Here is the Deal about Lead Services - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

GC3 · 04-08-2009, 02:27 PM

Some are o.k., some are a waste. It does largely depend on the quality of the leads and your ability to make immediate contact with the home-owner.
Granted though, when you are paying for leads that are just recycled garbage passed on from one company to the next, it doesn't matter how good you are on the phone.

Service Magic will tell you that they only send out 3-4 contractors per lead. LIES! I have been in homes where the home-owner shows me print-outs of 8 different contractors SM had sent them. Why would they limit themselves to 4 contractors when they can sell the same lead to 8 differnt companies? What is wrong about it is they LIE!

I was with them for 3 years. It actually got me on my feet and the quality of leads was decent. Now? They sent me so much garbage, I spent $1800 and got NOTHING! That never happened years ago. The problem is they will take on any contractor who will pay them. Guys were out-bidding me by thousands of dollars.

I have tried Renovation Experts - Crap! Reliable Remodeler - Crap!
Construction Deal - Crap! Yodle - 3 month, 3 thousand dollar budget got me 1 job! Then they wanted me to continue because NOW they discovered the problem. What, was everyone asleep for the 3 months I was paying $3k for? Here is the deal, when a customer asks for a discount, ask them for 3-5 people they know that may be in the market for your services. There are a lot of ways to be creative and market yourself. Lead services are going down-hill big time! Look for ways you can get in "warm" with home-owners. Example are: referrals from current or recent customers, email campaigns to past customers reminding them of you and your business, attend networking events.

Use lead services to supplement. Never sign up for a year contract.

kevjob · 04-08-2009, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GC3

Use lead services to supplement. Never sign up for a year contract.

Get a website and beat them at their own game. A website will cost about the same as 3 garbage leads from them.

handyhands · 04-09-2009, 10:54 AM

website for the price of 3 leads?

How the heck much are you paying for your leads?

Mike Finley · 04-09-2009, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by handyhands

website for the price of 3 leads?

How the heck much are you paying for your leads?

Kevin is talking about the Glengarry leads.

All the other leads are sh*t!

kevjob · 04-09-2009, 03:35 PM

50.00 for each lead x3 150.00 that is what I pay a month for my website. with direct mail and doorhangers etc.. average cost can rise greatly if it is a new marketing campaign or message.

silvertree · 04-09-2009, 03:50 PM

Kev, you got a nice website, looks very efficient, good color ect.
Whats your monthly traffic?
How many conversions on that.
My new site got me 3 calls in the last week and a half, I got about 1200 visits, 500 from CT, probably 150 from me checking my site.
So I'm guessing I will get 7 or 800 visits from people in the next 30 days that are not CT or me. I'm hoping for 1200 visitors a month.
We'll see.

kevjob · 04-09-2009, 03:56 PM

Paul on average I receive anywhere from 8-20 leads a month.
1,048 Visits
3,778 Pageviews
3.60 Pages/Visit 47.42% Bounce Rate
00:01:27 Avg. Time on Site
87.21% % New Visits

for March 09 down probably 15% from average month for me.

silvertree · 04-09-2009, 03:58 PM

That's a big help to me, I am happy with Upscale doing my work but I never heard actual numbers till now.
The mystery is beginning to clear, thanks.

Oops, I opened my Google for anyone, probably not good.
Kevjob, my numbers are close to yours

kevjob · 04-09-2009, 04:06 PM

some months will be better than others some weeks I get 4 leads and some weeks I get 1 lead from website, usually it is enough to keep me busy year round without other marketing, most years. for example last october I received 2,000 visits and around 15 leads then november 2 leads and 900 visits.

silvertree · 04-09-2009, 04:28 PM

I'm pretty pumped about fine tuning my site and make that my main source of new work. Way more work than I thought it would be though.

Darwin · 04-09-2009, 07:15 PM

Yep, that's the way I go. Although my site is up and looks great (to me), Getting traffic to it has been a very slow process. My dad (retired builder), is always asking 'bout "how's the website workin", well not that good- as far as a prospect filling out the service request form. I made it short (just name and email + comment), but I guess folks are just reluctant to fill it out.

However, having a website and marketing it to garner traffic requires a learning curve that I just haven't devoted my full attention to.

When this is fully mastered, I think luck will blow in my favor. Not discouraged, just learning. Will I take the website off the internet? Hell no. It don't cost much to maintain and it is THE future of our biz.

Darwin · 04-09-2009, 07:18 PM

Heck, on my van, I just advertise my web address period-no phone number.

kevjob · 04-09-2009, 07:22 PM

[quote=Darwin;654558] well not that good- as far as a prospect filling out the service request form.

try making your phone number at top right corner a clickable icon so they click it and whamo they are at the page you want them, offer a newsletter.

lt142 · 04-09-2009, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevjob

some months will be better than others some weeks I get 4 leads and some weeks I get 1 lead from website, usually it is enough to keep me busy year round without other marketing, most years. for example last october I received 2,000 visits and around 15 leads then november 2 leads and 900 visits.

Kevin,
That was good amount of leads you got from your website. My website did not generate any leads for the past 2 months, my site was up and running for 4 months now. Footbridgemedia is the only marketing that I got right now. Did you do any other advertise for your website?

kevjob · 04-09-2009, 08:17 PM

right now you are in the google "sandbox" which is when you are new, you are invisible and then suddenly you will be on the first page for a week then dis appear and the re appear a couple weeks later, it takes time usually about 1 year to be consistently on the first page of google which is all that matters. time and patience my friend but once you get there its money in the bank.

I have links on some other sites I use but again once google recognizes you the leads and requests will go up and Aaron is awesome with seo.

silvertree · 04-09-2009, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lt142

Kevin,
That was good amount of leads you got from your website. My website did not generate any leads for the past 2 months, my site was up and running for 4 months now. Footbridgemedia is the only marketing that I got right now. Did you do any other advertise for your website?

Hey, just get rid of the guy in the picture and leave the cute girl. Bet you'll get lots of leads then.

BKFranks · 04-09-2009, 10:19 PM

Service Magic will not stop calling me. I get at least one message a day on voice mail. Last time I talked to them I told them give me 3 free leads and I'll decide if the service is reputable and worth it. ...No deal.

Atlas1 · 04-10-2009, 01:35 AM

Hi kevjob,

Nice website of.... stolen content, small snip of it below

"Designing a kitchen remodel or addition is a matter of seemingly endless choices and decisions. It is common to become so focused on the function of the appliances and the placement of sinks and stoves"

Most everything on your site seems to be indexed on other sites.. Nice plagiarism.

Reporting to google and yahoo..

kevjob · 04-10-2009, 10:07 AM

You should really do some more background checking my site is a footbridge site so they are all similiar, thanks for sharing though. Seems you have a footbridge site as well. Just call Aaron he will help you out. Oh and welcome to the site.

handyhands · 04-13-2009, 12:46 PM

trying to get people that sign up on the internet lead sites to actually answer their phones or be kind enough to return an email,...

or

having the runs from eating undercooked turkey....