MANTLE — Business Model
How We Make Money
1. The Cost Stack — Per Job ($350 Avg)
Revenue
$350
Estimator
−$24
2 est × $12 → 1 close
Closer (10%)
−$35
Labour (crew)
−$100
2 × $25/hr × 2 hrs
Gas / truck
−$20
Insurance
−$5
~$50/mo ÷ 10 jobs
Admin
−$10
YOUR PROFIT
$156
2. Growth Phases
Phase 1 — April
You do everything
You do everything
- You = closer + cleaner
- No estimator cost (you knock)
- No closer commission (you close)
- No labour cost (you clean)
- Only costs: gas ($20) + insurance ($5) + admin ($10)
$291 / job (83%)
You keep closer ($35) + labour ($100) + estimator ($24) + profit ($156) — minus $24 because you don't pay yourself to knock
Phase 2 — Month 2-3
You stop cleaning
You stop cleaning
- Arushan leads cleaning crew
- You just close deals
- Estimator cost kicks in (−$24)
- Labour cost kicks in (−$100)
- You're free to close ALL day → more jobs
$191 / job (54%)
Closer commission ($35) + owner profit ($156) = $191
Phase 3 — Month 4+
You stop closing
You stop closing
- Trained closer handles estimates
- Crew handles cleaning
- You do NOTHING on individual jobs
- Focus: growing, hiring, scaling
- Volume makes up for lower margin
$156 / job (44%)
Pure owner profit — the business runs without you
3. Service Plan Math
🔹 One-Time Customer — $350
- Profit: $156
- Lifetime value: $350
- Need a NEW customer every time
🔸 Quarterly Plan — $250/service × 4 = $1,000/yr
Year 1:
Knocker+closer = one-time acquisition; labour+gas+admin × 4 services
Year 2 (no acquisition cost):
No knocker or closer cost — pure recurring revenue
Every plan customer is worth 2.6× a one-time customer
4. The Knocker-to-Closer Pipeline
Every closer starts as a knocker. They earn while they learn. The best knockers get promoted. Bad ones self-select out. $0 training cost.
| Stage | Timeline | What They Do | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🚪 Knocker | Week 1-2 | Knock doors, log in KnockSight, hand off to Shaw | $12/booked estimate |
| 👀 Shadow | Week 3-4 | Knock + watch Shaw close every deal | $12/estimate + $5/close watched |
| 🎯 Trainee | Week 5-6 | Do the opener + walk-around, Shaw closes | $15/estimate |
| ⚡ Closer-in-Training | Week 7-8 | They close, Shaw stands behind as backup | $10/estimate + 10% of job |
| 🔥 Solo Closer | Week 9+ | Knock + close alone. Own their territory. | 15% of job |
Timeline: First 3 Closers
| Month | Taijon | Bo | New Recruit | Shaw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | Knocker | Knocker | — | Closer (you close all) |
| May | Shadow → Trainee | Knocker → Shadow | — | Closer + training |
| June | Closer-in-Training | Trainee | Knocker | Closer + oversight |
| July | Solo Closer ✅ | Closer-in-Training | Shadow | Managing |
| August | Solo Closer | Solo Closer ✅ | Trainee | CEO |
By August: 3 closers running 3 territories. You don't touch a door.
5. The Closer Model — Why It Wins
Each closer knocks AND closes their own doors. No middleman. Better margins. Faster scaling.
❌ Old Model: 5 Knockers + 1 Closer
- 200 doors/day → 28 warm leads → 17 jobs
- Knocker cost: $336/day
- Closer cost: $892/day
- Revenue: $5,950/day
- Profit: $4,722/day
- People to manage: 6
✅ New Model: 5 Solo Closers
- 200 doors/day → each closer knocks + closes
- No knocker cost: $0
- Closer cost (15%): $919/day
- Revenue: $6,125/day
- Profit: $5,206/day (+$484)
- People to manage: 5
Scaling the Closer Model
| Team | Daily Revenue | Daily Profit | Monthly Profit | You Do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You alone | $1,225 | $1,015 | $20,300 | Everything |
| You + 1 closer | $2,450 | $2,030 | $40,600 | Close + manage |
| 3 closers | $3,675 | $3,120 | $62,400 | Manage |
| 5 closers | $6,125 | $5,206 | $104,120 | CEO |
| 10 closers | $12,250 | $10,412 | $208,240 | Empire |
+ recurring plan customers stacking every quarter with $0 acquisition cost
6. The 7 Systems That Run MANTLE
🚪 System 1: The Knock-to-Close Flow
- Closer approaches door — step back 4-5ft, smile, hands visible, branded polo
- Pattern interrupt opener: "Hey! Quick question — I promise I'm not selling solar panels"
- NEPQ questions (6-8 before price) — let THEM sell themselves
- Walk-around — point out mineral buildup, dirty gutters, visible needs
- Loss aversion: "Those deposits are etching into the glass — becomes permanent"
- Quote all 3 tiers: One-time → Bi-annual → Quarterly
- Alternative close: "Thursday or Saturday?"
