A straight talk for local contractors about shared versus exclusive leads, what a lead is really worth, and how Tampa Services routes requests.
A lead comes in. You call within a minute. The homeowner sighs and says you're the fourth person who's called. Two of the others already have appointments booked. You get the job sometimes, but the math on the rest is rough: you paid for the lead, spent the time, and came in third.
That's the shared lead model, and plenty of Tampa Bay contractors have built real businesses on it. It also burns a lot of them out. If you've been in the trades here for a few years, you've probably had this conversation at a supply house counter.
The sticker price of a lead is only part of the cost. Add the time to call, text and follow up, the estimates that go nowhere because a competitor got there first, and the discounting it takes to win a race. Then divide by the jobs you actually close. That's your real cost per job, and for many contractors it's far higher than the price per lead suggests.
Shared leads also train customers to expect a bidding war. When a homeowner is fielding five calls, the conversation starts with price instead of the problem. That's not where a good contractor wants to start.
Tampa Services sends each request to one provider at a time. Providers who cover that ZIP code and trade take turns in rotation. When a request is offered to you, you get 30 minutes to accept (the clock runs from 7am to 9pm Eastern, 15 minutes for emergencies). If you accept, you're the only provider who gets the customer's contact details. If you pass or the window closes, it moves to the next provider and you're not charged.
You pay when you accept a lead, from a prepaid balance. There's no charge for leads you decline. If a lead turns out to be a disconnected or fake number, a customer who denies making the request, a job outside your area or the wrong service, you can request a credit within 48 hours, and we review it. Once you accept, you have 6 business hours to contact the customer and mark it contacted, or the lead moves on and the fee is forfeited. The full rules are in the Pro Agreement.
Providers choose a home ZIP code and can add a small number of extra ZIP codes, with a maximum of three. That cap is deliberate. It keeps providers focused on areas they actually serve well, and it keeps the rotation in each area reasonable. You also set your services, hours, capacity and the job sizes you want.
We only work in six counties: Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Polk and Sarasota. The point is to be useful locally, not to cover the country.
Joining is free after review. We ask for a Florida license where your trade requires one, general liability insurance, workers' compensation if you have employees, your Sunbiz registration and a W-9. You upload them in your provider portal, and we track expiration dates so nothing lapses quietly.
We want contractors who answer the phone, show up when they say they will, put things in writing and stand behind their work. Customers can leave reviews only after a completed job, and you can reply. We don't buy, write or edit reviews, and never will.
Tampa Bay work is seasonal. HVAC peaks in summer, roofing and exterior work picks up in the dry months, storm work spikes after named storms, and pest, lawn and landscaping calls climb in spring. If you're in a trade that's about to get busy, now is the time to get set up so requests reach you when demand turns.
Take your last three months of lead spend, add a fair value for the hours spent chasing, and divide by closed jobs. Compare that to what you'd pay per accepted, exclusive request. Then decide. If your current source works, keep it. If it doesn't, try something with fewer people in the race.
Homeowners and business owners say the same things over and over: they want someone who calls back, explains the problem in plain words, shows up on time and puts the price in writing. They don't want five calls in ten minutes. A request that goes to one provider gives you the room to have a real conversation instead of a race, and that's where good contractors win work on quality rather than price alone.
Apply on our contractors page, upload your documents in the provider portal and choose your services, ZIP codes, hours and capacity. Once you're approved and your balance is funded, requests that match your trade and area start arriving one at a time.
Joining is free after review. You pay only when you accept a lead, from a prepaid balance. Current pricing is shown when you apply.
Yes. Each request goes to one provider at a time, and only the provider who accepts gets the customer's details.
Request a credit within 48 hours for a disconnected or fake phone number, a customer who denies the request, a job outside your area, or the wrong service. Credits are reviewed and added to your balance.
One home ZIP code, plus additional ZIP codes up to a maximum of three in total.