Does Service Magic work?

[JP Landscaping]

So I have a friend in the concrete industry who started using service magic and he says it's working real well for him. So I signed up today but am still finalyzing it and am wondering if any of you use it? what do you think of it? I know it's only a way to get leads the then you have to seal the deal but it's a way to get calls.

[jklawncare]

Lawn care business tips

i almost did it but i didnt think the price was right since im still growing..that tammy lady though.. calls all the time.. gets kinda ridiculous..

__________________
Just Kut Lawn and Landscape
"Where Service is Always in Season"
Reach for the stars so if you fall you land on a cloud.

[The Cleaning Doctor]

Here are my thoughts...


1. $12-$18 per lead
2. They send that same lead to 4 of your competitors
3. You have to respond very fast contacting the customer or the job will be gone already.
4. The only thing magic is how fast your wallet empties.

For your friend it does probably work very well but his margins are much higher than yours. You get a $40 lawn and he gets a $10,000 driveway. I think it works very well for larger construction projects but not for jobs that are at the low end of the scale.

[The Cleaning Doctor]

Originally Posted by jklawncare

i almost did it but i didnt think the price was right since im still growing..that tammy lady though.. calls all the time.. gets kinda ridiculous..

The next time she calls tell her that if she calls again you will blast the headset off her ears. Then get one of those air horns and when she calls again tell her she might want to remove her headset and blast it into the MIC.

[mburse1977]

I use them and it is high for a lead but think if it in the long haul. You get a new account its only a one time fee and yes they are risked but how much do you spend on advertising this is ready to work leads.So far i only lost one customer but they credited me that back cause he wanted tree trimming and im not set up to do that so i had to turn it down and there are not a hole lot of lawn care company's using them so its not as bad as you think many 3 in my area. And i live in the new Orleans area.

Down fall its 98 to set up

Leads are 12 bucks to 31 bucks

Other company get the same leads.

Pluses is that the leads are ready to take your service as long as you stand out from the crowd.

Beats going door to door.

You can turn the leads off when you do not need them.

[jklawncare]

Originally Posted by The Cleaning Doctor

The next time she calls tell her that if she calls again you will blast the headset off her ears. Then get one of those air horns and when she calls again tell her she might want to remove her headset and blast it into the MIC.

thats a beautiful idea.

i told her i was uninterested and it might be in my future but not now and she alls about how it can help me grow
and i got so mad cause ive told her about 9 times ill call if im reatdy

one day i said look
im 16
i dont want you
stop calling me
or i will start calling you telling you about every lawn i mowed and what direction

i dont care if there is 47 requests for my service withing 100 miles of me.

i dont want to pay 120 a month to get one customer that will return me with 100 a month

stop calling me

"im very sorry i would just like to inform you that:
hung up

i think i just might try that next time..i think i can get the mini ones for like 7.00 at kmart

[Steve]

Do you think the benefits of it differs per industry? Would some industries benefit from it more because of less competition?

[MountainViewGreenskeeper]

I didnt read everyones post but my take on service magic is its to broad company. I dont use it but my wifes plumbing company would and they got business from another state all the time... so if it works, great but im not sure I would use it unless ur a business that looking for work all the time like a concrete company or landscape install company.

[CFD192]

I just recently took it on...there we no up front costs to set up as stated before...you only pay the 12 to 24 for the leads. If you want it to be a direct pick then you pay 1.5 time the suggested price for the type of work. That means if you have the page and set it up so that an individual can look at it and then get your information direct instead of the 2 other companies. Another look at is that I have went door to door and this one business has been getting most customers in my area. I come to find out they got him from Service Magic. So after signing up...I went and looked at the directory for my entire service area typing in each individual city/town. I then find out that he is the only one listed other than my new listing. So I asked how they did that and they stated that when it comes down to that sometimes it only gets sent to one or two however many is in the location. Now I have spent the past three days going door to door and it has been about a week and no phone calls, spent $90 on postcards, and business cards and probably $25 in gas so roughly $115 total. If I get four leads for lawn care that is about the same price. These are people wanting the work done where door to door you are trying to get people to want your service. So I am giving it a try...been three days and no leads, so we will see.

Chris Biser
biserlawncareandmore@yahoo.com
www.biserlawncareandmore.com

[DenisD]

Originally Posted by CFD192

I just recently took it on...there we no up front costs to set up as stated before...you only pay the 12 to 24 for the leads. If you want it to be a direct pick then you pay 1.5 time the suggested price for the type of work. That means if you have the page and set it up so that an individual can look at it and then get your information direct instead of the 2 other companies. Another look at is that I have went door to door and this one business has been getting most customers in my area. I come to find out they got him from Service Magic. So after signing up...I went and looked at the directory for my entire service area typing in each individual city/town. I then find out that he is the only one listed other than my new listing. So I asked how they did that and they stated that when it comes down to that sometimes it only gets sent to one or two however many is in the location. Now I have spent the past three days going door to door and it has been about a week and no phone calls, spent $90 on postcards, and business cards and probably $25 in gas so roughly $115 total. If I get four leads for lawn care that is about the same price. These are people wanting the work done where door to door you are trying to get people to want your service. So I am giving it a try...been three days and no leads, so we will see.

Chris Biser
biserlawncareandmore@yahoo.com
www.biserlawncareandmore.com

I have been useing them for two seasons and I have many accounts for lawn care that pay very well from them. I get an keep about 90 percent of what I bid from them. I just this week picked up a contract to do a one time clean up for six hundred dollars and a cutting contract for three hundred dollars per month for lawn care.

There is no cost to set it up and I pay 12 dollars for each lead. Thats a large return per lead. This is the cheapest form of advertising that I do. The only thing I have found better is the newspapper.