Not many properties come tailor-made to individual tastes, making it necessary to do some alterations. This is where websites like Home Advisor Pro (HAP) step in to help make the change from house to a home.
There are many home projects that homeowners feel unqualified to tackle by themselves. Whether it is putting in a new floor, or building a gazebo, the services of a good handyman is often necessary. The challenge is in finding a suitably qualified one. HAP is an online service that connects homeowners with contractors, qualified and available to do the job.
How It Works
Once a person creates their profile, they then fill out details about the kind of project they need help with. This allows the system to work out the kind of professionals that are needed. Using this info, they forward the leads to providers who serve that particular locale and are available to take up the job. Both homeowners and providers, such as plumbers and carpenters, will have profiles on the website and are matched.
Once the lead is picked up by the provider, it is then up to them to contact the homeowner and bid for the job. It is important to note that a single lead is usually sent out to several providers, making it a somewhat competitive situation. While putting up a job is free for the homeowner, the providers are charged a fee for each lead they get, whether or not they end up getting the job.
In order to control the Home Advisor monthly fee spent on leads, a provider will set a spending target. This is an approximation of how much they would like to be charged every month. Keep in mind that the bigger the project, the bigger the charge for the lead.
This platform has been around for many years and has produced mixed results for the many contractors that have tried it. Some do highly recommend it, while others condemn it. Before deciding on whether or not to sign up, here are some pros and cons to be considered.
Considering Becoming A Home Advisor Pro
Advantages
- It works
Once contractors are matched to a particular job, eventually, one or more of them is chosen to complete it. The fact that Home Advisor has been making money all these years and continued to grow, attests to the effectiveness of the system and how more and more homeowners have come to rely on it to connect them with qualified contractors.
- It grows businesses
This is especially true for newbies. In the service industry, word of mouth plays a big role in establishing a solid reputation and attracting repeat and new clientele. With a new business, it can be difficult to gain word of mouth recognition, as there is no reputation to back up claims. HomeAdvisor gives starters in the business the opportunity to show homeowners what they can do, and build up a solid portfolio of completed projects they can use to showcase their talent.
- Control of expenditure
Being able to set a spending target means that contractors can control how much they spend on leads provided by Home Advisor. Over time, this limit can be adjusted upward or downward depending on how the business is benefiting from its use. Once a contractor feels that they have built up a big enough client base that can be tapped into directly, and provide sufficient word of mouth referrals, it is easy to turn off leads entirely.
Disadvantages
- Misuse of brand identity
Within the terms of service, contractors grant Home Advisor the right to use their business profile to direct links to HAP. For some contractors, this is considered unethical, but it is a condition agreed upon before the profile is launched.
- Ghost clients or leads
Other times it could be they are not yet ready for the project but want to know the budget they should save up for. The result is bad leads that no contractor benefits from.
- Loss of recurrent expenditure
When many leads end up not panning out, a contractor could end up spending more than they are making. The best way to limit this cost is for a contractor to make the best effort to secure a job and adjust the spending target to what they can afford.
Tips To Success
Here are a few guidelines that can help mitigate the downsides of becoming a HomeAdvisor Pro.
- A contractor should be as detailed as possible when completing their profile. This is to avoid receiving, and being charged for, weak leads that do not relate well to their area of expertise.
- Respond to suitable leads as quickly as possible. Make use of such tools like the mobile app to get instant notifications and get in touch with potential clients quickly. Most homeowners will hire the first suitably qualified contractor they hear from.
- Invest as a beginner and divest when established. Word of mouth is considered the best form of advertisement and means to grow a business. Home Advisor Pro is a great way to start in the meantime and build up a reputation that will eventually speak for itself.
HomeAdvisor is a very well established system for job matching. It provides an easy meeting place for those that need jobs to be done and those that can do it. Compared to Home Advisor competitors, this platform offers the largest number of job opportunities and the best potential to establish a good reputation in the business fast. For those that are new to the business, or experiencing a slump, this is a great way to boost revenues.