Lead generation for contractors: leads that call you, and only you
A lot of what gets sold as lead generation for contractors is really renting. You pay a marketplace for a name and a phone number. That same name often goes to other pros too. Then it’s a race to call back first, and the one who wins usually just has the lowest price.
I’d rather build you leads that come straight to you. Your number, your name, your reviews, your accounts.
01
Bought leads vs. your own leads
| Bought from a marketplace | Your own | |
|---|---|---|
| Who else gets it | Up to 3 pros, per HomeAdvisor | Nobody. They called your number. |
| Whose name they remember | The marketplace’s | Yours |
| What’s left when you stop paying | Nothing | Your reviews, Business Profile, website and customer list |
| Who owns the account | The marketplace | You |
I’m not here to trash Angi, HomeAdvisor or Thumbtack. If one of them fills your calendar at a price you like, keep it. Just know what you’re paying for each job you actually win, not each lead. That’s the number that tells you if it’s worth it.
02
Where your own leads come from
This page is the big picture. Each channel has its own page with the details, so I won’t repeat them here. Which ones you need depends on your trade.
- Someone searching Google for your service right now. That’s Google search ads.
- The pay-per-lead listings with the Google Verified badge. That’s Local Services Ads, if your trade qualifies.
- The map. That’s your Google Business Profile.
- Someone planning a remodel or a new driveway. That’s Meta ads on Facebook and Instagram.
- Search, over the long haul. That’s local SEO. Slow, but you don’t pay per click.
- The place all of it lands. That’s your website. If it can’t take a call, nothing above works as well as it should.
A plumber might need three of those. A concrete contractor needs a different three. Nobody needs all six on day one.
03
The leak nobody checks
Getting the phone to ring is half of it. The other half is what happens next.
I plumbed for five years. In the field I saw where companies lose leads and struggle to land jobs. A call comes in while your hands are full. A form goes to an email nobody reads. A quote gets sent and never followed up.
So before any ads go live, I test the path a lead takes. I call the tracked numbers. I fill out the forms and check that they land where you’ll see them. If you miss calls on jobs, missed-call text back and follow-up catches them.
Paying for leads that leak out the back is the most expensive kind of marketing there is.
04
How I count a lead
A form fill isn’t a lead to me. Spam, wrong numbers, people looking for a job, somebody in another state. None of that counts.
What I count is qualified leads. A qualified lead is a lead from my marketing that you send a quote to. That’s the number I report on, and it’s the number my own billing hangs on. In the 30-day pilot, the monthly management fee doesn’t start until day 30 or your first qualified lead, whichever comes later.
That’s on purpose. If I don’t get you leads worth quoting, I don’t get paid monthly.
05
Trades where owning your leads matters most
Handyman. The marketplaces are packed. One handyman marketplace lists more than 2,000 active pros in Salt Lake City alone. Standing out in that crowd is hard. Standing out on your own Business Profile, with your own reviews, is doable. See handyman marketing.
Remodeling. When the job is a whole kitchen, sharing the lead with other remodelers stings more. Your own leads come from people who already looked at your work. See remodeling marketing.
Roofing. After a storm, door-knocking crews show up. A homeowner who found you on their own already trusts you more than the guy on the porch. See roofing marketing.
Questions
Are Angi and HomeAdvisor leads worth it?
Sometimes. Track what each won job costs you, not what each lead costs. If the math works, keep them. If it doesn’t, that’s when owning your leads starts to make sense.
Are the leads you get me exclusive?
Leads from your own ads, your own Business Profile and your own website come to you. Nobody else gets them, because they called your number.
How fast will I get leads?
I don’t promise a day count. Anyone who does is guessing. What I can promise is how billing works: the monthly fee doesn’t start until day 30 or your first qualified lead, whichever comes later.
What do I have to do?
Answer the phone. Send quotes. Tell me which leads you quoted, so I can count them right.
Can you just buy leads for me?
No. I build lead flow you own. Buying leads is something you can already do without me.
Next step
Your leads, your accounts
Ad accounts, website, Business Profile and data all stay in your name. After billing starts it’s month to month, with 30 days’ notice to cancel. See all services.