No Service Magic

THEHANDYMAN

Guess I am in minority as far as SM is concerened, they have been and continue to be great for me. I don't use any other method of finding work. Had to shut the leads off recently because we were booked out 2 1/2 weeks ahead of ourselves. They provide the leads what I do with them is my job not theirs. Sure I get the no return calls and talk to many answer machines, sure I pester the customer to see if I can get an answer from them. In fact one of the jobs this week cae from a no answer about two weeks ago. A e-mail sent got a responce we got the job, went back this morning to do another small job for her. She told neighbor about us waiting for call from her.

SM just don't seem to work for everyone but will for many like myself. But hey for a few bucks give them a shot and see if they work for you, nothing ventured nothing gained. Times are tough and untill they get better and I have more work than I can handle I will try any thing that I think has a chance of working for me.

PPL don't come on these sites like this, to brag about some thing that works, they are here to complain and vent their anger . If things are working well they are off working and don't have time to complain. Make a customer happy they will tell several ppl, make them mad and they tell everyone.Sure you will see more complainers than happy ppl like myself here. I come here for advice and learn new things. Not had much time to post here lately thanks to SERVICE MAGIC.

PGD

Thanks silvertree, I might.... it's funny though, here we have Handyman who is the first person i've seen give SM a happy smiley and then you take a look at his profile and you see that 99% of his posts are regarding servicemagic or "clicksmart". I've never read a great review of SM just luke warm to terrible until today. thanks Handyman, for putting even more doubt of SM in me.


Maybe Servicemagic is just a bunch of dirt bags, trying to rip people off.

Jmfocus

I said it before and I will say it again.... SM has been the most bang for the buck for me. With maintenance work I will get a lead within seconds of the prospect hitting the enter key on their keyboard and half the time I will sign them up for service simply because I was the first contractor to make contact. With construction different story, usually 1 in 10 of those I actually make contact with. With me leads are cheap $12 to $30. Very reasonable. Average maintenance customer will go min 1 year and many 5 plus years. Based on 1 year with $90 - $120 month, thats $1080- $1440 gross sale per year per customer for $24 dollars. Not Bad.

THEHANDYMAN

PGD makes no diff to me, if you miss a good oportunity so be it, you only have yourself to blame. I have said it before and will say it again it works for me, may not for everyone, but how do you know unless you try. You have to work hard at the leads, SM can't do that for you. Maybe thats why they work for me and not for you or someone else.

I have had very few that try to beat me down on price, if I really want the job and difference is not all that much I may just take a chance and bargin with them. Who knows that job may lead to another as many of them do. A bid in the hand beats the HELL out of 3 in the thrash.

Sure I post on many of the SM topics as they are what interest me, they make me a good living right now, there are many that can't say that. They (SM) take a beating some times and might be rightfully so, but on other hand they can also deserve some praise. Two sides to every story many ppl complain, but makes one wonder what the real story is about the failure why it didn't work? SM has no control over who calls in or signs up any more than you or I do, they just furnish the lead, what you do with it after that is in your ball park. Many of the ppl I talk to had no idea who SM was just stumbled on them and tried them out, some also have used them more than once with good results. I call soon as I get a notice of a lead, if no answer I leave message and in a day or so will mail or call or both again. Some times I win, some times I lose, nothing other than death is for certain in this old life. I try to bid a job so that I can make a buck or two, if I win great if not well there is always tomorrow and another bid or two. If I have to work SUNDAY to seal a bid and get the job well I work SUNDAY. I work with the customer If I have to go after they get off work to look at the job I go after they get home, what is most important I get chance to meet with them face to face. I give of myself for others and many times it pays off.

What duz it matter where you get a lead from, what matters is that you get them. The more leads the better the chances of success in the long run. Success is what it is all about, it don't make alot of diff how you suckseed but rather that you do suckseed.

Kowboy

Rumor has it that some fellow fabricators are contemplating joining servicemagic. This Internet lead service refers homeowners to screened, licensed and insured contractors for free. They make their money charging contractors for the leads. There is a set fee for each service, smaller services lower, larger services higher.

I have been a member of servicemagic for three years or so and am very satisfied. Below are listed the leads I’ve received this month, the amount I paid for the lead, and the status of the lead. I’ve signed up for servicemagic’s “exact match” service which costs 1.5 times as much as “market” leads, but when a customer fills out the profile and hits the send key, my cell phone rings and the customer has called me! Remember, it’s not the big eating the small anymore; it’s the fast eating the slow.

