How Shed Dealers Can Add Metal Buildings Without The Headaches

Your shed lot can be packed and your phones can still feel quiet. That’s the tension we dig into with Cesar Castillo from Castle Metal Buildings, a 20-year veteran of the carport and metal building world who’s watched the industry grow from backyard operations into a multi-state machine. We talk about why adding steel carports and metal buildings can be one of the smartest ways for shed dealers to expand revenue, and why it can also become the fastest way to earn bad reviews if the partner behind you can’t execute.

We walk through what “choosing the right company” really means: customer service that starts before the sale, a real dealer support system with training and modern tools, and a scheduling process that keeps the customer informed when timelines shift. Cesar explains how installation crews, subcontractor accountability, safety, and warranty follow-through shape the final impression far more than the quote ever will. Shannon shares the hard truth that dealers often take the hit when communication breaks down, even when the problem is outside their control.

Then we get into the messy stuff most people avoid: the race to the bottom on pricing, how expanding too fast can wreck quality, and the loyalty questions around display lots and online sellers. If you care about long-term sustainability in the shed industry and metal building industry, this conversation gives you a practical checklist for protecting the customer experience while growing your lot the right way. Subscribe, share this with a dealer friend, and leave a review if it helps. What’s the one thing you wish every manufacturer would fix first?

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This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Shed Pro

Shed Suite
Identigrow
Cardinal Manufacturing
CAL

Transcript

INTRO 0:00

Hello and welcome back to the Shed Geek Podcast. A quick word about our studio sponsor. One thing the team at Shed Pro has been hearing lately from Shed businesses is that many of them aren't struggling because of lack of demand. Things just kind of stall out. The lot is busy, but growth flattens, and it's not always obvious why. Usually it's something small. The website, the follow-up, how customers interact with you before they ever pick up the phone. So Shed Pro put something together called the Shed Sales Audit. It helps you get a clearer picture of where you might be losing people. It takes a couple of minutes, and if you want to dig deeper, their team will walk you through it. Here's the thing nine times out of ten, the fix isn't more leads, it's a tighter operation underneath. That's the rest of the Shed Pro platform. Configurator, point of sale, RTO contracts, inventory, deliveries, and dealer tools are all in one place. From website lead to final delivery, one clean workflow. Start with the audit at shedpro.co forward slash shed geek. Thank you, Shed Pro, for being our Wednesday studio sponsor and for building something that helps the industry.

Shannon 1:15

Okay, welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek Podcast. And uh thank you for listening today. We do appreciate the time that you take to uh dedicate out of your day to listen to uh the podcast and to gain insight from all these various uh professionals around the industry and all the different services and products they offer, years of experience and conversations. Um super, super uh uh enjoyable now, even in year number six, and where these conversations take me. I'm just uh astounded by them. Uh today I am joined by Castle Buildings, and uh we're gonna give them a chance to introduce themselves. But before we get rolling, just a way to stay plugged in with us, as you know, to give me a call if you have questions uh or comments. Uh, if you'd like to be on the podcast, we'd love to tell your story. We believe that your story uh is his story. Uh it acts like a testimony of your experiences in the industry to help better those of us trying to build community and ultimately uh um serve people. So, uh 618-309-3648 uh info, INFO@ shedgeek.com if you would like to email us with suggestions, show topics, or uh guest appearances, and www.shedgeek.com to find out more about the different things that we are doing in the industry from rent-town to finance and marketing and consultation and oh gosh, I don't know, structures. We just we're just busy over here. Um and uh the Facebook page, give us a like, follow, share, we'll do the same for you. Check us out on the Shed Sales Professionals group. Or if you'd like to listen on the call-in landline or you have a plain community friend who would like to, 330-997-3055 is the number. We'd also have a um uh a full layout uh of all of the episodes available to you. If you would like that, uh just join our newsletter for access to that. And if you don't know how to do that, give us a call. And uh oftentimes we can have people on there that uh not only are podcast guests, but they have services and products that are exclusive options within the industry. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Meet Castle Metal Buildings

Shannon 3:35

I know it's a long introduction. Welcome to the podcast, Castle Buildings. Uh listen, I just want to give you an opportunity to introduce yourself, your company. Tell us a little bit about who you are, what you do, how you come to know the shed industry, uh, in conjunction with the metal building industry already. So the floor is yours.

Cesar Castillo 4:02

Hey, well, first of all, thank you, Shannon, for providing this platform. Uh personally, I found it very helpful to us. Uh I'm in the carport industry and I take notes every time you're on the air. So thanks. Thanks, first of all. And uh so a little bit about myself. Uh, my name is Cesar Castillo. I'm with Castle Metal Buildings. We're located in Texas. Um and I've worked in the metal industry going on 20 years now. Uh, was privileged to see this industry start from uh backyard operations into a into an industry that went coast to coast. Um, I really like your show because uh over the time I've got into partner with a lot of shed dealers, and I've really seen the both industries grow together and learn from each other. Uh, I think the carport industry has a little bit more to learn, but we're getting there. Um now um also something that I find very uh uh inspirational about this industry and why I'm passionate about it is that I got to see this start from uh basically small mom and pop shops. Uh you just have to have a good location, or sometimes small businesses that were looking for an extra way to bring in revenue, and it turned into a whole nother business for them. Uh, so that was uh something really nice for me to go around uh state to state, uh traveling, getting to meet new people and learning about their experience and grow from there. Uh like I'm saying, uh everything has been done in both of the industries, I believe, in a good faith honor system. Uh you provided the location, we'd get there with our carports, and uh then somebody else would come there with the sheds, or vice versa. Sometimes the sheds came first. But um, that's why I'm here. Uh today I have an opportunity to be here, and I just want to let you know where the state of the industry is at right now with our carports, um, how we work together with shed dealers and why choosing the right company is very important for uh for your success and for something that's gonna last 20 years from now.

