Feel Free To Pay Nothing!

I spoke to one of our contractors the other day who was concerned about getting some credit for some leads that he says were "invalid." Well, let me tell you has there ever been an overflow of these types of requests lately! GEEZ! Nothing has changed on our end, we still advertise the same way in the same locations, and get the same type of clientele signing up as leads as we did back in May when business was really booming. The only difference between now and back in May is, yup you guessed it, the ECONOMY! Sure homeowners still have repairs and replacements to be made and they will inquire upon them but these days everyone is looking for a deal! So if they can't find it they will wait.

The contractors in the meantime are spinning their wheels, wasting their gas, and frankly, their breath too on buyers (or tire kickers as the contractors like to call them-lol) that are willing to buy but, "Not right now, maybe in a couple of months" etc. Well, the real deal folks is even though it may be a hard lump to swallow, that is a LEAD! No, they do not want to buy today, but they do need the work done, and they want it done, but it's the price or the contractor's ability (or lack there of) to SELL their product effectively that seems to encourage the buyer to hold tight to their pocket strings.

I had to tell this contractor in particular and many others that preceded him that there was no way they were going to get credit for things that did not warrant a refund. A person that signs up on our site, verifies with us by phone that they do indeed want and estimate and then changes their mind when the contractor calls because of a bad technique, or who knows what that is conveyed over the phone is not our concern.

Let me tell you a story, I went to a lead gen site and signed up to get a tree removed from my yard. The roots are very shallow and it is getting too close to the house for my comfort. The first gentleman that called said that he couldn't come give me a free estimate like the site advertised, but that it would cost me $250.00 just for him to stand in my yard. He also informed me that if someone could give me a lower price it was probably because they were high balling me somewhere else in the deal. He assured me that if I gave him a call with any numbers that I got from other contractors he would go over them with me and let me know if it was a good deal or not. "Yeah buddy, I'll call you right away when the other contractor's leave my house!" I mean seriously, who does this guy think he is? "Is this a contractor or a freakin' consultant?" I asked myself.

Well, we decided to go with another contractor who came out on our schedule and quoted a fair price, sure we could have shopped around but to us it's not the most convenient thing to do, even if we have to spend a little extra to get good customer service and a feeling of honesty is well worth it when comparing to the loser I had gotten off the phone with earlier. Thank God that guy doesn't work for us, what a nightmare he must be in the credit department!

So with the down-turning economy with no end in sight I suppose I'll keep fighting to hold on to our earned profits and at the same time stop the scammers that are out there from getting their leads for nothing and their kicks for free! If you're interested in some of my other quirky subjects I enjoy ranting about feel free to check out Another Blog I Like...

Do You Read Your Contract? Just Wondering!

If I had even a penny for every time one of our contractors asked for a credit for something that was not worthy of credit I wouldn't have to work at this lead gen biz anymore. I'd be rich beyond my wildest dreams. Our contract that the contractors sign for our service states that product type or style is not a valid credit request reason and will not be credited. Still day in and day out I get request from contractors that say that they "only do vinyl windows," "only do wood windows," "don't do metal roofs," can't do windows with blinds in them," "only do gutter installs, do not provide gutter protection," "don't do Hardi-Plank siding," "they only wanted Andersen windows or Pella windows etc., or my all-time favorite, "we don't do basements, we do snap in walls to cover up basements!" I mean seriously people, you have to be able to SELL your product, you need to know why your product is what the customer wants and how it will meet the need that they illustrate to you.

Another common complaint the contractors seem to come up with is I don't do repairs, well I say turn that repair into fanfare! Get the homeowner to see the value of replacing the window especially if it is old or if it does not match the other's in the home for example. Sure not every repair job can turn into a full blown sale but are you really truly trying to turn these around or do you just ask us for credit, get your money back and then go out and run the repair anyway? that's right, we're not oblivious to what some of you contractors are capable of.

Finally, I had an interesting conversation with one contractor that wanted to be on our service the other day. He runs a window company out of Lombard, IL. He expected us to give him 5 free leads to try our service out and then if any of those didn't meet his standards then he would request that we give him replacement leads until he was satisfied. Wow! He must have thought us folks just fell off the turnip truck! No way in the world was this guy going to get over us in that way. We told him to hit the road! He must not live in the real world, I mean do you go to your local supermarket and tell them that if they let you "test drive" some free groceries you might come back and buy from them again? Or how about your local mechanic? "Hey Barney, you fix my truck's catalytic converter for free and if I'm satisfied with it I might come back for you to install my wiper blades! LOL!

