November 3, 2026
Marketing Agency Musts: A Fireside Chat with Climate Experts
Plenty of marketing agencies understand the basics of marketing. At least, we hope so. But to be considered and trusted as a home services marketing agency, knowledge must go well beyond the basics.
Derek Cormier, CEO of Climate Experts Air, Plumbing and Electric, knew the basics himself and was seeking a partner who would challenge him and speak the truth. He did his research, knew the marketing agencies in the trades and came prepped with questions. He chose MediaSpark for our understanding of both marketing and the business behind it.
We caught up with Derek fireside (the fire was on a screen, but it still counts) at the ServiceTitan Pantheon trade show for a quick, candid conversation about our fractional marketing support partnership. Here are the hot takes:
Why MediaSpark?
Derek: I did a lot of research. I pretty much know every marketing agency in the trades.
And the fact that MediaSpark is a strategic partner with Nexstar was a big deciding factor. I’m a Nexstar contractor, so knowing they’d been vetted by Nexstar made them legit.
Then when I met with them, I realized they actually know what they’re doing. They’re not just salespeople.
And it wasn’t only that they understood marketing. They understood the trades. Marketing in the trades is a very different animal. I know that because I asked them a lot of questions that normal marketers wouldn’t know.
Once we started working together, they became more like part of my team versus a company I just hired.
How has MediaSpark helped your business grow beyond generating more leads?
Derek: Obviously, marketing can bring in more leads. But if you don’t book those leads properly in the call center, you’re just wasting marketing dollars. You also need the capacity to complete the work, which means you need recruiting.
When we sit down with MediaSpark and make a plan for more marketing, they don’t just say, yeah, let’s drive the leads up.
They want to make sure we can actually complete those leads and have the people to handle them. Sometimes they’ll tell us, hey, no, let’s not move forward until we fix these things.
That has actually made us more profitable versus just driving up revenue. Revenue without profit isn’t good.
It’s helped drive more profitability.
What surprises you most about working with MediaSpark?
Derek: Everybody I’ve met at MediaSpark is very genuine.
There are lots of different personalities in the marketing industry, some more empathetic than others. But everyone I’ve spoken with at MediaSpark really cares about my business.
Describe MediaSpark in 7 words or less.
After thinking about it for a hot second, Derek landed on a line that sums up the entire conversation: Not just a company, but a partner.
That partnership is what we want marketing to look like.
Driving more leads is important. But more leads alone don’t necessarily build a healthier business. If the call center can’t convert them, recruiting can’t support the growth or operations don’t have the capacity to deliver the work, turning up the marketing spend can simply turn up the problems.
Our job is to understand the bigger picture, ask the right questions and sometimes recommend not spending more until the business is ready for it.
Looking for a true marketing partner? Let’s chat. We’ll bring the fire…
