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!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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.
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.
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