I gotta hand it to the home improvement contractors out there, even if they fall short in the departments of respect, loyalty, honesty, and reliability they never have short comings in the creativity department they are very creative on how they shouldn't pay for goods received! Looking forward to your comments....

Why Pay For A Lead?

I read an article today posted by a contractor on a contractor forum. Basically the contractor was saying that paying internet lead generation companies like us for leads is crazy and that you shouldn't pay for leads period.

Well, do I got news for this guy! If you pay for an ad in the yellow pages, you pay for leads. If you have your own website, you pay for leads, if you canvas neighborhoods for leads, you are paying for leads, even if all you do is drive around hanging up fliers that you made on your home computer, YOU ARE PAYING FOR LEADS!! You are paying for the yellow pages ad, you are paying for the canvas crew and the gas, you are paying for the hosting and upkeep of the website, or you are spending your own time doing the upkeep on the site which is paying for leads, I mean after all isn't your time worth something to you? If you do your own fliers you are paying for the paper, the ink the electricity to run the computer and your gas to go drop these fliers off, as well as again, you time. NEWS FLASH!! YOU ARE PAYING FOR LEADS! So no matter how you get the word of your company out there it is costing you something.

I do however, understand that some of the Internet lead companies are not quite playing fair by right of the contractors. Selling leads as many times as possible thus making a ton of money but not really giving the contractor a fair chance at landing the deal because there are 8 other people out there with the same lead, as well as not being fair to the consumer. The homeowner signs up for an estimate and is now being bombarded by phone calls from 8 different companies and really maybe they only wanted 2 or 3 estimates, so now they just start hanging up on the contractors as they are calling, thus making it unfair and down right impossible for the contractor to even have a fair shake at landing the deal much less just getting his foot in the door to show the homeowner what he's got to offer.

Our solution is selling the lead up to 3 times and no more as well as calling each and every homeowner to let them know that a couple of contractors will be contacting them to give set up an appointment to give them a free estimate. We hope that by doing this we can help the contractors on our service get a better average of "getting in the door" with the customer as well as not harass the customer by phone with too many unnecessary phone calls.

We have also tried a preview system where contractors can look at some of the details of the lead before they purchase them. We have found this method to be unsuccessful, the contractors have had too many bad experiences with lead companies that they just sit on the program and buy nothing. Then are surprised and angered by the monthly fee that they are charged after 60 days of being on the service. We no longer offer the preview program for this reason.

We have some contractors that want us to schedule the appointment for them and get the spending limit of the consumer, we refused to do that because of the time and labor it would take the leads would no longer be cost effective. We would have to charge over $100.00 a lead and even if you get an appointment that doesn't mean you are going to get the sale so I can just imagine the credit requests we would get back on something like that! Not to mention we are providing a lead, that means a person wanting to "possibly" purchase a product. We truly feel that it is up to the contractor to sell the consumer on why their product is the one that will fit the home owner's need or desire.

So, just a little blurp from the Home Improvement Guru, if you run a business and attract customer's in anyway you are paying for those leads. Don't be fooled into beliving you're not by a disgruntled contractor that most probably has an issue with his sales staff and is unable to close as many deals as he would like due to such short comings.

Hiring Contractors - Part One

Employing a remodeler may appear as though it's a difficult chore. A book could be filled about the better details of employing home improvement remodelers.
Starting with the basics here so you are able to feel more positive in your pursuit of getting construction jobs done correctly. Most people do not even recognize where to start out.
Not only can it be difficult to discover a adequate contracting professional, the legalities of employing one could be unclear.

If and when you find a great remodeling contractor that comes highly commended, there's zero guarantee everything will work out swimmingly on your job. So how do you cover yourself?
Researching and reference is your best defense. Whenever something feels funny, it most likely is. Believe in your instincts, Only since you're unaccustomed to employing a contractor does not make you a mark. Begine to watch for red flags, those little indications there perhaps is something amiss.

Alot of folks review upon a sorry situation and remember those little bad signs, but do not follow up on their gut instincts until the damage is done.
A contractor that attempts to make you look unintelligent or meddling only because you ask queries should be passed on and not hired. Many questions need to be answered when someone is going to be working on your most valuable asset and are encouraged by reputable businesses. Questions and answers will prevent miscommunication's, and this will be advantageous to everyone concerned.

