Business is so good - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Mike Finley · 04-06-2009, 09:46 AM

Business is so good for these online lead services that they now have started resorting to pretending to be customers.

Even with these hard economic times, in a time when you would think lead services would be turning away thousands upon thousands of hungry contractors begging to be part of their system...

... the online lead services are cold calling contractors harder and more frequently then ever...

... they leave you messages pretending to be a customer needing your service, then when you call them back it's an online lead service trying to sign you up.

Obvoiusly things are crumbling apart pretty fast with these guys.

I hope they are all on the verge of starvation.

**ChrWright** · 04-06-2009, 09:52 AM

I get at least two of those calls a week now.

"Hi, this is Jane Wasteyourtime, and I was wondering if you could help me with a remodeling project... Call me back at 1-800-BLAH BLAH BLAH"

I love it when I actually get them on the phone--and get the standard cold call response to, "I'm not interested."

"So, Mr. Wright, you're not interested in more work?"

Laughable.

kevjob · 04-06-2009, 09:55 AM

hopefully the surge before they die out, getting same BS calls, so you don't want more work? not from your type of client I don't

BattleRidge · 04-06-2009, 11:28 AM

I actually had a guy get in a yelling match with me. It was awesome. He wanted me to give him like a grand up front and I said, I will give you a grand if you provide me with a workable lead. If I get one decent job from a lead you give me. I will pay you full price for your service. "Sir thats not how it works" "Why not? If you have a good lead just prove it and I will pay you." "What I can do is knock it down, yeah my manager is here right now, he says I can bring the price down to 500 for your first year." "Have you ever seen the Boiler Room?" " Whats that supposed to mean!!!?"

Either is goes like this....on there end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbIRedOqDwE

Or this on my end......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW-PH...eature=related

macatawacab · 04-06-2009, 06:01 PM

In west Michigan I acted like a HO and signed up for Service Master to give me the names of some kitchen cabinet refacing companies. I never got the name of even one contractor and no one ever called. Maybe they just don't have anyone here, or so I figured.

Two days later SM calls me to sign up with them as a cabinet refacing contractor?!! WTF. How do they know I'm a contractor? I did not tell them. now they call twice a week.

If there was a legitmate source like this for leads I would use it because the big boxes are taking the lion's share of my market. I can beat their prices, quality, and service but not their marketing.

A W Smith · 04-06-2009, 06:41 PM

they have stopped calling me for now. I told the guy never to call this number again and he left rasberries on my answering machine for two days. since then all is quiet and I have been posting to craigslist warning other contractors, and reporting their posts as spam. just for the hell of it. They hide behind a web host proxy in various eastern European countries until you actually click on the url.

SLSTech · 04-06-2009, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macatawacab

Two days later SM calls me to sign up with them as a cabinet refacing contractor?!! WTF. How do they know I'm a contractor? I did not tell them. now they call twice a week.

Lets see your phone # is 214-282-

your web site is

Welcome to the world wide web - they probably pulled a search for companies in your area & got yours seeing they figured they had a valid lead. (which in there book probably equates to 200+)

The 866 one is everycontractor & I had my own shouting match with them to - glad to see how they treat the contractors up front

CF Construction · 04-06-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Finley

Business is so good for these online lead services that they now have started resorting to pretending to be customers.

Even with these hard economic times, in a time when you would think lead services would be turning away thousands upon thousands of hungry contractors begging to be part of their system...

... the online lead services are cold calling contractors harder and more frequently then ever...

... they leave you messages pretending to be a customer needing your service, then when you call them back it's an online lead service trying to sign you up.

Obvoiusly things are crumbling apart pretty fast with these guys.

I hope they are all on the verge of starvation.

....I fell for it the first two times, by the third call I got the call and told that person a thing or two. Thankfully, they no longer call.

ottagosoon · 04-06-2009, 08:03 PM

Don't you all get it? There is double money to be made if you are a lead company and it's all from contractors.
Up front money from the contractor to be a part of their operation.
Then money from the contractor again for each lead they send them.
Didn't take a great thinking CEO to see that they had 10,000 or so contractors and say " what if we made the the contractors pay us 100 dollars to be on our list". 1 million dollars. That CEO probable got a 10 million dollar bonus.

macatawacab · 04-06-2009, 09:31 PM

SLSTEch- it's a little worse than you think. I used a home phone that is not linked at all to my businesses. I used an email address that is personal and not used in business.

Sure for CT I put everything up there but when I am doing some market research I try to be a little sneaky,

For the record they are scum. I had to hang up on two of them. I can't imagine trying to sell someone by getting them so pissed they hang up.

SLSTech · 04-06-2009, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macatawacab

SLSTEch- it's a little worse than you think. I used a home phone that is not linked at all to my businesses. I used an email address that is personal and not used in business.

Sure for CT I put everything up there but when I am doing some market research I try to be a little sneaky,

For the record they are scum. I had to hang up on two of them. I can't imagine trying to sell someone by getting them so pissed they hang up.

They called your home number to sign your buisness up with them?

Yah, pissing people off it is an interesting sale tactic, but what do you expect from scummy scammers?

macatawacab · 04-06-2009, 09:57 PM

SLS - that is correct. They called the home number and it was the only number I put in the "contact us" sheet. I filled out the whole thing about wanting a kitchen reface, home phone, when I was ready, what wood species I wanted, etc. Instead of getting contractors calling, I got SM soliciting me. I must have missed something but thought I had no business info showing, just me the HO