Killing ‘Em Softly: How Online Leads are Destroyed by Over-Qualification

Let me paraphrase many of the home improvement dealers that I’ve heard from over the past year when it comes to Internet leads:

“Internet leads suck!”

Okay, that’s succinct and seems to cut to the heart of the emotion involved with online leads. But it’s a gut reaction. When I’ve done some investigation into “Why” I’ve come across a number of thoughts that could help home improvement dealers boost the performance of their online leads.

What Does Bing Mean for Home Improvement Companies?

So you read that Microsoft’s new Bing search engine was a big deal? That the company had finally gotten its act together and launched a new product that would drive great volumes of new traffic . . . and new leads for you? And that Bing represents solid challenge to dethrone the current search champ, Google?

Don’t you believe it.

As a home improvement dealer, you need to be where your prospective customers are. And despite all of the hoopla (and all of the clever PR) about Bing, Google is still the tool of choice for searchers.

Home Energy Audits: Mandatory, or Opportunity?

So I was cruising the blog over at Qualified Remodeler and I ran across their piece on energy audits being mandatory when homeowners try to sell their homes in Austin, Texas. It’s 2009 and a home inspection isn’t enough anymore…now you need an energy efficiency audit in San Francisco, Berkeley and Austin.

While mandatory energy audits might seem somewhat extreme to the average homeowner, who just wants to sell their home and move, these audits could represent an excellent opportunity for the clever home improvement company.

What Exactly Is an ‘Internet Sales Lead’?

You know that homeowners increasingly turn to the Internet as their first stop in researching a home improvement project. Moreover, you’ve heard all sorts of promises about “Internet leads”. You may have heard some success stories. More likely, you’ve heard some horror stories. Why is that?

Because not all “Internet leads” are created equally. Indeed, the quality of online sales leads varies widely from provider to provider, but that’s often lost amid the hyperbole about all of the appointments you’ll set and the jobs you’ll close.

I Was Told There’d Be No Math: Choosing the Right Metrics For Your Web Site

If you’re a home improvement dealer, the Internet has hit your business like a sledgehammer. Like it or not, your customers are going online to make home improvement decisions in ever larger numbers – and they’re not going to stop.

And while most home improvement providers have responded by building a Web site, a number of myths have cropped up about they should judge their success. Are the total number of visitors to the Web site the most important? What about the number of phone calls? How about form submissions?