Shannon 6:26

That's great, Cesar. I uh I I I I I guess in my head, you know, if these are not sister industries, they're at least cousins, right? You know, they work so closely together. I think we might we might have almost been so small-minded when we started with Shed Geek to almost be structure geek, maybe, because we see the complementary uh bleed over from one industry into the next. Um they're two different products, they serve a similar customer. And it's exactly like you said, I have I've seen people start adding lines of steel buildings, and like it has become a major part of their business by just adding that product. And um, but I've also seen them maybe you know run through two or three different companies before they find the right one. So what you mentioned here today and finding the right partner is extremely imperative. And then you do have, you know, national brands, uh, or even if unrecognized national shed brands, national steel building brands, uh, but they don't all always work together. There's sometimes a mixture of the way the different companies operate. Uh, but one thing's for sure is uh it's almost hard not to sell steel buildings if you sell sheds. And maybe if you're selling uh steel buildings, you start to want to, you know, I I've seen it work both ways where they bring the other product into the mix after getting started. And this is why I believe they work so well together is um, you know, you're ultimately trying to, you know, make a dollar, you're trying to pay rent, you're trying to cover expenses and do all these things. So these other products become either a small or in some cases a large part of your portfolio. Uh, and I have actually seen folks sell more steel buildings once they uh

Customer Service Before The Sale

Shannon 8:20

realize that that was an option for them. Uh and I've seen it the other way around with shares. But I do think it complements, it brings people to your lot. You're the 20-year vet. What do you what do you think? And what how do you choose the right partner? What are the things you should look for?

Cesar Castillo 8:39

Well, there's many things. Uh there's simple things. Uh saying we've we um we hear about this. Uh sometimes you can't be too redundant with it, even though it's there every day. Uh, bottom line, some one thing is you have to have the service, right? Customer service. So nowadays, uh, as saying we've both grown in the industry, we might be a little bit more professional, more sophisticated and uh and interconnected. That now even the systems have to be in place. Uh, when you get more volume customers, uh, you can no longer have a notepad and sticky notes uh laying around everywhere. You need to be more professional. And um, so that's first of all, that you know you have to have good customer service. Uh, I would say customer service starts before the sale is even made. Um, when uh you uh in our industry, uh you would be surprised that when you drive around a town or even city, where you find the shed lot or the carport lot, there's gonna be two or three down the road from there. So, that's where, first of all, the person that's behind the desk that's in that office, they make a good impression. Now, there's always, even though it seems cookie cutter, you know, we have our basics uh double carport, 18 by 20, everyone has it on the lot. Uh, we have our 10 by 12 story sheds, seems simple, but every customer is unique. Every customer has a different need, and that's where good customer service starts. Um getting to learn the customer what they what they need it for, uh, what's their future use for it? And if there's a question that's maybe you have a doubt, who are you gonna call to get the right answer? Um, are you gonna call the office? Uh, do you have someone that you specifically ask for? Uh, or is your sales rep the person that you call and he has the answers for you? Uh, so that's part of it before you get started. Now, um, aft ideally when you choose the right company, uh you what you do is you write up that sale. You now you can do it through DocuSign, turn it in. Uh, you receive an email back saying, Hey, thank you so much for your sale. We appreciate your business. We'll be contacting your customer to start getting acquainted. So, that's you know, there's a process that the customer service has to follow through. Um, I would say right there, that communication that started with the dealer, within 48 hours, your customer has to call, and they're getting to know, okay, this is the number I should expect a call from. Uh, I can ask for Kara and the office, and she's gonna know what's what stage my uh building is at. Um, and that's part of it. Now we got scheduling after that. That's still customer service. Uh, it's still in the same office. Now it's important that the dealer has someone they can trust, otherwise, they're having to filter these messages back and forth uh when communication is lost. They did the sale, they need to move on to the next one, helping the next customer. So, that's where a good company comes in. That we're we know uh where we're at with our project, that we need to hold off for a few weeks because there's site prep that needs to be done. If someone's going out on vacation, do we want it uh before they leave or after they leave? Um, that's part of it. And uh, and then it leads to the final product, right? That the steel service is involved. Who is going to show up at your property and install this building for you? Um, do they have good communication? Are they patient because they have uh they might have five other steel buildings on their truck to get to, but they you know, are they still courteous? Uh are they gonna answer questions that might have already been talked about and make sure that everything is right before they start putting up a structure? That's phase one. You'd be surprised how many things could happen uh with that one uh just customer service involved. Uh one thing that could be easily um, you know, uh I would say overlooked, but if it's talked about, uh the customer will be happy and there's good reviews at the end of the day. There's always middle ground, just that communication is key. Um that's for our customers. Now again, dealers, there's another thing that's dealer support, I believe is very important. Um when we have like saying dealers that sometimes this is the first time they're in they're getting in the industry in the business. So, you never know what background you might have. Uh like saying this uh this industries have allowed um, you know, many, many people that were either school teachers, now they're retired, uh, auto shop worker, the uh, you know, they had a shop, a tire shop. Uh maybe that was a little bit slow and they focused on the sheds and carports, and now that's what they're they feel that's what they're gonna do. So, having a good dealer support system that's going to have the time to train you adequately on the systems that we have, our sales process, uh, on the technology now that we have. Uh you know, uh personally, we uh use uh idea room companies have great communities to design our buildings. Uh little by little, it's becoming more um, let's say it's user-friendly, but easier for you to even place an order through the program. Uh and the dealer needs to be trained on that. Uh before COVID, I would say 99% of the companies were still using uh hard cop carbon copies and a flyer to do your price. That's now that's a thing of the past. You know, there's very few uh price lists out there in the carport industry. So, getting to know the systems um and um knowing how far, you know, what we can promise uh our dealers' support, that's something very important. Uh personally

Dealer Support Training And Systems

Cesar Castillo 15:05

here in Castle, uh I take a lot of the calls because I'm out on the field meeting our dealers. Uh we want to make sure that they succeed. If they succeed, we succeed.

