Lead Cost

[Lar]

Thanks for the clarification @Kameron.

When you say 'we use a variety of signals that we get from the customer’s account as well as their activity and behavior on our platform',

So you're saying that there are two broad methods that Thumbtack use to determine the seriousness of the customer. (1) signals from their account, and (2) their behaviour and activity on the platform.

I can see how (2) 'their behaviour and activity on the platform' can provide some insight into how serious they are. I can't see what you'd get from (1) 'signals on their account' though. I'm not even sure what that means.

A brand new customer on Thumbtack doesn't even have an account at the time they reach out to their first Pro so there are no signals to be had. Even after they've created an account it comprises their name, email, phone and notification settings, that's about it. What signals could you even get from that which would determine the seriousness of the customer?

Regards,
Laurence

[MR]

@Lar  Regarding "A brand new customer on Thumbtack doesn't even have an account at the time they reach out to their first Pro so there are no signals to be had. Even after they've created an account it comprises their name, email, phone and notification settings, that's about it. What signals could you even get from that which would determine the seriousness of the customer?"

Althought they may not have much of a footprint yet on TT, they likely have all sorts of tags and cookies available for TT to inspect on their device/computer to see where they have previously been, who they searched on, how long they were on the pages, etc... In just a split second you can learn a lot about someone looking at those markers. In that way - it is possible that TT gets a pretty good read on a customer much the same way that target marketing works.

[Lar]

Good point @MR, I hadn't considered 'cookies' from other sites. That must be it.

Cheers,
Lar.

[Mkat4464]

I received a lead last night that said this customer only chose you from search. Well, I replied within a minute of getting the lead and have yet to hear back from them. Who’s to say that they aren’t reaching out to dozens of other pros as well? Meanwhile TT says they have only reached out to you to make you think you have a chance of getting hired. This customer said they were in a jam. I replied back thanking her for her inquiry and contacting us and what dates she would need service for. Isn’t this called being ghosted by a customer??? This is probably the first lead that is in my service area that I have received since I signed up for Promote. All the others were so far away out of my area. I don’t feel confident that this program is working and think many other pros feel the same way. TT was much better and I got many more hires with the old system.

[HansenJC]

I am working very hard to get Thumbtack to realize how their matching algorithm is wrong and now I realize it is quite likely that it is costing me $$$.

@Meckell  I was sent by @Kameron to re-read the help article about what we pay for, and other stuff about how pricing is calculated. So, if you think this belongs in the section about how to get more jobs, put it anywhere you want.

What affects Cost

In the third line down, the number of Pros available is going to cost me $$$ or is it the inverse? Will more Pros cost me less? HA!  I doublt it.  Greater competion is more likely to drive up the cost.

So, where is the number of available Pros derived? Is this based on the list of Profiles that is presented to the Job Poster. You know the one where a higher rank is so vital to us getting more jobs? That one? So if there are thirty Pros (Yes 30 Pros!) in the list of Profiles does this drive up the price to a higher level than a job that is out in the rual boondocks where there is only one or two Pro?

I am going to stop there till I hear from you but just be prepared for where this will be headed when I know the answer.

[cranichik]

"How serious the customer is"

How does thumbtack know how serious a customer is? Telepathy?

[DJStevie]

@cranichik 

They feel that those "customers" who click on conversation starters are very serious in our services. Yet, those are the ones who don't take time to read our profiles and see what we have to offer.

DJ Stevie 5-25-2019

[Kameron]

@cranichik a few other pros had asked about this as well. You can read my response to them HERE.

[DJStevie]

@HansenJC 

Great post!!

How does Thumbtack know which jobs are more or less valuable to us? Each Pro is different and we know what jobs are valuable to us. I've had lead costs for a birthday party be more than for a wedding. On Line rep once told me that the number of attendees is one reason the cost was higher, as for the wedding it was for 50 guests, and Sweet 16 was for 75-100 guests. How do they determine that? I use special lighting and sound system for weddings than for parties.

And I also would like to know how many of available Pros are derived? Are the available Pros active in the "customer" area? Or are those available Pros derived from the concersation starters? If the prior, how does Thumbtack now if those Pros, even though they seem active,  are actually still using the platform?

Lead costs shouldn't vary, except by category. I'm still not happy with the lead costs, even with Promote. Costs are too high compared to other platforms. There has to be a happy medium somewhere. And, not to repeat from other threads that I've commented on, we should see the lead cost, customer and event info before we reply and get charged! We are the ones who know which "customers" to choose from, not have it the other way around.

DJ Stevie 5-25-2019

[Kameron]

@HansenJC the number of pros in your area under the same service can have an effect on the base price for that category in that area. The greater the number of pros, the more likely that the base price could increase. While an exact number of pros in your area/service is not listed specifically at the moment you can probably get a good idea by looking at the search results lists as you've mentioned.