Subject: RE: A reply to a topic you are following has been accepted as asolution!   I have reviewed the responses to the pros regarding the search results community forum.  Let’s start with the good news and the bad news.  Bad news first! Since the roll out of the new policies, pricing, and procedures my resume writing business via Thumbtack has declined significantly.  The good news?  I have time to actually sit down and write yet one more letter to TT in hopes of getting someone’s attention to reverse some of the parameters of your business model. By way of introduction and history, I am a “Top Pro” and have been for the last few years.  I worked very hard to gain that status; reduced fees to generate business and produce a long list of strong reviews. When TT changed fees to the “pay for contact” structure my fee per client interaction increased $21 per contact.  My fee for services at that point in time was a flat $125 per resume (as stated on each and every quote I send as well as in the profile, services, pricing sections on TT).  TT was taking a whopping 20% of my income.  If one adds Instant Match fees to that we are getting beyond unsustainable.  I decided to raise my prices to compensate for the TT price hike.  The result? A sharp decline in my TT hires.  Now, with the new search process the number of customers who reach out to me is almost non existent.  I have gone from 3-5 solid jobs per week to 1 or 2 over the last month. Something is seriously wrong here and I don’t think it is the just result of the Promote process and new search process. More on that later.  The problem goes back to the fact that pricing, at least in my sector, is completely out of whack.  Not only that, but no one can explain to me how prices are set ( right – special algorithms) and why in my case they fluctuate.  I provide the same service at the same price to every one of my customers.  That is stated up front – resume, conference, cover letter.  If they choose to check boxes that TT thinks up such as coaching, Linkedin etc that is your idea.  You have no idea, nor do I, if they even want those services.  So far not ONE client has required any of those as ad on services. My point is that my fee is my fee. 1)TT fee for a lead should be consistent 2) 20% of my fee to TT is extortion 3) even at the now $16 fee we are talking 13% to TT.  Please explain how that fee is derived and how it is justified. One solution:  fees for a lead for a service should NOT fluctuate.  Standardize them.  But please make them justifiable based on the fee for service.  Currently in my resume service sector, they are not. Solution 2: stop making subjective judgements about the “value’ of the job.  The job is valued at what I charge for it as per the quote I provide.  I am NOT like every other pro.  Most small business owners are quite unique.  Universal algorithms may be current technology BUT they are not producing a realistic business model for those of us actually performing services. TT needs to get hold of who the pros are that are the backbone of TT business.  If it is, indeed, the small business pro such as I, then it would appear TT is not listening to what we are telling you. Countless pros tell you that pricing is way overblown, that their requests have declined, and the system is cumbersome, hard to understand, and arbitrary. Countless pros have told you that they promote very individualized and personalized services.  TT is NOT acknowledging that. TT is making everything one size fits all.  The old system allowed us, the pro, to make the decisions based on OUR business model, not TT’s.  As to search results.  My clients (TT as well as outside of TT) tell me they do NOT like to scroll through some list of pros  and get canned, generic responses.  They value the direct and personal contacts that I made when responding to a quote directly.  Currently I am competing with a list of pros who  are not located anywhere near this service area.  When a client does not ask to do the work by phone or internet they should NOT be given a list of pros who only provide service in that manner.  That never was the case before the new plan, but it appears that is the case now.  That is the only way I can explain the tremendous decrease in my business.  Are my clients seeing a list of pros from Arkansas to New Jersey ( I am in Fort Worth) , getting fed up because they want someone LOCAL, and never contacting anyone?  That is the only possible answer here.  Of course, the fact that TT rate hike forced my rate hike may have a negative impact as well. Solution: find out why and tell us why our business volume is decreasing.  If a customer does NOT want remote service for a job, they should NOT be given a list of pros that only work remotely.   For 3 years I competed with only 3 or 4 pros in the area. For most jobs, there were only 2 of us offering in person services. That should make the quote or contact rate less and not more. The customer could compare our rates and services via direct quotes easily. My success rate to land the job was 90%.  The new process has not brought me more customers, I have less than ever.  My profile is still A+ , superbly written and presented. I answer all requests within just a few minutes.  My performance is highest level. In other words, nothing on my end has changed to dissuade a client from hiring me.  Yet, my TT business is in the sewer. Solution: Make the process simple for the client. You are providing them with way too much information they did not request.  It used to be very straight forward.   They could compare rates and services quickly and easily based on information in a quote.  Now they scroll and read and do nothing to hire.  They are put off by the lack of personal response. They are happy to initiate a request and lets pros compete for that job. They do not like having to make it through the list and sort information out for 20 pros.  Its time consuming!! If that is not the case, please explain to me where my business has gone and why. Please,  no more canned, generic posts about profile strength, rate of response etc. Finally, if the cost of a contact were less expensive (actually reasonable) then I might be able to afford to use Promote or Instant Match.  They are just another burden to my bottom line and that bottom line is shrinking daily.  I keep hoping someone will see the reality of what is going on and listen to the vast number of responses you have received.  These responses are not abstractions or faceless metrics.  TT was a great vehicle for me and for others.  That has changed and you have the ability to alter that negative result, to turn in around in something viable for the small business pro and for Thumbtack.  Thank you for reading this post.  Nancy E ... View more