Hi WCR fans, I keep getting calls from Service Magic, saying they want to supply me with leads for possible job quotes, and of course I have to pay per lead, regardless of the outcome. I notice they advertise to the consumer, to get three bids from contractors to get the best price for the job. Are these about the same quality as a phone book call that gets two more quotes, or are these better quality leads?
The rep trying to get me on the system, claims that I would be their first and only WC in my county.
Anyone had an experience with them?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
There are lots of threads here. Check Search. Mostly pooh-pooh stories, but some positive experiences as well.
SM is always trying to pull in more customers (contractors) by contacting folks direct. You may be better off trying the same strategy.
we have been using them for awhile and the leads are generally very good. For us there is a bit more competition so calling the customer back right away is key. If its true that no one else is using the service in your area I would say go for it and price your services accordingly to include the SM cost. If the customer is using SM they are looking for a reputable service provider and most likely they are not going to use another resource…i say go for it.
Thanks
I may do that, as they tell me I can put the program on hold anytime I want.
Effectiveness varies widely in different areas. I never got a real lead from them, but Chris racks up with it, iirc.
That’s what they kept telling me. I asked how many inquiries for window cleaning they had in my service area for the previous 12 months – 3!
BTW, don’t pay the $99 if they ask – they waive that for a variety of reasons. Including membership in a WC’ing trade association…
Thanks, I will look out for the surprise fees!
I’d never use them solely based on the harrassing, nonstop sales calls I got from them.
They always are polite and ask may I call you again in X # of months to see if you need leads then? But it seems they call a little sooner that they originally said or I may be losing track myself. I am getting older as I noticed AARP has me on the target market list!
They called me for a long time even after I decided I was not interested at that time.
Matt,
I used them in the very beginning when they were up and coming. Its was a nice service because you could turn away undersireable leads if you wanted to. That has all changed now. You have to pay for leads that are sent to you regardless of if you want them or not (if your leads are turned on). I tried them again when they switched over to the new system and hated it. They gave me the same “you’ll be the only window cleaner in your area” tactic. I found out very quick that I wasnt. You will find that people on this forum have different results with ServiceMagic as Thad mentioned. The only way to find out is to try it.
Steve
steve is right. their sales team don’t know if there is nobody else in you’re area. if you have a fish in your area and you charge more than 5 bucks per job, forget it.
fish is with them, and they have a national account with service hoax.
they advertise lowest prices, if you don’t have low prices, don’t sign up.
I fugured out that I’d be paying for leads no matter what pretty much right off the bat, which is why I decided not to use SM. I’m a one man operation, so sometimes its not a great time for me to be chasieng leads down. Even if I’m on the road i’ll politely ask a customer that calls if I can call them back in 5 minutes once I find a safe place to pull over.
With SM I figured that that 5 minutes might be too long to wait. For example… say both me and AWCW, who I know are SM clients, get the lead. I’m doing 70 down Rt. 80, or on a ladder. I can’t get to the lead right at that very moment. ACWC has a dedicated sales staff to handle the lead, so they probably get the call and estimate in. I still end up paying for it anyway. Doesn’t sound like a great scenario to me.
@Matt - My sales rep was always polite up until I told him I would call them if I needed them. Honestly, I was getting 4-5 calls a week for 4 months straight.
So true. I would get a lead come through and if i let 10 minutes go by, I was probably too late to get it. Some window cleaning companies use SM for their primary lead generation and or marketing. I have several different avenues that I use to get people to call. Just like an ad in the phonebook. Its not my only avenue that brings in customers. If you have competition in the area that is just waiting to pounce on a lead, it could be a waste of time and $$. I have Fish in my area and they are all over it like white on rice. SM was charging me something like $10.00 a lead. Crazy.
Steve
So it’s just NOT ME, there harrassing … good to know there are others as well.
Hey, this is my first post ever on WCR. I have enjoyed and learned a great deal from all of the information that is shared here.
It is interesting to hear about everyone else’s experiences with SM. We tried ServiceMagic last fall and received several leads weekly, sometimes multiple leads in a single day. It is important to note that most of the leads were “exact match” leads so we had no reason to race to respond to these customers. Even so, they will notify you via text message, email, and phone call whenever you get a lead, so it has been easy to respond immediately to our leads. Paying for the leads has been a small cost that has enabled us to land contracts and form relationships with several local businesses and homeowners. ServiceMagic also helped increase our visibility on the internet. The customer service with SM has been incredibly prompt and helpful for the most part. Whether or not you like it depends upon the area you are working in… luckily we don’t have a Fish franchise up here.
Most of our customers find us other ways, but ServiceMagic has been worth it for the extra leads it gets us. We will continue to use ServiceMagic until the costs outweigh the benefits.
Jake
Have you had other window cleaners getting the same leads, and if so do the customers say “I am getting more quotes before I decide” ?
Thanks for the reply.
Matt
I had very unpleasant experiences with Service Magic, they don’t listen. After they got the money, talking to someone with a clue was tough enough, but even tougher since they didn’t listen to anything I wanted, especially when I tried to close my account. I would not recommend them
what do they charge for a lead?
