[Tarpontim]

I was just contacted by a marketing company that said they guaranteed me quality leads right to my phone. They said they do a lot of different types of marketing and can make it so potential customers would call me directly when they need an estimate. (The calls would be exclusive and not shared with any other customer.)

They got me interested. They said they would pay for and run a full color ValPak insert for me in my zone. They would lay it out and put a "call tracking" phone number on it and have it directly routed to my cell.
They would charge me each time someone called and asked for a estimate and spoke to me.
They said if I don't get a call I owe nothing. It looks like all of the risk is on them. I can't see how this isn't worth a shot.
Does anyone have an opinion?

 

[CarpenterSFO]

.... It looks like all of the risk is on them. ...

Wanna bet?

 

[CarpenterSFO]

My impression only, because I've avoided those deals:

If you're confident that you can close 90% of your leads, no matter how crappy and unqualified the lead, go for it. Some guys, including a few here on C.T., can do that. God bless them and that magical touch. I sure don't have it.

If you're not that guy, then you should be prepared to feel trapped into paying for a steady stream of junky leads, by a contract from which you can't escape. In order to re-coup their costs, the marketing company will make sure that you get the calls, no matter the quality.

Again, just my impression. We've had a fair number of horror stories here on C.T. about those deals. If you do it, let us know what happens.

 

[Tarpontim]

They don't have a contract. Their pitch is they are looking for contractors who can effectively handle the leads.
They want to build long term relationship with me so they can do it again each month.
They said it would take at least one month to recoup the cost for setting up the artwork and placement. They only make money if I stay with them and I will only make money if I can land jobs.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

They don't have a contract. ...

I don't believe it. I'm not saying they didn't say that to you, but I don't believe it. You're going to pay the call-tracking fees, which will include the lead fee, or something, and you will have a contract with someone.

Edit: I'm perfectly willing to be proven wrong, but it's too good to be true, which means that it isn't true.

 

[ismaels]

If it looks too good to be true then it is. They may be very legitimate but I'd read the fine print. Obviously for them to run ValPak for you and for them to make a profit, you will wind up paying more than if you did it yourself. Otherwise, they have no incentive. That said they may be spreading the risk over a number of accounts which means even though your cost per lead goes up, they may be reducing your risk level.

Ismaels
Ismaels Construction

 

[Tarpontim]

Ok. I just spoke to them and asked more questions.
They said they run the Valpak ads double sided with another contractor.
They said there is no contract. They said they are so confident that we would be silly not to pay for what we got. They want me to use them often.
Their price is $40 per exclusive lead right to my phone for the first 18 leads and $30 per lead after that.
I guess I could do it myself and possibly save money but they will layout the artwork and more importantly lay out the money!
Has anyone had luck with Valpak?

 

[CarpenterSFO]

I can't believe I fell for this. I suspect that the O.P. is a shill for the marketing company. His company-site is "sponsored" by a company that provides phone leads. If we keep asking questions, he'll eventually tell us the name of the marketing company.

This is when I wish we still had the old edit button, so I could get rid of my contribution.

 

[TNTRenovate]

Ok. I just spoke to them and asked more questions.
They said they run the Valpak ads double sided with another contractor.
They said there is no contract. They said they are so confident that we would be silly not to pay for what we got. They want me to use them often.
Their price is $40 per exclusive lead right to my phone for the first 18 leads and $30 per lead after that.
I guess I could do it myself and possibly save money but they will layout the artwork and more importantly lay out the money!
Has anyone had luck with Valpak?

If there is no contract, how do they get paid? Do they give you a phone number that they track and you give them your credit card so that every time you get a call on it you get charged?

How do they qualify the leads?

Too many unanswered questions.

 

[JBM]

Fake phone calls like the yellow pages fake traffic to their websites they build.

 

[prolongroofcare]

I can't believe I fell for this. I suspect that the O.P. is a shill for the marketing company. His company-site is "sponsored" by a company that provides phone leads. If we keep asking questions, he'll eventually tell us the name of the marketing company.

This is when I wish we still had the old edit button, so I could get rid of my contribution.

You are right Bob. I just looked up his address in Google Street View and the only thing there is a gas station and a strip shopping center and he is not one of the tenants.

This guy is a scam.

Tony,

Pro Long Roof Care
http://www.ismalesinc.com

 

[jaydee]

You'll go broke chasing fake leads and unqualified Low ballers.

 

[JBM]

 

[PoleBarnsNY]

My opinion is you are a shill for another one of many bogus lead companies dishonestly posing as a contractor to draw attention to your new program and to bait discussion about it here as an underhanded strategy to market a program deceitfully that has proven not to work perhaps millions of times throughout recent history.

Perhaps I am incorrect.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

You are right Bob. I just looked up his address in Google Street View and the only thing there is a gas station and a strip shopping center and he is not one of the tenants.

This guy is a scam.

Tony,

Pro Long Roof Care
http://www.ismalesinc.com

There's a UPS store there, so it could be a mail drop. But the NJ state site doesn't show a business with that name or that license number, or at least not one that I could find.

 

[Lakewoodpaint]

thx

 

[ismaels]

There's a UPS store there, so it could be a mail drop. But the NJ state site doesn't show a business with that name or that license number, or at least not one that I could find.

The address of the UPS store is not that address so it isn't a po box. Also, the poster has stopped posting. Pretty telling. This forum is great for vetting these 'great' opportunities.

This week I got an invite for a non profit I run to post a link to a great social service site about drug addiction. Turns out it was a bunch of lawyers doing class action law suits. Too many scams, too little time.

Ismael
www.ismaelsinc.com

 

[SteveinNEPA]

There's a UPS store there, so it could be a mail drop. But the NJ state site doesn't show a business with that name or that license number, or at least not one that I could find.

I looked him up too, returns nothing on the license number or the business name. Gotta love contractor lookups.