Paint lead platforms - Checkatrade, mybuilder, etc

[MarkP1]

Hi all!

Newbie here, I have a question for the professional painter/decorator who runs their own business.

How many of you use a service like Mybuilder, Rated People, Checkatrade, etc?

I help painters with their online marketing and when I analyze their activity with these platforms it turns out that a lot of them are bleeding money. Most don't even know if it's profitable or not.

The overall feedback is also not very positive. Most complaints that I have heard are:

• These platforms keep raising their fees

• The leads are worthless, but you still have to pay

• Qualified and trained professionals are competing against rogue traders who will ALWAYS beat you when it comes to pricing

• And...(sadly) there are competitors who create fake jobs in order to have you spend your marketing budget

What are your experiences with this platform and what do you rely on to get new business? word of mouth, Facebook?
Curious to hear your opinions and perhaps I might be able to provide some tips.

Cheers
Mark

[dewaltdisney]

All I know is good tradesmen never look for work, it comes from recommendations mainly and they have long lead times. These purported trade sites are purely there to make money for the site owners they seem to have a tarnished reputation with false reviews, chancers professing expertise, and so on. You may as well use Yell for what good they are.

DWD

[Neelix]

Don’t waste money on check a con man , or the others - their reviews are questionable to say the least

Most good trades get work by word of mouth, so advertising isn’t necessary

[Someone-Else]

I might be able to provide some tips.

At what cost?

Are you anything to do with the website "mylocalpainter"

[banjerbill]

My first thought was this is spam, I wait to be proved wrong.

[Tom d'Angler]

What are your experiences with this platform

Hi Mark

As you've seen from the comments so far, not many professionals need to use that type of service because we get most of our business through word of mouth. When I first started I had some business cards printed and delivered those to houses in my area. I got plenty of work form that and then the recommendations started rolling in. I advertise on my van and in the local church magazine, but this is mainly as a "memory jogger" for people (I've lost count of the customer who say something like "I've been meaning to call you for ages and then I saw your van outside Mrs So-and-so's..."

Unfortunately, the public is taken in by the exaggerated promises of sites like Check-A-Trader and believe they are getting a verified skilled tradesman when they are often getting the opposite.

[MarkP1]

I might be able to provide some tips.

At what cost?

Are you anything to do with the website "mylocalpainter"

Hi Someone Else,

At no costs whatsoever. A forum like this is where you share knowledge right. So if someone has any questions related to marketing I am happy to provide my 2 cents.
And I am not sure how you got to mylocalpainter, but yes I have indeed done some consultancy for those guys :)

[MarkP1]

What are your experiences with this platform

Hi Mark

As you've seen from the comments so far, not many professionals need to use that type of service because we get most of our business through word of mouth. When I first started I had some business cards printed and delivered those to houses in my area. I got plenty of work form that and then the recommendations started rolling in. I advertise on my van and in the local church magazine, but this is mainly as a "memory jogger" for people (I've lost count of the customer who say something like "I've been meaning to call you for ages and then I saw your van outside Mrs So-and-so's..."

Unfortunately, the public is taken in by the exaggerated promises of sites like Check-A-Trader and believe they are getting a verified skilled tradesman when they are often getting the opposite.

Hey Tom, thanks for your response. Word of mouth is indeed still the best form of advertising anyone can get. I think it is also easier to establish yourself as the go-to- guy for any paintwork in a smaller village or town. But if you work in let's say London where there is a lot of competition, you will need to showcase your expertise in order to stand out.

As for these platforms, you are right. I believe they have been created solely for consumer and not for the tradesmen. For consumers its easy (and free) to ask for some quotes and use that to compare or - too often - negotiate the price down. Unfortunately, too many people only look at price and don't seem to understand that if you expect quality work you will need to pay accordingly.

[wine~o]

I believe they have been created solely for consumer and not for the tradesmen.

You are kidding ? The likes of chuck-a-trade are there for no-ones benefit, purely to make money for the company themselves.

[Tom d'Angler]

I believe they have been created solely for consumer and not for the tradesmen.

I'm sorry but I disagree - these platforms have been created to make a profit for the companies that own them. Tradesmen are suckered in to spend money in the hope they will get more work and consumers are suckered into believing they will get a better tradesman for a lower price.

The best way, by far, to build a profitable long-term business is to build up a base of satisfied customers who use you again and again and recommend you to friends, family, and neighbours.

I found the best way to start building a customer base is to advertise locally; business cards through letterboxes, an advert in the local parish magazine, and signwriting on my van. It's is a much cheaper and far more reliable way to attract those initial customers.

[Tom d'Angler]

I help painters with their online marketing

You'd be better off helping painters with their offline marketing.