Show your customers who you are and why you’re the best pro for the job.
Step 1: Make a Good Impression with a Quality Headshot
Fact: 83 percent of pros on Thumbtack include at least one photo of themselves or their work.
How: Follow this advice from Top Pro portrait photographer Tri Nguyen.
- Smile: “When all of the stills are in front of you, you’re going to pick the photo where you’re smiling. It’s what customers want to see.”
- Choose bright lighting: “Make sure there’s plenty of natural light around you. You want the photo to be bright.”
- Look crisp and clean: “You can wear your work outfit in your headshot, just make sure that it’s freshly laundered and ironed. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with a polo shirt.”
Take your own headshot with these professional tips or hire someone to take one for you.
Step 2: Control the Customers You Meet with Your Job Preferences
Your Thumbtack job preferences determine everything from the types of jobs you get, to the distance customers expect you to travel (or expect to travel to you).
“Because I set my specific days and hours of availability, Thumbtack finds customers whose schedules and needs match mine,” says Top Pro piano instructor Amber Saldivar.
How: When setting your job preferences, ask yourself if you’ve covered everything below.
✓ Job type and size
✓ Travel distance
✓ Availability
✓ Price
✓ Budget
Expect to adjust your job preferences regularly until you find your sweet spot. We’ll give you tips along the way to maximize your reach!
See details on exactly what to adjust on your job preferences with Thumbtack’s Pro Tips Guide.
Step 3: Ask for a Review for Every Job
Pros with 10 or more reviews on Thumbtack are five times more likely to win a job than pros who have none. Why? Here’s what customer Kara B. told us:
“The reviews do 80 percent of the work for you. If a pro is both well-reviewed and highly-reviewed, you know that person will be competent.”
How: Change the job status in your Thumbtack inbox so Thumbtack sends a review message to customers for you. Here are four pointers from Top Pro Steve Novitsky:
- Mention how important reviews are to your livelihood while you’re working together.
- Send an email with follow-up tips the day you finish the job, and ask for a review.
- Tie your review request with your work. Send it with the final product or receipt if you can.
- Follow up a day later if the customer hasn’t responded.
Use examples from Thumbtack’s Get Hired Guide to craft your own follow-up message.
