ChefPaul wrote that because I contacted him because Thumbtack sent out a December newsletter to "inspire" us and did a profile on him and two others.  I didn't beleive their stories of success with Thumbtack so I reached out to these people and asked directly.  The two I reached out to told me the same thing . . . .   they no longer use Thumbtack and their businesses suffered great loss in the changes.  They were both surprised that Thumbtack sent out a December 2018 newsletter promoting their profiles when their profiles were written over a year ago - the photographer was over 2 years ago.  And in both - are unhappy.  Unhappy.  But Thumbtack sent out a December Newsletter promoting these people.  Awful.  I would love for the entire TT community to know this.  Trust me - I was a loyal, successful Top Pro.  I am not out to destroy - I am out to educate and remain hopeful that TT returns to some of the tools that made this platform successful.  I loved it!  It is so disappointing.  Mostly disappointing to read all the stories of those who have suffered losses in a system that really once helped their business grow.   ... View more

You can no longer give any more tips Meckel.  The system doesn't work.  Well - it doesn't work if you want to use Thumbtack as a way to generate a customer base and a platform to use to book new clients on a monthly bases that is cost effective.  It is not possible.  You can say all you want - but it is not possible.  Read what the pros are saying.  The past Top Pros have spoken as well as all the new pros.  It's been a few months now so Thumbtack can measure the success of their changes.  I find it highly impossible if anyone using this platform was having great success on a monthly bases.  And since Marco claimed his whole reason for changing the platform was based on 80% of customers were NOT getting resposes . . . .     well I am sure that every new interested customer is getting a response now and TT is now getting a return on those 80% he was missing out on.  But who is booking jobs?  Consistantly?  As before?   My business dropped off 100% due to the drastic changes.  TT made changes solely to address the 80% that were not getting resposnes.  Marco has said that many many times.  In print, in video and in person to me.  So . . . . .    those 80% that didn't get response are still leads that suck - which is why no one responded to them in the first place.  But now TT profits off those - but the Pros are not.  Nothing you can say will satisfy me.  I've tried the new system - I've read the resposes of hundreds and hundreds of Pros.  I have a choice and have chosen to not invest my dollars in this platform.  But will remain hopeful that this new year changes will be made back to a format that we all can profit from.   ... View more

@Meckelland to all those professionals who were Top Pros for several years and very successful as I was.  I have had the same experience - my business dropped off 100% immediatly once the drastic changes slowly started being implemented.  As a successful videograher, photographer and editor for 20 years . . .    and with a previous background in advertising consulting . . . there is nothing you can say Meckell that will convince me that the new system works.  Especially after reading pages and pages and pages of Top Pros who have left TT and who no longer find TT a value or a way to maintain a successful business flow of clients.  It is not possible with this system.  It doesn't measure the same as before and there is no way any one individual pro can maintain success on a monthly basis with this system that TT has in place now.  Sure you may book 1 customer a month - - but at what cost.  Now in its third or fourth month you have the numbers to see how any individual can be successful with this system.  Me?  Zero.   I can look back at the last month alone and see 196 views - and 5 leads that turned out as bogus - and NO bookings.  I used to book 5 - 7 jobs a month.  When TT touts that us pros now get more visability with this system - well maybe.  But competing with everyone else in the market does not make you stand out and does not make it possible to book consistantly on a monthly bases as we did before.  Marco claims in a video back in November that 80% of the customers were not getting responses so things had to change.  Well - - 80% of your customers then were not serious or valuable leads for us pros to respond to.  That's why no one responded to those people.  It seems now that TT has found a way for those not serious and low value leads to get force a respose - because TT saw that 80% of those not getting responses meant 80% of TT not making a profit off of.  TT thought is  . . .   how do we profit off those 80%?    I don't know how many times I have heard Marco or the team give a reason for the drastic changes.  The reason being that 80% of the customers were not getting responses so we had to change.  Well it appears that now those 80% are now being contacted - but they are still bogus leads.  That has not changed.  Pro are getting those 80% "no response back" customers anyway - but TT is profiting.  It's all in the community board postings . . . .  people have truly spoken.  And plenty of time has gone by to measure this new platform so i hope to see some significant changes in the new year and maybe I can come back to TT and start referring TT to my community again. Anyway - - since you ask about how past pros are doing . . .    I would say that that 99% of past Top Pros are not happy with the new format.  And that is based on the hundreds and hundreds of communtiy board postings I have read over the last three or four months.  Let me put this out there and give you something to think about . . .   when the December TT Newsletter came out it highlighted three pros and their profiles.  It was titled to "inspire" us pros.  Well, I contacted two of them directly, the photographer and the caterers.  They both got back to me and told me those "profiles" of them were from over a year ago and both pros I spoke with No Longer use Thumbtack as a way to gain new business and their business dropped off significantly once the changes went into effect.  True!  Fact! And I notificed Thumbtack of this misleading newsletter.  No response.  So if Thumbtack has to reach out and back two years to find stories of Pros to inspire us ??? - - well there's your answer.   ... View more