Podcast: Integrity, Referrals, and Growth with Greg Dobkin from American Construction

Summary:

In this episode, Jenni from Renoworks sits down with Greg Dobkin, founder of American Construction, an exterior remodeling company based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Greg shares his journey from dropping out of college to knock on doors to building a multi-office, reputation-based business. The core of his strategy is a relentless focus on integrity, transparency, and building a sustainable company he can be proud to pass on.

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Key Takeaways:

1. Ditch the high-stress lead-buying "grind" for a sustainable reputation engine: Greg Dobkin's company used to be one of the largest buyers of Home Advisor leads in his 50-mile radius, but he calls it a "so much more stressful" process of endless calls, texts, and emails just to get an appointment. He pivoted to focus 100% on inbound organic leads driven by a massive bank of 5-star reviews (180+ on one office alone) and an A+ BBB rating. The lesson: While buying leads can grow you fast, you sacrifice quality and create a high-stress sales process. Building a five-star reputation attracts customers who already trust you and are contacting you, not the other way around.

2. Win trust by telling the hard truth upfront, not with "one-call close" gimmicks: Greg's sales process is the anti-one-call-close. He recalls working for a contractor who would price a $20k roof at $40k just to offer a 50% "today only" discount. His team does the opposite: if they inspect an attic and see it needs all new plywood, they tell the homeowner before signing, even if it makes their bid look $5,000 higher than a competitor's. The lesson: Stop competing on a fake low price. Homeowners value a contractor who is transparent about the real cost and potential issues over one who springs surprise charges mid-job.

3. Hire for honesty, not for sales experience (your best salesperson might be a teacher): Greg actively avoids hiring "seasoned salespeople" from other contractors, stating they are often trained to lie when the truth would serve them better. His last successful hire was a retired teacher. The reason: his primary training rule is "just be honest with people" and "if you don't know the answer... don't make it up". The lesson: The skills that make a great, consultative salesperson—education, patience, and integrity—are often found outside the industry. Stop hiring your competitors' problems and start hiring good people you can train to be transparent experts.

4. The solution to the "labor shortage" is to pay more and provide better tools: Greg has never had an issue with labor shortages. His secret is that he intentionally pays his installers "a little bit better" than his competitors and ensures they have good tools and equipment. He contrasts this with his first job, where he was handed a "40 lb wired drill from... 1970" and was set up to fail. The lesson: If you pay well, pay on time, and put your crews in a position to be successful, you will attract and retain the best talent while your cheap competitors are always scrambling.

5. Build "sigh of relief" trust by auditing your materials with the homeowner: Greg knows most homeowners can't climb 25 feet to check the work. To bridge this trust gap, his project manager meets the homeowner on-site before work starts, lays out the materials, and audits them against the contract. "Here's your contract. It says Timberline HDZ. Here are the Timberline HDZ shingles... It says Tiger Paw underlayment. Here is the Tiger Paw". The lesson: This simple act of verification is a powerful trust-builder that gives the customer a "deep sigh of relief" and provides tangible proof you are delivering exactly what you promised, setting you apart from competitors who cut corners.