Know to Grow comes out, along with the free tools we are preparing: a "where does my money go" audit, an agency report decoder, a Google Business Profile checklist and a platform diagnostic.
About the author
Get the book
Know to Grow
Local Business Marketing, Explained.
- 37 chapters on ads, maps, SEO, social, lead sites and lead handling
- Free tools for early readers: scorecard, agency report decoder, profile checklist
- Plain English, written for owners, not marketers
Status
Coming soon
Join the early readers listEarly readers get the launch date and the free tools first.
Questions
Is this a how-to with screenshots and buttons to click?
No. The book explains how Google, Meta, Yelp and the rest work and how money moves through them. It does not walk you through anyone's menus, which change all the time.
Who is it for?
Owners and managers of local service businesses in the United States, such as home services, repair, cleaning and similar trades.
Do I need to be technical?
No. It is written in plain English. Terms are explained when they first appear, and there is a short glossary at the end.
Does it cover Yelp, Thumbtack, Angi and the other paid platforms?
Yes. The book has chapters on the paid lead platforms and directories, and on promotions and discounts.
Will it promise me results?
No. The book teaches you how to read your own numbers. It does not promise leads, revenue or rankings. Your results depend on your business and market.
Are the stories real?
They come from real meetings with owners. No company, person or place is ever named, and details are changed. The numbers come from the meetings.
Is the book connected to Google, Meta, Yelp or Thumbtack?
No. This book is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.