Downstream Exclusive Calls is a service of Downstream Digital Marketing, LLC. Our background is in helping contractors increase revenues. We took the best of our services to create this Pay-for-Performance Exclusive Calls program that delivers homeowners directly to you. We make your phone ring, you close the deal.
WORKING TOGETHER
Are We A Good Fit?
Great relationships are formed when both sides benefit. What we have found is that the businesses that do well with this service have similar business practices. Not all businesses thrive in this program, so we put this together to help you see if yours could.
Is The Program a Good Fit For Your Business?
There are two big questions you need to answer...
#1 Do you want to increase sales?
#2 Do you want more live calls coming in?
This is what our Exclusive Calls program does for your business.
If increasing sales is an important goal and you are not getting there as quickly as you would like
-or-
If your guys have too much down time and you need to fix that…
This program is exactly what you need, so Let’s Work Together!
On the other hand, if you feel your schedule is already “full enough” or you are happy with the size of your business, then we are not a good fit…at least not right now.
Our program will be delivering live calls from homeowners who need your help. If you are not able to quickly help them, then it doesn’t boost your business and that could have a negative effect on your reputation. That is definitely not a help to you.
Is The Program a Good Fit For Your Business?
Are You A Good Fit For Us?
It is important that the homeowners who call you will be taken care of properly, so these are some questions that we need you to consider.
While we would love to help everyone who wants our help, we cannot do that. In order to bring the best service to our partners, we need to make sure of some things:
- Are you trending the right direction? Do you currently have an on-going business with a history of sales that is looking to get more? Brand new businesses tend to be a poor fit for this program. Businesses that run only one crew and have little interest in expanding also tend to be a bad fit because their schedule is usually pretty booked up.
- Does your state require a license? If it does, we will need your license info. Some states require license info be included in any marketing activity, so we will need it for that, as well (if required).
- Do you have insurance? You must have general liability insurance of at least $1 Million and Workers Comp insurance.
- Do you have good online reviews? Contractors are scrutinized closely by homeowners, especially as the price point for the service increases. Businesses that lack a positive online reputation have a harder time converting calls into sales. Plus, we want to work with businesses that treat their customers well and do a great job. If you do not have easy-to-find reviews, we have a solution to help you so you can get the most out of this program.
There is no way to sugarcoat this…if you cannot answer your phone quickly, this is not a good fit.
Homeowners with a problem are looking for a solution so they do not like to leave messages. Making sure calls are answered is critical. If you do not answer your phone, then homeowners will hunt down competitors to call.
Missed calls are missed opportunities. Voicemails can be missed opportunities as well if the call is not returned in a timely manner.
To make the most of the opportunity you must have someone who is dedicated to answering the phone or returning calls quickly.
Your results with this program will seem poor if calls are not answered or voicemails are not returned quickly because the homeowner will move on to a competitor while they wait for you to get back to them. We certainly don’t want that to happen.
Our Call Tracking Platform is set up to forward calls to any number you need. Ideally the calls will be routed your office where there is someone dedicated to answering the phone. If that is not possible, the next best option is to have it forward to a cell phone. If you do not have someone in the office full-time, then getting set up with an answering service can be a great solution. They can take the message and let the homeowner know that someone will follow up with them soon.
We need to be sure the calls we deliver are answered or called back quickly.
If you got 10 additional calls next month would it cause you scheduling problems? We have seen this cause problems. If you are willing to take on new jobs, but cannot get anything scheduled in a highly-subjective “reasonable period of time”, you are risking bad word-of-mouth because of how long you have to push them off to be scheduled.
Based on your scheduling history, you will know what would be a timely manner.
If you are currently maxed out and not able/willing to hire more workers, it would not make sense to start getting more calls right now.
Do you put a tight limit on where you go or are you willing to go where the jobs are?
You have to put some sort of limit on your service area. That is understandable. However, we have found that the businesses that do the best with this program are the ones willing to travel at least 25 miles for projects.
Businesses that do not want to venture out of their neighborhood do not see the full value of having exclusive calls delivered to them, so they are not a good fit for us.
On the flip side, if calls come from an area larger than you can effectively cover, a solution that has worked for some of our customers is to partner with a business outside your coverage area. Sell them the leads you get or work out another deal with them.
Our Goal: A Win-Win-Win
→ Win for you by increasing sales.
→ Win for homeowners who get a great contractor to solve their problem.
→ Win for us because we build a long-term relationship with a contractor that does a great job for their customers.