A LIFE IN THE TRADES
Carl P. Frisk III has spent more than 30 years working in and around the residential trades. He began painting professionally in the 1990s and has worked through several sides of the residential construction and property-maintenance business.
His experience has included painting, cabinetry, countertops, property maintenance, remodeling, customer service, estimating, sales, project management and eventually operating his own business.
That career wasn't built in an office or a classroom. It was built inside thousands of homes, dealing with real customers, real schedules, real employees, real mistakes and the responsibility of getting the job finished.
30+ YEARS IN THE TRADES
CABINET WORK SINCE 2005
STILL IN THE FIELD
The books are not being written from retirement. Carl still owns and operates Southern Changes Painting and continues working directly with homeowners.
Southern Changes Painting serves residential customers in West Virginia and Ohio with an emphasis on professional painting, cabinet finishing, preparation, cleanliness, communication and craftsmanship.
PAINTING SINCE 1996
FROM Michigan TO WEST VIRGINIA
Carl's working background began in the Detroit area, where the scale and pace of property maintenance provided an early education in production, efficiency and dealing with people.
His career eventually included large-volume residential property maintenance and a countertop operation producing thousands of countertops each year before his work evolved further into residential painting, remodeling and specialty finishing.
After relocating to West Virginia, those years of experience eventually became part of Southern Changes Painting.
THE PART NOBODY TEACHES YOU
A young tradesman can learn how to paint a wall, install a cabinet, wire a circuit, frame a room or repair a machine. What is harder to find is someone willing to explain what happens after you become good with the tools.
How do you talk to customers?
How do you price your work?
How do you earn trust?
How do you handle a mistake?
How do you run the job after you sell it?
How do you become an owner without becoming a lousy boss?
Those are the lessons behind the Tradesmen Series.
CLOSING THE JOB
Winning Trust, Serving Customers, and Closing Sales
Closing the Job deals with one of the most misunderstood parts of the trades: the customer relationship before the work begins. It explores leads, first contact, trust, estimating, communication, pricing, objections, professionalism and the process of turning an opportunity into the right job.
LEADS
CUSTOMERS
TRUST
RUNNING THE JOB
Selling the job makes a promise. Running the job is where that promise gets tested.
Running the Job focuses on what happens after the customer says yes: preparation, property protection, communication, organization, professionalism, jobsite systems, quality control, crew behavior and completing the work in a way that builds a reputation instead of damaging one.
PREPARATION
COMMUNICATION
JOBSITE SYSTEMS
LEADS, NOT LIKES
Tradesmen and Social Media Advertising
Leads, Not Likes is about using modern advertising and social media to create real opportunities for trades businesses. The focus is not vanity metrics or chasing attention. It is about reaching the right customers, building trust, creating compelling offers, following up consistently, and turning advertising into actual leads and profitable work.
LEAD GENERATION
SOCIAL MEDIA
TARGETING