Calling ALL Tradespeople (need your thoughts)

[jack hill]

Hi i've been thinking for a while to set up an agency which gets jobs for a variety of tradespeople e.g

P&Ders, Plumbers, Elec, HVAC, Glaziers, Carp&Joinrs, Plasterers, Stonemas, Tilesetters, Roofers, Bricklayers. you get the point literally, as much trades as we can do WELL.

& im wondering as a trades person would you want to work with us if we approached you with the following lucrative deal?

-

the deal is...

* we the agency find you jobs & pass them onto you via telephone giving you a rough description of what needs to be done & the area the job is

which you can turn down or you can accept and we'll give you the address phone number etc.

* upon accepting job you arrange a visit with the customer, agree on work, price etc.

*when you are paid you pay us our commission

--

our prices are...
in the format (if you earn)=(our commission is)

(£10-£49)= £5
(£50-£99)= £10
(£100+)= 10%

and bare in mind
-this excludes call out fees, materials & other costs.
-you set your own prices
-we only take commission from labour/time charges

*

let me know what you think
thanks for reading

Jack

 

[Beachcomber]

Personally I'd be up for it.

I already take work from some letting agents that charge a % fee.

I guess it would all come down to the small print - what agreement is entered into, conditions / liabilities / terms etc.

 

[maxine]

A couple of questions

* how would the lead be sourced originally? if it is an online lead then chances are that the customer may have searched elsewhere

* how many people received the leads or is it exclusive?

 

[jack hill]

at Maxine leads would be sourced via advertising that our company has great, screened, qualified tradespeople, taking away the hassle of having to find a TP that ticks all the boxes because we ensure that for you.

& each TP would be placed on a leaderboard where their score will depend on customer feedback forms from every job they do & they will be called from #1 on the list downwards to the first available TP

thanks for your help so far, more thoughts on the idea please
much appreciated
Jack

 

[S-Marketing]

Is this some kind of American program you are looking to duplicate?

 

[jack hill]

at Stretchy: no but feel free to tell me about it if you think its worth knowing about.

 

[CKG]

I don't see the point in professional middlemen in this game. They add absolutely nothing to the deal and serve only to either push prices up or down for their own ends.

The industry doesn't need market makers.

I see the point in a letting agent taking a % cut as it swings both ways. They have actual clients to facilitate for and can seek reward for that service.

How long before we see comparethemiddleman.com?

The idea could work in a commercial setting where you are acting as a kind of FM broker. That could have merit.

 

[jack hill]

I don't see the point in professional middlemen in this game. They add absolutely nothing to the deal and serve only to either push prices up or down for their own ends.

The industry doesn't need market makers.

I see the point in a letting agent taking a % cut as it swings both ways. They have actual clients to facilitate for and can seek reward for that service.

How long before we see comparethemiddleman.com?

The idea could work in a commercial setting where you are acting as a kind of FM broker. That could have merit.

I appreciate & respect your take on things, in the example this business model was to be launched whether by me or someone else,

how do you think they could run things so that their business is geared towards being more helpful to new or job-light tradespeople needing work & to the public who are sick of cowboy builders & shoddy tricksters?

thanks for your upfront honesty aswell !
all opinions welcome




btw- whats a fm broker?

 

[maxine]

... leads would be sourced via advertising that our company has great, screened, qualified tradespeople, taking away the hassle of having to find a TP that ticks all the boxes because we ensure that for you.

& each TP would be placed on a leaderboard where their score will depend on customer feedback forms from every job they do & they will be called from #1 on the list downwards to the first available TP

Ok, heard enough and it sounds like an unnecessary low value brokerage that has been tried a hundred times before with nothing special

1) The statement "great, screened, qualified tradespeople" says it all. How do you know they are "great" and why wouldn't they be "great" without you? Screened for what? that they shouldn't be in business themselves? a credit check? CRB? history of customer complaints? screened for what? Same goes for qualified as doesn't mean a thing as someone wouldn't be in business as a tradesperson if they weren't qualified and competent. What about experience? Public liability insurance? Insurance backed guarantees? etc.

2) Leaderboard based on customer feedback ... Hmmm, therein lies a problem with vague feedback that doesn't take contractual terms into consideration. There's been some interesting threads on here in the past one of which was a bathroom fitter than had his business damaged by negative feedback because he didn't fit a toilet when a customer hadn't paid. The fact that they hadn't paid did nothing to protect him from negative online feedback.

Anyway, sorry but I feel very negative about this as like CKG, I feel it is based on ambulance chasing.

Shoddy cowboys and tricksters should be dealt with by trading standards and not used as an opportunity to promote fear in the community against trades that are by and large the most honest, proud and hard working kind of business people you could find.

Oh, and unfortunately these kind of services tend to get used mostly by rogue customers who want cheap as chips so most trades tend to stay away for that reason too.

