Heritage x Maxionlabs: kickoff
October 21, 2026 · Jeremy, Jason, Max
1. Where we are
| Agreement + first month | Done |
| Sending setup: 6 separate domains, 300 inboxes, warming since Oct 16 | Done |
| Onboarding form | Done |
| Market map, first pass | Done, full pass in progress |
| Your client list (so we never email your clients) | Needed from you |
| Booking calendar, 6+ slots a day | Needed from you (or we set one up) |
| Lost quotes + lapsed renewals, past 2 years | Needed from you |
2. Your market, counted so far
Inside about 2.5 hours of Johnson City: East TN, SW Virginia, Western NC, SE Kentucky. From public registries, not a bought list.
1,952
trucking companies and fleets with 5+ trucks (federal DOT registry)
823 with 10+ trucks1,655
licensed contractor firms in SW Virginia alone (state licensing board)
1,945
trade businesses from Google Maps in the first 5 towns only
96
towing companies with 5+ trucks
The ceiling, from the US Census (2023): about 2,400 businesses in your box with 5-249 employees inside the radius (1,492+ in the core area, 902 in the outer Tennessee ring). Another 2,650 if we add manufacturers, auto repair, distributors and home care later. So the plan reaches the owner AND a second decision maker (office manager or CFO) at each one.
What is NOT counted yet (this is a first pass, the real number is a lot bigger):
- Google Maps across every town in the radius, not just Johnson City, Morristown, Asheville, Boone and Abingdon
- Tennessee and North Carolina licensed contractors (no public download, we are requesting the rosters)
- Fleets that run pickups and service vans, not big trucks (not in the DOT file)
Full map handed to you by Friday Oct 23, with counts by segment and county. It is yours to keep.
3. Who we start with
| Start now | Later, once the first campaigns work |
|---|
Trucking and haulers (sand, dirt, gravel), 5-250 employees
Trade contractors: excavation, grading, paving, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, builders
Towing
Fleets with 10+ vehicles |
Manufacturers
Auto repair and tire shops
Material distributors
Self storage
Non-medical home health |
Owners, presidents and the person who signs the insurance. Inside the radius only.
4. How we build an offer
- Lead with what the owner wants, not what we sell. Nobody wants "insurance". They want no surprise bill, no reclass at renewal, and someone who picks up the phone.
- Name their trade and their size. "{trucks} trucks out of {city}" beats "businesses like yours". Every campaign is one segment.
- Give a reason to talk now. A renewal date, an audit, a fleet change. Jan 1 renewals first.
- Ask for 15 minutes, not a switch. A second look is easy to say yes to. A quote request is not.
- Only claims you can back. No guarantees, no gifts, no rebating. Numbers only when you can show one real account.
- Test, then scale. 2-3 offers per segment, about 700 emails each, keep what books meetings.
What owners in your market say they want (their words, from forums and Reddit)
| Pain | What they said | Dream outcome |
|---|
| Renewal shock | "We have been paying about $8,500/year for GL. Now they say they are increasing our premium to $44,000." | A renewal with no surprise, explained before it lands |
| Wrong class code | "They reclassified us... we haven't really changed anything" | Rated for the work they actually do |
| Audit bills | "At the end of each year, our WC provider sends us an audit and a request for a check... No claims have been filed. Every single year." | No year-end check to write |
| Never shopped | "We have been with the same insurance agency for over a decade. Most years, we just renew." | Know they are not overpaying, without the hassle of switching |
| Fleet / trucking | "twelve to twenty grand a year for one truck" | Every truck on the policy rated right |
| Towing | "double what it was previous years and still have never filed a claim in over 10yrs" | A rate that matches their record |
| A good agent | "my agent is always looking over my policy, calling me if she can save me money" | An agent who calls them first |
Anonymous owners, US-wide. We use their words for the copy, not as statistics. Your own customers on today's call beat all of this.
What competitors say (websites and ads checked Oct 15)
| Who | Their message |
|---|
| Shafer (Knoxville, Johnson City office) | "Be safer with Shafer", "Since 1963". Request a quote |
| Assured (now owned by Trucordia) | "Concierge Insurance Services". Contractors, employers and families |
| Reliance Partners (national trucking) | "One of the largest truck insurance agencies in the United States" |
| Progressive Commercial | "#1 truck insurer in America". Free quote |
| Google ads | None found for Heritage, Shafer or Reliance |
The gap: everyone says "since [year]" and "free quote". Nobody names the owner's trade, nobody offers a check before renewal, and nobody local shows real proof. That is where Heritage's offers go.
5. What good looks like: real emails behind our results
Two campaigns we run for clients, word for word (client names removed). Notice the shape: a question about THEIR situation, one line on the problem, what we do, a low-effort ask.
Software for contractors 35 sales-qualified demos, 6 annual contracts signed ($7K-20K a year each)
Hi {first}, do your crews know how they're tracking against the job budget while they're on it, or do they find out once it's already blown?
Generic tools aren't built for {trade}, and most can't tag an hour to the right job and cost code on their own. We keep running into contractors your size who couldn't tell which jobs were bleeding until they were already closed.
We built an app for {trade} where the crews do nothing, GPS captures the hours automatically, and they come back already rolled up by job and cost code. So you know what each job is costing you while it's still running, not weeks after it's closed.
Want me to show it set up with one of your jobs?
