TradeOps Consulting vs. Contractor Growth Network: An Honest Comparison for HVAC & Plumbing Companies

Contractor Growth Network comes up often in contractor marketing research, usually through its excellent podcast. Logan Shinholser’s team has built a real reputation on storytelling-driven marketing, and Contractor Growth Network publishes its pricing, which TradeOps respects. So this isn’t a hit piece.

This page lays out the real differences between Contractor Growth Network and TradeOps Consulting so you can decide which model fits your business. We give CGN full credit where it earns it, and we state the one difference that matters most plainly. CGN now focuses on design-build remodelers. TradeOps exists exclusively for HVAC and plumbing companies. If you run an HVAC or plumbing shop, you compare a partner whose ideal client is someone else with a partner whose entire business is you.

The 30-Second Verdict

Choose Contractor Growth Network if…

Contractor Growth Network fits design-build remodelers doing $2M–$7M that want premium, story-driven branding and content, a high-end custom website, and long-cycle referral-quality leads. You accept a 12-month SEO commitment.

Choose TradeOps if…

TradeOps fits HVAC or plumbing companies that want a marketing agency working exclusively in their trades: local SEO, Google Ads, Local Services Ads, Facebook ads, AI search and websites, with every call tracked to a booked job, on accounts you own, cancel-anytime, with websites from $3,000 and the conditional “Leave in the Green” guarantee.

Side-by-Side Comparison

What Contractor Growth Network Does Well

Contractor Growth Network does 4 things well: a clear storytelling philosophy, real pricing transparency, a strong content engine, and disciplined focus on its niche.

• A clear philosophy. CGN’s storytelling-first approach builds a brand that attracts referral-quality leads rather than chasing cheap clicks. This is a legitimate strategy, especially for high-ticket, long-cycle remodeling work.
• Real transparency. CGN publishes its pricing: websites from $15K, SEO $3,150 to $6,400/mo. Very few agencies in this market do that, and it is a trust signal TradeOps genuinely respects. TradeOps publishes its pricing too.
• A strong content engine. CGN’s podcast is one of the better ones in contractor marketing, and it reflects real thinking, not just lead bait.
• Focus, and the honesty to narrow it. Choosing to specialize in design-build remodelers takes discipline. For remodelers, that focus is exactly what makes CGN attractive.

If you’re a $2M–$7M design-build remodeler, CGN deserves a hard look. That is precisely the point of this page. CGN’s focus is CGN’s strength, and that same focus is the reason HVAC and plumbing companies fit better with TradeOps.

Where the CGN Model Has Limits (for HVAC & Plumbing)

The CGN model has 5 limits for HVAC and plumbing companies, all rooted in fit and scope, not in CGN’s quality. CGN made a deliberate choice about who CGN serves. If you’re in HVAC or plumbing, that choice matters.

• You are not CGN’s target customer anymore. CGN now focuses on design-build remodelers doing $2M–$7M. HVAC and plumbing companies fall outside that ideal client profile, so CGN’s playbooks, benchmarks, and content are built for someone else’s business model.
• No trades-specific depth. Seasonality swings, maintenance agreements, emergency-call dynamics, and ServiceTitan and field-service stacks make up the machinery of an HVAC and plumbing business, and CGN’s model is not tuned for it. Remodeling is a long-cycle, project-based world; HVAC and plumbing run on speed, volume, and repeat service.
• 12-month SEO commitment. CGN’s SEO engagements carry a 12-month initial commitment. That’s not unusual in the market, but it’s a real difference from month-to-month terms.
• Premium website pricing. Websites from $15,000, averaging around $26,000, are priced fairly for a premium remodeler brand. That is a big check for an HVAC company that needs a fast, high-converting local site, which TradeOps builds from $3,000.
• No visible paid-media practice. No significant Google Ads, LSA, or GBP focus is visible in CGN’s offering. For local home services, LSA and the map pack carry a large share of demand.

What TradeOps Does Differently

TradeOps Consulting is a marketing agency for HVAC and plumbing companies that want booked jobs, not just leads. It works only with HVAC and plumbing companies, so the campaigns, pages and reports are built around repair, replacement, install and emergency work in those two trades.

The Marketing Services

• Local SEO and Google Business Profile. Business Profile work, service and city pages, reviews, citations and links, so you show up in the map pack and organic results for the jobs you want.
• Google Ads. Search campaigns on high-intent repair, replacement and install keywords, with landing pages and call tracking.
• Local Services Ads. Verification, job types, service area, budget, lead credits and reviews for Google’s pay-per-lead ads.
• Facebook and Instagram ads. Replacement and install offers shown to homeowners in your service area.
• AI search optimization. Clear, consistent information about your company across your site and listings, measured every month by mention rate and citation rate against a fixed set of prompts on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude.
• Websites. Custom, mobile-first sites built for calls and form fills, with call tracking and CRM forms connected.
• Lead generation. Your own lead flow from SEO, ads, LSA and direct mail, so leads come to you alone instead of being shared with other contractors.

