Last weekend I had several Task Rabbit folks come to the house to do different odd jobs. And I noticed a very similar pattern. If getting more leads is what you're into (and who isn't), I think there is a lesson to be learned here. But let me back up and tell you what happened.
It all started with Task Rabbit
I was hiring three people for three different jobs. Task Rabbit is a marketplace where you find people to come do those jobs on an hourly basis. I needed someone to mount televisions, someone to install smart switches throughout the house, and someone else to hang curtain rods and some large paintings. And I wanted all of them to do the work that weekend, even while posting these jobs on Friday afternoon.
Even though the platform is driven by jobs and people who do it, it shows you hourly pricing. So it's never clear how much you're going to spend. I would have preferred a per-job price, but there would be too much risk for everyone involved. So I chose vendors who had high ratings but slightly lower than average hourly rates.
I don't think I'm all that different from most people. I want someone right away, qualified, and I want a good deal.
Each person came and did a great job
The work was done by each practitioner in exactly the way I would have wanted. All of them were five-star folks and they were diligent, effective, polite, kept masks on, and left my home looking beautiful.
Each, as the system works, didn't request any funds at all, as they were each paid by the Task Rabbit system. So I didn't have to pay any of them directly. In essence my risk was really low. Other than letting someone in my home who was a stranger, I was in control of approving the job and paying for it.
Each time I finished up with someone I said the same thing, “So I don't pay you, right? That happens thru Task Rabbit, right? And if I need you again, I just hire you thru there. Right?”
And here is where I got my surprise.
Everyone had the same response to my final question
I know, you're wondering about the whole strategy for getting more leads and why it's taking so long to get there. But this strategy is brilliant because it's so easy to do. It's likely something you're doing already without knowing it, but not systematically or routinely. And that means it's chance and not strategic.
So here's what I got in response each time I said, “And if I need you again, I just hire you thru there, Right?”
“Sure you can do that. Or if you want my number you can reach me directly and we'll cut out the fees.”
What they were saying was four-fold:
- You can hire me again thru the system, if you want the protection against the risk of a stranger coming into your home.
- We aren't strangers anymore and if you love my work, you can re-hire me again directly.
- You like good deals, I have an even better deal for you.
- I did good work, didn't I? Please hire me again.
When I said you likely do this already, I was right, right? You likely follow up with your customers and invite them to be repeat customers. But that wasn't the point of me writing this post.
Here's the strategy for getting more leads
I share with you the strategy in this video for getting more leads, but I should also mention that if you want 20 more ways to generate more leads, I have a quick video course for you. It won't take you much more than an hour as I walk you thru 20 different strategies (beyond the one below) for generating new leads. Want free tips on lead gen using social platforms, this might help.
Ok, onto the video with the strategy for getting more leads….
It's a strategy I use all the time on Clarity.fm, but I noticed it as I hired these folks from TaskRabbit. They were using the exact same technique for generating more leads.