Are you a tradesperson looking for work? Want
to find new jobs? Then you might want to join an online trade recommendation
service, such as RatedPeople,
to help you build your reputation and find new clients.
What kinds of tradespeople can register with Rated
People?
|Aerial Network Specialist| |Bathroom Specialist| |Builder| |Bricklayer|
|Carpenter Joiner| Domestic House Cleaner| Commercial Cleaner| Carpet
Cleaner|Drainage Specialist| |Electrician| |Flooring Specialist| |Gardener|
|Heating Engineer| |Kitchen Specialist |Loft Conversion Specialist|
|Metal Worker| Painter & Decorator| Plasterer| |Plumber| |Roofer|
|Security Specialist| |Stoneworker| |Tiler| |Traditional Craftsman|
|Swimming Pool Specialist| |Window & Conservatory Specialist| Specialist
Tradesman|
Okay, I'm interested. What is RatedPeople?
RatedPeople
is trade recommendation website. They connect
homeowners (customers) with expert tradespeople (you) in local areas.
Thousands of jobs are posted on the RatedPeople
website by potential clients on a daily basis. Once you join as a tradesperson
these jobs become accessible to you.
This company has received over 500,000 home improvement
& repair job submissions by homeowners in the last eighteen months.
They have thousands of rated tradesmen/women using their site, with
thousands joining every month. They've notably been featured in The
Sun, Telegraph, Independent and Metro, and broadcasted on national radio.
The service they offer to customers is completely free, which makes
this a very favourable site to use.
How does it work?
Let's say I need a plumber to fit my bathroom. Instead
of trawling through directories or trying to retrieve a flyer I stuffed
in a draw years ago, I log onto RatedPeople
and list my job requirements there for free, i.e. how big the job is,
when I'd like it done, what my budget is etc., RatedPeople
will then post that job to relevant plumbers in my local area, three
of which will contact me to arrange a visit to view the work needed
to be done and give me a quote. Out of the three quotes I'm given I
choose the plumber that I think best meets my needs and hire him. That's
it, job done.
How do I get jobs?
Once you join RatedPeople
you will complete your profile including details of where you'd like
to work, what types of jobs you want and include photographs of your
work and qualifications. When a job comes in that matches your criteria
they will email or text you with the details. If you like the sound
of the job you can buy the 'lead'. Once you've purchased the 'lead',
Rated People will send you the contact details so that you can then
get in touch with the potential client and arrange a convenient time
to view the work and give your quote.
Getting recommendations
Once you've successfully completed a job your client will leave feedback
on your profile page, which will help you win more customers in the
future as well as build your reputation.
How much does it cost to register?
RatedPeople
are currently offering a trial period with the
following benefits:
*For
just £20 +VAT for the first 3 months you'll get:
- Unlimited job alerts by email
- £20 worth of free leads every month
- 100 free SMS job alerts
- Your own website
After the trial period:
After the first 3 months the service is charged monthly
at £20+VAT with £10 worth of free leads every month on a
12 month contract.
It might be worth signing up to their trial
period to see how you go, and then cancelling if it doesn't suit you.
If you decide to register do familiarise yourself with their costs and
terms first. Interested? You
can find out more here...
How do you use job alerts from RatedPeople?
From the job alerts you receive, pick the ones that
you want to purchase and follow up. Leads vary in price, starting at
£4 +VAT. The price of a lead is based on the job's size, scope,
location and the skills required to carry it out.
What do they mean by text alerts?
Job alerts by text are the best way to ensure you
don't miss out on the jobs you want. When you join, they'll give you
100 text alerts so you get immediate access to jobs via your mobile.
Do bear in mind that in order to make sure the service
runs smoothly for you, they'll automatically top up your text alerts
(at £10 +VAT for 100) when they run out, but you can choose to
opt out of this part of the service at any time. So please do look into
this before registering.
Get Yourself Some Business Insurance for your trade
Do make sure that you are fully covered in the
event of any mishaps, damages or losses. You can get an online quote
for Tradesmen/women
& Construction Insurance here.
*Costs for
above are correct at time of publication 23/08/2011
