Home – New › Forums › Marketing mastery › Service Seeking – How’s it work for small business
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January 4, 2011 at 9:31 am #971350Up::0
OK,
So I didn’t want to post this on here until I have had the opportunity to test it for myself. There is a web site called http://www.serviceseeking.com.au
The aim of the site is to allow people to post their job needs and then businesses can contact the customer and compete for their work.
When you sign up, you, as a business are provided 10 credits to contact potential customers. Each contact is 5 credits, so you get the first couple for free.
Not every lead is genuine, as you will find some general time wasters, but so far, I have been using the site for approx 6 weeks, have spent just $70 on credits and have made a profit of just over $400, with 1 customer now spending approx $100 per month and another spending $300 per quarter.
I have no affiliation with the site, but wanted to let fellow FS members know about this potential avenue to find new business, with people who are looking for services. You should bear in mind this site is designed to provide the customer a bidding scenario, so you may find if you try premium pricing, you will miss out.
Good Luck tho, and happy new year to all,
Carl
January 4, 2011 at 11:17 am #1049308Up::0Hi Carl,
Thanks for sharing, I’m glad you’ve found it to be of use.
I personally wasn’t too fond of it, it was about a year or so ago that I was using it, it seemed to be as just a tool to push our prices as low as they can possible go.
I guess its helpful for quiet times.
Best of luck!
– Jake
January 4, 2011 at 1:46 pm #1049309Up::0Hey Carl
I’ve heard about service seeking, and I did apply but never got anything from it. I think the fact the customer may be seeking the cheapest possible price may have something to do with it. Is there anywhere else similar to that that you can post ads to attract more customers ?
Pete
January 5, 2011 at 11:55 am #1049310Up::0There is def a focus on low prices, as that is generally the type of client that looks on there. Hey, as a new business, I want clients on my books, and at this point I am willing to buy the business, as I know that it brings word of mouth, useable testimonials etc. so I don’t mind going in cheap.
I am not aware of anywhere that offers a reverse kind of situation.
Some people will look beyond price, as sometimes the needs of some customers is very specific, and other times deadlines mean people will pay more.
It def might not be your only source of business, but if you need to fill gaps, generate new clients etc. there is def some use for it
January 5, 2011 at 11:42 pm #1049311Up::0I personally don’t like Service Seeking. I find that True Local use their directory purely as a funnel to SS.
As has been said, the leads on there are often junk and will simply price-shop. If that suits your target, no wuckers – but more often than not you’re probably going to be undercut by some shady character.
I don’t agree with paying $5-$15 worth of credits to quote a job, when you’re going up against countless other people.
If it’s working for you, that’s great – but is it a long term strategy for generating business?
January 6, 2011 at 3:25 am #1049312Up::0I subscribed a couple of years ago and like the comments above found that the ‘customers’ are searching for ‘cheap’ quotes. As we custom make our products and work to a niche market, the quality of enquiries didn’t match our targetted demographic. Being based in SA we also found that the majority of the leads are eastern seaboard based.
I also posted personally to try to find a gardener. Not one bite.
January 6, 2011 at 3:55 am #1049313Up::0Several colleagues of mine have used this service and all agree it only serves to push prices lower. All of them have stopped using the service as the only enquiries are about the lowest price and forget quality or service.
January 6, 2011 at 8:17 pm #1049314Up::0Likewise I’ve gotten very little out of it and find it to be expensive for low value business. They’ve introduced a new thing (since I last used it 6+mths ago) where you get the persons phone number. I can’t help but feel that there is an advantage beyond price competition there for people who are good at phone sales. That isn’t me unfortunately.
January 6, 2011 at 8:59 pm #1049315Up::0Oh I didn’t realise you never used to get the number! Yes, I have a background in phone sales, so I guess that helps. My services are also a little less generic I guess, and maybe that helps. If someone has advertised that they went a flyer printed and mailed, I know the majority of bidders will only be offering the printing, whereas I have the facility to complete the entire mail process for them, so I guess my price is not so adversly affected, because I can offer a more complete solution.
January 6, 2011 at 11:21 pm #1049316Up::0Yea, I’m playing with a potential client on service seeking at the moment. I’ve got the phone number but I haven’t used it, yet. I’m using my last free credit so I might buy a $70 bundle and try a few more. I’m also going for a little more of a ‘complete solution’ to add value for clients. I think that’s the way to go, you gotta sell!
January 7, 2011 at 12:15 am #1049317Up::0Interesting service they offer. I’m glad to hear of someone who has found a way to service the ‘price’ preferred customer base. They certainly can be a challenge for a business to look after, good luck with it.
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