This article was linked to the article posted above. Very Interesting.
Need insight on “Band of Neighbors” Share how a business owner can leverage this to generate more business?
So I am curious. Why did you leave Angie’s List?
I am having trouble posting questions, please help
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You really can’t, other than doing such a good job that they share their review on band of neighbors
http://support.angieslist.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/568/~/using-band-of-neighbors
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[MENTION=675]Pioneer Services[/MENTION] I left AL because I wanted to work for myself, I know the marketing side of things pretty well and really enjoy cleaning windows. I realized that the corporate world isn’t for everybody and am in a good spot in life to take a risk.
To answer another point about Band of Neighbors, and I believe somebody else mentioned this. It isn’t really intended for service providers to be able to utilize. Everything that company does is either to make money or benefit members. It is a member organization. There is almost no case where they will take the side of the contractor. It is one of those pills SP’s have to swallow if they want to use it.
That’s one thing I dislike about Angie’s, because we are their customer too, and pay far more per month than the members do.
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That was another reason for leaving. I felt myself siding with the contractor more and more and felt bad that there was nothing I could do in some cases due to policy. However, they are on a slippery slope. If they take the side of contractors, members might feel wronged. If that happens and members stop joining or quit there is no list and contractors wouldn’t want to be part of it. So I understand the policy but don’t 100% agree with them on a personal level.
I take it you are a whale lover even though an Orca is technically not a whale.
Best thing I ever did was joining AL. I don’t spend a penny on ads anymore. The trick is to get those “A” reviews. It will snow ball from there.
I know this is an old thread, but I’m considering doing some advertising with them and, @ orcawindowclean I would like to know if it’s worth the money. I get serious red flags when I talk to them, for one thing, but a salesman is a salesman, is a salesman, so I can deal with that.
They are trying to get me to “advertise” online, (which is really just paying to be put at the top of the list) and also to get a 1/6th page ad in their magazine. They are throwing all these nice sounding numbers out, but I don’t trust much of what they’re telling me, as they’ve already “forgotten” (neglected) to mention certain terms, fees, etc until I’m just about to commit. In your experience, what kind of ROI could a non-vital service provider (ie, not a plumber, HVAC Tech, etc) REALISTICALLY expect?
Jesse
Atlas Services - Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
If you are just starting out the big deals on AL Can make you some quick money but if you are swamped they can be a pain.some are easy some can be difficult then some people don’t want to pay the extra footage on gutter cleans or something like that. Angie’s list does have ups and downs but it’s like you have to pay to play in my opinion. I think you could spend that couple thousand on flyers or mailers or something else unless you are in a really populated area. Just my 2 pennies
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I have to disagree with the quick money part. I just ran 4 big deals for different services, and all I did was barely break even. Angieslist made some great money off it though!
I have been trying to decide where to spend my VERY limited advertising money, and Angieslist wants every penny of it. I din’t mind spending money, I just want to be sure that I’m gonna get a good ROI. I do think your point about flyers or postcards is a good one.
Jesse
Atlas Services - Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
Apparently you can make some great money with those deals IF you’re a master at the art of up sells. I’ve got a friend who runs a carpet cleaning company and they ran a ridiculous deal for dryer vent cleanings but he’d then up sell them on tile cleaning, counter top cleaning, etc etc etc. So the $50 special became a $1,000 stop.
I usually suck at up sells.
Yes, the up sells definitely helped, especially with the dryer vent cleaning desk. That’s the only one I’ll do again because you don’t lose much, it has a great wow factor, and it really opens the door for upsells.
Jesse
Atlas Services - Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
I did the “big deal” also and lost my ass on it plus got a “C” rating from someone we never did work for. The person told me they were not interested in my big deal but wanted me to do other work for $99. I offered a discounted price for the services she wanted done but it was not even close to $99. She got mad and gave me a “C” rating. I called AL and tried to get it removed but they refused. The work I did get, no one was interested in the up-sell, they only wanted the special, even though it made the property look half clean. I wont do that again
Yeah. They don’t really stand behind the contractors. I was really hoping Orca would respond to my question, but it doesn’t look like he’s following this anymore. Maybe his boss at Angieslist told him to quit wasting his time on the forums and get back to work! LOL
Jesse
Atlas Services - Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
This is what I’m afraid of most. Discount their cost, deal with a bunch of whack job discount seekers, then get a bad review from that one person you’re never going to satisfy. We only have 70 or so reviews but they’re all perfect.
I’m also hopeless at upsells. Anyone got any words of wisdom on this topic? I’m quite good at crafting a reasonably successful deal (i.e. at worst break-even) but know that the real money would come from any add-on services that could be done at the same time.
One thing I’ve found (thanks to advice from the forum members) is to look for things that need to be done at their house. If I’m there to clean windows and I notice a dirty roof, I ask them if they are familiar with the roof cleaning process. Most are not (at least in my area) and it becomes a great opportunity to educate them, sell the service, and save them money. I still have yet to clean a roof, but I have 5 lined up for the spring because of using this upsell method. I also have a simple flyer that lists the other services I offer and when I give it to the customer it serves as an introduction to the upsell. (BTW I hate the term “upsell”…I truly want to help my customers save money in the long run by maintaining their property and I don’t push a service unless They REALLY need it)
That is the ONE good thing I can say about the Big Deal. It DID get me in front of a lot of people, and 70% of them needed and wanted other services. I started just looking at it as being paid (a low wage) to go on sales calls, so I wasn’t too mad about making $20 an hour.
I hope this post makes sense and helps you out!
Jesse
Atlas Services - Exterior Cleaning Specialists
North Carolina