- Log in KnockSight — address, panes, home type, objection, status
📱 System 2: KnockSight Data Collection
- Every door logged: address, GPS, home type, pane count, status
- Objection reason captured (too expensive, has a guy, DIY, bad timing, renter)
- Visible needs noted (dirty windows, clogged gutters, dirty driveway, algae)
- Interest level (1-5), callback time if applicable
- Auto-syncs to CRM for "Booked" and "Interested" leads
- Data feeds Neighbourhood Intelligence dashboard → smarter territory decisions
📊 System 3: Neighbourhood Intelligence
- After 500 doors: know which streets convert, which don't
- Average quoted price by neighbourhood → price optimization
- Top objections by area → targeted scripts
- Close rate by home type → focus on what works
- Knocker/closer performance comparison → coaching data
- Peak times by day/hour → optimize knocking schedule
⭐ System 4: The Review Machine
- After every job: walk-through with homeowner (Peak-End Rule)
- Do one unexpected extra (clean storm door, blow off porch — free, 5 min)
- Ask: "I get a bonus for reviews — mind writing one while I clean your sliding doors?"
- Text direct Google review link ON THE SPOT
- Go clean something while they write → not awkward (law of reciprocity)
- Automated follow-up text 2 hours later with review link
- Pay $10/review to techs
70% write it immediately vs 15% if you wait. NEVER leave without asking.
🔄 System 5: Post-Job Revenue Engine
- Service plan pitch AFTER the clean (not at the door): "Most clients switch to quarterly — $250/visit instead of $350"
- 3-Door Rule: knock 3 nearest houses after every job (converts 2-3× higher)
- "We just finished next door — want a quick quote while I'm here?"
- Leave 5 referral cards: "$50 off for your friend, $50 off for you"
- Door hanger on every unanswered door (mere exposure → 3-4× better on return)
1 job = 1 review + 1 neighbor sale + 0.5 referral + 1 recurring = 3.5 future touchpoints
📋 System 6: Follow-Up Sequence
| Day | Action | Psychology |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Text quote within 2 hours | Recency — still fresh in memory |
| Day 1 | Casual nudge | Consistency — they engaged yesterday |
| Day 3 | Value add (tip about hard water) | Reciprocity — free value |
| Day 7 | Before/after from their street | Social proof + visual evidence |
| Day 14 | "We're booking up" | Scarcity (must be true) |
| Day 30 | Breakup text: "Last message from me" | Loss aversion — about to lose the option |
80% of sales happen after 5+ contacts. Only 8% of reps make 5+ contacts. Be the 8%.
🎓 System 7: Closer Academy (Training Pipeline)
- Every new hire starts as a knocker → earns while learning
- Required: MANTLE Closer Academy course (20 modules, 200+ questions)
- Spaced repetition: re-test at Day 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 30
- Must pass final exam (50 questions, 90% to certify)
- Field training: shadow Shaw for 50+ closes before going solo
- Certification: "MANTLE Certified Closer" → solo territory
- Weekly spot-checks: Shaw rides along 1 day/week per closer
The course + field hours = 8 weeks to produce an elite closer. The system self-selects: if they can't pass the course, they can't close doors.
7. Key Insights from MINT Cleaning ($2M+/yr)
Pricing (from MINT)
- Price by pane RANGES not per-pane ($300 for 40-pane house one-time)
- Quarterly plan = $100 off per service → 37.5% margin Year 1 → 50% Year 2
- 25% quarterly + 25% bi-annual + 50% one-time = 30-35% blended margin
- Marketing cost ($100/customer via ads) only paid ONCE — plans eliminate repeat acquisition
- MANTLE advantage: knocker acquisition = ~$24 vs MINT's $100 ad spend
Technician Model (from MINT)
- Solo techs on commission outperform 2-man crews on hourly
- MINT went from 16 techs/$1.2M to 9 techs/$1.6M by switching to commission
- Commission tiers: 20% (under $800/day), 25% ($800-1200), 30% ($1200+)
- Hourly motivates milking hours → commission motivates speed
- Hire for CHARACTER (work ethic, smile, detail), train for SKILL
Review Machine (from MINT — 2,200+ reviews)
- "Make Five Framework": 5-star experience, make it easy, make it happen now, make it personal, make it comfortable
- Direct Google review link (from GBP Manager → "Ask for reviews")
- Pay techs $10 per review
- Clean something extra while they write (law of reciprocity)
- If you leave before they write it, it never happens
8. Scale Math
| Team Size | Monthly Revenue | Your Monthly Profit | You Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo (you do everything) | $7,000 | $5,800 | Everything |
| 5 knockers, 1 closer, 1 crew | $14,000 | $5,600 | Manage |
| 5 knockers, 2 closers, 2 crews | $28,000 | $11,200 | Manage |
| 10 knockers, 3 closers, 3 crews | $42,000 | $16,800 | CEO |
⬆ Plus recurring plan revenue stacking on top — every quarter more plan customers roll over with zero acquisition cost.
9. Key Roles & Pay
| Role | Pay | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Estimator (knocker) | $10–15 / booked estimate | Knocks doors, books estimates |
| Senior Knocker | $15 / estimate | After 50 bookings |
| Closer-in-Training | $15/est + 10% commission | Shadows owner, learns to close |
| Closer | 10–15% commission | Closes deals solo |
| Cleaner | $25/hr | Crew member |
| Crew Lead | $250/day or 35% of solo jobs | Runs crew independently |
10. Key Rules
- Minimum job: $300
- Price by pane RANGES not individual panes (Up to 20 / 21–40 / 41–60 / 60+)
- Always quote one-time first → close → THEN pitch service plan
- Dollar discounts on plans, not percentages
- Target 30–35% blended profit margin at scale
- Every plan customer = 2.6× value of one-time
- Acquisition cost through knockers (~$24) is way cheaper than ads (~$100)
- Sell service plans AFTER every first clean