 

[CKG]

FM = Facilities management or maintenance.

It's a posh term large businesses use to describe procuring the services that keep their business facilities running. It can cover all trades.

Facilities managers just want jobs doing quickly and efficiently by a company or person that ticks all the regulatory boxes. They look for a two sided deal and will pay good money to and hold onto a company that can deliver the goods consistently.

Top FM companies can be worth £billions and are global so it's a gigantic industry.

Joe public use middle men to get the bids in and batter the price down under threat of a bad review - then you never see them again. Chewed up and spat out.

 

[MASSEY]

I don't think the question should be 'will trades be up for this' because they obviously are if you look at the likes of rated people etc etc.

The question should be 'Will i make alot of money from setting up an agency and selling leads to tradesmen'

And the answer will be something along the lines of - probably not.

 

[N8rbos]

With maxine on this, i'm sick of 'middlemen' proclaimingto offer a service o householders of 'tradesmen' whohaven't been vetted etc llike other sites that are offering this 'service'. If the 'tradesman' screws up or screws them over, do you take any responsibility for this? Will you personally vet the 'tradesman' who you recommendto the customer? Do you have the exp. of all the trades? Sorry but its a nono from me and i am a tradesman and get enough o my own work .

 

[jack hill]

Very happy with the amount of relies so far, thanks for putting your views in.

to Maxine:
1) my 3 word statement was a simplification to give you a picture of what our customers could expect, more specifically; we would check all of the things you said. All that most would want checked before they: let someone into their home, have professional expectations of their work & have to pass their hard earned money to.

2) you brought up a great point concerning how customer feedback can be vague & not consider contractual terms. so in response you've prompted me to be extra aware of that & my perspective is the better quality the question the better quality the answer, so i will use that to ensure the right questions are being asked.

and also feedback unless there is a breach of law by the TP's actions then will just be kept with us, unless the TP asks or permits it to be passed on. there will not be a naming and shaming nor tradesmen of the month for everyone to see. the leaderboard is only for use by the company to select TP's for a customer.

btw very sorry to hear about the bathroom fitter

*

at CKG thanks for your explanation.

*

at MASSEY: we dont sell leads we give jobs to the highest rated available TP on our books & charge a commission excl their costs.
& we dont charge a penny for the service, just a thorough vetting, a simple contract, put you on our list & work hard to get you some jobs.

*

at N8rbos: if the tradesperson screws up we are not liable because they are not our employees or acting under our orders we just presented them the job opportunity, although we will inform customers of their rights & what they can do from there. & if a TP screws them over this would also be an enemy to us so naturally they would have breached their contract & be blocked from any work from us. & the homeowner would have our support as we do NOT stand for rogue traders.


*

appreciate everyones thoughts on the subject, does anyone have any good thoughts on the subject?


1) Do you think customers would be happy calling up for a tradesperson if we advertised tht we thoroghly vet TP & have a leaderboard based on customer feedback?

2) Do you think this model COULD be a good ting for customers & TP and what would it take for it to be?


3) We are aware people like to know they are doing a good thing even when shopping & have thouoght about donating % of profits to charity.

Have you any ideas for charities worth checking out once we start picking up in sales?

 

[N8rbos]

Very happy with the amount of relies so far, thanks for putting your views in.

to Maxine:
1) my 3 word statement was a simplification to give you a picture of what our customers could expect, more specifically; we would check all of the things you said. All that most would want checked before they: let someone into their home, have professional expectations of their work & have to pass their hard earned money to.

2) you brought up a great point concerning how customer feedback can be vague & not consider contractual terms. so in response you've prompted me to be extra aware of that & my perspective is the better quality the question the better quality the answer, so i will use that to ensure the right questions are being asked.

and also feedback unless there is a breach of law by the TP's actions then will just be kept with us, unless the TP asks or permits it to be passed on. there will not be a naming and shaming nor tradesmen of the month for everyone to see. the leaderboard is only for use by the company to select TP's for a customer.

btw very sorry to hear about the bathroom fitter

*

at CKG thanks for your explanation.

*

at MASSEY: we dont sell leads we give jobs to the highest rated available TP on our books & charge a commission excl their costs.
& we dont charge a penny for the service, just a thorough vetting, a simple contract, put you on our list & work hard to get you some jobs.

*

at N8rbos: if the tradesperson screws up we are not liable because they are not our employees or acting under our orders we just presented them the job opportunity, although we will inform customers of their rights & what they can do from there. & if a TP screws them over this would also be an enemy to us so naturally they would have breached their contract & be blocked from any work from us. & the homeowner would have our support as we do NOT stand for rogue traders.


*

appreciate everyones thoughts on the subject, does anyone have any good thoughts on the subject?


