“I personally wouldn't bother with this company. The concept is quite good, you set your price for how much you want to pay for a lead, set you criteria and then they send you leads matching what you have specified.
Good concept but don't bother with this approach, make sure you make the choices because otherwise you get sent absolute crap and time wasters and you have to pay for this privilege.
When I first joined I wasn't quite familiar with the concept so emailed to clarify (mainly because I got a lead that was inappropriate and I didn't want to automatically pay for something I didn't want). They did improve slightly but it took weeks to reply to an email and the phone number on their site always went to 'mail box full.' Interestingly the phone number on this site works the best.
Anyway, when I finally got through to someone I asked for a refund on the leads, some were given but others surprise surprise, I had left too long- mainly because I was waiting for a response.
The leads I did get in contact with were poor quality and mainly people just looking for ideas and generally time wasters. It might work well with some professions but not mine.
Best bit about this company? Even though I had nothing but an average to bad experience with them they won't give you your money back. You just get credit that will now sit there.
Thankfully there are better sites in competition to this one that vet the leads properly, answer questions promptly and do give you your money back if you are unhappy. I personally would shop around a bit more and test some other sites.”
“I have bought several leads from this company since May 2013 and none of them were good.They either had an accountant or bookkeeper already or they were not answering my calls . Sometimes I felt as if I was dealing with some crooks. The Servicestart staff were always and I never got the right information from them with regards to the leads I bought.”
“I have been using servicestart for a while now and initially the leads were good, but now more leads i purchase and contact, more the leads are poor quality.
the introduction emails are not answered and telephone no advertised, cannot get thru to them.
refunds are slow if repaid at all. customer support says they can't guarantee if the leads will respond. what are we paying for then?”
“When I set up my business as a Book-Keeper & Payroller provider I found the website gave me great introductions. Some worked out and some did not - but after a while I learnt which leads were suitable to pursue and when not to approach. I was able to expand my contacts such as the Client's Accountants and this would lead to more introductions. Now I have more work than I can handle - and I am able to turn work away!”
Nikki, big congratulations to your successful business. We are proud that we could contribute to your success but for sure your success is based primarily on your skill in your profession (as shown by your high rating on Servicestart) and in your communication and sales skills.
Your experience is similar to what we hear from many other successful companies on Servicestart. There is often an introductory period of time when they learn how to best use the service, select the right jobs and sharpen their sales process to win more business. The sales process includes everything from being effective at contacting the prospective client at a good time, presenting your company and any relevant information while still listen to any specific need the client might have. Providing a clear quote is essential too of course. After winning a few jobs it can become easier if the service provider collects a few good reviews, it will help the success rate a lot.
“I have been registered on this site as a supplier of architectural services for a number of years, but have now decided to cancel my account. In all the time I have been registered very, very few of the buyer requests have appeared worth pursuing. Many are very obviously completely speculative, with little likelihood of a commission, or have totally unrealistic budgets. Of the five that I have paid for, only two were at all serious, and only one has resulted in a job. The others were a complete waste of my time. One of the 'buyers' wanted me to provide a quote, but wouldn't tell me what the job was, where it was, or what he wanted me to quote for. Utterly pointless. On that occasion Servicestart refunded the fee, but only after a lot of chasing. On a more recent occasion a similar thing has happened, but Servicestart have flatly refused to refund the fee of £70, even though the 'lead' was nonexistent. Buyers - please be aware that Sevicestart charge a very substantial fee to suppliers using the site. Please don't post requests unless you really do want serious quotes, and there is a realistic chance of a job arising. And suppliers, from my experience I suggest you don't waste your time or money using this site. Maybe for contractors doing small value jobs in some fields it may work out better. But for a consultant in a profession like mine, it's completely and utterly pointless, and you have little chance of being refunded for poor quality leads - which most are.”