On 5/17/09, I paid $25.50 for an exact match solid surface lead. The estimate is delivered and the material ordered. $3,200.00 job. They liked that I did it all, no middleman.

5/16/09, $25.50, exact match, This is to refabricate a solid surface store display. Approximately 1k job, no material except adhesive. The customer will call when he is able to remove display and we will visit the store together to remove and plan reinstallation in his kitchen.

5/15/09, $17.00. I repaired an improperly fabricated cracked solid surface cook top cutout, $250.00, 4 hours including driving and lunch. Done and collected.

5/12/09, $25.50, exact match. This customer wanted granite but he has no job. I applied for and received a servicemagic credit.

5/10/09, $25.50, exact match. This customer wants stainless steel tops and gives an inoperable telephone number. I have to accept and pay for stainless steel leads, as they are part of the “solid surface” category for which I subscribe. I apply for and am granted a credit because of the bad telephone number and it is approved. Amazingly enough, the customer emails me a drawing and I’m having my stainless steel fabricator working on a bid; I’ll do template and install if I get it.

5/06/09, $10.50 exact match. This customer wants a solid surface refinish and seems unable to understand why I won’t drive out to his house to bid a $250.00-$400.00 job. He agrees to my $250.00 minimum then calls and wants to reschedule. I have been unsuccessful rescheduling so far.

5/05/09, $12.00, Customer writes, “I need an estimate for having a wooden ledge replaced with marble. I am open to suggestions other than marble.” The wooden ledge is in a bathroom shower and is completely rotted and her surround is mildewed and shot. I gave her a $2,100.00 estimate to fabricate and install solid surface walls, window jambs, sill, and shower caddy and soap dish. Since the bath relining folks were at $3,600.00, I’m fairly sure I’m getting this one. She found me under the “Repair Stone Slab Countertops” category.

4/30/09, $25.50 exact match. This customer bought a used CNC machine and wants solid surface sink cutouts to (I swear I’m not making this up) make birdhouses. I referred him in the right direction and immediately applied for a credit, which was granted.

I spent $167.00 and am getting $76.50 back in credits for a total expenditure of $80.50. I’ve already performed and collected on a $250.00 repair and will be starting a $3,200.00 solid surface job next week. So even if none of the other leads pan out, which is highly unlikely, I’ve paid $80.50 for $3,450.00 worth of work, which I will gladly do anytime.

I am very sure I’m getting the refabrication job. There isn’t much competition for this type of work and I’ve done this many times. I feel pretty good about the shower wall job too. If I get these, that will be over six thousand dollars worth of work for just over eighty bucks. The stainless steel job is a possibility even though I’m going to bid very high. It’s a PIA and I can afford it since I’ve got enough other work. Who knows, maybe the reschedule will reschedule too.

Some will say to develop your website or pay for “pay for click” advertising. Developing a website is always a good idea, the “pay for click” not so much. Why? Positioning on the search engines. Servicemagic dominates the major search engines and if you don’t make the first half of the first page, you’re dead. If you’re looking for solid surface fabrication, installation, repair or stone repair in my service area, I’m at the top of ‘em all through servicemagic.

Speaking of websites, this is the one servicemagic provides me: (sorry, I don't have 15 posts yet) If you contact me as a customer, I will confirm that you’ve visited this site before I’ll show up for an estimate. If my 4.75 customer approval rating (out of a possible 5) has no value to you, we aren’t right for each other and we’ll both save time.

If I put on my Swami Joe turban, I will predict that sooner than most will think, this is the future of how business will be done, like it or not. In fact, it is the evolution of businesses like servicemagic that is killing the newspapers. Newspaper classifieds cannot deliver the advertising efficiency of the Internet. Businesses as small as mine cannot afford newspaper advertising; however, servicemagic is not only affordable, it is incredibly cost effective.

You may not have the same experience with a lead service as I have had. I used to subscribe to the servicemagic “Granite Fabrication and Installation” category, but the leads were about $35.00 each and the competition was insane.

Break a leg,

Kowboy

P.S.:

I confirmed the shower and display refabrication yesterday. Over six grand of work for eighty bucks.

silvertree

Good for you and SM has taken a shellackin here.
I think for specialty trades like yours it works.
Hasn't worked sh*t for the kitchen bath GC's I know.

