How This Software is Transforming Your Tech Stack
Having a solid tech stack is essential to success, and Leap is here to transform your stack with their innovative software. We sat down with Leap’s Director of Business Development, Tom Basch, to learn how their application has changed the way contractors do business.
Ingage: Can you share some background about Leap and how you came to work with them?
Tom Basch: Leap is a sales enablement platform that empowers home improvement contractors to have a streamlined approach to the sales process. We do this by digitizing everything from pricing and product offering, to proposals and contracts to financing and of course, partnering with Ingage to digitize the presentation process. Everything a sales rep needs is now accessible in one application making the sales process incredibly simple.
As for how I got started at Leap, I’ve always had a passion for this industry. I started as a laborer in roofing about 20 years ago and after a stint in the Marine Corps, I moved into sales for a roofing company and shifted to the software side in 2016. After a few years in my initial tech sales role, I found Leap and happily joined them as their Partnership Manager and now as the Director of Business Development. It’s exciting to see how quickly we’ve grown in the past 3 years I’ve been here and I can’t wait to see what the next three years look like!
Ingage: We’re also excited to see what’s next at Leap! For those who are unfamiliar, can you walk us through how a customer can get started with Leap?
Tom: We aim to make the process as easy as possible, so when a customer signs up they get paired with an onboarding specialist and an account manager who are there every step of the way. All the customer has to do is send over their documents and pricing and the Leap team will digitize it and place it in their individual instance of Leap. Once everything is configured and tested, we train with the team and launch the platform. What’s great is that after training, contractors are empowered to truly own the account. That means they never have to wait for their Leap account manager to solve issues, update pricing or add new features.
Ingage: We love that everything is available to contractors on just one app, including Ingage. What made you want to partner with us and how does that partnership play out for customers?
Tom: After hearing from just about every one of our mutual customers - most of whom are on the Qualified Remodeler Top 500 List - we knew we had to learn more about Ingage. After viewing the platform, it was a no-brainer that we should partner up and initially coined a 4-finger-swipe to make it easier for reps to transition between apps. Now, we offer deep linking between the apps so that they’re fully integrated.
For customers, we’re seeing that the contractors who adopt both platforms tend to be the most successful in the industry because they understand the opportunity cost of not having us if they want to grow and scale. They know that if they want to bring in top talent and retain them, they need to be able to do it efficiently and effectively and that’s where Leap and Ingage can help. It’s easy for reps to get started on both platforms and makes it easier to build personalized presentations and customized pricing with the combination of the apps.
Ingage: There are a few platforms out there that help home improvement contractors, what do you think sets you apart from those other apps?
Tom: I think the empowerment aspect I mentioned earlier definitely sets us apart since contractors don’t have to sit around and wait for updates to happen - they can update everything themselves. Another key difference from other apps are the parameters and guardrails we can put in place for sales reps. This includes everything from ensuring signatures are on documents to putting minimum costs on projects so the rep can’t promise an unrealistic sale. Guardrails are easy to put in place with our robust document engine which works like an accordion based on the needs and inputs of a specific customer. For example, if the project is in an HOA area, there are a number of different signatures and requirements compared to projects without an HOA. With just the tap of a button, reps can hide or reveal those HOA inputs which makes it easier for the homeowner to process information while ensuring your reps are getting everything they need to move the project forward.
Ingage: A lot of new tech has come out in the Home Improvement industry this year, what do you think is one thing contractors should consider before adopting new technologies?
Tom: I’ve seen the industry explode over the past 6 years and it’s exciting to see a lot of companies realizing that they can get better results when they build out their tech stack. With that being said, where many companies struggle is in the implementation of new technologies. Most sales leaders think they can flip a switch and their sales process will be ready to go then and there. In reality, it takes a little time to get tools properly set up and tailor them to their business. If contractors learn to understand this timing, it can make a huge difference.
Ingage: What do you think is coming down the pike in terms of the future of selling in the Home Improvement industry?
Tom: In terms of big picture, I think today’s homeowners have more resources and access to knowledge than their counterparts. They’ve done all the research they need before calling a contractor and they don’t want to spend 3 hours at the kitchen table talking through every option. This means that contractors should be focused on building a tech stack and a team that is flexible, efficient and accommodating since these kinds of homeowners aren’t going anywhere.
When looking at the near future though, I always encourage contractors to look back at their books and see how they can maximize value from a customer or prospect. With Leap, contractors can go in and see what kind of complementary projects a customer may be interested in or they can even return to lost deals with new offers that could bring in more revenue. Either way, now is a great time to focus on maximizing the value of your tech stack and making the most of every opportunity.
About Leap
Leap is transforming the home improvement industry as the first-ever end-to-end contractor sales software application digitizing every stage of the in-home sales process including estimating, financing, contracting, and real-time communication. Created by seasoned home improvement professionals, Leap’s application helps businesses eliminate errors and increase efficiency by simplifying and automating the day-to-day sales process. It’s a total game-changer!