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Most home service businesses struggle to close 60% of their on-site estimates. Kevin Hess closes 95%.
As a cancer survivor and former operations manager at 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Kevin helped transform a struggling $800K franchise location into a $9 million powerhouse that earned Franchise of the Year honors. His secret wasn’t better marketing or lower prices, it was understanding the difference between managing a business and leading people.
After his cancer diagnosis changed his perspective on legacy and leadership, Kevin discovered that the fundamentals of exceptional customer service aren’t complicated. They’re just rarely implemented consistently. From the moment someone books a job to the final handshake, every interaction is an opportunity to build trust, demonstrate value, and create customers for life.
Now as founder of Survivor Junk Removal and creator of The Junk Evolution training programs, Kevin teaches home service businesses how to transform their customer experience and close rates through intentional relationship-building rather than transactional interactions.
• Leadership vs. management: Managers manage processes, leaders lead people and create forward momentum for their teams
• 95% close rate is achievable through relationship-building touchpoints from booking to completion
• Value-based selling focuses on time, space, and effort rather than just price
• Morning huddles and intentional team pairings create a culture of continuous improvement and peer mentoring
This show is sponsored by Blue Crocus Solutions, a web design and SEO agency focused on helping home service companies grow.
Kevin’s transformation from manager to leader didn’t happen overnight. It started with a brutal piece of feedback from a 1-800-GOT-JUNK vice president during his cancer recovery.
“Kevin, you’re probably one of the best managers that we have in the entire system. But my honest feedback to you is you’re not a great leader.”
That distinction hit hard. After 30 years in management, Kevin thought they were the same thing. During his recovery, he dove deep into understanding the difference: “Managers manage the business and they manage the processes. Leaders lead the people.”
The shift in mindset created immediate results. The franchise location jumped from $1.5 million to $2.5 million in one year. But Kevin didn’t stop there. He realized that if developing himself as a leader had such impact, what would happen if he developed his entire team as leaders?
The answer was explosive growth. By focusing on helping employees find their purpose and creating career paths beyond just “working for a junk removal company,” the location grew to $3.5 million, then $6 million, and finally hit $9 million with back-to-back months exceeding $1 million in revenue.
Kevin’s approach was simple but revolutionary: treat every team member as a future leader, not just a worker. Create opportunities for advancement, celebrate promotions to other locations, and build what he called “an army of leaders” where everyone was motivated to step up because they saw a clear path forward.
“Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. Being a leader is being in servitude of others.” – Kevin Hess
While most home service companies focus on getting leads, Kevin perfected the art of converting them. His systematic approach to customer interaction created trust and value before price ever entered the conversation.
Every customer who books a job gets a personal welcome call. Not an automated message, a real person introducing themselves and offering to help with anything before the scheduled appointment. This simple touch accomplishes two things: it prevents customers from shopping around during the waiting period, and it starts building rapport before the team ever arrives.
Fifteen to thirty minutes before arrival, the team calls to confirm the appointment and introduce themselves. But Kevin’s teams don’t just confirm—they plant seeds for additional work through what he calls “FMJ” (Finding More Junk).
“I know you have this and this going out today. I just wanted to let you know that we are fully licensed and insured and we can go anywhere in your home… the basement, the garage, crawlspace, attic, backyard shed.”
This isn’t pushy upselling. It’s helping customers think beyond their immediate project to other areas they might want to address while the team is already there.
The call ends with an unexpected offer: “We’re gonna stop and fuel up before we go out there. You want us to grab you a coffee on the way?”
Most customers say no, but the gesture creates a “wow moment” that no other home service provider offers. On hot days, it might be a cold water. The cost is minimal, but the impact on customer perception is enormous.
When the team arrives, they don’t immediately ask “Where’s your junk?” Instead, they engage in genuine conversation; complimenting the home, talking about pets, discussing sports, whatever creates natural connection. Kevin’s rule: don’t mention the junk until the customer brings it up.
This approach transforms the dynamic from transactional to relational, making customers excited to see the team rather than defensive about potential costs.
“I won’t bring up junk until they do. That’s the relational rapport. Then you get into the relevant rapport, finding out why they’re getting rid of the junk.” – Kevin Hess
Kevin discovered that customers make decisions based on three primary value drivers: time, space, and effort. By identifying which matters most to each customer, he could frame solutions around value rather than price.
Busy customers with full schedules, kids’ activities, and demanding jobs don’t have weekends available for DIY projects. The value proposition becomes: “We’ll have this cleared out in 30 minutes, and by the time your wife gets home, you’ll already have started painting and building that crib.”
Customers who need their garage back for a new car, their basement cleared for a relative moving in, or their storage room organized for functionality. The value is in reclaiming usable space for specific purposes.
Single mothers, elderly couples, or anyone dealing with heavy furniture or difficult-to-move items. The value is in having “two strong guys here to take care of you” without the physical strain or safety risks.
The key is asking questions to understand the customer’s specific situation, then crafting a solution that addresses their primary concern. Instead of just stating a price and waiting for a response, Kevin’s teams paint a picture of the outcome the customer will achieve.
“Price is only an issue in the absence of value. It’s all about establishing value about you and your service.”
When customers understand exactly how the service solves their specific problem, price becomes secondary to the relief and satisfaction they’ll experience.
“If I can find out why they’re getting rid of the junk, I can find those value keys and then I can cater a solution to them.” – Kevin Hess
Kevin’s success wasn’t just about customer-facing processes. He created internal systems that developed every team member while maintaining consistently high performance.
Every day started with a non-negotiable team meeting reviewing the previous day’s numbers, setting goals for the current day, and conducting training or role-plays. But Kevin discovered something important: his voice became “stale” when he ran every meeting.
