New User - Questions and Help

Hi Community!

I just started using ThumbTack

I've been sending messages to "Opportunity" leads, because I have not gotten any Direct Lead, but If I go to my "Sent" folder, I don't see any Checkmarks, so I assume they have not seen my Estimates / Offers,

Thumbtack has not charged my CC and I'm still short of Reviews to be publicly Seen....

Besides the Reviews, what else can I do?

Comments

  • DustiO
    DustiO Administrator, Moderator Posts: 1,581

    Welcome @TheDirtyRoof so happy ot have you here!

    Here are some tips for success from some of our team members:

    GET REVIEWS

    • Customers are much more likely to hire you if you have 5 or more reviews
    • You can get up to 10 reviews from outside of Thumbtack (ie if you're new to Thumbtack you can get your past clients to leave you a review, or import them from Google or Facebook)
    • Be sure to ask customers for reviews!

    To learn more about getting reviews check out this article.

    MANAGE YOUR BUDGET

    • Want to meet as many customers as possible? Choose the “Don’t set a budget” option to skip setting a limit.
    • Looking to pick up extra jobs? Check out Opportunities. If a customer responds, the cost is separate from your budget. That way, you don’t have to worry about how it factors into your budget.
    • We release the next week’s targeting prices every Friday, so check your targeting prices page to plan for the week ahead. Each week begins on Monday.
    • To learn more about setting up your budget check out this article.

    USE YOUR CALENDAR

    • Be sure to utilize your calendar and business hours, and keep them up to date - to let us know when you are available to do jobs.
    • You should hide your business when you’re not available to respond to new leads or take on new jobs. When you hide your business, we won’t show you in customer search results. By letting us know you’re not available ahead of time, we can help prevent customers from reaching out when you’re not available to respond.

    To learn more about setting up your calendar check out this article.

    SET YOUR TARGETING PREFERENCES

    •  Be sure to set your travel area. If you set your travel area by distance, your business address is the center of your travel radius (you can update your address in the “Business Info” section of your profile). But, you can also get much more granular and select what counties, neighborhoods or areas you wish to serve
    • It’s okay to be specific about what leads you want to receive. Whatever job types or travel preferences are selected, those are the types of leads you will receive. Be sure to click into each service you offer and fine tune those preferences.

    To learn more about setting up your targeting preferences check out this article.

    RESPONDING TO CUSTOMERS

    • Customers want to hear from pros when they’re online and ready to move forward. A quick response shows the customer that the pro will provide a great experience. And customers are more likely to hire pros when they respond quickly.
    • If a customer sees a response within five minutes of submitting a request, they’re 50% more likely to respond to you.
    • More than 60% of responses happen within less than one hour and if you respond to a customer within one hour you’re 20% more likely to hear back from that customer.
    • Saved replies let you reuse your answers to common questions so you don’t have to rewrite the same response every time. This can save you time and help you get in touch with customers faster when you’re busy.

    To learn more about responding to customers check out this article

    All of that being said... I think the best advice comes from other professionals - So, I'm tagging in some of our best pros to see if they can offer any advice! @Mage @busyb @perrysto @CurlyBartender @Lemargriffinfilms @PomeranzLaw @BITBLeah @Stat @patrykkg @Danielle_Penn @Plumbernick417

  • Mage
    Mage Posts: 114

    Love the name @TheDirtyRoof! 🤩 Nice to meet you. And yes, everything above is true! I recently received a lead, not from Thumbtack, and because I didn't answer the phone as quickly as another professional, they got the job instead of me. Now I think that the reviews and being specific about the targeting preferences can really help get the ideal great fit clients. I am working on it! 😎

  • PomeranzLaw
    PomeranzLaw Community Leader Posts: 32

    Reviews are the biggest driver. Do quality work and build up the customer feedback.

  • I Will focus on the reviews and feedback from customers, but first, I need those customers :P


    That's why I asked:

    I've sent quotes on "Opportunities" But When I go to my Sent messages, they are not even Read,

    This messages have been sent within the hour they were posted.

    It's weird, that from 13 - 15 ZERO have been read ....

  • Stat
    Stat Community Leader Posts: 5

    Consider adding to your preferences. If you put a maximum mileage of 25 for example, try increasing to 50. Once you are up and running and getting the jobs, you can shorten it down so as to be able to focus on your immediate area. I think you're right, you need the customers to get the reviews, but you may need to service customers that may not fit 100% into your "box" so to speak. Also, consider adding a Thumbtack sticker to the back of your service vehicle alongside your social media icons, then people will know the can find you there as well. Finally, don't sweat "opportunities", some may reply and some may not. If you do reply to opportunities, does Thumbtack show you the customers phone number? @DustiO if it does, consider a call to follow up to your reply, and don't wait to call...call as soon as possible.

  • Mage
    Mage Posts: 114

    @Stat I have never received phone numbers from opportunities that do not respond. I really like your idea about promoting Thumbtack. Although I work online only now, I still have my business magnets on my car. Putting a Thumbtack one on there would help too! 😎

  • Rvpto
    Rvpto Posts: 3

    No you’re not alone. Opportunities just don’t work. They’re not going to fix them either :(

  • Mage
    Mage Posts: 114

    @Rvpto I have actually managed to get opportunities to respond to me, but I must admit it's not as effective as direct leads of course! 😆 I wonder if different industries might be a factor. 🤔