AD-SHED SUITE 15:16

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Cesar Castillo 16:08

People matter. Oh, that's another important thing. Uh, I would say when choosing a company, uh, maybe even before you uh put in that form that you're interested in becoming a dealer, give them a call. Give them a call. See, see who picks up the phone, uh, how they treat you as if you were a customer, because that's how they're gonna treat your customers. You know, you need to know that you can call somebody or that your customers are gonna call someone that's knowledgeable and that's happy to talk to you. That's happen, even if it's the same question again. Hey, it doesn't matter. We gotta you gotta have good personality and someone that's accountable there, that that can really uh guide the you know, even a customer through the process again, even though uh we might have gone it a few times already in our shed lot. Um something that's super important uh with uh choosing the right company uh is fresh let's say it's the crews that you have. Do you have qualified employees to go out on uh and actually erect a building? Um that's something that right now uh in the industry, now that you have a lot of online brokers, um you know, there's a lot of online brokers that will bid it out to the to whoever can do a little bit for a little bit less. But as opposed to the shed industry where everything is built in-house, you know, the quality control is there. Now we have humans that are out on the field. Again, you're working with right now 100 degree heat today here in Texas, where we're at, Oklahoma is the same. Uh, you know, people are out there, they're a little bit frustrated, they want to get to another job, but having the right crews is super important, that they're properly trained, that they know about safety. You know, uh sometimes out here, even you know, even the smallest carport, you know, there could be something that if you overlook, there's power lines, underground utility lines, uh, or just heat exhaustion. And you don't want, you know, somebody's someone working that's unqualified on your property. So, that's very, very important. They need to be professional. Um, experience matters a lot and accountability. Um now with experience and accountability, it really leads back to your reputation if you have the wrong crew out. Um, there's warranties, it's like in there in the shed industry, it's

Crews Safety Quality And Accountability

Cesar Castillo 18:45

all in-house. You see the plaque, and it even says who is the builder. Uh now in the uh carport industry, um again, you have subcontractors most of the time that are out on the field, and that's where responsibility and accountability comes to play. Because if there, you know, it's hard to be perfect every time, especially when you're working with that verse weather. But if something happens, if there was a missed screw on the roof, uh if maybe a trim got uh got damaged because of the wind, you know, you need to know that uh, first of all, your company is gonna send someone back ready to fix it and not rush the job, uh, even though it's you know gonna take up an hour of their time, um, and have a crew that's gonna say, you know what, I own up to it. This is what happened. Uh, let's find a solution. We'll be back in in uh two to three weeks. Now, that's something you know, two to three weeks is it's pretty good, but we'd like to be out there within a week if possible. Because uh we don't want it to hang there and have the neighbor come over and look at it and say, hey, everything looks right, but look at that hole right there. Or, you know, that's where uh a good company hires good crews that are loyal to their company, that's uh gonna be them with them for years to come. Uh, not someone that's jumping from one company to another. And again, you see a lot of that when it's uh you're bidding it out to the to the lowest bidder. Now, um again, uh in order to succeed uh right now, uh you have to do a lot of marketing. Uh, even you know, I'm a big fan of organic. Uh, if I don't have to pay for it, I'm not gonna do it. And uh so um when you set up a new lot, the first couple weeks you're gonna see a lot of foot traffic, uh, sheds, carports. Now, after that first month, you might say, hey, you know what, it really slowed down these couple months, these couple weeks. What's happening? And that's where our dealers need the right tools, the right training, uh, so

Organic Marketing To Keep Traffic Up

Cesar Castillo 20:55

they could adapt. Uh, if it's slow, I always tell my dealers, it's time to put your kick your feet up on the table and get the keyboard and let's start working on our organic marketplace ads. Uh, and here you go. I'm gonna provide you with uh so many pictures. Here goes 50 pictures. When you're done with these, let me know. I got another set for you. And just keep on doing it. Don't give up. That's how it's gonna drive people to your lot. And if um, you know, and if they can't drive to the lot, we can still close it. Uh, you know, here are the tools. Uh, let's send them this design. Uh, if we need to, give us a call in the office. We'll send a docusign for you. You know, that's something very important that that's really missing in uh with a lot of a lot of companies. We just expect to drop off a material, drop off a display, and that it's gonna sell itself. Uh, you know, it's not like that. Like I said, there's two, three people down the road with the same product, uh, similar product, you know, but what stands behind it? Um now I feel that those are. Are uh super important things because it just hits right to the core with uh I would say any, you know, with the shed industry as well. Uh a good a good shed in a shed company is going to have that the qualified staff, the qualified employees and reps. Uh and you know, there's a lot of investment that goes on into these lots before you make the sale. Uh, you know, you're talking about thousands of dollars that are invested on a property all in good faith, somebody believed in you. And, you know, we want to make sure that you're set up for success. Um, so that's something important too. Uh that when you choose a company, um, you know, what do they have? What's how much scan do they have in the game? Right? Did somebody just show up because they saw an old carport there and said, hey, you can sell and don't worry about that company. I would say look at what are they willing to do for you. You know, okay. If personally, I'm if I'm going to an old lot, maybe there's no signs on that property, on that uh those displays, I'll walk in and they tell me, Cesar, you know what, I'm selling for ABC Company. Sorry, I apologize, didn't mean to come in here and uh and try to convince you to go elsewhere. Uh, but you know, here's my card. Uh, if uh you ever decide that there's you want to go a different route, we're willing to bring new displays for you. You know, we want to show our work. That's how much faith we believe that we have in you, that we can work together, that we're willing to bring our displays here for you. Um, and I guess finally, you know, uh there's uh the reputation. You want to have a company that that has some experience that you can go back on and talk to other dealers, talk to customers. Easy enough. Get on Google, check out their reviews. If there's a pattern, you're gonna see the pattern. And it's not just this month, it goes back years. Um, and just Google, you know, there's many things, but you can really see the history of a company and where they're going, where have they improved? Is it still the same redundant uh problems, or have they fixed that? Because it's you know, now the reviews are positive. Now it's their they're rage raving about you know your quality of work, your office, the communication. Um and you start you can really see that with the quick Google search.