The breakthrough came when he lost his voice due to illness and asked a team member to run the meeting. The confidence boost that employee experienced from being empowered to lead created his best performance day ever.
From that point forward, Kevin rotated meeting leadership among team members, giving everyone from senior employees to people who’d been there just a month the opportunity to lead. This created buy-in, engagement, and a pipeline of future leaders.
Rather than randomly assigning teams or always pairing the same people together, Kevin made every truck pairing intentional for development purposes. Strong performers were paired with those who needed improvement in specific areas, creating peer mentoring opportunities.
A KPI board showed everyone’s performance with a line separating those meeting goals (green numbers) from those who needed improvement (red numbers). Top performers would actively request to work with struggling team members, saying “Pair me up with that guy today because I want to help him get above the line.”
Kevin created a visual representation of career advancement by hanging photos of every team member who moved forward to positions at other locations—operations managers, trainers, general managers across the country. This “legacy wall” showed current employees that advancement was real and achievable.
Rather than worrying about losing his best people, Kevin celebrated their success and used it to motivate others. “Everyone’s dying to take their place because they want that opportunity to move forward. They want to be leaders in this business.”
“I had an army of leaders right behind them. Everyone that’s coming, everybody’s dying to take their place because they wanna move forward.” – Kevin Hess
Kevin never directly asks customers for reviews, but he consistently earns five-star feedback through a strategic approach that sets expectations from the first interaction.
During the initial consultation, he shows customers a simple visual guide explaining his service process, then says: “If at any time I’m not giving you a five-star service, just tap me on the shoulder and let me know.”
This plants the seed that five-star service is the standard and that there will be a review process. Throughout the job, the team delivers on that promise through professional behavior, attention to detail, and genuine care for the customer’s property and needs.
After completing the work and collecting payment, Kevin simply says: “I hope I gave you a five-star service today.” When customers confirm they’re satisfied, he asks: “Do you have a link to your Google reviews?”
The approach works because customers have been primed to think about the service quality throughout the entire experience, and they’ve received genuinely exceptional service that exceeds their expectations.
“I plant that seed so that when I’m done, they know that there’s gonna be a Google Review involved. That seed is already planted and they’re expecting good service at that point.” – Kevin Hess
Kevin’s biggest frustration with the industry is the prevalence of transactional thinking. Most businesses approach customer interactions with a “contractor mindset” that prioritizes efficiency over relationship-building.
The typical interaction starts with: “Hey, how you doing? I’m Lewis, where’s your junk at?” This immediately puts customers on guard and creates a dynamic focused solely on the transaction rather than the relationship.
Kevin argues that the “know your worth” mentality common in contracting is fundamentally flawed: “You may know your worth, but your customer doesn’t. You have to earn your worth. You have to show them your worth for them to know your worth.”
This requires putting ego aside and focusing on serving the customer’s needs rather than demanding respect or premium pricing without first demonstrating value. The businesses that scale successfully are those whose owners remain “hungry to learn” and understand that “what got them here will not get them there.”
The solution is simple but requires discipline: treat every customer interaction as an opportunity to build a relationship, demonstrate value, and create a positive experience that leads to referrals and repeat business.
“Any of the junk removal companies or home businesses out there, the ones that are making seven figures already, they’ve put their egos away. They’re still hungry to learn.” – Kevin Hess
Kevin’s approach proves that exceptional customer service isn’t just about making customers happy, it’s a business strategy that compounds over time. When you consistently deliver experiences that exceed expectations, several things happen:
Higher Close Rates: The 95% on-site conversion rate speaks for itself. When customers trust you and understand your value, price objections become rare.
Increased Average Job Size: By helping customers think beyond their immediate project and addressing multiple needs during one visit, average job values increase significantly.
Referral Generation: Customers who receive exceptional service naturally refer friends, family, and coworkers, reducing marketing costs and improving lead quality.
Team Retention and Development: When employees see clear paths for advancement and feel valued as future leaders, they stay longer and perform better.
Sustainable Growth: The combination of higher close rates, larger jobs, more referrals, and better team performance creates sustainable growth that doesn’t depend on constantly increasing marketing spend.
The key insight is that none of these benefits require significant additional investment. They come from systematically implementing relationship-building processes and maintaining consistency across every customer interaction.
“You can spend thousands and thousands of dollars on marketing and advertising, but their real bread and butter is always gonna be those repeat customers and those referrals.” – Kevin Hess
Kevin’s system might seem comprehensive, but it doesn’t have to be implemented all at once. The beauty of his approach is that each element provides value independently while contributing to the overall customer experience.
Start with the welcome call. When someone books a job, call them personally to introduce yourself and offer assistance. This single action will differentiate you from 90% of your competitors and start building the relationship that leads to higher close rates.
Add the coffee question to your call-ahead process. The cost is minimal, but the impact on customer perception is significant. Even when customers decline, they remember the gesture.
Focus on relationship-building during your arrival. Spend a few minutes getting to know the customer before discussing the work. Ask about their situation, their timeline, their specific needs. This information becomes the foundation for value-based selling.
Most importantly, remember that exceptional customer service isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistency. Implement one or two touchpoints well, then gradually add others as they become natural parts of your process.
The goal isn’t to manipulate customers into saying yes. It’s to build genuine relationships that make customers excited to work with you and eager to refer others to your business.
“People buy from people they trust. It’s as simple as that.” – Kevin Hess
Want to learn more from Kevin?
Check out his junk removal company Survivor Junk Removal or follow him on social media on Facebook, Instagram, or even TikTok.
This Podcast is sponsored by Blue Crocus Solutions, a marketing agency offering website design, branding, AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services for Home Service businesses.
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