[John]: And you're listening to the Ask The Experts Radio Show on Talk Radio 1190.
I'm John Wolf, our number here if you have any plumbing questions or any
networking questions: (214)-787-1190. We're
here with Roger Wakefield and Chas Wilson. Roger Wakefield of Texas green
Plumbing, texasgreenplumbing.com is their great website. The phone number for
them at any time (972)-442-4101 and I say at any time
because sometimes plumbing problems happen when it's not nine to five. Just
like people always say when they have an air-conditioning problem "why does it
always happen when it's a hundred degrees?" Because that's when the stress
is on! Tell me Roger what in particular, if you were to name the top thing that
Master Networks, Chas Wilson's Master Networks has done to help your business
grow? Where could you look back and say this really made a difference? This
introduced me to this person. [Roger]: We've already talked about the training which
is - helps me as a person, helps me grow as a company. But it's the relationships
Their.. Master Networks... And guys there's a lot of other networking groups around I
can they name a couple of them that are all three or both have three initials,
and I've been to them and they are so about the company, the referrals, the ROI
so about every single thing detailed and picky and I went to a big recruiting
thing at one of them and I literally asked the guy, I said "okay so look I'm on
the way up.." And this is a national director who came in to do a big
recruiting. I mean there's probably 300 people in the room and so I waited in
line and I asked him a question I said "okay so if I'm on the way to a meeting
and your mother calls and her water heater ruptures and I turn left and go
to her house to save her thousands of dollars to stop the water,
that's an absence. And a month later I come and your aunt calls and I turn right
and I go to her house and save her thousands of dollars, that's two absences.
With what you just said, you can kick me out" and he says yeah. I said "Okay, this
isn't the group for me for me." I said "Because I'm all about my
customers and helping them." Master Networks is about the relationships. I
can call the president of my chapter right now and say "Hey look, I've got a
problem. I can't come for a month." and he'll say "okay, come back next month." We
understand that. It's about taking care of the people. We don't just network
together we build friendships, we build relationships. My wife and I went and had
dinner with another couple last week and it's all about building relationships,
and that's the biggest thing we do. When I tell you about somebody
and I refer them, they're a friend of mine. They're not just somebody that I
met and I have their business card and to me that's huge. [John]: That almost sounded
like a biblical parable or something. "If I'm on my way there,
if one sheep leaves the flock..." [Roger]: You've got to get them all. We look out for each
other. Exaxtly. [John]: and it really does sound like so
so much of a glue factor that your people dealing with people before you're
just; I need a plumber, I need a mechanic. The relationship itself is much
more deep set, roots are planted and you meet some great people. [Roger]: You know, and I'll
turn this over to Chas, but I mean it's not just networking, it's not just
getting to know a roofer or a plumber or an accountant, it's getting to know a
person and know what that person does and what that person is like and hang
out with them. [Chas]: Yeah it's getting to know people. I always say you're only one
relationship away from changing your future. You don't know where you're going to
meet that person, what that person might do to help you change your future, but
knowing people and building a network is so powerful. I think sometimes we forget,
I don't know the exact year; 2007 to 2010-ish, right? I mean what happened? We
had this recession. we had a market recession across the country. You know,
just like you said; at 2:00 a.m. is not the time to try to figure out who your
plumber is. When the recession come is not the time to try to figure out who
your network is. People call me all the time hey do you know so-and-so or do you
know somebody that can help me with this? Do you know somebody can help me with that?
I do! I have a person by name that knows me because I've built those relationships.
That is so powerful. I mean, I own rental property and when I need - I still
own those in Minnesota. When I need somebody I have people who are in Master
Networks back in Minnesota that I know, that I can call and and they're gonna
take my call, they know me by name, we know each other and they're gonna go out
and help me with whatever I need. Those are powerful things and when - and I just
believe - and this is no doomsday thing, I just think that another - whether it's a
personal recession in your own life or a market recession that's gonna show up,
you'd better have a network. You better have a group of people that can rally
behind you. I mean, listen I not only talk about networking, I'm in a chapter
myself. When we moved here I jumped into a chapter. Why? Because I need to know
local people, local entrepreneurs that are the backbone, that can help me when I
need something and I can help them and we just had a gentleman in our chapter
who showed up to the chapter meeting, we found out two days prior his house
burned down and he was there and you know I kind of said "Listen it doesn't
really matter if we follow the training today. What we need to do is talk about
how do we help you?" You know, so we raised some money. He's a photographer so he
set up a photo shoot. It was great, he has such a sense of humor, he's like I got
the hottest photos in town, right? "I'm having a fire sale!" He says.
and so we set up a photo shoot for him and we drove as many people as
we could to that event to help him, not just, you know, give him a handout but a
hand up. Like how do we help you? That's the power of a network I don't know when
that's gonna show up for each of us in our life or when it's gonna show up for
you, but you want to have those people in your life when that shows up and that's
the power of a network. [John]: And it's not just the reach out factor when you need
help here or there but the trust factor. I know, for instance I just mentioned I
was doing a car repair for myself, actually I met a guy in the outside
who I did not know and I said "does anybody know anything? Could you look at
this engine with me just in case you know something I don't?"