Online reputation for local businesses 50+ businesses signed
Subject: that 1-star google review
Hey there,
Saw the 1-star review {reviewer} left recently, is this accurate or should people ignore it?
"{review text}"
Asking because we remove unfair Google reviews in {city}. You only pay if it's successfully taken down.
Should I check if this one qualifies? Will get back to you same day you reply
Why these work:
- The first line is about them and something specific to them (their crews, their review), not about us.
- One problem they already feel, said the way they would say it.
- What we do in one plain sentence, with the mechanism (how it actually works).
- The ask is tiny: "should I check", "want me to show it". Not "book a call", not "get a quote".
- Short. Under 100 words. Reads like a person, not a brochure.
The offer, built on the value equation
Value = (Dream outcome × Likelihood it happens) ÷ (Time it takes × Effort it costs)
An owner says yes when the top is big and the bottom is close to zero. "Let us quote you" fails on every part: vague outcome, no reason to believe, a long process, paperwork.
| Offer | Dream outcome (bigger) | Likelihood (more believable) | Time (faster) | Effort (easier) |
|---|
1 · Jan 1 second look
trucking, fleets | Renew Jan 1 knowing every truck is rated right and they are not overpaying | Heritage, Johnson City since 1909, 20 carriers to compare. Names their truck count from the DOT file | Answer before Jan 1. 15 min call | No paperwork to start. Send the current dec page, Heritage does the rest. No switch required |
2 · Comp audit + class code check
contractors | No surprise check after the year-end audit. Crews rated for the work they actually do | A concrete thing to check (class codes, sub certificates), not a sales pitch. Proof: one real before/after from Heritage | Checked before renewal. 15 min call | Send last audit + policy. You don't have to switch to get the answer |
3 · Local agency that comes out
contractors with trucks | An agent who knows the yard, the trucks and the crew, and calls first | Producer drives out. 1909, two local offices | 15 min call, visit only if it is worth it | They come to you |
4 · Tow rate check
towing | A rate that matches a clean record | Heritage writes towing today | 15 min | One call, no forms |
What we need from you to push "likelihood" up: one or two real accounts (anonymous is fine) where Heritage fixed a class code, a fleet schedule or a renewal. That single proof line is worth more than any wording.
Heritage first drafts, in that shape
Starting points for today. Your answers on this call make them sharper. You approve every word before anything sends.
1 · Trucking, Jan 1 Second look before renewal
Hi {first}, when the truck policy at {company} renews, does anyone put a second number next to it, or does it just get signed?
Most fleets around {city} renew Jan 1 with the same agent, and nobody checks that all {trucks} units are still on the schedule and rated right.
Heritage in Johnson City does a 15 minute call first, then lines your policy up against what's actually on the road. If it's priced right, you'll hear that too.
Worth 15 minutes before Jan 1?
2 · Contractors Comp audit and class codes
Hi {first}, does {company} get a bill every year after the workers' comp audit, or are your class codes set right?
On a lot of {trade} outfits the crews end up rated at the most expensive code on the job, or subs without comp get billed back at audit.
Heritage in Johnson City checks your class codes and last audit before renewal, 15 minutes on the phone. You don't have to switch to get the answer.
Want them to look at yours?
3 · Contractors with trucks Local agency that comes out
Hi {first}, who handles insurance at {company}, you or someone in the office?
Most {trade} owners we talk to around {city} renew every year without anyone coming out to see the yard, the trucks or the crew.
Heritage has been insuring East Tennessee businesses since 1909. A producer does a 15 minute call first, then comes out if it's worth it.
Worth a call before your next renewal?
4 · Towing Tow rates
Hi {first}, did the insurance on your wreckers go up again this year, even with no claims?
A lot of tow owners saw rates double the last couple years with a clean record.
Heritage writes towing out of Johnson City. 15 minutes on the phone and you'll know if your renewal is priced right.
Should they take a look?
6. The game plan
| When | What happens |
|---|
| Today | Agree offers, meeting definition, booking calendar |
| Oct 23 | Full market map to you. Copy to you for sign-off (2 working days) |
| Oct 27-29 | List verified, your clients removed, inbox placement test |
| Oct 30 | First emails go out. Jan 1 renewals first |
| Weeks 1-2 of sending | First replies. Our setter calls every yes, checks they fit, books the 15 min call with your producer |
| Every meeting | Brief to the producer before: company, size, trucks, renewal date, why they want to talk |
| Weekly | Email update: sends, replies, meetings. Losing angles cut, winners scaled |
| Mid-December | Review: what segments and offers book, what owners are saying |
Honest expectations. New inboxes need 2 weeks to warm up, so the first meetings land in the first 2-3 weeks of sending, not this week. Target is about 5 qualified meetings a month once it is running. Insurance switches off renewal dates, so some of the best meetings will be for renewals 60-90 days out.
7. What counts as a qualified meeting
- The owner, or whoever signs the insurance, is on it
- Trade contractor, trucking, towing or 10+ vehicle fleet, 5-250 employees
- Within about 2.5 hours of Johnson City
- A real reason to talk, and they know it is Heritage about their insurance
- The 15 minute call with your producer happens. Your producer decides on the visit
8. What we need from you
- Current client list, before Oct 29
- Booking calendar, 6+ slots a day (who takes calls: Jeremy, Jason, alternating?)
- Lost quotes and lapsed renewals, past 2 years, your easiest wins
- 5 best customers by name, and what made them switch
- Which classes your carriers want and which they decline
- Which counties your producers will drive to