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-MIKE-

On 1/25/18 12:20 PM, wrote:
On Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 11:15:41 PM UTC-6, -MIKE- wrote:

I still use Thumbtack and it works well when it works. They've
made some changes that aren't exactly in the service providers'
best interest, but it's still a good source for work when it's
slow. I also have a very high rate of clients who find me through
Thumbtack who call me back for other work.

I will look into that and see if it is a good fit for me. These
days I either have a gap here and there, or more than I can do. Last
year I had as much as 6 weeks wait time with as many jobs going as I
could manage. My repair/maintenance/remodel business doesn't make a
lot of money, but thankfully has kept me busy. But I am ALWAYS
looking for more sources of work.

It might be worth your while to check out Porch and especially
HD's Pro referral. Like I stated, Pro Referral is free (you get
credits for materials purchased there) and you are not beholden to
HD whatsoever. One cool thing about Pro Referral is once you
develop a decent reputation in the local stores (you certainly
would) the customer service reps tend to single you out to
customers, meaning you're not competing with other service
providers. They have the option of how many Pros they recommend
and just like any other occupation, once they have someone they can
count on, they just go with them.

I will take a look at that, too. My little company is right at the
cusp of where some jobs are too small, and some too big. I am
reluctant to turn any down as like you, a small job can certainly
lead to bigger stuff. But I can't make a trip to go out and install
just a medicine cabinet for $35, either. Some things I get the
"prevailing market rate" to do (like the oven install referenced
above)but it has to be folded into other work. I make my money
these days on specialty repairs such as rehanging and entry doors,
installation of specialty hardware, stone/brick chimney repairs,
difficult waterproofing projects, light remodeling (baths, partial
kitchens), house painting, concrete tile roof repairs, etc. The
rest of the work is just keeping the lights on. I have a storm door
to put up next week... a waste of time. I have to go pick it up,
drive it across town and install it; all for $85. Couldn't get out of
it though as it is a daughter of one of my long time clients.

For a storm door, my minimum is $125. If it needs to be "built-out"
then I go to hourly with an accurate estimate given to the client.
The good new for you is that they are getting easier and easier to
install. Andersen and Larson are really making great improvements to
their stuff and installation requirements.
I swear, I could probably do 16 in an 8 hour day if they were all at a
condo development and I had someone to unpack everything. :-)

Porch is a pay-to-play service. You pay per referral but aren't
guaranteed the job. They have an upper level where you pay by
month and get guaranteed referrals in a territory. That could
really pay off for the right person in the right situation.

If you want to check out Thumbtack, send me your email address and
I'll send you a referral link. If you sign up, we both will get
free credits towards bids.

There's also a new site going around called Nextdoor that is just a
website for different neighborhoods to connect. I've gotten a lot
of referrals from that site.

I might be in touch sooner than you think as I am negotiating a big
make ready (+/- 12K) for a realtor and it will be all or nothing for
me. If I don't get it, all I have is a series of small repairs.
Maybe we could have a quick chat on the phone. We could cover a lot
more ground more quickly that way if you are up for it.

I'd love to talk! Maybe you and Karl and Steve and I could set up
another google meet up for a video conference while we're at it.
You can email me with your name @ my domain name in my sig.

Stay away from Home Advisor. They used to be Service Master and
got such a horrible reputation and terrible reviews that they had
to completely re-brand their entire company.

Too late! They already pulled my eyeballs out! I was with them for
about two years and got two jobs. For anyone that doesn't know how
their "free" service works, the HA computers match up a client with
several contractors at once. So if I was a client and needed roof
repair, the computer would automatically send out notification via
text to 5-6 (maybe more) contractors. The contractor pays for the
notification to the tune of $35 - $55 depending on the work to be
done. So every time someone clicks for the "free" service,
contractors are charged (in aggregate) about $200 to $300. You have
no choice as a contractor; you pay only for the opportunity/lead,
nothing else. And you have no control over how many contractors get
leads.

And they do not check for insurance. They do not check for licensing.
They never called one reference of mine. They never ran a credit
report for me or my business. They never contacted my suppliers to
make sure I am a timely payer.

You call them, and a commissioned (yep, the salesperson admitted
that) person from HA answers the phone and does everything in their
power to get you on their referral list. When I stopped their
service, I had several phone calls from them offering to waive the
referral fees, giving me discounts, etc. All those guys are is an
automated yellow pages that charges you for a listing. Once I got to
nearly even with them (less my time, of course) I cancelled in
writing.

They are exactly the reason I have never looked into another
referral service. Once bitten, twice shy.

Robert

Sorry you had to go through that but you just validated every hair that
stuck up on my neck whenever I had any contact with them.
Last time one of their con-men tried to get me to sign up, I got to the
point where I literally cussed him out and told him if they didn't put
me on their do-not-call list I would take them to court. (You can get 5
grand if they call you back and you can do it in small-claims court.)

--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
www.mikedrums.com