Many customers do not even recognize what questions to ask. In a following blog I will go over in detail what points to go over with contractors when getting general home improvement projects completed.

How To Impress A Home Improvement Contractor

I have been pondering how in the lead generation business you can "impress" a contractor. We try many things at our company, as contractors are our business. It seems a difficult and ever changing task though. Some contractors seem to like our program and enjoy getting more business through their subscription with us. Others are less than "impressed" and when approached with what will make them happier with the service don't seem to really have a handle on that. Some say to make the service less expensive. while others say that if we could secure the deal of the home improvement project for them that's what would satisfy them. While others still seem just down right unable to please. We honestly do everything we can to make their experience with our service a pleasurable one. After all without "them" there would be no "us." I am always interested in ways we can improve our overall customer rating. So if you have any ideas certainly share them with me. If you are currently on our service let me know what you appreciate or what you think could be changed for the better. We are in the business of servicing our contractors and that's what we'd like to perfect. We do everything in our power to provide our clients with relevant information at a reasonable price. I'd love to hear from contractors out there if you are with another lead generation service that really meets your needs, what is it that makes them special to you? Perhaps you've had a less than favorable experience with a lead gen company, I'd like to hear about that too so we don't make the same mistakes they did for you. If you would like more information on our home improvement lead generation service Click Here. Or if you are a homeowner looking for a Qualified Contractor to perform your home improvement project Click Here.

Northwest Window Company Is a True Hero-West Coast Vinyl

Every now and again you hear a tragic story of someone with a much needed home improvement gone wrong. Well here's one of a local in Renton, WA. A few weeks ago a Renton Washington woman hired a local company to replace eight windows in her home. The contractor quoted her about $5000.00 for the job. She paid upfront and sadly never heard from the contractor again. When she called the numbers he left for contact they all went to local malls food courts. A tragedy indeed she had fallen victim of a home improvement scam. Too often is the home improvement industry given a bad name due to criminals like this contractor taking advantage of this woman's trust. Well, there is a happy ending to this story. West Coast Vinyl a northwest favorite in windows for over 35 years comes to the rescue. Owner Jamie Keirstead saw this story on the local news and just knew something had to be done to rectify this poor woman's situation. He immediatley contacted the newsroom that ran the story and offered his family's company West Coast Vinyl's services offering to replace the widowed woman's eight windows free of charge. Wow! What a great community offering, it surely shows that companies still have heart no matter how large and successful when run by great people great things can happen.

Home Improvement Contractor

If you are looking for a qualified home improvement contractor, look no further. You have found a well established company that's on your side. We pre-screen all of our contractors to make sure they are not just the goofballs that work out of their truck. We want to make sure that you are happy with the contractor as well as the work they perform on your home. We also want to make sure that if you are not satisfied we take care of that on our end as much as possible. If you ever have a less than superior experience from one of our qualified contractors we want to hear about it. Now, we can't guarantee that we can fix the issue but we are not afraid to get involved as somewhat of a moderator at best. If you do have a great experience with our companies, let your friends and neighbors know, if they are planning a home improvement project we'd love to help get them connected as well. The best part of our service is that it is all FREE!! No cost to you from us or from the contractor for the free estimate. So check us out and let us know what you think!
Give us your opinions

Post Your Link Here

I am noticing that there is a big issue with getting viewed on the internet... Duh! So I propose an offer, If you respond with your link I will go to your page and verify that it is related to home improvement. If that's the case, I will keep your link on my page for as long as you keep mine on yours. As long as we are speaking the same language, it should work out great. Now mind you this will be moderated, no post will be accepted until moderated and verified that you are not trying to spam my site. If you are legitimate, I will keep up my end of the bargain. Besides, I'd love to hear what the general public has to say about my blog anyway. If this catches your attention let me know.

Is it the Economy?

