The short answer. Marketplace leads are usually shared: the same homeowner's request can go to several contractors, and you do the calling. The alternative most larger HVAC companies move to is leads from their own ads, in their own name, called fast and booked for them, so nobody else is quoting the same customer from the same lead.
Why shared leads stop working as you grow
Lead marketplaces such as HomeAdvisor and Angi (both owned by Angi Inc.) can be useful when you're small. As your company grows, the model usually works against you:
- It's a race to the phone. If the request goes to more than one company, whoever calls first tends to win. Your office has other jobs to do.
- It's a price fight. A customer with three quotes coming is shopping on price before you've walked in the door.
- You pay for the lead, not the result. Wrong numbers and people who never answer still cost you.
- A lot of it is service work. Repairs and tune-ups keep the lights on, but they don't fill an install crew's calendar.
On our sales calls this year, every one of the eight owners doing $1.5M+ told us they'd paid a lead or ad company that didn't deliver what it promised.
What to compare when you look at alternatives
These are the usual models. Terms vary by provider, so check each one.
| What you compare | Lead marketplace | Pay per call or lead | Pay per appointment | TradeLink |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared with other contractors? | Often | Varies, often sold as exclusive | Varies | No. Leads from your ads are yours |
| Whose name is on the ad? | The marketplace | The provider | Varies | Your company |
| Who calls the lead? | You | You | The provider | Our booking team |
| What you pay for | Each lead | Each call or lead | Each booking | A fixed 90-day fee plus your own ad spend |
| Guarantee | Usually credits for bad leads | Varies | Bookings | Showed install estimates |
When a marketplace still makes sense
If you don't have an install crew yet, you mainly want service work, or you need a few jobs this week, a marketplace can still do the job. Some owners keep one running alongside everything else. It's when you have crews to keep busy with full system replacements that shared leads start to cost more than they bring in.
How TradeLink is different
- Your ads, your name. We run Facebook ads in your own ad account, built around your company, your trucks and your team.
- We do the calling. Our booking team calls new leads Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm your time, and keeps following up for days.
- Replacements, not repairs. The ads and the qualifying questions aim at full system replacements and new installs.
- A guarantee on showed estimates. 40 in 90 days on the paid-in-full plan, or we keep working at no extra fee. How the guarantee works.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep using Angi or HomeAdvisor at the same time?
Yes. Plenty of owners do. We focus on replacement and install estimates, so the two don't get in each other's way.
Are your leads exclusive?
Every lead from the ads we run for you is yours. We don't resell them to anyone else.
Whose ad account do the ads run in?
Yours. You pay Facebook directly, at least $100 a day, and we never hold the money or mark it up.
How long is the contract?
The first term is 90 days from the day your ads go live. It doesn't renew on its own.
How much does it cost?
We go through pricing on the call, once we know your average ticket and how many installs you can take on.