You do not have to quit the marketplaces overnight. This is a seven-step plan for working out what your leads really cost, cutting the worst of them, and building calls you do not pay for, without going quiet in the meantime.
The plan
Steps 1 to 3 cost nothing and you can start today. Steps 4 to 6 build the calls you do not pay for. Step 7 is how you shift your budget without taking a gap.
For each source (Thumbtack, Angi, your own calls), divide what you spent in the last three months by the jobs you actually won from it. If you spent $600 and won 4 jobs, each job cost you $150 before you drove anywhere. That number, not the price of one lead, tells you what a source is worth.
Look at which job types, areas and times of day rarely turn into work for you. Turn those off, lower your budget caps if the platform lets you, and ask the platform about credits for leads that were wrong, duplicate or out of area.
Save the name, number and email of everyone you have served. Text them when you are in their area, and give them a way to book you directly. FieldTender Direct is a one-page booking site for exactly this. Before you move a customer you first met on a marketplace, read that platform's rules on contacting customers outside it. More on keeping repeat customers.
Customers who search for your trade in your city should find you on Google Maps. Claiming and verifying a listing is free, and the steps are in our setup guide.
People who find your listing click through to check you out. A site with your services, your area and a call button turns that into a call. Why you want both. It does not have to be big: six clear pages is enough. What a contractor website costs.
Reviews on a marketplace stay on the marketplace. Reviews on your Google listing follow you. Ask every happy customer for one with your review link or QR code, and never offer a discount or payment for a review, which Google prohibits.
Do not turn off a source that is paying for itself. Cut lead spend only as calls from your own listing and site replace it, and track it by asking every new customer how they found you. A site and listing take weeks to months to start sending calls, so plan for a stretch of running both.
The one number to know
A cheap lead you rarely win is expensive. A pricier lead you often win may be fine. Work it out like this, for each source:
Example, for illustration only: $900 of leads and 5 jobs won is $180 per job. If your average job earns you $500 after materials, that source is working. If it earns you $150, it is not. For how this compares with a site of your own, see the Thumbtack alternative page, or the Angi one.
The fastest first step
Repeat work is the cheapest work you will ever get. FieldTender Direct is a one-page booking site with your name on it, so past customers can rebook, text and pay you directly. $249 setup, $29 a month, no contract.
See FieldTender Direct →Pick your trade
See the FieldTender version for plumbers, HVAC companies, electricians, roofers, handymen, painters, landscapers, pest control companies, locksmiths, garage door companies, water damage restoration companies, and pool and spa companies.
Common questions
Not necessarily. Judge each source by its cost per job. If a marketplace still brings you jobs at a cost you are happy with, keep it. The goal is to stop depending on it, so you are not stuck if its prices rise or the leads dry up.
There is no fixed answer. Your site goes live in 48 hours and a Google listing is typically verified in 1 to 5 business days, but ranking in search takes weeks to months and depends on your market and competition. That is why the plan keeps your lead spend until your own calls replace it.
Ask every new customer how they found you and write it down. Add a "how did you hear about us" line to your estimates or intake form. Review it monthly. It is simple and it is the number that decides how fast you can cut lead spend.
Check the platform's terms first. Many marketplaces have rules about taking customers off the platform, especially for the first job. For customers you have already served, make sure they can reach you directly and read the rules before you contact them.
FieldTender Presence is $1,197 once plus $19 a month for hosting, which is $1,425 in the first year, before sales tax. Compare that with what you spent on leads in the last few months. There is no minimum term, and monthly management is optional at $197 a month.
More questions? See the full FAQ or email us.
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