AD-IDENTIGROW 24:28

Oh no. Sam, what's going on? Are you okay? Yes, I'm fine, Lisa. I was just trying to get a screwdriver and all this other stuff fell down. I'm ready to go buy a shed so we can have some space in this garage again. I agree. I keep looking at the shed Mr. Jenkins bought. Let's ask him where I got his. Howdy, neighbor. We're wondering, how do you like your shed? I love it. It's exactly what I needed, and I couldn't have asked for a better service. And where did you get it? Hmm. I can't remember, but let me check. Something this nice will probably have the builder's name on it somewhere. Hmm. No, I'm sorry. I can't find a name anywhere. Well, we finally got a shed. Yes, I just hope we're happy. The thing is a lot more shoddy than I expected, and I'm sure I told him I wanted a window, but they didn't have it in the paperwork, so I couldn't argue. Boy, is this a lousy shed. We haven't even had it two years, have we? Barely. It was just a bad deal all the way around. Mr. Jenkins told me the other day that he likes his shed so much he wants to get a second one, but he still can't remember where he got it. Your product is your best advertising. At Identigrow, we provide nameplates that ensure your quality products are never forgotten. Identify your products, grow your business. For more information, visit identigrow.com. Or give them a call at 540-283-9193.

Cesar Castillo 26:12

Uh some things that aren't talked about too much because we don't think about it at first when we uh get a new building, I would say a new car, but where is this steel sourced? Are you know how are these prices sustainable? Um so with us, we like to brag that all of our material is American sourced steel. Um that's super important, you know. If things keep on evolving, uh, even in the shed industry, you know, you have to have you went from uh hardy board to LP siding, and it just keeps on improving and improving. So you want to have you know that that uh material that's out there is really gonna back you up. And uh, you know, who doesn't like to support American jobs? You know, let's keep it here. And in the steel industry, for a while there, it was just steel coming in from everywhere, and the prices went down with it. So, you know, that's how I feel that if you choose the right company, you're gonna have those ingredients and you're set up for long-term stability. Uh, you're gonna be with a company that's sustainable, and as long as you want to be in business, you put in your little grain of salt, you'll be successful, and you'll be able to scale. Um, you know, many lots that start off, you know saying I've seen it to where uh there's a rancher, he has acres, frontage road. He decides, you know what, I need my wife wants to start working and do something different, or she wants to make some extra cash for vacation, and they open up a shed lot and a carport lot, and now they have five locations around the state. So, it's um team up with the right person, you know, ask about warranties. Uh you know, I would say call them like if you were a customer ready

The Dealer Takes The Review Hit

Cesar Castillo 28:05

to buy, and uh, that's what you're gonna get.

Shannon 28:09

You have laid out like a beautiful synopsis of this entire process. And I love that you started with customer service, then dealer support, and then talking about delivery team, because those are things that are definitely imperative to me. When we start out first and foremost with the customer, like we provide a product to a customer, making sure that communication is top-notch. You've already addressed that. Um, I can tell you from my own personal experience, I like when I go up to my 30,000, 40,000 foot view and try to look down on things from a topical perspective instead of a more granular perspective from a from a topical place, you know, that's one thing that I experienced regularly was, you know, uh in carports was a lack of communication, a lack of customer, the customer being aware, hey, four to six weeks, we'll have that to you. Well, at the end of six weeks, uh, if the internal conversation was, well, it's going to be another two weeks before we get out there, no one would communicate that with the customer. The customers wonder, and the customer ends up calling you because you are a representative. If you're a shed dealer selling steel buildings, you are a representative, but you oftentimes have very little control over what the actual process is made. And uh, and you sold the cake, but you don't have the batter. You don't, you're not the one who puts the ingredients together. You can't control delivery, you can't control communication. And ultimately, it is your Facebook reviews or your Google reviews that oftentimes gets the unfair judgment, or maybe fair judgment, because they're like you said, who you choose to partner with, their back-end services, how they take care of their dealer support, what their delivery team looks like, that can help make or break you if you are the face of the company. Um, you know, I see the shed industry mainly, mostly as a prefab uh product. It's manufactured, they either put out you know, like uh lot inventory, um, or they'll build a new construction shed uh based off a 3D configurator or something along those lines. And I've heard different companies tell me a variation of you know, we sell 50% inventory, we sell 50% new builds, 60-40, 70-30. I've heard different splits go in different ways, but by and large, it seems like if you averaged it out without any data, uh going off my gut, it you know, most people sell about 50% new builds, 50% lot inventory. I know that's going to rub some people the wrong way who don't match those numbers. I'm going on an average here. However, what's interesting about carports is these are display models. You're selling off a display, nothing is delivered down the road like a prefab shed. It has you have to send a crew out, and that changes the dynamic because now you don't just have someone selling the shed and then they see the shed hauler whenever they bring it to the to the yard. You actually have a crew come out there, and I have heard all the horror stories, Cesar, as I'm sure you've heard, you know, um, from simple things that are real issues like language barriers, right? Um to campfires and beer cans left behind, you know, and that is not just a representation of the metal manufacturer, but the shed dealer who chooses to sell that product. Um and I gotta tell you, like, of course I'm going, you know, those are the some of the horror stories, don't get me wrong, but I've also heard really, really great testimonials where the on on-site crew has been able to connect an even deeper relationship with the customer than even the salesperson. Uh, and I and I've gotten feedback where customers have called me back and said, I just love this crew that you sent out. I mean, they went above and beyond. Um, I feel like, you know, uh the temptation to not only switch as a shed manufacturer selling steel buildings from one different supplier to the next, I feel like that same temptation exists in the delivery and setup team to switch from one company to the next. And I believe that if you can get the cream of the crop, if you can get some of the best builders who are also very personable with the customer, man, I feel like you're gonna have a dedicated shed seller, you know, uh carport seller through a shed through a shed lot forever. Because that's the one thing that I hear is the most common complaint is what is the customer experience outside of my control? I don't know what to do with that. I sold on the carport, but I don't see it getting delivered. I don't see it getting built. I don't see what the final impression is. Uh, I don't see when they forgot a piece of trim and they run it back out there in a week, or they say, we'll get you on the next truck six weeks from now. You know, like you can control so little of the process. I love that you've actually hit it head on. You've taken it head on today and said these are the things that we focus on in the dealer support side.

