ICYMI - CommuniTEA networking hour recap (1/5 & 1/19)

DustiO

This month @EVSNotary @soonerkimmy @ShaquealThomas @Lemargriffinfilms @Mage @Js_Garage_Door1 @Brandon_Allen @Adele_Alexandre @musicmanwiththeplan @AllAroundMusic @SOUNIQUE007 @sfields7 @BorjaVisuals @Tyler_Fulwood @Jonathan_Segal @Jeanne_Kulwin and @Danlupomusic joined myself and other Thumbtack team members for CommuniTEA — a biweekly networking hour where our Community members are invited to come together to network and share ideas. We wanted to share some highlights, and invite the rest of you to join us next time.

We had some really productive and constructive conversations and a lot of great tips, tricks and advice were shared.

@Mage asked the group when they use the "hide my business" feature and here is what they had to say:

• @EVSNotary said to hide your business if you can’t get to messages and don’t want to pay for leads that you cannot respond to quickly, since you typically don’t win those bids.
• @Jeanne_Kulwin talked about hiding your business when taking personal/vacation time, so you can be fully present.
• @Js_Garage_Door1 shared that if you can leave your business unhidden and use tools like FrontDesk or Saved Replies you won’t miss out on potential leads.
• Thumbtack clarified that hiding your business does not affect your ranking, but turning off targeting does. So, if you do need to stop getting leads, definitely choose that option.
• And here is a great Help Center article on hiding your business.

@Jeanne_Kulwin asked her fellow pros what they do to deal with unresponsive customers, and here are their amazing tips:

• @Js_Garage_Door1 shared that they always respond immediately in Thumbtack messenger, call and leave a voicemail, and follow that up with a text message.
• @Lemargriffinfilms said, "I always respond immediately in Thumbtack messenger and send examples of relevant work (showcasing what the client is asking for), show how I will provide value, and build trust. Then I text them. I try again in two days if they haven’t gotten back."
• @Js_Garage_Door1 also shared, "We always start with, 'We can help you with this' because that is what this is all about. We aren’t able to show pricing, so our next step is to let the customer know that we need to call them to get more details about their project, and this usually gets the customer more engaged. Once they’re engaging with you it’s all about selling yourself. You don’t need to be the cheapest out there, you just need to show them your value."
• @ShaquealThomas advised, "I know sometimes it could be cliche to say this, but even if you don't get the lead, or they don't respond back to your message — I always say thank you so much for the opportunity, I appreciate it and I am here, if needed. You'll be surprised how some of those cold leads that don't respond, will come back a month or 2 months later. Keep the relationship positive."
• @Js_Garage_Door1 shared another great tidbit, "If I don’t win the job, or the customer never responds I also always ask for feedback from them on what we could have done better."
• And, here are some additional tips from Thumbtack's Help Center.

Pros also swapped tips on how to bump up their referral game. @sfields7 shared that he likes to use a virtual business card, because customers always have their phone on them. He uses an app called LinQ to create a QR code business card. @ShaquealThomas shared that he goes "old school" and leaves a stack of business cards after a job is complete — and after he has built that good relationship with the customer.

Do you have any questions or tips to share around these topics? If so, drop them below — and be sure to join us next time!

Mage

So many valuable tips and insights here–thank you all! 🙏🏽 I have found that in one area of my industry (music teaching/music lessons), phone calls can be a bit intrusive to both the customer and to the Pro. But I wanted to try out some of the strategies that other Pros have used with doing the phone calls if the Thumbtack messages and SMS messages do not work.

I have thought about email marketing, but then I realized how overflowed my inbox is, and do I really want to do that to potential customers? 😆

I have tools such as Calendly linked with Zoom, but one of the issues I have found is that people do not want to pay for your time the first time. I reluctantly started offering 15-minute consultations at no charge, but then they keep asking questions, and due to the nature of my service (music teaching), I end up giving valuable coaching away for free, and that's not the point of the consultations, but I am trying so hard to win them over. I know that this issue was mentioned in our meeting. I am curious to hear more ideas about this issue. I actually have to hide my business (another topic we discussed! 😎) while I brainstorm a solution here because it can be exhausting chasing unresponsive leads when you start losing confidence in your strategy. I have a feeling that I need to update my profile and possibly revamp my website so that I can just send links with info showing my qualifications and what I have to offer so that it makes it obvious that you need to pay if you want coaching. Thanks for any ideas here! 😊