Pros and cons of lead gen

12933 Views 37 Replies 32 Participants Last post by propaintingLI, 18 d ago

painter'swife

Discussion Starter · Jul 11, 2019

For those of you that have tried lead generation through various platforms, what are the pros and cons of each? Yelp, Google ads, Facebook ads, homeadvisor, angie's list etc.. what is the best Roi for you?

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Woodco

· #2 · Jul 11, 2019

Thumbtack USED to be good. Its actually still good for wallpaper, but I dont use it for paint jobs anymore. Angies list got me work, but made me sign a contract, and I didnt get good ROI at all, but maybe I wasnt charging enough...

Craigslist has probably gotten me the most paint jobs.

Reactions: 1

cardgunner

· #3 · Jul 11, 2019

nextdoor.com for my area is a good source. It is a neighborhood social platform that members that are part of that neighborhood can ask for recommendations and also give recommendations for contractors.

Reactions: 2

Gracobucks

· #4 · Jul 13, 2019

Don't waste your money on getassist. They say they have hundreds of leads a month, but I have had 5 in 7 months. Only one panned out and the job was to paint one wall in a bathroom.

painter'swife

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 15, 2019

Gracobucks said:
Don't waste your money on getassist. They say they have hundreds of leads a month, but I have had 5 in 7 months. Only one panned out and the job was to paint one wall in a bathroom.

Interesting. I have not heard of them before. Just looked them up. Looks like a marketing company?

Gracobucks

· #6 · Jul 17, 2019

painter'swife said:
Gracobucks said:

Don't waste your money on getassist. They say they have hundreds of leads a month, but I have had 5 in 7 months. Only one panned out and the job was to paint one wall in a bathroom.

Click to expand...

Interesting. I have not heard of them before. Just looked them up. Looks like a marketing company?

They might be in Canada only. They have a very high pressure sales team that will promise you everything under the moon and deliver nothing. They cost roughly $300 per year and $2.50 per lead. I really like their concept, but their execution was horrible. They are just worried about marketing to the contractors instead of the clients for the contractors. Doing this caused no work for the contractors and bad reviews. Attached is a screen shot of a weekly post on their grapevine.

The do have other services for small business that might come in handy for some. They have a office central located here in winnipeg, that you are allowed to use their computers and Wi-Fi. They also have a boardroom you can book for meeting with your clients. They have weekly toastmasters meetings and lots of seminars that are free to attend. That might be worth the money there. Unfortunately not to me as I have a office space already.

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Lsjpaintingco

· #7 · May 20, 2020

Yelp has been great for us.

Reactions: 1

frankfort8808

· #8 · Jul 14, 2020

Best results I've had have been with a local marketing business rather than the big guys. Big difference in what i'm paying compared to what I get, and the leads don't go to a bunch of other contractors - only to me

gregpalms859

· #9 · Jul 15, 2020

frankfort8808 said:
Best results I've had have been with a local marketing business rather than the big guys. Big difference in what i'm paying compared to what I get, and the leads don't go to a bunch of other contractors - only to me

Agree

alara592

· #10 · Jul 17, 2020

frankfort8808 said:
Best results I've had have been with a local marketing business rather than the big guys. Big difference in what i'm paying compared to what I get, and the leads don't go to a bunch of other contractors - only to me

I agree, typically get much better results from the local marketing businesses than the big dogs. And you can typically have much better communication with the company, rather than having to submit generic ticket requests for support that take days to get a response.

Nightmareontrimstreet

· #11 · Sep 14, 2020

Was doing really well using Thumbtack as I set off on my own earlier this year. I was on a magic carpet ride of success. Turning on the services and turning them off when I got a couple jobs. This worked for 7 months. Out of no where I had 2 high paying gigs cancel on me with no deposit and I've been floundering for the last couple of weeks. It seemed like the leads I starting getting were fraudulent because I was saying absolutely nothing differently in the correspondence. After getting a couple more in person estimates that didn't pan out I am now looking at Angies list.

I don't mind paying the 3-400 a month they are saying it will cost to get more direct contacts instead of people literally shopping around on thumbtack. Just for them to respond that way you get charged. Sometimes $75 bucks...Poof! Gone. Just for a person to tell you they are just getting prices together. Bull****. If any of yall nod at Angies list, please nod away in approval!

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Nightmareontrimstreet

· #12 · Sep 14, 2020

frankfort8808 said:
Best results I've had have been with a local marketing business rather than the big guys. Big difference in what i'm paying compared to what I get, and the leads don't go to a bunch of other contractors - only to me

Could you please elaborate? Local marketing business's like what, the newspaper??

connert3

· #13 · Oct 26, 2020

Fresh he's probably talking about a local marketing company - not the newspaper

The Painter Guy

· #14 · Oct 30, 2020

Angies List has been best for us. Home Advisor is next and some results from Houzz.

jimhoskins

· #15 · Oct 30, 2020

Aren't Angies List and HomeAdvisor the same company?

The Painter Guy

· #16 · Oct 30, 2020

jimhoskins said:
Aren't Angies List and HomeAdvisor the same company?

As I understand it, yes Angies List now Owns Home Advisor, but people are using Home Advisor as a separate entity.

joshrow

· #17 · Oct 30, 2020

I hear if you have both services there's overlap between leads (i.e. they're sharing them between companies and charging clients twice)

JohnCanoe

· #18 · Oct 30, 2020

I just started my own company and Thumbtack has been worth it for me so far. It landed me one job that has the potential to turn into three more with the same customer. I followed up on a lead that had actually hired someone else and she asked me if I knew of a local contractor that could build her a screened in deck and I set her up with a guy I know. There are plenty of tire kickers and deal seekers but if you pick up a few quality customers along the way I feel like it was well worth it.

finishesbykevyn

· #19 · Oct 31, 2020

I think it depends on the size of your company and your general jurisdiction. Every town is different.
Around my parts, it's all word of mouth and having an online presence doesn't hurt either.
I'm surprised at how many people don't even have a website but seem to always be busy..
Once you get a following, the phone just seems to keep ringing..

Wildbill7145

· #20 · Oct 31, 2020

Around here I don't know of one painter who actually has a website. Some of the large builders do, but that's about it. I advertised for one year in the local newspaper when they were still a thing, but got nothing out of it. That was a long time ago.

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