Vet Your Vendors - Kaylin Pritchett on Marketing and Expensive Lessons | RCM Podcast

A good referral can introduce you to a vendor. It shouldn't replace doing your homework. In this episode of the Rocket City Momentum Podcast, Lucas Scott sits down with Kaylin Pritchett, Director of Marketing & Customer Success at Avans’s Electric, to talk about what she's learned from marketing a growing home service business, choosing the right vendors, creating a customer experience people remember, and the mentors who helped shape her career. Kaylin gets candid about some expensive lessons Avans’s Electric learned after hiring highly recommended marketing vendors who ultimately weren't the right fit. Those experiences changed the way she evaluates outside partners and reinforced an important lesson for business owners: a referral is a starting point, not the end of your research. Lucas and Kaylin talk about what to look for before trusting someone with your marketing, why guaranteed results should raise questions, and how important it is to find partners who understand your industry, your goals, and where you're trying to take the business. But marketing is only part of the conversation. Kaylin also shares how Avans’s Electric uses technology to make the customer experience more personal, including introducing customers to their technician before they ever arrive at the home. She talks about the mentors who saw potential in her before she saw it in herself, the value of honest feedback, and why she wants to create more opportunities for women to learn from and support one another professionally. In this episode: • Why a strong referral doesn't replace vetting a vendor • Questions to ask before making a major marketing investment • What Avans’s Electric learned from expensive vendor mistakes • Why guaranteed marketing results can be a red flag • How customer experience can become part of your marketing • Using technology to build trust before an appointment • Why honest feedback matters for professional growth • The lasting impact of strong mentorship You don't have to learn every business lesson the expensive way. Sometimes asking better questions before you hire someone can save you time, money, and a lot of frustration. Learn more about Kaylin and Avans’s Electric: https://www.avanselectric.com/ Ready to turn your business expertise into strategic video content? Rocket City Momentum can help you plan, film, and create content that keeps your business visible. https://rocketcitymomentum.com/ Subscribe to the Rocket City Momentum Podcast for more conversations with Huntsville business owners and leaders about the lessons, decisions, and experiences that create clarity and build momentum.