In this Weekly Update, Justin White breaks down one of the biggest shifts happening in marketing right now. How customers are using AI to find contractors and why traditional SEO alone will not carry your business into 2026.

Fresh off the Synked Live Conference in New Orleans, Justin shares key takeaways from Marcus Sheridan’s keynote and real conversations with contractors about AI search behavior, ChatGPT, and what it means to be “the best” in an AI driven buying journey.

This episode is a reality check for business owners still relying on outdated marketing playbooks and a practical guide for those who want to stay ahead.

In this episode, you’ll learn

1. Why up to 50 percent of consumers are now starting their buying journey inside AI tools like ChatGPT

2. How AI search changes the way customers ask questions and choose contractors

3. Why being humble on your website may actually hurt you in AI recommendations

4. How AI decides who the “best” contractors are in a given market

5. Why blogs written for Google SEO are not the same as content written for AI search

6. A practical strategy for creating content AI can find, trust, and recommend

7. Why competitors who are AI native will win leads if you do nothing

Justin also explains why your own AI results are biased, how to test real world visibility, and why your marketing strategy must evolve every few weeks, not every few years.

If you want more inbound calls in 2026, this episode is required listening.

Follow Justin on LinkedIn and Instagram for real time insights from inside the landscape industry. Learn more about The Disruptors at jwhitegroup.com

Key takeaways to remember

• Consumer behavior is changing weekly, not yearly • AI is becoming the front door to your business • Content depth beats generic marketing • If AI cannot understand why you are the best, it will recommend someone else

This week on Trades Talk, Justin White sits down with Tony Battistella, Director of Growth at K&D Landscaping, to unpack what it really takes to build a winning sales system in today’s competitive market.

The conversation kicks off with a story about transforming Justin's backyard into a personal retreat not just a landscape, but an experience. From there, Tony lays out how a structured sales process helps K&D operate with clarity, accountability, and repeatable success. It’s not about guessing. It’s about process, speed, and service.

They also cover how outbound strategy, speed to lead, and client communication have shaped K&D’s growth trajectory. One of the biggest insights: businesses that invest in sales systems and client trust will outlast those that rely on charisma and luck.

• A structured sales process creates consistency and confidence

• Speed to lead improves conversion and sets the tone

• Outbound sales drives pipeline and team focus

• Clear client communication builds loyalty and lowers friction

This episode is for any trade entrepreneur looking to scale smarter, lead better, and build a business that thrives on clarity, not chaos.

In this episode of Trades Talk, Justin White delivers Weekly Update #33 live from the cockpit of his Grumman Tiger, returning from the Leanscaper event in Scottsdale. This isn't just a recap of a conference; it is a breakdown of the technological and leadership shifts currently reshaping the landscape industry.

Justin dives into his private sit-down with Simon Sinek, exploring how to scale culture when 90% of your workforce is in the field, siloed from headquarters. The conversation moves from the philosophy of leadership to the raw utility of Agentic AI, a shift from simply querying data to deploying digital agents that manage logistics, huddles, and operations. Finally, Justin shares real-world field data from K&D’s testing of the Kress Voyager, a Level 5 autonomous mower that is already cutting client lawns and redefining labor efficiency.