Lead generation sites are one of the easiest ways for small businesses to gain traction and build positive reviews and relationships with customers. However, not all lead generation services are created equal. Let\u2019s take a look at a lead generation site, Thumbtack, and compare it with Pro In Your Pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thumbtack mostly covers home projects, but it offers other services as well. It\u2019s less well-known than some other sites, which can actually be an advantage for both customers and professionals: customers won\u2019t be overwhelmed with hundreds of professional options to choose from, and businesses won\u2019t have as much competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When customers use Thumbtack, they can browse profiles of local professionals and businesses, get price estimates, reach out to the pros they like to discuss project details, book the pros they choose, and leave reviews once the project is done. Choosing a professional through Thumbtack is free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A customer<\/a> who chooses Pro In Your Pocket will have a slightly different\u2014dare we say, easier\u2014experience. All the customer has to do is submit a project request with a description and location, then sit back and wait. Pro In Your Pocket will contact potential Pros about the customer\u2019s project request, and each Pro will then reach out to the customer with a bid. This eliminates the need for a customer to spend hours researching the best places to reach out to, and it still allows the customer to pick the best Pro for their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike many other lead generation sites, Thumbtack has no subscription fees for professionals. They do pay per lead, though. This means that every time a new customer reaches out, the pro will have to pay Thumbtack. On the one hand, this seems like a pretty good deal\u2014no expensive subscription means you\u2019re only paying for possible customers. On the other hand, a customer will most often reach out to several businesses to find the best pricing and availability, so the professional will frequently pay for lost leads. Depending on the rate of a subscription, this pay-per-lead system will very often end up being more costly than a subscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a professional<\/a> uses Pro In Your Pocket, there is no pay-per-lead system. Pro In Your Pocket sends project requests to relevant Pros, and it costs nothing for the Pro to reach out to the customer. Professionals pay $24 per month after their first free bid and a month of unlimited bids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s no secret that every decent lead generation site will have a rating system to assist customers in their choice of professional\u2014but there\u2019s another component that sets the best sites apart. A two-way rating system, where customers rate pros and pros rate customers, allows for the most transparency and helps professionals understand the type of customer they\u2019ll be working with. Many lead generation services without a two-way system produce fake or no-show leads and shady customers who, after the project is completed, will falsely report it as unsatisfactory to receive a refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thumbtack has a rating system where the customer rates the pro after the completed project, but there\u2019s no way for the pro to rate the customer. This leaves pros unable to properly vet their customers and ensure they\u2019ll be spending their time and money wisely. Pro In Your Pocket, alternately, has a two-way rating system in place so that both customers and Pros know what they\u2019re getting into. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as lead generation sites go, Thumbtack is a decent choice. There\u2019s no stifling of competition<\/a> that comes with other sites, it\u2019s free for customers, and there\u2019s no overpriced subscription fee for professionals. Thumbtack has to earn money somehow, though, and they get it by charging pros for every lead, regardless of whether that lead becomes a customer. Ultimately, professionals will lose money with this system, and without a two-way rating system, they risk dealing with shady customers. And customers will spend much more time researching the best professional for their job than they would with Pro In Your Pocket<\/a>, where the Pros reach out to the customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, the choice is yours\u2014but if you’d prefer a site that provides an easy experience for customers and a cost-effective, simple way for businesses to grow, then skip Thumbtack and check out Pro In Your Pocket<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lead-generation sites are one of the quickest ways for small businesses to gain traction and help build positive reviews and relationships with customers. However, not all lead-generation services are created equal. Let\u2019s take a look at a popular lead-generation site, Thumbtack, and compare it with Pro In Your Pocket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Lead-generation sites are one of the quickest ways for small businesses to gain traction and help build positive reviews and relationships with customers. However, not all lead-generation services are created equal. Let\u2019s take a look at a popular lead-generation site, Thumbtack, and compare it with Pro In Your Pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thumbtack's list of professionals mostly relate to home projects, but the site offers other services as well. It\u2019s less well-known than some other sites, which can actually be an advantage for both customers and professionals: customers won\u2019t be overwhelmed with hundreds of professional options to choose from, and businesses won\u2019t have as much competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When customers use Thumbtack, they can browse profiles of local professionals and businesses, get price estimates, reach out to the pros they like to discuss project details, book the pros they choose, and leave reviews once the project is done. Choosing a professional through Thumbtack is free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A customer<\/a> who chooses Pro In Your Pocket will have a slightly different\u2014dare we say, easier\u2014experience. All the customer has to do is submit a project request with a description and location, then sit back and wait. Pro In Your Pocket will contact potential Pros about the customer\u2019s project request, and each Pro will then reach out to the customer with a bid. This eliminates the need for a customer to spend hours researching the best places to reach out to, and it still allows the customer to pick the best Pro for their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike many other lead generation sites, Thumbtack has no subscription fees for professionals. They do pay per lead, though. This means that every time a new customer reaches out, the pro will have to pay Thumbtack. On the one hand, this seems like a pretty good deal\u2014no expensive subscription means you\u2019re only paying for possible customers. On the other hand, a customer will most often reach out to several businesses to find the best pricing and availability, so the professional will frequently pay for lost leads. Depending on the rate of a subscription, this pay-per-lead system will very often end up being more costly than a subscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a professional<\/a> uses Pro In Your Pocket, there is no pay-per-lead system. Pro In Your Pocket sends project requests to relevant Pros, and it costs nothing for the Pro to reach out to the customer. Professionals pay $24 per month after their first free bid and a month of unlimited bids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s no secret that every decent lead-generation site will have a rating system to assist customers in their choice of professional\u2014but there\u2019s another component that sets the best sites apart. A two-way rating system, where customers rate pros and pros rate customers, allows for the most transparency and helps professionals understand the type of customer they\u2019ll be working with. Many lead-generation services produce fake or no-show leads and shady customers who, after the project is completed, will falsely report it as unsatisfactory to receive a refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thumbtack does have a rating system where the customer rates the pro after the completed project, but there\u2019s no way for the pro to rate the customer. This leaves pros unable to properly vet their customers and make sure they\u2019ll be spending their time and money wisely. Pro In Your Pocket, alternately, has a two-way rating system in place so that both customers and Pros know what they\u2019re getting into. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as lead-generation sites go, Thumbtack is a great choice. There\u2019s no stifling of competition that comes with other sites, it\u2019s free for customers, and there\u2019s no overpriced subscription fee for professionals. Thumbtack has to earn money somehow, though, and they get it by charging pros for every lead, regardless of whether that lead becomes a customer. Ultimately, professionals will lose money with this system, and without a two-way rating system, they risk dealing with shady customers. And customers will spend much more time researching the best professional for their job than they would with Pro In Your Pocket<\/a>, where the Pros reach out to the customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, the choice is yours\u2014but if you'd prefer a site that provides an easy experience for customers and a cost-effective, simple way for businesses to grow, then skip Thumbtack and check out Pro In Your Pocket.<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/support.proinyourpocket.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Pro\u2019s Perspective<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Rating System: The Hidden Factor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Thumbtack: The Basics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Customer\u2019s Perspective<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Pro\u2019s Perspective<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Rating System: The Hidden Factor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n