Guy ended up doing 85% of the work. I felt embarrassed. I'm standing there, he like:
hand me this, hand me that. Never met him before, but the next day,
something that I still had the dummy light on and I went to, I said: I got to
get this taken care of. I've got to be here Saturday, I've got to do this, got to
do that. And I went to a big national chain place and I really expected them
could come out and say: hey you know we found this other problem -because I know
my car, it's old, it's got some other problems - and it's gonna be 600 dollars.
They come out and they go: your thermostat was fine and you just forgot to bleed
the air out of the system when you put the water housing on. I was like: oh my God I did
forget to do that, and I said: yeah but are you sure the thermostat - and it's
located in an odd place - you sure that's fine? Did he really check it? He goes: no he
didn't really check it but it'll cost you over two hundred dollars to check it
so it's up to you. He said if it was me I would just wait and see if the
light comes back on before taking part of your engine apart should
check the thermostat and it's been fine, but it was a level of trust I didn't
expect. But I know that, you know, I'll go back there because they treated me a lot
better than, frankly than I expected, even from someone who's relatively honest. So
having someone - It gives you some peace of mind - and Roger comes in here with
different guests, he's not just all about Roger even though it's his show his
segment once a month and... I'm gonna cry. Chas, why - what made you think it
would be great to come on the radio here. [Roger]: Well first of all this is what's this is
the power of relationships. I've been traveling, I travel the country and visit
other networking groups and Roger reached out and said: hey I'd love to
have you on this this show. I mean I get a lot of requests to do that and I know
Roger and listen, he's done a lot for our organization and I said to him like, how
can I help you on this, right? This is a relationship, this is what we're
building. Everything in my life that I have of significance, everything, has come
through relationships. Not marketing ideas, not - it's all relationships and so
when Roger asked if I could help, I'm glad to because he's helped me in other
things, like - and not even just because of that. It's just because we're friends and
we've built that relationship and so - and I have a passion to help
entrepreneurs. I just believe that entrepreneurs are the backbone of this
economy, local entrepreneurs. Even the national brands, they're run by local
people and I want to support local business. I don't think there's enough
champions of local business and that's what we do. [John]: And you mentioned that
because Roger is a plumber that you have different wings within Master Network so
you couldn't have another plumber in that wing but you have other
branches so to say within the local network. How many do you have?
[Chas]: Yeah, so we have 34 chapters just in the North Dallas area. We're expanding into
Fort Worth, pretty much anywhere in the Metroplex. Dallas/Fort Worth, if you are a
business owner if you want to start a business, this is the group to be with.
You meet people like Roger and others that are out here genuinely trying to
help others. I mean, think about Roger. I don't know how many times you're at a
home doing a plumbing job and they somehow in conversations something else
comes up and you have somebody you can refer to them. [Roger]: And it happens. You hear
them talking they're like: oh my God, I've got to go find a lawyer or something.
It's like: well what kind of lawyer? A real estate lawyer. Well you know what,
I might happen to know one and, you know, like you said with there being 32 chapters
around - and Master Networks is set up really good for the members
I can literally get in and look for an accountant and look for an accountant in
this area. If I know a friend in Minnesota I can look for an accountant
in Minnesota and this is a nationwide group and it's not just here. There may
not be chapters everywhere, but, you know, if you want to start a chapter talk to
Chas and you may be starting up your own chapter and your own
area of the United States Exactly [Chas]: Well what what you're saying is
you know, you have the Craigslist and the Angie's List and all these lists. You
need to have your own list, and Roger needs to be on your list.
[Roger]: Well there's a lot of people need to be on that list.
[John]: There you go. I have not given out Chas's phone number for Master Networks. The
easy thing to remember of course is masternetworks.com if you're driving
along, but (972)-294-5740 is number (972)-294-5740
and we've got one more segment but I just wanted to ask Roger, if you
were sitting at home right now and you saw something that had been bothering
you about your house, some sort of drip. How frequently is a - is it okay to hear
in like your toilet tank? A little drip without freaking out and calling someone
to come out and get a service call and any kind of ballpark on that? [Roger]: If you're
hearing a toilet tank and you're not flushing it, there's a problem with it.
It's running, it's costing you money, it's leaking water, it's doing whatever it
does. But yeah anytime you hear your plumbing system and you're not using it -
sometimes people have slab leaks and that's how they find out about him all
of a sudden they're like: look I hear water running in the wall and I don't
know what it is. [John]: You could turn up the radio and then you... [Roger]: Turn it up really
loud and you won't hear it anymore. [John]: We're talking with Roger Wakefield of
texasgreenplumbing.com and I'm John Wolf on Ask The Experts Radio Show on
Talk Radio 1190.