How u doin?

[Billieharasharp]

LEADS: 1, HIRES: 2, EXPENSE: 1, REVENUE: 1

My prospects on TT are quite grim, too.  My leads are WAY down, I'm not hired often at all (I'm not using promote because promote was bankrupting me), the expense is huge, and since I'm not being hired, I'm not making any money.  Is this what Thumbtack was after when they switched to promote?

I used promote for a little while and my profile was put before potential clients. These "clients" would often provide the canned response "when are you available?" with bizarrely inappropriate leads (hundreds of miles away for work I don't do), I'd get charged (with 20% of god-knows how much) because something in the lead was similar to work that I do perform, and I'd spend precious time each day conversing with support personnel to refund my money.  Now, without the ability to see if a client has even viewed my quote, I'm at a loss how to respond to the client.  Selling services is all about personalization and targeting a specific client in a particular manner.  Thumbtack has even taken that away.

It's as if they don't want US to make money.  It's all about their bottom line.

[Julius]

Sad but true. It is about target marketing. I feel that TT is not selling leads anymore. TT is giving those that come to their site the impression its an on demand service with questions they provide in the templetes. The way the system was structured before, I felt that he who writes best would win . Now it's some kind of pot luck. A professional with years of experience is thrown in the same pail as a newbie. It's not about linking a client with a service provider it's all about keeping the lead interested to push the button on as many service providers as possible. The templetes are vague.
When am I available ? It should be me asking the client when would they like to have the work done and engage them with our experience.This is where the problem lies. It's too confusing. that question should be removed all together. TT is not really giving up anything . It only creates chaos and makes all the pros the same. If I feel it's a good client and someone Id like to work with, I'd schedule accordingly . If a lead contacted 3 pros and 3 pros answered why is TT trying to see if there are any other takers in the inbox ? I'm glad I have not spent a nickel in Pay To Promote. All my answers are here in the comment section.

[Lar]

Couldn't agree more @Julius ... well said.

Regards,
Laurence.

[brantslawns]

Glad to find this post. I thought maybe it was just me! I got online tonight to do a live chat to ask some questions and make suggestions about the categories available to me in lawn care, and all I got was condescension about how I don't understand how TT works. Funny, for 4 years I've made it work just fine, but now suddenly I'm the idiot? All I wanted to do was make a suggestion. So for me - leads are actually up but hires are WAY down and so is revenue. The leads I get are not conducive to the work I do and my suggestions for the categories obviously fall on deaf ears - after reading this thread, I suppose because that's the way the "new system" works and they're making all the money so why would they care? I'm spending much more money for way fewer hires. So I'm seriously considering not "promoting" anything and just seeing what trickles in. At least then I had some control over what I pay for.

[Kameron]

@brantslawns that's not the type of experience we want for you when reaching out through our support channels. I'd be happy to hear you out with your suggestion and pass that along to the appropriate people. In regards to you getting more leads, I'd be happy to look over your profile with you or answer any questions you have. If interested feel free to send me a direct message with more information.

[Emilyelizaphoto]

I missed your comment before!

This is me too! I use “promote” and I have so many leads now, but 1/10 respond to me. At the end of each week, I feel sick when the money comes out. I feel like I’m gambling and keep losing.
I might turn of promote off soon too. Just can’t afford it with hardly any return on investment.

[MR]

@Emilyelizaphoto @Julius 

In my opinion TT is going too far into our space. I agree with you on the confidentiality of pricing and the fact that it can be very dependent on the customer and the customer needs.

For example, as an attorney, it is impossible to quote a price through an online chat and the only possible and ethical way for me to state a price is through a consult with the lead. I have had several occasions where I lost the lead because they were angry that I couldnt stand by the price TT displayed as only an estimate. I may charge $400 for a simple will, but as soon as a trust or minor children are involved, the price must go up.

Also, there are those clients that I may want to charge a premium for because of some issue with their case - its just not worth my time at the standard rate, but if they want to do it at my premium rate, I'll do it.

So - as is the case for most of us - pricing is VERY case specific.

TT needs to stay in their lane and not try to pretend it is something that it is not. They are a forum for customers to find a pro to do their work - basically a modern yellow pages. They are not experts in our fields, they are not part of our business any more than an ad in a magazine is. They are simply a way for a lead to find a potential pro to work on their project or case. In short, they are an expense on our balance sheet.

They said they want to be the Amazon of the lead market - but they are doing everything they can to not be this. They have lost their way. They are fortunate that they have pros like us who still care and are trying so hard to help them again find their way. It is up to them, but .com companies can dissapear in a flash once the client base has lost trust. I can't see how TT is a viable member of the lead source community 1 year from now if nothing changes.

When I Google "Angies List" there are pages of hits regarding their service issues. The number of these kind of hits for TT is indeed growing.

[Emilyelizaphoto]

Great Question!
I’ve used Thumbtack for about a year now. The moment TT implemented the Promote feature, I immediately saw an impact. The month of March has been really rough for me...
Potential clients reach out, I respond with more info, and I’m ghosted.

I understand that I’m getting people who are shopping around. Which makes sense... That’s what Thumbtack is built for!
Before the TT update, the Pro sent a quote and if customer liked your price and wanted to work with you, they respond and THEN you get charged.

To me, it’s obvious that the switch is a way for TT to make more money.

My March Stats

Leads: 12 (My leads have been very high this month)

Hires: 0 (way down)

Cost: $219.55– I’ve always paid around $100-$175 per month... this was absolutely fine with me before the update! When I was only charged when the client responded, this cost was worth it— I was almost guaranteed to have clients!!

March Revenue: $0

Insterested Clients: 0

Ghosted: 9 times... it’s insane!!

I’m sticking around because I somehow have faith TT might turn it around. They were such a great way to get clients for my budding photography business last year... it’s hard for me to quit without thinking I might miss out on potential clients. But time will tell. I definitely can’t afford $200 a month without a client to show!

[Lar]

Thanks to everyone who is responding with their stats ... keep 'em coming.

@Emilyelizaphoto three quick questions for you.

1. What is the 'estimated price' or 'quote price' for your typical bread & butter lead.

2. How much do Thumbtack charge you for that typical lead?

3. Historically, how many leads do you need to get to turn one into a customer? 1 in 5, 1 in 10, 1 in 15? 

Just estimates is fine.

In fact I'll ask those same three questions to everyone; reply with your answers and let's work together to figure this out.

Regards,
Laurence.

[Emilyelizaphoto]

1. Wedding photography is my bread and butter... I charge anywhere from $1000-$2500 depending on the amount of hours I’m present.

2. $35-$49 per lead

3. Previously 1 in 5 leads became clients.