So the home improvement lead generation business came to a screeching halt during the past couple of days to about the last week or so. It's like everyone in the home improvement world has died or something. It has thankfully recently picked up. I guess there could be a lot reasons for it, could be the sulking economy, the time of year and some have even noted the election as being part of the problem. I guess there could be some distraction with McCain's running mate. Most of the men I have spoken to think she's pretty hot. For an older lady with several children I guess she is. All I know is that Republican is the way to go. Before I was versed in the ways of the world and by listening to my grand parents I would have voted Democrat all the way. However, a little bit of growing up and seeing what the world was all about, I have completely changed to and will never stray from Republican. It is the way things should be done, it may not be the nice way all the time or best for the minority but it's really the strong and smart that keep this country going anyway. I know there are so many other proponents of the Democrats such as my sister who is a public school teacher, or other good old fashioned honest people. the truth is folks, there is no longer any decency in this world and if you do find it, it will surely be few and far between all the rest of the crap that's so easily available. So the answer is run the country like a business and you can't go wrong. If you can't survive in business, you shouldn't be there. Same with the country, if you can't go out and with all of the opportunities of this great land can not find your niche, then I guess you aren't trying hard enough. No one said it was going to be easy. The bottom line is those who want "it" will strive for it and get it and the rest of you will wait for the government to take care of your needs. We'll see who comes out on top. www.homeimprovementcorner.com

This Contractor Lead Biz is a Tough One!

It seems everything going out these days is trying to come back for a credit. The only problem is (for the contractors anyway) we call all of our credit requests to verify the contractor's story. We tend to get a lot of contractors that claim they are not able to get in contact with our leads. Funny thing is we call every single lead before we sell it to them so they have been contacted by us and for the contractors not to be able to get them seems kinda sketchy. Now mind you I am generalizing here, not all of our clients try to turn everything back for credit but there are enough that do so I thought it would make a good article.
Most recently, a contractor submitted a lead back to us saying they called the prospect 3 times and each time were told to call after 5pm. They stated when they called after 5pm they were not able to reach anyone. We called that lead to verify as we always do and we talked to the Mrs. who confirmed that not only were they still looking for estimates on their , her husband was handling it all and would be available after 5pm. We advised this contractor to try the customer again. It's actually quite a bargain to get leads from us because we do try to go the extra mile in that we call all leads prior to sending them over and we try to assist the contractor in his/her credit requests by speaking to the homeowners ourselves.
Often times we find that the budget of the homeowner didn't meet the contractor's needs. The laborer didn't feel it was justified to even go out and perform an estimate based on the customer's base price. Now bottom line everyone wants to get something for nothing or as inexpensive as possible. Homeowners included, the trick isn't working within their numbers but more so working with their numbers. If the homeowner says they only want to spend $1200.00 to replace a couple of kitchen cabinets, it's really the contractor's job to take advantage of that opportunity to go out, meet and greet the customer and up sell them on why their kitchen would look much nicer and increase the value of their home if all cabinets matched and were upgraded equally. It's not about selling someone something they don't want, I think that's where the contractor goes wrong...they hear a price and get discouraged when really what the customer is saying is, "here's an opportunity, now show me what you're willing to do with it for me." If the contractors would be willing to enter into an agreement with consumers based on their initial price or request it would instill trust with that consumer who would then be more likely to trust the contractor when upgrades are suggested.
Another common return reason is that contractors say that the consumer decided to complete the project themselves. This is true to a point, when initially called the consumer confirms they are looking for estimates for their home improvement project, the contractor will then turn that back to us SCREAMING (literally) "THIS IS A DO IT YOURSELFER!!!" Upon calling the consumer back we are often told that the contractor was not even willing to come out and take a look, instead they basically laughed in the consumer's face and told them they should just do the job themselves for that price. It like the contractor gets offended that the homeowner is not a professional and doesn't realize how much they need to spend to get what they are looking for. Come on, these are consumers not professional builders and remodelers, they may need some guidance. Instead of utilizing this opportunity the contractor throws it away. The consumer has already determined they want the work done, now they will continue to look for someone who will take the job for the asking price or at least give them some direction as to why what they need may cost a bit more. If I want to buy something and have a budget I am more than willing to spend more if I am convinced that it is necessary. I guess what I am trying to say is "Get a sales team guys!" Or at least buy a book on selling if you are your only line of defense when it comes to persuading people to buy from you.
We get a lot of clients that say that they don't need any more business, I never got that one personally. So let me get this straight you do this as a living and you don't need to increase your profit? Nonsense! If my boss offered me a raise no matter how much I made I would never spit in his face saying, "No thanks, I make enough money!" What a stupid statement. Money makes the world go round people. These contractors I imagine will not be in business for long as that's not a very good long term attitude to have. So bottom line, contractors need to give the consumer reasons to trust their professional determinations none of which can ever happen if you don't even take the time to get to know your client and their limitations. You have to drive out to the job and "Take a Look!" Good luck in your endeavors.....~Home Improvement Guru

Please find my home improvement blog!!!

