Summary
Francisco Ponde, owner of a Kitchen Tune-Up franchise in western Florida, shares how he and his wife built a local, relationship-driven remodeling business backed by the strength of a national franchise system. He explains how a balanced marketing mix—led by Google ads and supported by social media, referrals, and print—drives high-quality leads. Francisco also walks through how he’s using AI to improve visualization, sales coaching, follow-up, and operational efficiency, and why thoughtful, incremental adoption of AI is becoming essential to staying competitive in home remodeling.
Takeaways
• The combination of national franchise support and local ownership builds trust and competitive advantage.
• Google PPC remains the strongest lead driver, supported by social media, referrals, and print.
• Marketing budgets should be reviewed quarterly, not monthly, to allow time for meaningful results.
• Posting real projects, real people, and real work builds the most trust on social media.
• AI-powered visualizations dramatically improve customer understanding and close rates.
• AI sales coaching tools help standardize performance and scale training as teams grow.
• Automated follow-ups via CRM improve booking rates without removing human interaction.
• Speed matters—shorter turnaround times increase conversions in remodeling projects.
• AI should focus on improving efficiency and clarity, not replacing skilled labor.
• Sustainable growth comes from humility, clear communication, and daily consistency.