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Kitchen, bath, St Paul remodeling
Minneapolis Remodel Blog
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THEHANDYMAN

What seems to escape many ppl is that if you don't make it, Service Magic isn't going to survive. They will survive by helping us make a sucess of it, no benefit to them to have us fail. If we don't sukseed they will go down the tube with us, if we sukseed with their help then they are the winners also. They have as much invested interest in us making it as we do. As has been mentioned they don't work for everyone, can't think of any thing that works 100% for everyone. Makes one wonder why it didn't work for some, was it really SM fault or the user? I am sure that many times, things can be traced back to SM and the blame laid on them. After all they just humans like all of us and are prone to mistakes. Face it lot easier to lay the blame on someone else rather than ourselfs, myself being guilty as charged.

J F

Kowboy

Nice to see you over from jlc, I'm the one that posted the link to this site in that thread... http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=47927

It's always good to get some "cross pollenization" on the forums...and to see someone who has had some experience with sm for awhile (and has been posting on jlc for a few years as well).

Don't know if you had a chance to read through the many threads regarding sm on this site, but you'll find yours and a couple of others are about the only positive sm experiences among a LOT of bad ones.

I would count your positive experience as being more "legimate" than a lot of "schills" that have come on here from time to time to pimp sm, just from "seeing" you on jlc for awhile.

Glad it's worked out for you (and for the small percentage of others that haven't felt ripped off).

J

DavidC

I don't think it necessarily escapes most of us. From the number of posts for and against SM it does appear that it works for a minority. Certainly they need a certain minimum number to be paying in or they wouldn't have the cash to capture the market share they have.

My bet is that the minimum is maintained by having enough new blood to replace the ones leaving by spending enough to attract fresh meat. I was attracted once and was with them for a few years. As I stated it worked well enough for a time. I respect that it works well enough for Kowboy and a few others. On their own forum I was even a staunch defender, a definite minority among their own clients.

Myself and others have discovered them using our company names to drive prospects to their website. All by itself that is a dubious practice and speaks volumes as to the integrity of the management. We market our reputation to hopefully attract leads from many sources. When SM uses your name to do the same and then sell you the leads you would have got independently it's shady at best.

Also their favorite remedy to alleviate any concerns that their clients have is to sell them additional services. Fine and dandy for them to sell more product and great for the contractor if that is the real solution. But if you need real customer service they do not offer anything other then buy more or sign up for exact match. The real result is more cash flow for SM to help them dominate the market.

They will tell you it's a numbers game and it's true. They same is true in reverse for them, keep attracting the most consumers and contractors. I seriously doubt they are going away anytime soon because they are good at attracting both. The number of clients they loose and the reasons why should indicate what they need to do if they wanted to improve retention. I'm assuming it's less expensive to attract newbies because that is what they put their attention to more than retention.

On their forums I used to try to convince others that it was a waste of valuable time to come in just to bad mouth them. If it wasn't working then they should move on and put thier efforts into something that did work. It may be said that the same is true on this forum. The difference is that this is my playground. There is no profit in it but I still pick up poop around the swingset.

Good Luck
Dave

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Handymanservice

I went and entered my name & email. Why don't you post your report here?

__________________
"You can shear a sheep every year, but you can only skin him once!" Remember that when dealing with your customers and pricing.

http://www.yourhandymansite.com

J F

it's always the same ole shiite....

handyhands

Again,..if you're a handyman, driving an old pick-up and working out of his garage--Of course lead services will work, considering you may have 0%overhead besides the cost of gas and the occasional trip through the Mcdonalds' drive thru.

-When you have several lettered company vehicles, a local showroom and more of an overhead, unfortuantely you have to add those factors into the equasion thus increasing your cost.

Just found out a local guy down the street from our showroom is now getting the same siding and window leads we get from service magic. Point being, his "office" is upstairs from his garage,....drives an old beater of a truck,....and while he sells, he also is the one installing. Bottom line, we hit the same siding lead--we were at $34k--he got the job for $26k.

Makes it hard to compete. Sure, we can sell our "company", and all the "professionalism" under the sun,....But when your a homeowner looking to stretch a buck, 8k is 8k.

It is what it is.

SelfContract

Conclusion, SM = Handyman Business.