So I feel like I am talking to myself on this thing all the time. I am going to start putting in some work to see if I can get some of the general pulic's eyes on this blog. I would love to talk to a contractor about home improvement issues that arise between them and their internet lead generation companies. I am interested to see what is going on out there from their side of the story. As there always is two sides to every story. I would also love to hear from some homeowner that may have had recent experiences with contractors in the home improvement realm. Wether they be positive or not, I'd love to chat about it all either way. If you are a homeowner that is looking for a Qualified Contractor or a contractor looking for Home Improvement Projects come visit us! Oh and leave me a comment I'd like to talk you!

Contractor Leads

Apparently, there is a lot to be said when it comes to the integrity of some of the lead generation companies out there. I have heard a lot of horror stories from our contractors everything from being taken for false leads and then having them replaced with more false information at half the charge to just plain ridiculous billing practices. Sub standard billing can be very confusing to contractors and unfortunately some of our competitors use it to fool the contractors into paying for things that they should have and were promised they would get credit for.
The way we deal with our leads is on a lead by lead basis. Once a lead is sent to your email and fax it is charged to your card. You then have 20 days in which to dispute the validity of the lead. If you do pose such a dispute and it is found to be valid then we will issue you a credit to the same card we charged for the transaction initially. This process can take 7-10 business days due to the verification process. We don't seem to run into any issues doing things this way. We also make sure that our clients know ahead of time what our credit back policy entails so there aren't any surprises. If you're interested in working with a contractor lead company with integrity then you should check out our services they just might be right for your
Contractor Business.

Kooky Contractors

Ok, so as I have said before.... The weirdest things happen in this business on a daily basis. For example we had a new contractor sign up today. We talked to them on the phone and got them all set up with an account based upon the areas they serviced for the products they selected. So here we go, we sent them their first lead and we promptly got a call from them stating they wanted to cancel their service! Are you kidding? The amount of time it took to get them all set up in our system and everything? What happened? Did we send you a bad lead? If it's bad as far as our credit back policy goes we will give you "credit!" Well come to find out it wasn't the lead at all it was the contractor's misinterpretation of what our company does. Let me first state the same thing that all of our reps tell all of our contractors, "We are an Internet lead generation company, we provide you homeowners that want a free estimate on their "remodeling" project in an area that you service for a product that you have selected with us." So apparently this customer just didn't' "get it." We placed their account on hold at their request and went on with our day.

We get this type of thing all the time on a daily basis. It comes in different forms though, mostly from an email stating..."REMOVE US FROM YOUR MAILING LIST!" Now this shocks me, apparently these companies are doing so well that they just don't need new business. Imagine that you are so ubersuccessful that you just don't need any more clientele! Well, we promptly remove those clients that do not wish to be contacted by email, funny thing is we may try to call them a month or two down the road to find that we get a disconnected phone number. I guess they could have used some business assistance. Then again if given it would they have known what to do with it?

We get many requests for credits that just make us sit back and chuckle. I mean they "changed their mind?" Are you serious? They had a valid interest when signing up on our site and that is what we promise to deliver isn't it? A lead! Did you know that the definition of a sales lead according to Wikipedia is roughly: "A sales lead is the identity of a person or entity potentially interested in purchasing a product or service, and represents the first stage of a sales process." I wonder if anyone knows this but us. Can't be.

So here's something funny that happens to us frequently. A contractor will sign up go through the whole process which by the way seems to take days with some of these guys I guess because they are so busy in their overly successful businesses that don't need us anyway that they can't seem to find the time to sign a contract or fax it back to us. This simple process can take days sometimes weeks of us getting back to them to prompt them for the paperwork. Well, they'll get into the service, get a lead say they couldn't sell it which remember is not even close to what we promise under our service.

We promise a "LEAD!" So you can't sell it do you think that it is because your sales and marketing group is worthless considering we were able to get the homeowner to admit that they wanted an estimate and once on the phone with them you have effectively "killed" it you will say it's not your fault and that the customer as a "one legger" or someone that has no interest in your product. Tell me, is it that they had no interest in your product? Or was it that you were unable to sell them on why your product is superior to what they thought they "needed?" Isn't that what selling is all about anyway?