AD-CARDINAL MANUFACTURING 34:03

I got a big day tomorrow. I have a fully finished 18 by 40 cabin that's going to require two to three meals to get it delivered. Way back in the sticks and down a dirt lane. With all the rain we've had lately, it's going to be a mess. But it needs a bigger mule. Well, when you talk, Cardinal listens and you ask for it. With its diesel-powered 69-horse engine and capacity to move 40,000-pound sheds, the Mule 9069 is ready to turn your big days into just another day in the good life. Ah, that's right. You're talking about the one they had up in Michigan at the shed show. That monster mule, that man, that thing was awesome. That's right. It's the one you've seen at all the Shed Holler barbecues. Man, yeah, there's nothing like a little diesel donkey to make my day go so much better.

Cesar Castillo 35:04

So, Shannon,

Expansion Radius And The Race Down

Cesar Castillo 35:05

um over these 20 years, um I've seen uh I've seen those struggles um when it was only four companies building, uh, like you're saying, you had the cream of the crop. Uh a lot of gray hairs, a lot of a lot of hard work and uh knowledge that they had behind them. Now since, you know, in the shed industry, carport industry, every month there's a new company. Uh so um that's right now with the you know, depending on how you feel the economy, but uh there's been a big race to the bottom to see who can uh you know who can outbid the other. And what that happen what that leads to is really uh it's hard to retain good crews, good employees, because if uh they're going to work twice as much for you know the same building, uh, you know, they're thinking about it again because the body, you know, you're out there physically picking up steel every day. Uh the body takes a toll. And either they're gonna go to someone that's has better pricing, that's more sustainable, where they can feel I can I can be here two, three years or longer, and you know, I can still do the same amount of work. Gonna give them my all. I have these two, three guys that always jump on the truck with me, and they're happy because um we make sure that we always get a hotel to stay in. I got them cold waters and sandwiches. If we need to, we can take a break. Uh, as opposed to a lot of these, you know, a lot of these startups. Um, what I've noticed is that you have the uh you know a good installer that says, you know what, I can do this myself. Uh and then once that built, when that company starts growing, and now you went from just servicing uh a five, six hour radius, and now you're in five states, and you have to bring on a lot of more people to work for you, that's where it really gets tough. And um, you know, personally, we cover a six to seven hour radius because of that reason. Uh we like it to where our crews can be back in our shop twice a week, and they one thing you want to be back home uh at least, you know, over the weekend and Wednesday if possible, that way you can spend some time with your family, you know. At the end of the day, we all go to work for that reason. Uh, you know, a lot of times it's because the main reason is for the family, and then the other reason is we gotta pay some bills. So, um that's been part of our philosophy that um in order to expand and offer in so many states, you know, you got sometimes you sacrifice the quality or who's you know who you're gonna send out there to live up to the expectations. If it was four weeks out, if it was six weeks out, you need to have enough crews that can do it and are not rushing, you know, that they drove 12 hours and uh got there at seven o'clock in the morning and are gonna work another 12-hour day. Um that you know it takes it is a big effect on the on the body, but then ultimately it's affecting the quality of the work out there. So um sometimes uh big coverage area doesn't mean you know that it's uh covered well than the best. Yeah. You know, uh I would say that when we reach that uh that that we can out that we've outgrown this area and we can now service another state. Well, it's better to set up shop there with like-minded individuals that can uh that can run that shop and let's get let's hire some more local crews and expand. But uh that's been uh something too that you know uh in our industry, in our shed industry, it's is or in the cardboard industry, it's that's where they there's something has to give, you know. Um and choosing the right company, I would say even look into that, you know. Okay, if you're gonna service four states away from me, uh what's you know, how far uh how far is your manufacturer, or are there even more dealers in your area? Uh so when you have the right dealers, uh that allows for you to get back uh in a timely manner. Uh for any, you know, either a new sale or if you have to do a reschedule and go back there for an odd reason. Um, so that's also important that you have a company that's gonna be honest with you. Now, you don't want to have a dealer every town, right? You got you gotta give each other room to succeed, a good radius, and put in the hard work to train, and you'll have good lead times and you'll have happy people working for you. If um, if I have a crew that's finished the car for here today, right now in Kemp, Texas, and they have to drive an hour, you know, they're okay with it, you know, because that gives them a little bit of time to rest, they get something in their stomach, they get to the next job super happy. And we can uh work our way, uh scale our way down to uh Houston that way. But um what I've noticed is that um we have uh, you know, personally talking to dealers is that you know, just getting back to that customer or that one small order, that 12 by 20 carport that was out in the middle of nowhere in another state, you know, now it's eight weeks because we're you're expanding too fast. So, um if you have a good radius, you'll have you, I can guarantee you, you'll have a good uh relationship with that company.

Display Lots Online Sellers And Loyalty

Cesar Castillo 41:05

Uh you can even go visit them in case something goes wrong.

Shannon 41:09

I've seen um that I've seen that very thing as your what interests me is the way online sales have begun to change. Uh you know, when you when you used to go out and throw out a couple of display models, open up a dealer uh location, uh that served as a nice billboard as well as advertising when you could throw some signs up, you know, for uh you know Castle uh structures or actually I'm saying that wrong, Castle Buildings, Inc. So, let's say I'm using Castle, but there's and there's so many more uh manufacturers out there I know, but you know, used to you could go out and you could open up four or five locations, put up a few displays, you would you know work this deal uh out with uh with the landowner. Um and maybe you went to pre-existing shed locations, maybe you went to other locations to find that. Now I'm curious at how you handle this, or even what your thoughts are on manufacturers are putting up display lots, and online sellers are able to use those displays to serve as a physical example, and now these online sellers are selling for a multitude of companies, but your display is ultimately being used. Is do you feel like that's a fair collaboration? Do you feel like it's fair to limit them to only selling yours if you're going to be willing to put the display out there? I know that's a hot topic inside of uh online selling for carports. I just feel like you'll be the guy who'll give us a good, fair explanation of that.

