Alignable is a Powerful Local Business to Business Marketing Resource with Chuck Casto

In this episode of The R-Value Podcast, IDI Distributor’s Ken Allison sits down with Chuck Casto, Alignable’s business development guru and Head of Content Marketing. Alignable, often described as the largest online Chamber of Commerce or the Facebook for business owners, is a platform that allows small business owners to connect with one another and share resources, ideas, and advice. Ken and Chuck discuss the many advantages for contractors and builders of being on Alignable, such as networking events, a marketing contest, and the visibility that a business can achieve through participating in the platform.

Learn more about Alignable at https://www.alignable.com

Chuck provides valuable insights into the many ways Alignable can help small business owners make meaningful connections, grow their clientele, and establish a strong reputation in their community. With a range of trade groups, contractor groups, and even specific industry sectors like health and wellness, Alignable enables users to learn from and collaborate with like-minded professionals. Whether you’re new to Alignable or have been using the platform for a while, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to grow their business, broaden their network, and take their visibility to new heights.

In this podcast…

1:15 – Alignable as a networking platform for small businesses. At the beginning of the episode, Ken Allison and Chuck Casto discuss Alignable and its benefits. Alignable is a platform where small business owners can connect with each other and share resources, ideas, and advice. The platform offers networking events, the marketing contest, and increased visibility for businesses who actively participate.
4:00 – Marketing Networking Contest. Chuck talks about the marketing networking contest, which he brought to Alignable five years ago. These contests celebrate people who help other small businesses by offering them networking opportunities, providing a platform for non-salesy interactions.
8:40 – Joining and participating in groups on Alignable. Chuck and Ken discuss the importance of joining and participating in groups on Alignable to increase visibility and trust. These groups allow users to learn from each other, ask questions, and provide advice. There are specific industry sector groups within Alignable, catering to businesses in health and wellness, construction, and more.
21:45 – How Alignable’s Event Hosting program can get you visibility with potential clients. Alignable offers an Event Host Program where participants can host virtual meetings to educate others about their expertise or industry. This program encourages sharing knowledge and helping others while potentially turning them into future clients.
30:45 – Advice for new Alignable users. Towards the end of the episode, Ken suggests new Alignable users should at least join two to three groups, participate in polls, start or join forums, and check out the activity feed. Chuck adds that joining the platform and actively participating in it will provide opportunities for users to connect, learn, and grow their businesses.

The Building Performance Association with new CEO Steve Skodak

In this episode, IDI’s Ken Allison speaks live with Steve Skodak, CEO of the Building Performance Association at the organization’s 37th annual National Home Performance Conference & Trade Show.

The Building Performance Association has expanded its focus and reach significantly over the past few years. “Three years ago, we were communicating with maybe 7,000 to 8,000 people in our industry each week. That number is about 23,000 now.” Steve emphasizes the importance of supporting market rate contractors and facilitating connections between them and state energy offices to promote energy efficiency retrofits of existing home stocks.

Ken and Steve discuss the importance of the trade show, the availability of $250 million in training dollars for the energy industry, the importance of a whole home approach and much more.

In this podcast…

4:30 – What are some of the challenges that are facing market rate contractors?

10:38 – What is the Building Performance’s role in the industry?

16:14 – How the National Home Performance Conference & Trade Show is different from other conferences.

20:22 – What’s the future of energy policy in the US?

27:00 – “There’s a lot of consumers out there not quite as concerned about energy savings as what we in the industry are. They want a cozy home, they want a safe home.”

35:23 – How the Building Performance Association can get contractors the education they need.

39:02 – There is no way the number of contractors we have today are going to be able to do the amount of work that needs to be done

42:41 – What got Steve excited about this industry?

5 Best Practices for Building Business Success with Joe Arrigo

Winning bids and creating a profitable business doesn’t just happen accidentally. It takes great people, great products, great work, and a team dedicated to learning and adapting to constant market changes. Today we’re talking to an expert in the field of building successful contracting businesses, Joe Arrigo. He shares his 5 best practices for building a contracting business that becomes profitable and more importantly, STAYS profitable.

Joe Arrigo is the President/Owner of Resource Development Partners, a company that provides training, certification, and education for building material manufacturers. Joe specializes in building science education for residential and light commercial builders and trade contractors.

In this podcast…

1:01 – Creating a culture that wins

3:40 – Looking for talent everywhere

10:00 – Running the right software for your work

14:20 – Factoring market changes into your bidding process

15:50 – The conversation that insulation contractors should be having with general contractor