1) Do you think customers would be happy calling up for a tradesperson if we advertised tht we thoroghly vet TP & have a leaderboard based on customer feedback?

2) Do you think this model COULD be a good ting for customers & TP and what would it take for it to be?


3) We are aware people like to know they are doing a good thing even when shopping & have thouoght about donating % of profits to charity.

Have you any ideas for charities worth checking out once we start picking up in sales?

you are finding work then giving out to presumably the highest paying tp, if you go by the highest rating tp you will only have one, he/she at the top. you are going to be vetting / checking people how? you going to do all these checks for free? are you going to charge a monthly/yearly fee? a tp has a contract with you and he gets leads from you but he is not employed or basically if the **** hits the fan, nowt to do with you. what guarantees can you offer the tp that if he does the job that you expect your fees from that the customer can actually afford to pay?
why don't you just set up a building firm with some workers and have it over and done with, your going to be getting the work, giving the work out etc so why not go the whole hog? or is it he responsibility part you don't want? look around all the trademans forum and see how many use these sites and what customers are asking for, quality work at peanut money.

 

[lawrence147]

1) Do you think customers would be happy calling up for a tradesperson if we advertised tht we thoroghly vet TP & have a leaderboard based on customer feedback?

2) Do you think this model COULD be a good ting for customers & TP and what would it take for it to be?


3) We are aware people like to know they are doing a good thing even when shopping & have thouoght about donating % of profits to charity.

Have you any ideas for charities worth checking out once we start picking up in sales?


I've used a couple of these middlemen sites myself:

1) Yes that would be better as RP base their 'vetted tradesman' on leads for jobs through them, NOT when you sign up, so anyone can get good feedback. Only 1 company I know vets TPs to start with and, for whatever reason, they don't use this as a marketing tool.

2) Money, Money and more Money. Due to the economy, everyone is jumping on this bandwagon, creating higher barriers to entry. With RPs TV and radio adverts, website banners everywhere, I hate to think what their marketing budget is but it will be in the millions. All that to pull the cust to add jobs (which may be wish fulfillment or non jobs anyway) to their databases and extract lots of money from us poor conscientious TPs.

3) I don't think that's much of a pull for customers as there is enough aggressive marketing from charities themselves and, right now, cust would rather keep the extra pennies for themselves.


IMO, I don't see this working as I don't think you are adding anything new to a really competitive industry, run mostly by rogues for rogues.

Don't mean to be harsh, just don't want to see you wasting money while you get squashed by competitors.

 

[msec]

These types of sites have been done to death. I became self employed in 2007 and have used most, if not all of them at one time or another. They have gone from good to bad to terrible with lots of changes to structure and fees in between. Neither tradesmen of customers are properly vetted, meaning you end up with a lot of unqualified cowboys and unrealistic time wasting dreamers. The good trades and customers are few and far between.

My sister is in lettings and I have a decent knowledge of the industry. Letting agents should not be charging a % for jobs arranged with tradesmen. They should charge the client a set fee or range of set fees. It is an underhand practice which reputable tradesmen shouldn't get involved with.

 

[CKG]

I think i agree with the poster who mentioned setting up as a building contracor.

Its essentially what you'd be but with less profit, less control and less credibility in the industry.

You could league table your staff and see how that goes down.

 

[PDW Electrical Services]

Maxine your totally right!!

I run a small electrical contracting business and we are sick to death of these parasites trying to leach off the back of our hard work

The blatant truth is that any tradesmen who is any good and worth his salt will be able to rely on recommendation and word of mouth or his own marketing efforts

The only 'tradesmen' that generally sign up to these sites are inexperienced newcomers who have usually just completed a 2week fast track course and were working in an office job beforehand when they were laid off or people who cant rely on their own reputation to get work because they are no good!

And the ONLY way to vet a tradesmen is buy seeing his work and dealing with his personal service, a certificate means next to nothing in this game!

so to anybody reading this please stick to personal recommendation!!

I talk with a wealth of experience in these matters and deal with correcting the fallout from cowboys most weeks, which in a way gets me more work!lol

 

[Thomas Smart]

I think most trades would agree this would be of interest if they saw work arise from it.

Many people think this 'middle man' service is unnessecary however I do think if you can offer a better sales response than what they could do themselves this would be a good idea.

 

[maxine]

But it's not all about sales is it? Or not for some but more about profit, reputation and minimising risk

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

In the service area's for say private landlords etc it could/would work, however if that work is carried out under the pretence or deliverance of a TP/Sub-contractor from the agency surely there would be some form of come back against the agency if it went sour?

After all, they're the ones whom have given the work to the TP are they not? - or have I read that incorrectly?

 

[Changing Spaces]

Hi,

I would be interested in this opportunity and working with you.

Please PM me with more information and to chat more