What Contractors Should Look For In a Lead Generation Company

If you are a home improvement contractor, chances are you get a good number of sales calls, emails, postcards from a lead generation company trying to sell you their leads.

Assuming that a lead generation site is a good strategy for your business, you may be wondering how to decide which company is right for you. Here are some important things to consider when working with a home improvement lead generation company.

Price

This is always an important factor. How much does each lead cost for you service? There can be a wide range of prices among lead generation companies for the same service. So one company may charge $45 for a painting lead while another may charge $29.

Competition

Another important thing to consider is how many contractors you are competing against. Many companies sell leads to 4 contractors, but some (like us) only match them to 3. So a lead may cost $30 at one company that sends it to 4 contractors but $35 at another company that only sends it to three. Your cost-per-job may be better with the second company, even though the lead is more money.

A note on exclusive leads: Some companies sell exclusive leads for a premium price. One thing to consider is that many times a homeowner gets a few more estimates on their own, so you paid a premium for an exclusive lead but you may be competing with 3-4 contractors anyway.

Contracts and Fees

It’s always important to understand any contract you sign. Some lead generation companies have a minimum contract term, monthly fees, cancellation fees, setup fees that don’t go towards leads, limits to how long you can pause your account, etc. Unless you can afford to be stuck in a contract, don’t sign up with a company like this.

Credit Policy and Customer Service

Another important thing is to ask about the credit policy for bad leads and then make sure you have it in writing. You always want to make sure that you can get credits back for leads with disconnected numbers and such.

Whether or Not It Is Niche

Some companies specialize in just a few trades. Before we were CraftJack, we were LocalPainterquotes.com and we just specialized in house painting leads for painters. There are both pros and cons to being a specialized service.

For example, a specialty site may know more about your specific trade, so they may be able to get better quality leads. On the other hand, you may be a contractor who does a few services and a specialty site may not be able to meet all your needs. Also, specialty sites may be too small to really generate enough leads for your business.

Extras & Perks

Another thing to consider is what additional features your lead generation can provide you aside from just sending you people’s information. For example, some companies have Profile Pages, Lead Management tools, and apps.

If the company you work with has a profile page for your business, make sure and ask how it is listed. After all, do you want people searching Google for your company name to find you, or find your lead generation company page and then they charge you for that lead.

Company Size

Like home improvement projects, lead generation companies come in all sizes. They can range from one-man operations to 1,000 employee companies. What kind of company do you want to work with? A larger company may send more leads but they may also have poor customer service. A one-person shop may have great customer service, but they may not be able to produce a lot of leads or they may be overloaded.

Conclusion

With all these things to consider, it’s no wonder there is a lot of confusion about lead generation. If it’s something you are considering, learn more about our contractor lead service online or give us a call at 866-332-7134 and we’ll tell you all about how we work.