Plans can also include a referral system, EDDM direct mail and social media management. The full list by plan is on our plans page.

Every Call Tracked to a Booked Job

Call tracking and a CRM are set up on your account before any ad spend starts, so every lead is counted from day one. Every monthly plan includes CRM setup and automations to make sure new leads get answered: missed calls get a text back and new form fills get an instant reply.

The monthly report goes past clicks and impressions. It shows calls and form fills by source, booked jobs and revenue by channel from the closed sales in your CRM, and cost per lead and cost per booked job for each paid channel.

Your marketing stays yours. Your Google Business Profile, website, ad accounts and lead flow are set up on your accounts, so they stay with you if you stop working with us.

The Results Our Clients See

These numbers are read from clients’ own Google Business Profile and Search Console dashboards. Screenshots are in the results section of our homepage.

• A/C Man Heating and Air: 94 calls from its Google Business Profile in August 2026, up 40.3% on August 2025.
• One HVAC client’s Business Profile: 521 calls from May to September 2026, up 20.0% on the same months of 2025.
• One client site: Search Console clicks rose from 45 to 1.47K over three months against the same three months a year earlier, and average position moved from 59.8 to 10.8.

Results depend on your market, where you start and how quickly your team answers new leads.

The “Leave in the Green” guarantee. You can cancel any time with 30 days’ notice before your next billing date, and every month you get a report of the work done and the results it produced. If you work with us for at least six months and are unsatisfied with the results, we continue our service at no cost until you reach a break-even result. That applies when you complete our onboarding course, follow the advice and warnings we give about our services, and keep your CRM updated with lead value and closed sales data, verified by third-party software and accounting data. Read the full guarantee terms.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Contractor Growth Network if

Contractor Growth Network fits premium design-build remodelers doing $2M–$7M that sell long-cycle, high-ticket projects. You want story-driven branding, content, and a high-end website from a team focused on your exact industry.

Choose TradeOps if

TradeOps fits HVAC and plumbing companies, from owner-led shops to multi-location groups, that want an agency working only in their two trades. You want paid ads, LSA and map-pack work alongside SEO, every call tracked to the job it booked, your accounts in your name, cancel-anytime terms, and the conditional “Leave in the Green” guarantee.

FAQ

Contractor Growth Network is good for the right client. CGN is a well-regarded boutique with a clear storytelling philosophy, a strong podcast, published pricing, and an Inc. 5000 appearance. The question is not quality; the question is fit. CGN now focuses on design-build remodelers doing $2M–$7M. If that’s you, CGN is worth a serious look. If you run an HVAC or plumbing company, you hire a team whose ideal client and playbook fit a different business model.

CGN’s public positioning as of 2026 centers on design-build remodelers, not HVAC or plumbing. That does not mean CGN would refuse the work. CGN’s content, benchmarks, and strategy are built around long-cycle remodeling projects, not the seasonal, high-volume, emergency-driven demand that HVAC and plumbing run on. TradeOps works with HVAC and plumbing exclusively.

The actual difference between CGN and TradeOps comes down to focus and scope. On focus, CGN specializes in remodelers; TradeOps specializes in HVAC and plumbing. On scope, both are marketing agencies: CGN focuses on brand, content, websites and SEO, while TradeOps runs local SEO, Google Ads, Local Services Ads, Facebook ads, AI search optimization and websites, and reports booked jobs and revenue by channel from call tracking and your CRM.

CGN publishes website pricing from $15,000, with an average around $26,000, for premium builds aimed at premium remodeler brands. TradeOps builds custom, client-owned, high-conversion websites from $3,000 one-time (hosting $50/mo), designed for how local HVAC and plumbing customers actually buy: fast, mobile, and built to book the call.

TradeOps does not lock you into a contract. You cancel anytime with 30 days’ notice before your next billing date, and you receive a monthly report of the work done and the results generated. CGN’s SEO carries a 12-month initial commitment. TradeOps’ “Leave in the Green” guarantee means TradeOps keeps working at no cost until you reach break-even if you have worked together 6+ months and are unsatisfied (conditions apply).

Like CGN, TradeOps publishes its pricing. Retainer plans start at $2,000/month (Minimum), $4,000/month (Growth), and $6,500/month (Hyper Scaling). Custom websites start at $3,000 one-time, and a complete Full System Build costs $25,000 plus $497/month. À la carte pricing includes SEO at $2,000/mo, Google Ads at $1,500/mo, Meta Ads at $1,500/mo, and LSA at $500/mo. See our plans. Every engagement starts with a free 15-minute Call Audit, so you see the roadmap and the math before you spend anything.

Get Your Free Call Audit

TradeOps Consulting offers a free 15-minute Call Audit. We look at your website, Google Business Profile, call tracking and follow-up, and you leave with a written roadmap of where calls are leaking, whether you hire us or not.

Takes 15 minutes. No pressure.

Related: Web design for HVAC companies.