Cesar Castillo 43:03

Man, I I'm happy you quit you asked that question. Um, and it all goes back to the honor system. Okay. Online, it's pretty much a fair a fair game. Um, but uh they're risking their reputation on um on who they're you know who they're sending their orders to. Um now that physical location. You know, I I'd like to ask, you know, same thing with what I've noticed is that in the shed industry, um there's more loyalty. Right? There's more loyalty to the brand and um and you and you rarely see a lot that's shifting from one company to another. Um I feel that the industry is at a crossroads right now where um and I think as a business owner Um I've had small businesses myself that sometimes you feel tough that it's you know again we sometimes we always say the economy, but when things aren't going 100% your way, the thing is say, hey, well let's find somebody that's low or uh we'll sell that way. Um but for us I feel that there should be more loyalty in the carport industry. Um you know if you have somebody that believed in you and invested their hard-earned dollar to uh bring in demos, you should go it do it with them 100% and whenever you feel that it's uh not uh profitable for you, you want to go a different route, ask them to take their displays and bring in another company that's willing to do it. Um that's the way I would do it. Uh and again, it all goes back to the honor system because um I believe uh there's nobody in the shed industry that's selling for multiple companies, even if it's online. So and really, you know, if you have a good area, if you have if you're in a good location, um you don't need to sell all over the United States. You know, just you can focus on your area. Focus on your area. There's plenty of people there. And uh and get to know your neighbors. They'll trust you more than anybody that's online. But um, I really think thank you for bringing this up because um that's a big reason why uh some companies you know fail. You know, you're out if you're out there investing for somebody else, uh, you know, it's not gonna be sustainable. This this industry's not gonna last. Um and one thing is that everyone in the carport industry is seeing this that there's a problem and there's many ways that they're trying to adapt, but the industry will uh correct itself. And if you know there's different options. We all want to have dealers, but if uh you know it the industry has to correct itself and uh go back to that grassroots way of doing business where you can have a shed lot and uh you know it could be your local hardware store, your feed store, but somebody that's going to be there for the long run.

AD-CAL 46:42

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Cesar Castillo 47:45

Um

Lead Flow Trust And Manufacturer Competition

Cesar Castillo 47:46

now um we do accept online dealers, uh, but uh it's something that you know from the get-go, you know, you we have our services area, this is where we're at. And ideally, I'd want them to be just with us, right? But once you have an online business, it's super hard because you're gonna be, you know, I do a paid ad, and if I don't restrict my uh my ads to my service area, I'm gonna be getting calls from Georgia, from New York, from California. And so, there's opportunities everywhere. But uh, you know, I do just as well when I'll focus my area here locally. And let me tell you something else. If you have loyal dealers, you will not be competing against your own company because um right now everybody has Facebook and you're gonna see a lot of sponsored ads from uh from your own the own company that you represent. Now, when you have trust, when your carport company trusts you, they will be leads funneling you through those leads. And here's why with us, what makes us special, what makes Castle Metal Building special, is that we like to focus on the building itself, on the providing the building. We're not the best salesman. I'm gonna be honest with you. I I I've got in a hundred leads, I might close five of them, right? But in in my office, their specialty is treating customers right and getting there, getting them on schedules, making sure that the shop has the right information. If there's a last-minute change that we all know about it, that the customers made aware of, you know, that's really what a company should be focusing on, not competing against you, against your own marketing dollars. And again, like I said, there's maybe this is a topic for another conversation, for another no, that's the same.

Shannon 49:53

But uh that's similar to sheds, too. I mean, what you're talking about is something that you see in any retail market, um, where especially the, you know, you can get started, you know, usually in selling sheds or steel buildings for minimal, you know, a minimal cost to get rolling. Uh, so a lot of times it's, you know, you do see the manufacturers ask for a commitment in, you know, that loyalty and spending those marketing dollars, or you'll see co-ops. But I think you're absolutely right. The company that's willing to funnel the leads um to their dealer network, it's just going to not only build and create loyalty uh from the dealer to the manufacturer, but from the manufacturer to the dealer. You want to pour into dealers who are selling more. You want to give them more leads because you're in the business of making uh uh buildings and doing a good quality job. You're not in the business of retail. That's why you opened a bunch of retailers up, uh, is you want them to do a good job. So, funneling those leads to them helps to create that trust brand authority that you need uh among your network. And uh, you know, I've heard the excuse me, I've heard the horror stories also in the shed industry the same way where the company is like taking the leads that come. And you know, I suppose there's different ways to look at it. Like if the dealer is not going to accept speed delete, if they're not going to follow up with that lead quickly, um you know, is it does it make sense if the manufacturer is paying for that lead to then take that lead back over if they're not seeing a dealer network committed to uh having the best interest, you know, uh of the company in mine, because maybe they decided I'm retired, I work uh at my own pace, and I'll get to that lead when I get a chance. And if I lose that sale, it's okay. Well, that doesn't feel very good for a manufacturer who's dumped a lot of money in inventory into your location, in advertising into your location, and banners into your location, and now marketing dollars for paid ads. Uh so like there's a I do believe that there's a rub there where those are things that you have to solve. But this is why I love still in year six doing the podcast, is because we have those hard conversations on here. We get varying opinions, varying thoughts. And I think that the more you talk about it, the more a solution tends to come to the surface. Because we have people that's actually addressing the issue and let of instead of letting it stay out there and miscommunication start to take place, you know, like man, I heard castle buildings, you know, they do this or they do that. But the experience is different than what you heard. That's just that I mean, that's my small take. I love that you're actually addressing the conversation because most people just don't want to touch it.

