“I turned Instant Match on. Why isn’t it working?”
We hear these kinds of questions every day at Thumbtack. As a company, it’s our job to explain how Thumbtack works — and to make it better when things are confusing or wrong. But there are a lot of really useful tools that make unlocking Thumbtack that much easier — and that a lot of pros aren’t taking advantage of. Who better to explain those features than the folks who built them?
Here are a few of the most effective ways to use Thumbtack’s new features to get in front of the right customers courtesy of the engineers, product designers and researchers who built Thumbtack.
Secret 1: If you’re not getting the right jobs, you need to adjust your preferences.
Your job preferences decide the kinds of jobs that you’ll receive using Thumbtack and how much you’ll get paid for the work. Job preferences aren’t the kind of thing you set once and walk away from — it’s a process to find what works. Here are the main things to think about:
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- Price. How much do you charge for each type of work you do? Do these prices change depending on the season, your availability or any add-ons your customer can choose?
- Travel. How far are you willing to travel to your customer? Will your customer come to you or will you travel to them — if so, does that cost extra?
- Jobs. What kind of work do you offer? This is your chance to list all of your specialties. But remember — only list kind of work that you are qualified (and if you need one, licensed) to do. Pros that expand their job preferences end up getting hired 20% more on Thumbtack!
- Availability. Do you work weekends? Do you work all day on every week day? Do you block off time to handle back office business? Set your calendar to reflect these so you never get double booked.
Secret 2: Setting your budget means having full control over what you spend.
Your budget ensures you never spend more than what you want to in any week, regardless of Instant Match being on or off, with a higher budget enabling you to connect with more customers each week and only pay when they respond (with something besides “no thanks”).
Secret 3: The photos on your Thumbtack profile win you business.
Your profile is your online storefront. Beyond professional quality photos and headshots to make your business look great, there are a number of things you can do to amplify your legitimacy. That includes:
- Background check. It takes less than five minutes to do and costs you nothing, but adds an extra layer of legitimacy to your profile.
- Licenses. Not all industries require a license. But if you have one, show it off.
- Proof of insurance. If you work in a high liability industry, demonstrating you have insurance (and are prepared for any possible accidents) does a lot to put you ahead with customers. Add a photo of your proof of insurance in your photos.
- A complete profile. You’d be surprised how many pros don’t complete their Thumbtack profiles. Show your customer you’re serious about your business by filling out your introduction, Q&A and more. Why? It’s the main way customers learn about your business.
- Personalization. You are your company’s voice — be a friendly one. When you reach out to the customer, make the conversation about them and the specific details of their project.
Secret 4: Pro Insights can help you decide what to do and how much to charge.
Your Pro Insights show you more than just how many jobs you’re winning or who you’re losing them to. Thumbtack tells you a lot about how your business is doing, from how you compare to other pros in your local market, to your price and response time. You can also track how your business is doing compared to other times of the year, helping you to understand how you’re doing on a broader scale.
Secret 5: Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Use Thumbtack to hire pros.
Understanding how Thumbtack works as a professional is one thing. Understanding how it works for customers, what they see when they send a request, is something else altogether. Make a customer account on Thumbtack so you can experience hiring a pro for yourself. You’ll learn a lot about what’s out there on Thumbtack, and who knows, you might just make some really valuable business connections in the end.
Stay tuned for more useful insights from the Self Made event, including guides, checklists and webinars.
