Thanks so much to all of you who sent in questions and suggestions on how you’re appearing in search results! We got over 600 responses, and so appreciate all of your interest and passion. Our team is working through your feedback to make sure the new system is working for you. There are a few aspects of this change that have caused some confusion and concern, and I want to address those carefully here for all of you: Question: Why did we make this change when many pros are voicing that they preferred quoting for jobs? Answer: When we let customers search for and evaluate pros right away, customers are more likely to find the right pros and ultimately hire those pros.   In the old Thumbtack, every customer had to fill out a long form and then wait -- often hours or even days -- before seeing a single pro.  Think about how you shop for anything -- you would be far less likely to try to use Amazon or drive to a store if they made you fill out your detailed shopping list at the door and you weren't even sure if they had what you needed. Browsing pros in search results gives customers the ability to understand the types of pros in their market and choose who they are most excited to work with. That means when a customer reaches out, they are informed and more serious about working with you. By showing more pros in search results, we’re connecting you with more customers. And you’re only paying for leads-- customers who’ve seen what you offer and have decided to reach out to you . Question: Can I control which leads I pay for and when? Answer: Absolutely! We only want you to pay for the leads you want. So we’re giving you new controls to do just that. On Thumbtack, you pay for the leads you want. When we send you new leads, you can see the customer’s project details. Y ou can decline the job if it’s not a good fit (and you won’t pay a cent!) or you can pay to respond to the customer if it’s a job you want to pursue . The best way to get more of the leads you want is to promote your business for the jobs you're most excited about. You set your preferences so we know what jobs you want. When you get a new lead that matches these preferences, you’ll pay automatically and get 20% off. You’ll also get a rank boost in search results! After you've promoted your service, check out the Jobs tab and express your interest in other jobs you think you could be a great fit for. You'll only be charged if the customer decides to get in touch with you. Question: What is “Promote” and how can it help me? Answer: Promoting your service is a way to get more leads -- if you tell us what leads you’ll always want, you’ll get 20% off those leads and a rank boost in search results. I know we’ve made a lot of changes lately, so I want to do a thorough job of explaining this: We know promoting your service looks a lot like Instant Match, but for customers who are now seeing you in search results, it works really differently. Now any pro can show up in a customer’s search results. Generally, you’ll rank higher if you provide a better customer experience (i.e., you have a great profile, plenty of great reviews, and you respond quickly). Promoting your service is the best way for you to show up as high as possible in the list, for the customers you’re most interested in. When you promote your service, you set your preferences to tell us exactly what customers you want. You’ll get a rank boost in search results, you’ll pay automatically for leads that match your preferences, and you’ll get 20% off those leads. Sometimes a customer might reach out about a job that doesn’t perfectly match your preferences. When that happens, you won’t be charged automatically and can decide to pay to respond to the customer if it’s a job you want. We’re going to host another Q&A in the community to answer your questions about how ranking and Promote work, so stay tuned! I know that was a lot of information, but thanks for sticking with me and I hope it helped to clear some things up. Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback and keep the conversation going! ... View more

Thanks @ElmerLoudenbac! You and many other pros have expressed frustration about our pricing. A couple weeks ago, we hosted a Q&A in the community about pricing. Check out the summary of the Q&A to see our Product Manager, Vinamrata, answering questions and collecting feedback about how we charge you for leads. We know this is a really important topic for all of you since it affects your bottom line, and we're doing our best to get it right still. Thanks for all your input and keep it coming! These pros have voiced similar concerns about pricing, so thanks to all of you as well! @DJChuckBoogie @Fastef @Crystal2468 @Ljackson9x25 @another_one @ALLSteve @Shuddrbug1 @Knightmagic @hannahhunt @ToonGuy @Autumndean @sjarrett @Faaz99 @AutumnElectric @MYteddydog1 @best2you @Bosco @jeffsnbama @redfoxdinners @DariusFre @bonnie_bill @Mcaskey @NathanB87 @Bryant @jpmcdunn @jonwid @rdansmit @scottds @Taurus_DJs @C2C @NspectorJeff @LakeErieLimo @alisajeaniepete @CMF @SocalFitSteve @ElmerLoudenbac @regina3255 @gloriaj0 @Wy @CSUSA @thumbtack77 @mmyang99 @mjacklin @Tony1981 @carlarhea @lollipopainting @MitsRia @dbdesign @71141v @Joybonner @sombat2 @OutlookJonathan @FoM @SDawson @TK520789441346 @WBTF365 @Beez @Burgstahler @SillyCar @Tigerwebster @aubergine @nutrinancy @northpolesanta @carpentryman @Heathergrooms @CHRFRE @doriska @Shon-C @Mizzterria05 @DesertMemories @Aherbel @CanadA9457 @elmorg @kimkotary ... View more