Scribbles

You also have some things working for you he doesn't. Efficiency of work, you are able to have ppl do one thing and get good at it, you are not having your installers be your secretary, planer, salesmen, exe. You should be buying the siding for 20-30% less than he is, work the volume. If you are not, get some better suppliers. And you have the flexibility to spend money on real marketing. I have been on both sides of this game. I was a GM for a well established company, and I am now trying to build a startup of my own. Just because someone else can be cheaper than you does not mean they are a "Handy-Man" My prices are very competitive, and I can say honestly I do better work than 80% of my competitors, I also use SM, some of the stuff is good, and some of it is crap. But, if someone can keep up with a reasonable schedule, is properly licensed and insured, and does good work, what is the problem?

It sounds like your real issue is that you are on an even playing field and you can't compete. I am not saying you can't cost more but you need to educate customers why your work is worth the added cost. That or cut your overhead, or increase productivity. Possibly both.

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http://sacramentomillworks.com

THEHANDYMAN

HANDYHANDS I read your responce this morning before leaveing for todays job, one from SM. Whats wrong with being a HANDYMAN I kind of like it, I like what I do the variety is great not same old thing day in day out. I have pride in my work, it makes me feel good when a past customer calls me and wants me back. Just like WEDNESDAYS job worked for her in JANUARY, now we are going back for more. Job on thursday is a repeat customer.

I wonder how you got to where you are today, were you handed the business or did you do as many of us have start working out of the garage with an old truck? Where did you learn the business? For me working out of the garage and useing my old tired paid for truck, fits my life style just fine. I have no desire to head a big corporation, with 20-30 employees, I don't want the responceabilty or headaches. Once had asperations of getting big, had 6 guys working and a dozen headaches. Got rid of them all am far happier now, far less headaches. I like the size of the company I have now. It is a one man and helper outfit. I take off the days I want I work the weekends and evenings that I want. I owe no one and am one happy OLD GUY! With a garage and an old truck full of tools.

It's great that you have fancy lettered trucks and a nice showroom, but all that don't come cheap and many of us can not afford the luxury of all that. So we work out of the garage have an old truck that if we are lucky is paid for and has magnetic sign on the side, we operate with far less overhead. So can do work at a cheaper rate and still make a decent living.

Thanks to all that have posted this has turned into a great topic, one of the best I have seen so far. Two sides to every story and we have had chance to see both in this topic, without name calling and getting all POOP FACED.

PS I HATE MC DONALDS

DavidC

Don't get me started.

Good Luck
Dave

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KennMacMoragh

Does anyone know anything about idearc media? I got a call from them today and talked for over an hour. They were offering me something that sounds a lot like the same thing Service Magic offers. idearc media wants me to pay $500 a month to put them in their network, at the same time they will put my name on Superpages, and a few other listings, and they guaranty so many leads per month.

They talked like car salesmen, that's why it just seemed like a scam to me. But has anyone had experience with them?

Scribbles

End of the day, real marketing is the best, if you are two small or broke to do that use SM.

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handyhands

By NO MEANS was I trying to insult you or the services you provide. The only point I was trying to get across is MY OWN take on what's going on in the lead game. I personally have nothing against ANYONE I, or my company competes with, providing they are doing things by the book (licensed, etc.) I was merely stating the obvious that it really does make it harder to close the deal when we go up against the homeowner that is merely shopping price. Obviously, as the other poster put it, we sell the fact that we have a local showroom,..we cover their property with over $2 million of liability insurance, etc.--as to one of the reasons we may be higher in price as opposed to the local "Joe".

Being in the business we're in, I truley believe that you take a large amount of pride in what you do, and it legitmately sounds like you've invested your blood, sweat and tears in your business, and good for you for succeeding in what you do.

Again, I wasn't trying to bash what-so-ever. I was simply stating my thoughts/ perceptions (for what they're worth).

I'll tell ya, I'm not the owner of the company I work at, just one of the grunts that do my best to work all angles and avenues at helping my company succeed with hopes of hitting our goals.

Thanks for your input, and good luck to you!

rajpaint

No, you are not the only one ! I took a beating as well, bought the bull.. got billed a lot of $ got 0 in return... I stopped the credit card and they are hounding me by e mail for leads they sent after I canceled the #*~#*+ service. Three months a lot of cash, lot of chasing crappy leads and 0 return.... Rich Janis PS. I have been in businiss for 35 years, this is the first time I bought leads, and the last.