How many times have you gone to a vendor for a product and they have up sold you from what you thought you wanted to a probably more expensive item that seems to hold more value to you once they've told you about it? It's not that the item that you wanted wasn't good enough but the item that they sold you on you were able to be sold on it because you believed that it was superior and better than what you had originally wanted due to the salesperson's confidence in the product and perhaps a testimonial or two from another satisfied consumer or maybe they have shown you how it could better suit your particular needs that you have expressed to them.

That my friends is what selling is all about and even though you are merely contractors offering a service aren't you doing your customer's a disservice by not letting them in on how your product can meet their needs? If you can't do that well then I guess you can just ask for credit on the lead and when doing so why don't you say this... "I was unable to sell this customer on why my product was what they needed. I couldn't convince them that I had a superior product because I didn't have complete confidence in my product to begin with." Of course you would never say that because that would make this "your fault" not ours. So instead it's easier for you to lie and use everything to your favor, the customer didn't mean to sign up on the website, they were just surfing looking for examples, they aren't interested in purchasing the product. Right! I mean on a Saturday afternoon there's nothing I like to do more than to waste my time looking up products and services that I completely do not intend to EVER buy and then, well hell let's take it a step further, let's fill out the form with two phone numbers for contact and our email and home address so we can be continually harassed by companies selling these products that we absolutely don't want to EVER buy! Whatever! You're half cracked if you think we are buying this.

We call ALL of our "leads" before we send them to you and we WILL call ALL of them again after you return them for credit. So rest assured you will be found out if you try to submit bogus refund requests on our site! If you're still interested in getting a service that you don't need anyway and just want to waste our time signing up please stop by we'd love to Have you!

Kooky Contractors

We have some of the weirdest requests in the office from some of our contractors. For example today we had a contractor sign up with us and our rep explained the program completely that we would generate home improvement leads for them through our website and then send the information to them so they could call the customers to provide the service. This company got their first customer contact and then promptly called us to cancel their service! It wasn't because the lead was bad or any of the other general requests for credit that we usually get it was simply because they were not aware that we would be sending them information. They thought that we would be having the homeowner call them directly. This is after we went through a thorough explanation of how our service works. Our rep then called them right away to re-explain how it all works and they wanted to wait for a while because they just weren't sure that this was the service they wanted. I mean here we are giving them a vialbe client and they weren't sure if they wanted the business or not. We get this a lot in many forms. It comes in the way of an email response from our advertisements. They will write us "STOP SENDING US LEADS!!" I mean I guess they have enough business that they do not need any more. I wish our business was going so well that we could turn away legitimate offers like that. Who does that? I mean seriously, we get this on a daily basis. What it usually comes down to is a contractor that feels that they don't "need" us, they can crete their own business. Funny thing is when we attempt to call these overly successful busineses a month or two down the road we get a disconnected phone message or a bounced email. Looks like they needed some business afterall or maybe they just didn't know how to run a business effectively which brings me to my next point.

Our verification team will call a homeowner and verify that they wanted an estimate for their "remodeling" project. We will then connect the contractor with this homeowner and upon that first phone call the marketer from that company somehow manages to kill the project. They'll site it as a "one legger" or that the customer has changed their mind on doing the project entirely and doesn't want an estimate or the greatest one of all that they never signed up on our site to begin with! Gone are the days of taking their word for it and just adjusting their account because they demand it. We call every one of our leads before we send it over to them and we call them all AGAIN when a credit request is put in so we can get the whole story. Upon this second call we often find out that the marketer quoted a price by phone or even a ball park that scared off the homeowner. Other times we have found that the contractor hasn't even called the customer at all. It's interesting how emotional contactors will get over this type of thing I mean this is business folks. We offer a product, you agree to purchase it, we deliver it and you freak out! Sone of you don't want to pay, you'll ask for illegitimate refunds, or once completely cornered meaning we have fulfilled all of our contractural obligations to you we get a chargeback request in the mail from the bank stating that you do not recognize our charge on your bill. So let me get this straight, we email you, you respond stating that you are interested in the service, we then call you to work out the contract details ie; the card you want to bill to and your fax number and email address so we can expedite these leads to you, then we have you physically fax the SIGNED documents to us all of this mind you seems to take days with most companies (apparently they are too busy dealing with their already bustling companies that they can barely find the time to scribble a signature and fax a document) then once it's all said and done our rep calls you again to discuss the areas you want to cover and the products you service for example; replacement windows, siding, roofing, kitchens, etc. then we send you a lead then you say that you couldn't sell it, we say that is not a reason for credit and that you should get some marketers with experience in your company working for you so your company can actually prosper. Afterall, we promised to deliver a contact that was interested in your product in an area you service. So after all of this has taken place you get your credit card statement and immediatley call the bank and tell them you don't know who we are and why we are charging your account! Fabulous! We have beaten those fraudulent claims time and time again and will continue to do so. Now we have had one scenario where the contractor was diligent enough ( I mean I guess if you have no business to sell you've got all the time in the world) to contact the bank again and say that now he recognizes the charge but that we did not provide him with a valid contact. Well I guess that's in the eye of the beholder because we can get these homeowners to agree to an estimate but apparently if they do not open their check books and sign a blank check and then call the contractor with little more than a dinner bell then I guess we have done you the contractor a great injustice. What do you do when you advertise in the yellow pages and you don't get a single phone call? Do you then call the phone book to reclaim all of your investment in their advertising product? I mean why stop there? Why not ask Yellow pages for a refund for everytime you have used their product to find a mechanic or a flower shop, or a doctor for that matter that didn't meet your expectations, I mean let's have them refund you for everything in your life that has gone wrong and can remotely be connected with them.

