You tell us where you work and what you do, and Thumbtack instantly matches you with customers who are looking to hire a professional just like you. You only pay when an interested customer contacts you — and then the job is yours to win.
But what if you aren’t getting contacted, or the leads you’re getting aren’t the ones you want the most? The culprit is likely in your settings.
We asked top-rated pros to share how they customized Instant Match to reach the best customers for them. Here are their secrets for success.
Fix your travel and job settings
If you’re not getting enough customer responses, go to your settings and make sure to select all of the services you offer and zip codes where you can work.
Here’s how.
“Adjusting the settings properly helps match you to the clients you want to get,” says John Ferraro, a personal trainer on Thumbtack.
Thumbtack pro David Tello, who owns a cleaning service, agrees that the settings make a difference when it comes to getting customers to contact you. “For house cleaning, I specify what I do as far as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and add-ons, like whether or not they have pets,” he explains. That way, “the customers know what they’re getting and my price takes everything into account.”
Visit your settings to make sure you’re matched with all the right jobs.
Update your availability and calendar
If you’re having scheduling conflicts with your customer contacts, it’s a good idea to update your availability. Instant customer matches are based on what the customer requests and what’s open on your calendar, so you should block off any times you don’t generally work or when you’re already busy.
Event photographer Ricky Godoy manages his schedule in a calendar attached to his work email, but he updates his Thumbtack availability regularly. “As soon as I get a deposit for a booking, I add it to my Thumbtack calendar,” he says.
How often you update your calendar depends on the kind of work you do. If your schedule remains roughly the same, you might revisit your calendar once a month. If, like Ricky, your schedule changes all the time, it’s a good idea to update more regularly. Go to your settings now to update your availability.
Choose your budget
If you have Instant Match turned on and you’re not getting contacted by any customers, are you sure you’ve set up your payment options?
You’ll need to enable auto-reload and set a weekly budget for Instant Match to work. And you’re only charged you when a customer contacts you.
If your customer contact charges hit the weekly budget limit, we’ll send you a note, put your automatic quotes on pause, and pick back up the following week. You can change your budget any time. Set your options now.
Follow up
Instant Match sends quotes on your behalf and only charges you when a customer reaches out — but you can still see every quote we’ve sent to customers by going to your account and selecting “Quotes.” If you don’t hear back in a day or two, select a quote and send a message showing the customer you’re really interested in working with them.
New York-based Thumbtack customer Catherine H. agrees that communicating with a professional before hiring them can help sway her decision. “Generally I do a few back and forths on the Thumbtack messaging service. When you contact a pro and they ask all the right questions, it makes the process of choosing so much easier.”
With Instant Match, following up with a customer is always free. You only use credits when you hear back.