In this edition of Leading the League, AAM President Tim Odom sits down with Jason Yates, founder of The Marketing Crew and former leader at Titan Truck Equipment, to talk about one of the toughest challenges facing jobbers today: how to build a marketing strategy when you’re strapped for time and working with a limited budget. Drawing on his years of experience across the distributor, jobber, and upfitter world, Jason shares real-world strategies to help shops punch above their weight, and get customers talking.
Marketing from the Front Lines
Before launching The Marketing Crew, Jason spent six years at Titan Truck Equipment, a company that operated as a distributor, jobber, and upfitter. That front-row seat taught him some hard-won lessons about marketing in a high-pressure, hands-on environment.
“But seriously, marketing looks very different depending on whether you’re a distributor, an upfitter, or a retail jobber…The biggest challenge [is] learning to tailor messaging and campaigns to each unique audience,” says Jason. There’s a learning curve that includes everything from defining clear goals to avoiding assumptions. As he puts it, “We all like to think our customers are satisfied and that word-of-mouth is doing its job—but unless you’re measuring what’s working, you’re just guessing.”
No Budget? No Problem: Start with the Basics
One of the biggest hurdles for jobbers, especially small teams, is simply figuring out where to start with marketing. Whether you’re a spray-in bedliner shop or a 4×4 outfitter, Jason says the most important first step is making the decision to market.
Jason recommends starting with the least expensive, highest-impact tactic: customer referrals. That means creating a first-rate experience every time someone walks through the door—from how the phone is answered to how the showroom feels. Shops should ask themselves: is it well lit, clean, up to date? Are we creating moments that turn satisfied buyers into brand ambassadors? “The least expensive customer is your last customer,” he explains. “The next least expensive is their buddy.”
Turn Referrals Into Revenue
To get more customers through the door without breaking the bank, Jason suggests a few jobber-tested strategies:
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Referral Programs: Reward happy customers who send their friends.
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Customer Events: Host a “Show & Shine” barbecue for customers to show off their builds—and bring guests.
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Shop the Competition: Take a walk through a national chain and compare your experience. “We learned so much just by walking into a competitor’s store. It helped us close the experience gap—without spending much.”
And while TV and radio might still have a role, Jason believes most jobbers should climb the marketing ladder gradually, starting with social media.
Setting up your Facebook, Instagram, or even TikTok accounts the right way—and capturing clean, branded photos of finished jobs—isn’t just good marketing. It builds a community.
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Building Community = Building Business
As Tim puts it, “This is really about community. Creating a loyal group of customers who come back—and bring others with them.”
And that’s where Jason’s new venture, The Marketing Crew, comes in. Built to help small businesses compete with the big players, his team specializes in making companies look bigger than they are—and punch harder than their weight class. “We help jobbers and small shops compete by being intentional, by being smart, and by leveraging the strengths they already have.”
Stay tuned to Leading the League for more stories, strategies, and solutions from the brands, partners, and people who are committed to jobber success!