Here's another good one. We had a preview system in place where you can pay a monthly fee and have emails sent to you for that fee which ranges from 9.99 a month for our "Platinum" memebers to 19.95 a month for new sign ups. We will give this service to you absolutley free for 30 days so you can check it out. There's no long term contract with anything we offer and you can cancel at anytime with no obligation. We have had companies sign up for this and get many many previews during the first month they don't buy a single one and then when they get their monthly charge they call and cancel. For no apparent reason I mean what could they quit for? They never bought anything. I can't wait til a contractor or two visit this blog and can actually reapond to me and tell me what it is if anything we are doing wrong. So if you're a contractor who has time for additional business leads
Click Here To Get Leads drop on by, we'd love to have you!

Yet Another Baffling Situation...

Got into work today, logged onto my email and there were the usual requests for credit and to change account information but one email in particular stood out. I guess it was because the company has just written in last week.

They were concerned last week that they were not getting enough leads from us. I responded quickly to let them know that since they only take one county and will only service two products within that county and will only work within five zips codes for those two products that it is unlikely we will be able to provide them with an abundance of quality leads. I suggested that they either widen their area or the products they service. I got no response last week from them.

So today I was anxious to see what they were up to now. Upon opening the email I read that they were again concerned about the amount of leads they were not receiving and they also wanted to take out one of their products. This completely blew me away. Now their chance of getting a lead that matches their criteria is next to impossible.

Between this type of behavior and the behavior in an earlier post regarding refusing work, it's a wonder that these companies are still in business. LOL! It's companies like this that I would really just like to say, "Hey, based upon your preferences it really doesn't look like we are going to be able to help you." I guess that wouldn't be very good business practice. It sure would weed out a lot of the wastes of time and garbage that we have to deal with on a daily basis and would free us up to devote more time to customers that actually use the service appropriately. The majority of my time is spent reiterating the same information to the same few companies several times. This is after it is all put in writing for them.

It's like talking to a child, they only hear what they want to hear. It's funny because it's like the contractors think that we don't know our own policies or that we will be willing to break them at every request. How could we stay in business if we just gave all of our business away? I'm sure there aren't many contractors out there that give away free home improvement projects!

Tomorrow is the beginning of another brand new, exciting week in the industry, I'll be sure to report on it as soon as I get home and kick my feet up while waiting for the leftover lasagna to heat up! Until then, if you are a over particular contractor that apparently has enough work that he really doesn't need a lead generation company's service but likes to hire them just to drive their employees batty with ridiculous requests..... visit us here to get Quality Contractor Leads!

Home Owner's Questions

Not much of interest happened today at the office. One of the things we try to do at our company is respond to each and every email. We get a few from homeowners too. Usually this is a request for an estimate on their home improvement project but we also get some questions regarding warranty work. Now even though we do not provide any type of service like this I still try to assist the homeowners. This can be anything from simply helping them find a phone number to a contractor to sometimes referring them elsewhere. I always try to help though wherever I can.