Thanks for sending your feedback, @Mcaskey! I’m sorry to hear that Thumbtack isn’t working for you. First things first, we want your business to succeed, whether that's on Thumbtack or elsewhere. But if there’s one thing we’d want you to know, it’s that building a reliable product that helps small business owners find success lies at the center of everything we do. Our goal has always been to help you meet the right customers so you can grow your business. Partnering with you is critically important to our success. We only succeed if we succeed together. We know we don’t always get it right — and we try to be as quick as we can to fix mistakes. If you ultimately decide that Thumbtack isn’t working for your business, we’ll be sad to see you go. We hope you check back in with us to see what we’ve built. And if you choose to give us another chance, we’d love to continue our partnership. Thanks to these pros for posting as well! I'm sorry you're frustrated with Thumbtack, but we hope that we can continue to improve so that the system will work for you again! @DJStevie @DJChuckBoogie @Fastef @incognitii @Shuddrbug1 @Knightmagic @hannahhunt @ToonGuy @JenniferMorrow @Kwestman @DCFGCatering @MYteddydog1 @DPKK @DariusFre @bonnie_bill @Mcaskey @Smuhammad32 @NYC-Officiant @rdansmit @tlk32 @SocalFitSteve @regina3255 @Jamone @ReeseTee @mjacklin @Tony1981 @lollipopainting @ASH @SDawson @SillyCar @Tigerwebster @Louie @Heathergrooms @DesertMemories @WGACSC @koti0007 @NikH @Diceofseven @Chef2018 @eccrumb @reelcello @brad0321 @CoachBob @halinphilly @FestiveFunktion @LisaW @sputinc @tloomis @Smoore @DennisG @Rusty @Beth @shreksplumbings @ddsmachinequilt @Dvoights @perlavisionphot @elenaushina @Mary6 @KitKat @lukasgenin9 @HSB7 @Dean ... View more

Thanks so much @MaggieWagner!  We love hearing that Thumbtack is working for our pros! Telling us what you like lets us know when we’re on the right track. Anytime you have feedback, let us know. We want to hear what you think when things are going well, when they’re not, and everything in between. Thanks to these pros who also mentioned they like this update! @xacto619 @JSGDS @redfoxdinners @Pellisconstruct @JohnHughesGolf @71141v @TK520789441346 @Spweld @Kmossphoto @Entrepreneur85 @elmorg @Wah-Heed @mollyjj @Plumboligy @QuickDraw @johnnyrocks67 @Tom @Mdempsey @AAArchitect @Vleathers @adouglass ... View more

Thanks to all you pros for sharing your ideas! You know your business best, which is why we want to hear what’s on your mind. Here are a few of the great ideas we’ve heard from you: Clarify how much a lead will cost while promoting your services (thanks @TimWilliams!) Provide more videos from Thumbtack on how the new experience works (thanks @Barbara!) Improve the search results matching algorithm to better match customers with the right pros (thanks @Jbea and @IMMAPhotography!) Get more information from customers to ensure they actually intend to hire a pro, like adding a phone number or filling out a profile (thanks @DJStevie, @ashtree, @TK520789441346!) Ask for more details from customers about their job upfront in quote form to ensure customers get better matches and only see pros in search results who can really do the job (thanks @QueenC, @FauxNouveau, @CMF!) Ask customers why they did or didn’t hire a pro (thanks @TGJ!) I’m taking these back to my team and we’ll use your feedback and ideas to keep improving search results! Stay tuned for future updates - we’ll let you know as improvements come out! ... View more

Thanks for posting, @Jenay! It can feel daunting to think about your business being up against more pros. But check this out. Customers have told us they want more options when finding the right pro. In fact, customers are more likely to hire when they have more pros to compare and choose from. When a customer contacts you, that means they handpicked you from a list of pros. Consider what that says about how interested they are in taking the next step. The best things you can do to rank higher in search results are promote your service, make a strong impression with your profile , and provide a great customer experience. Whether you promote your service or not, don’t stop there. Always build onto the work you’ve done to your profile. Look at it from the customer’s perspective and make changes so the information you provide is clear and concise. Share why you’re passionate about what you do, focus on what makes your service special, and keep getting great reviews. When customers feel like they can trust that you’ll deliver a high quality service, they can feel good about reaching out to YOU from a list of pros. Thanks to these pros who sent similar feedback as well! Keep it coming! @Theresa @JustinPro @nancykenright @redfoxdinners @NathanB87 @mina @Whatsbuggingyou @Liliana @ReeseTee @Tony1981 @Jbea @dbdesign @eccrumb @OnTheMove @KSV4U @tshon @TGJ @Coronado @Jenay @drrichpatterson @adouglass ... View more

Thanks @nancycastro! I hear your frustration about not getting as many jobs as you'd like. I’m sorry to hear that some of you aren’t getting as many customers as before. Your business is important to us and we want you to be successful using Thumbtack. Let’s take a look at the options you have to find more customers. The first thing I’d encourage you to do is promote some or all of your services. By telling us exactly what kind of jobs you want, we show your business to more of the customers you’re interested in. You get a rank boost in search results, giving you a better chance to get in front of the customers you’re looking for. You also get a 20% discount. Beyond that, investing in your profile is always a great place to start. Being successful on Thumbtack is all about standing out, and your profile is the best way to differentiate yourself.  You can always search for yourself to see how your profile might appear to a customer — especially compared to your competition (just don’t contact any of your competitors). Then, spend the time to make your profile really pop. I recommend paying close attention to what factors into ranking in search results . Understanding how this works helps you leverage your business so you meet the enough of the right customers. Finally,  take a look at your Jobs tab. The customers you find here have already reached out to another pro, but customers want as many options as possible, and you could be a better fit than the pros they’ve already contacted. If you find a job you’re interested in, take the opportunity to introduce yourself. You’ll only pay for the lead if the customer responds. Thanks to these pros who posted similar concerns about not getting enough jobs with Thumbtack. I hope this was helpful! @Gerson92 @DJStevie @Crystal2468 @another_one @Fstfirebrd1984 @nancykenright @Faaz99 @allen @tjgholar @NathanB87 @rdansmit @Blackbox @Maury @C2C @mina @nancycastro @Liliana @SocalFitSteve @hmazzeo16 @gloriaj0 @TheLast10SF @mmyang99 @nutrinancy @Aleme @Diceofseven @Mymaymay-26 @Paul2 @HappyPaws @sputinc @Randall @Mdempsey @drrichpatterson @Fhogoboom @KitKat @NikkiD ... View more