Thumbtack.com leads

Hey everybody! I’m Reuben, a brand new operator in Milwaukee, WI. I wanted to share my experience using Thumbtack.com with you guys.

Before I get to Thumbtack.com, I’ll tell you a little about myself. I’ve worked in the eCommerce marketing world for 10 years. Started my first profitable website when I was 19 and made enough money to buy my first house when I was 21. I went on to do eCommerce stuff for companies like AutoZone, Hilton hotels, and Servicemaster. Along the way I bought some real estate and still have a few rental properties in Memphis, TN. After a brief stint living/working in DC, I decided it was time to go back into business for myself full time. So here I am in Milwaukee with a newborn son and a brand new business! Hoping to do well with my territory and perhaps purchase another area in a couple of years.

Back to Thumbtack.com. Being brand new to the area, my website isn’t ranking on the 1st page of Google quite yet. For a couple of my target keywords, Thumbtack.com is ranking 1st page though. If you aren’t familiar, Thumbtack allows users to request quotes from multiple local professionals for things like painting, photography, and carpet cleaning. Then you, the business owner, can pay a small amount of money to send a quote to these potential customers. If your quote sounds good, the customer will reach out to book the job with you.

I read all of the terrible reviews from business owners who think this website is a scam and sends you fake leads to steal your money. Personally, I think about 50% of people out there are idiots. So I like to try things and decide for myself rather than listen to all the yahoos.

I created my Thumbtack account on a Tuesday, and it went live on a Wednesday. So far I’ve sent out 4 quotes for a total cost of $14.04, and today (Thursday) I booked my first job from a Thumbtack lead. My quote was $178. If my math is right, that’s an ROI of 1158%. Not bad!

Even if I book just a couple jobs per month at this cost, I think it would be worth the effort.

So based on my initial success, here are some tips if you decide to give Thumbtack a try:

1. Fill out as much of your profile as possible. You want users to get a feel for you, your company, your process, etc. Build a connection before you’ve even talked to your lead!
2. Go back and edit your categories right away! For some reason Thumbtack labeled me as a general cleaner, so I received a few quote requests from people looking for a maid. When I edited my categories, my quote requests were much higher quality
3. Respond to quote requests QUICKLY. Don’t give your competitors time to respond first. You can sign up for email and text alerts. If you aren’t performing a job, stop what you’re doing and send the quote within the next 10 minutes
4. When you send a quote, reply with the lead’s first name. Be personable. Start by introducing yourself as the business owner
5. After that very brief introduction, give the quote. Do this in the first paragraph. Get to the meat of it – these people want a price. That’s why they came to Thumbtack
6. Justify your price in the next paragraph. Explain in a few sentences your cleaning process. Why should they pay you $XXX instead of choosing the cheaper competitor? Sell your process to them here
7. Tell the lead you look forward to serving them!

That’s it! If you notice that Thumbtack.com is ranking on the 1st page for any keywords in your area, you might want to give it a shot. You’ll have to invest $35 to buy your initial batch of credits, but if you book even 1 job with those credits, you’re coming out ahead.

Anyone else have an experience using Thumbtack? I’ll post an update here after a couple weeks and let you know if the leads dry up or my conversion rate goes south.