Today a customer had a question that I am all too familiar with. It seems that the company that did her replacement windows a few years back had gone out of business. Often times a homeowner does not know what to do in this situation. They call the company that did the work to find a disconnected phone number then they search the Internet and find us.

I will usually refer them to the warranty paperwork that came with the windows. If that doesn't work I will advise them to call the Attorney General's Consumer Department. That has proven to me to be a great reference point in finding out what to do and where to go for recourse in these situations.

I know how frustrating it can be to have an issue regarding a service provided and not be able to turn to the company who installed the product or provided that service. Not only do the companies go out of business but even some of the existing companies that I have dealt with are less than helpful when it comes to repair or service related issues. They can at least point you in the right direction when you are ready to pull your hair out from listening to recorded messages and getting lost in phone trees with some of these companies.

It is always the way though isn't it? When you are buying from the company they are your best friend but when something goes wrong it can be compared to squeezing blood from a turnip to get your issue resolved. I have over 15 years of customer service experience so I have dealt with a vast array of customers and companies as well. Sometimes it's nice to just be able to vent your issue to another human being instead of pushing buttons on a telephone trying to get things resolved.

If you are one of the many home owner's I have responded to in the past I hope my advice has been helpful to you. If you are a homeowner with a home improvement question feel free to ask me, I can not guarantee you I will have the answer but I don't mind spending some time helping you look around for it. Everybody learns that way and isn't it better when we all work together anyway?
Find possible solutions to home improvement questions

The craziest lead refusal ever, and it happened twice!

Today, at work, did I ever have a weird one...I guess I should start by introducing myself. I work for a nationwide home improvement lead generation company that's been in business for a few years now and is quite successful.

I perform a plethora of duties from managing our lead verification department, answering phones, assisting contractors with sign ups and inquiries to managing our 7 day a week bustling office. I'm a pretty busy girl but I just had to find time to start this blog.

I thought it necessary to inform our contractors and homeowners alike of my daily run ins. These experiences range from informative to down right hilarious and finding the irony and humor in this job is part of what makes it so great to come to work everyday.

Today was a typical day at the office until I got a call from a prospect that was looking to have an estimate done on his home. He wasn't sure if he needed an estimate for siding or painting but he knew he wanted to do something about the drab appearance of the outside of his home. I jumped at this opportunity because it was an obvious lay down for any of our qualified contractors in his area. I told the gentleman that I would connect him with someone that could do both estimates if possible.
After that phone call I accessed our database and found 2 likely candidates.
Upon calling the first contractor I excitedly told them that I had a possible prospect for them, I noted that they had siding selected as one of their products serviced and I asked them if they did painting. The contractor responded with, "No, we don't do painting..." I said, "well, this customer is unsure of what exactly he needs and would like a quote on both if possible." The contractor just reiterated that they do not do painting and said, "But thanks for the call anyway." I hung up the phone dismayed. Here was a valid prospect ready to get an estimate and I couldn't even get the contractor to bite on it. I guess they must already have enough business. (crazy! they may have just as well said to me, "no thanks, we don't want to make any more money today, we already have enough...")
The next phone call went out...this guy said that not only does he not work that area, (BTW we have it selected for him since his sign up and have provided him multiple prospects there too!) but he was not interested and at the same time wanted to inquire regarding a credit he had asked for and never received. I looked into the credit for him, turns out it was for "No Contact" which is not valid under our contract. I explained to the contractor that we call all of our prospect and had contacted this one previous to sending it to him. He then responded with, "Well just cancel my service!"

Now, I wonder if the fact that I can't even get these guys to realize a qualified, valid prospect when it bites them in the ass could also be a reason why their credit card can not be billed for a single charge for $40.00 or why they shouldn't even be allowed to obtain a business license! Or even better why they request to purchase a lead through our preview program and then cannot be reached by phone or email to obtain billing information to sell them the lead they just asked for!

Oh, I get it...I should have told both contractors when I called to offer the lead that not only did this guy want a bid but I was going to give it to them for free and set the appointment as well as have the homeowner submit photos of the work area and possible supply the materials and tools for the job. This way the contractor wouldn't have to lift a finger and could just collect a paycheck.
This was a crazy day at the office let me tell you. Funny thing is stuff like this happens to me everyday and I can't wait to write about tomorrow's adventures. If you want to join our crazy contractor carnival go to I'm a nutty contractor that refuses work at any cost we'd love to have y0u on board, you'll blend right in.