Cesar Castillo 53:05

Shannon, I definitely know. Well, uh, you know, somebody has to do it. It's a hard topic, but uh, you know, I would I always put it this way. Uh uh and that's and that's where uh again we have a lot in common with sheds and carports, um, just that it's been the wild, wild west here in our industry. And that's where we need to build that trust again, that loyalty to the brand. Uh, because um, you know, if I send you a lead and you're just gonna send it out, you know, you're just gonna give it to the lowest bidder, you know, that's it is it's really it hurts the relationship. Um and also you know, if you want someone to succeed, you gotta you gotta, you know see what the where the real value is at. Um sometimes these you know, you and there's a lot of shed dealers that have experience from other lots. Um, you know, I've have I've had multiple dealers say, hey, I used to sell for so and so. I saw that it was a good opportunity. He gave me my shot. They taught me, he taught me everything I know. And um, you know, uh as long as I wasn't in the same town, he said, go for it, open up your new lot. Uh, and then the carports come in. And that's where um, you know, you get to hear more about other experiences. But, you know, if uh if I send you a lead, I would want you to go with it 100%. Give us our opportunity, and um and I know we can we can really help you. Um because it's you know anybody can make a quick sale, but if you do it the right way, you know, you have that you have customers that are willing to pay a little bit more, uh, because they value that uh that trust that they're giving you, that that you're gonna bring in good quality work and that you're gonna live up to their expectations to what you promised, right? Um, so we do need to rekindle that that loyalty, that you know, when it was a fresh industry, that you say, you know what, no, I'm sticking to them. They gave me a shot. Um, because um, you know, otherwise uh, you know, it'll probably go to a little bit towards where some of the you know the bigger players are in the shed industry are going towards a little bit more uh corporate, you know, and um and you're gonna see less uh actual dealerships out there. And you know, at the end of the day, uh, you know, we want everybody to succeed. And like I mentioned earlier, if we can have dealers who trust us just as much as we trust them with our hard-earned dollar, you know, hey, that's a win-win situation for both of us because I'm gonna make sure that everything that's under my control from when I get that that uh email, I was gonna say facts because we used to do a lot of facts in the day.

Shannon 56:01

Well, I'll tell you what, if you end up partnering with some shed manufacturers, you may still get some of those facts. That that still is a very real thing.

Cesar Castillo 56:11

I still got a fax line for my dad. There you go. But uh

Advice For Dealers And Where To Grow

Cesar Castillo 56:15

no, uh, so that that's where we can really, you know, turn to ship. Um, because um we really depend on each other. Look, something else that I feel that's very important is that um you dedicate your time to what you're doing. So, as a for any shed dealer that's out there, I would say don't give up uh posting ads, advertising your business, any opportunity you get. You know, if um uh what I would like to do, I sold sheds before. I'm actually uh uh just opened up another lot here locally because I like working with people. So, um I used to like to take pictures with them whenever they would when if I could drive to their house when it was installed, uh I'll take them a little sign that says I love my shed. And take a picture, you know, whatever opportunity you get, even if it sounds cheesy, you know, let you know, be proud of what you're doing. And you never know. You might get uh get the big fish, somebody that needs 10, 20 buildings or that big cabin that's you know, that's that 16 by 40 cabin. But um uh have faith in yourself, have faith in the in who believed in you. Uh and I guarantee you things are gonna work out. Um you know, um whenever again I think we talked about this, but if you're thinking about a carport, get into the carport industry and you have sheds, I would say jump on it, jump on it fast because it's gonna give you uh a little bit extra money to keep that cash flow going throughout the month while you and focus 100% on your sheds too. Uh, you know, any chance you get is in the evening, start pushing those ads, don't stop at it, and things will return to you. That hard work you put in, you're gonna reap it. Um, and these carports that keep you alive. Eventually, you're gonna have to hire somebody else just attach the carports. And uh it helps bring in business too. Uh it helps bring in customers. Yeah, it's the easiest thing to be. Yeah, yeah. No, it's and one happy customer is gonna bring in another. Uh the neighbor's gonna ask who got it, and it just keeps on going. And um, and at the end of the day, you find out that price isn't everything. Uh it has, you know, of course, it's everybody's still gonna be within a range from one another, but it's not the deciding factor. And um and the other thing.

Shannon 58:41

Because the two products don't compete, also, because they don't really compete, it's really nice, Cesar, when somebody comes in looking at a steel building and they say, Oh, well, you know, I realize I need a shed. And that happens vice versa. You have a, you know, you find people who think they want a shed and they end up needing, and I understand it's easy for the manufacturer to say, well, we only want you to sell our product, but I think you as a business owner want to help the customer find the right thing. And I think what this does is we have a saying around here, you know, uh rising tide lifts all boats. And we tend to believe that, you know, um, uh, yeah, okay, maybe I lost a shed cell, but also gained two shed sales when somebody else came in uh because they were looking for a steel building. I think at the end of the day, it's also as a business, it's your right to sell whatever you want to sell. If you want to throw furniture out there or dog houses or Pergula or gazebos or other products that complement what you do, I think that's ultimately up to you. And you have to work that relationship out with the provider of the products that you're selling so that there's a clear understanding of what that is. Um but there isn't there's enough out there for all of us. I feel like I feel like a lot of times we're all competing with the wrong thing. We're selling storage, and uh I think, and I'm not gonna call them an enemy because they're a friend of me. They're the you know, they're our friends, don't get me wrong, but like those self-storage, you know, units dwarf uh uh portable storage or steel buildings. I mean, it's such a large industry that like they're uh, you know, uh if you're in a hoa or you know, and you can't have a shed or a steel building, I understand that. But for the most part, you know, these are our customers. We're trying to give them a backyard solution, uh, you know, as opposed to having to go down to the you know, the local storage place and throw their stuff in there. Uh, this gives them comfortable ownership in their backyard uh of a product that they can call their own. Uh I love both products, and I have seen some of the inconsistencies you talked about. And I don't know if you can believe this or not, but we're 55 minutes in and an hour flies by when you're having fun. Uh, I want to wrap it up here soon, but I want to have you back for round two. I love your thoughts and your ideas on some of these different things. I love integrating the steel buildings more into the shed conversation. I feel like the products complement each other so well. Uh, here's what I want to ask you, and I know for those that are still listening, you know, I'm assuming you're accepting dealers. Uh and if that's the case, what is what is your pitch to these dealers? Where are you located and where are you looking to grow?

