3 takeaways from the 2025 Pro Summit
Marco Zappacosta•Co-Founder & CEO of Thumbtack •Last updated Nov 6, 2025
Last updated Nov 6, 2025
The energy and enthusiasm was high during this year’s Pro Summit. Leadership shared upcoming product updates and new features while five of our Pro Advisory Board members tackled questions during the Pro Panel.
We hosted an in-person event for a few local San Francisco pros, and the camaraderie among pros, Thumbtackers, and leadership was palpable. Here’s what Thumbtack pro Laura W. had to say:
“The Thumbtack Pro Advisory Board event that followed the Virtual Pro Summit was amazing! From fellow pros to Marco and the entire Thumbtack team, everyone was warm, engaging, and genuinely invested in our feedback. Talking with Marco was the highlight of my evening — he sincerely wanted to hear our thoughts and ideas.”
The annual Pro Summit is a free event that brings our pros together to learn about product updates and new features that we’re building. Our goal has always been to help pros grow their businesses and become more successful — because when our pros win, we win too. Keep reading for event highlights.
3 takeaways from the Pro Summit.
This year, our focus is to be the smartest investment our pros can make in their business. With that, here are 3 takeaways our pros got from this year’s Pro Summit during the pro panel and two of our breakout sessions. 1. Pro Panel
The Pro Panel has always been a major highlight of the Pro Summit. This year, five Pro Advisory Board members sat down to answer questions and share success tips for building their business on Thumbtack.
Donald H. of Argo Home Services hasn’t been using Thumbtack for long — and yet he’s already a Top Pro on the app. His secret is that he not only uses Thumbtack to secure leads but also as a market research tool. He’s constantly testing what messaging works in his profile, what services he can offer in his area and what time of year those services work best.
Sulena R. of So Unique Concierge, a boutique home organizing business, shared some insights around tracking ROI and measuring that return over a long period of time — not just the first job. Many pros that find success on Thumbtack understand that sometimes seeing a return on a lead is a long game, and by nurturing those customer relationships and asking people for referrals creates a higher return in the long run.
The panelists shared so many nuggets of wisdom, from business operations to customer relationships. We saw first hand how engaged our pro community is during the Pro Summit, which is the same level of engagement and encouragement pros can get by joining our free Thumbtack Pro Community.
2. Stand out with a winning profile
Senior Sales Manager Annette C. shared tactical strategies for pros to create a standout profile on Thumbtack during one of the Pro Summit breakout sessions. A pro’s profile is the one chance they have to convince customers to reach out about a project, and there’s a number of ways pros can improve their chances.
The very first thing customers see? A pro’s profile image. Whether they use a headshot or a business logo, it’s important it looks professional. Annette suggested swapping out the image periodically to see if a new headshot or a better logo improves leads.
Pros can also upload before and after photos of their work, which is a great way to show customers that they not only complete the projects they get hired for, but also do high-quality work. Annette suggested taking these photos one step further by making sure to drop in a description of the work that was done, highlighting anything that makes how a pro does their work unique.
3. Close leads with confidence
When it comes to turning leads into paying customers, Josh M., Sales Manager at Thumbtack, had a number of tips and insights to closing the deal. One of the best ways to do just that? Responding to a new lead within the first thirty minutes. Our data shows that pros who respond to a lead within thirty minutes are 25% more likely to get hired than those who respond within three hours.
But pros are running a business, which means they can’t be on their phones responding to leads at all hours of the day — they actually have to do the work they’ve been hired to do. That’s why Thumbtack offers tools like Quick Replies, which allows pros to save replies and easily send a reply to a new lead without rewriting one every time.
Pros can take quick replies a step further with Front Desk, which automatically responds to messages within an average of two minutes. Which means even when pros are away from their phone — either working on a job or during offline hours — their business can continue to grow.
New this year: Pro Summit in-person happy hour and dinner.
This year, we hosted a special in-person gathering following the virtual Pro Summit, bringing together local San Francisco pros for an afternoon of connection and celebration.
During the in-person event, pros received free headshots and swag bags, and then joined Thumbtack leadership for a live Q&A session. The group capped off the day by mingling at happy hour before heading to dinner downtown.
We know meaningful connections can happen anywhere — but there’s something special about meeting in person. This event gave us the chance to celebrate our pros and build on the relationships that make our community so strong.
This year’s Pro Summit is one for the books, and we’re thrilled to have had a record attendance and a successful in-person event. We’re excited to see how this annual event will continue to grow and make an impact next year.
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