Cesar Castillo 1:01:31

So uh thank you for asking, Shannon. Um, yes, we're uh we're uh currently uh looking for new dealers to uh join our team, our dealer network. Um we here going on two years now, we start going into Oklahoma. So, anybody in Oklahoma that's interested in teaming up with us, um, shed dealers or you know, uh I would say feed stores, hardware stores. If you feel you have a good customer base, you'd like to give it a try, we're we'd like to talk to you. Um now we cover most of Texas. We're in uh we're approximately 30 minutes south of Dallas, uh, Kemp, Texas. That's where our manufacturing plant is at. And we work down to uh down to Houston, Angleton. Um we actually work there at 30 minutes away from the coast where we have to certify buildings up to 155 mile per hour winds, um uh from there over to San Antonio, uh the Permian Basin, and uh clear up to Oklahoma. So, anybody in that area, we'd like to hear from you. Uh saying you don't have to be an established business. If you uh feel that there's a need in your area for these buildings, you got uh the uh energy and uh you can give us an opportunity, I would be the one training you. I'll meet with you in person and uh set you up to succeed. Um now also um I guess uh you know, with uh the conversation we had today, I'm definitely looking forward to talking to you more and uh letting you know more about my personal insights on where this industry is heading. But uh ultimately the future belongs to dealers and the manufacturers who focus on partnerships. Uh, you know, partnerships, quality, service, and long-term sustainability. That's who that's why choosing the right company matters because the future of both of our industries is in your hands. All right. It's in your

How To Reach Castle And Closing

Cesar Castillo 1:03:40

hands.

Shannon 1:03:40

I love I love the energy, I love the clarity, I love uh, gosh, I wish, you know, like I sold buildings, uh steel buildings years ago here in Illinois. I wish you had a location here. Man, I would have ate it up. I would have loved this opportunity because we did get a little bit of uh, you know, and they're good companies. I'm not gonna mention them by name. We're about positivity here. We're not wanting to, you know, create a negative environment, but we did have some situations where it was, you know, uh, you know, here's a book, see you later, here's a display or two. Let's hope you figure it out and do well. And if you do, you'll get more of our attention. But if you don't, we're gonna come get them and move on. And we just struggled so hard. Uh, we drove to the facility, we wanted to meet the people that were running the show. We wanted to have that, we wanted to have that relationship with the people in the office that were doing the boots on the ground work. Uh, we wanted to establish that kind of care and relationship with people. And like, you can take that approach or you can say, bring them over, I'll see what I can do, I'll do my best. And like, I don't know. I prefer a rifle approach where you can, you know, focus on the target you want to hit instead of a shotgun approach that just says shoot it and let's hope we hit something. Um, I liked working with people who are very intentional, uh, who heard what we had to say about marketing, you know, who heard what we had to say about customer relationships, and who heard what we would say about building crews. I'll tell you what, uh uh I made that joke about you know, bonfires and beer cans left. That wasn't even at a customer, that was at a manufacturer that was going to start selling. This and this manufacturer immediately was like, I do not have any interest in selling these anymore if this is the customer's experience from the crew whenever they show up. So you can shoot yourself in the foot right off the bat, just trying to get going. And I know everything's not perfect, and I know that that uh then you know we don't live in a utopian society where all of these things are going to get solved overnight. People are people, crews are crews, they're trying to make a living too. And but I do think that the consummate professional who's aiming to be better, to do better, whether you're selling sheds or steel buildings or whatever, I look, I'm so interested. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm so interested in knowing you more. Uh and I want to continue the call even after the podcast. Um, if someone wants to find out more about you, like we've got you down as castlebuildings.com. Is that's is that the best place for them to reach out?

Cesar Castillo 1:06:27

Yes. Um, you can uh easily uh, you know, there's contact forms there on our website, ww.castlebuildings.com. Uh there's a chat bot where we can get to you easily. Um, but um you also can call us directly, 903-498-8899. Uh that's right off the bat, you can start speaking to one of our reps and uh one of our uh customer service representatives, so you can see uh you know who you'd be talking to, who your customers would talk to. Um websites great to uh to go to again because it has uh more information there. But if you're on Facebook, um we're constantly uploading projects. Uh we try to do one or two posts a day. Uh so Facebook's another good way to contact us. We're always there's someone's always on there checking out messages or just creating new content to let our customers know and dealers know what we have available, probably custom projects that we're all working on. Uh so that's Castle Metal Buildings Inc. Um, and again, our website is www.castlebuildingsinc.com. Uh please reach out. We'd love to talk to you.

Shannon 1:07:36

And if all of us fails, just give us a call over here, check out our newsletter, send us uh fill out a lead form, give me a call, an email, whatever. I'll be happy to put you in touch with Cesar. Cesar, I've really appreciated the conversation today. And I think we need to do another one of these, man. I think we can continue to explore some of the connectivity between sheds and steel buildings. Uh, I've got some ideas. Stay on here a little bit. We're gonna say goodbye to the guest today. Uh, but um uh I got a feeling we'll hear uh more from you in the future. But for those of you who tuned in to listen today, thank you so much. I appreciate Cesar for being on here today. Wish you guys nothing but the absolute best as you continue your endeavors. And uh I've certainly enjoyed getting to know you here today. Thank you, Shed. Likewise.

OUTRO 1:08:24

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Shed Geek podcast. A quick thank you to our studio sponsor, Shed Pro. Head over to shedpro.co forward slash shed geek and take their free Shed Sales audit. It takes just a few minutes and it gives you a clearer picture of what's going on underneath. Thank you for listening as always. And thank you, Shed Pro, for being this year's Wednesday studio sponsor on the Shed Geek Podcast.