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1. What is Contractors.com?
Contractors.com Canada is an online community of
homeowners, contractors, retailers, and manufacturers.
A safe place to meet, share ideas, and do business.
Contractors.com has been in the United States since 1997,
and has now launched in to Canada as a part of the Canada.com
Network. Homeowners use the site to hire Certified Contractors,
as well as research all aspects of home renovation using
the articles, tips, cost estimator, and other services. Contractors
use the site as an effective way to market their company,
bringing in the right types of work, in the areas that make
sense for their business.
2. How does the service
work?
Homeowners come to Contractors.com to hire professional
contractors. Typically, a homeowner who visits the site will
browse the articles section, use the cost estimator, and
research the project they are looking to have done before
searching for a contractor. After that, there are two ways
a homeowner can go about finding the right contractor. Most
of the time, the homeowner will locate a Certified Contractor
by entering the type of job and their postal code, which
will bring up a list of all the contractors in that area
who do that type of work. The homeowner can then examine
specific Certified Contractor profiles, viewing the company’s
referrals, description, and photo gallery, to gain a better
understanding of each contractor before making the first
call. In some cases, a homeowner will simply submit their
project to us, which we then pass on to our network of Certified
Members who are in that geographic area and specialize in
that type of work.
3. How can a homeowner find
me?
There are two main ways a prospective customer can locate
your profile on Contractors.com Canada.
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Searching by Job Type and Postal Code – Homeowners
select the type of work they are looking to have
done and enter their postal code. A list of contractors
who do that work in that area will appear, with
Elite Certified members listed at the top, Basic
Certified members listed in the middle, and Free
members listed at the bottom. If you are a Certified
member, your listing will be most visible to the
homeowner for viewing.
-
Seaching by Company Name or ID Number – Homeowners
can pinpoint a specific company by searching the particular
company’s name or unique contractor ID number on
the site’s main page. This will directly lead homeowner
to the company’s profile.
4. How does the Leads
Generation work?
Contractors.com Canada primarily generates leads in two
ways. Typically, a homeowner who has done their research
and is ready to hire a contractor will search our Certified
Contractor database for a list of professionals in their
area who do that type of work. The homeowner will then browse
the results, viewing testimonials, photo galleries, and additional
company details. After that, the homeowner will directly
contact the contractors that make the most sense for the
project. The second way in which leads are generated on Contractors.com
Canada is by homeowners who do not wish to select a contractor
themselves. Such homeowners submit their project to us, and
we pass it on to our network of Certified Members. From there,
any Certified Contractor who wishes to act upon the project
may do so at their own leisure.
5. Why should I become a
Member of Contractors.com?
There are several valid reasons to become a Certified
Member with Contractors.com Canada. First and foremost,
we promote our Certified Members right across the
country, in print in all major markets, as well as online
throughout the Canada.com Network. Homeowners are looking
for contractors who are properly licensed, insured, and do
good work, and we assure all of these traits in our Certified
Members. Additionally, our postal code oriented search engine,
in conjunction with trade category filtering, allows our
members to attract the types of work they desire, in the
areas they like working in. There are also numerous other
benefits of Certification, such as preferred directory positioning,
the ability to track your success, a photo gallery,
a link to your company website, and support from a friendly
and knowledgeable Customer Service team.
6. I'm very busy now. Why
should I get involved with Contractors.com when I’m
already busy?
Many of the contractors on Contractors.com Canada are busy.
Most good contractors are. Despite that fact, contracting
businesses still need to have an Internet Marketing Strategy.
The majority of Canadians use the web to research purchases
they plan on making, including those surrounding home renovation.
Our educated homeowners are not looking to book for tomorrow,
they are booking right through the year. Homeowners understand
that good contractors typically are busy, and prefer booking
far in advance with a reputable contractor as opposed to
taking the first person available to do the job. Furthermore,
every homeowner a contractor is busy servicing provides potential
to enhance the company’s listing by posting a positive
review, which ultimately builds the contractor’s online “word
of mouth” reputation.
7. Why do I need to be on
the Internet?
There are countless reasons for which any professional company
should have an online presence, and new ones continue to
surface everyday. Most importantly, homeowners who are potential
customers use the internet on a daily basis. In 2005, Business
Week reported that “70% of homeowners are using
the internet to make their purchasing decisions. This is
up from 41% in 2001”. Furthermore, your competitors
are online, so if you are not then you will be missing out
on potential business. The internet is providing contractors
with consistent exposure to new customers at a fraction of
the cost of other marketing strategies. A Contractors.com
listing promotes the contractor, day and night, without any
effort required, and attracts desirable types of business.
Furthermore, internet listings are not static advertisements,
and can be changed at any time with the greatest of ease.
Some additional benefits of internet marketing are the measurable
results, and an increased image of company professionalism.
8. How much does it cost?
At Contractors.com Canada, there are three different
types of memberships: Elite Certification ($499 annually),
Basic Certification ($199 annually), and Uncertified
(Free). Contractors.com has been structured in a way
which provides the Elite and Basic Certified Members
with the value the site has to offer. For more information
about the membership packages, the link below fully illustrates
the differences between them, as well as the features
and benefits included in each type.
9. What are my payment options?
Contractors.com Canada accepts payment by MasterCard and
Visa. Payment is made one time per annual Certification,
at the beginning of the membership. To ensure security to
our Certified Members, payment by credit card is done over
the phone, with a live Customer Service representative.
10. How do I get started?
Getting started is simple. Simply click HERE to
view our membership packages and sign up for a free listing,
or call toll free 1-877-408-9995 for Certification.
11. How does a homeowner
rate a contractor on Contractors.com?
Homeowners are encouraged to write a review of any
contractors they’ve hired. Members and contractors
with Free Listings are notified of each testimonial we receive
about them. We also encourage contractors to add their own
customer reviews to their Reviews page.
You can request reviews from your customers by giving them
a printed Review Form or by sending them a request by email.
Both options are available from within My Account, under
My Reviews. The value of your company listing is heavily
influenced by the number and quality of your reviews!
In addition to reviews, Contractors.com has a rating system
so homeowners can get a sense of a contractor’s quality
at a glance. The Contractors.com rating system is set up
to ensure a complete and fair rating for each contractor.
Here is a listing of the categories Contractors.com uses
to evaluate each contractor:
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Timeliness - Timeliness in responding
to the customer’s questions and concerns,
and throughout the entire project
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Budget - Did they remain within their stated
budget? (Change orders excepted, of course)
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Quality - The quality of their workmanship
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Overall satisfaction
A contractor’s average rating and the number of ratings
appear on the contractor’s Profile Page. References
(contact information including name, phone and email) are
kept strictly confidential.
12. What happens if I
get a bad rating?
Contractors.com Canada wants its Certified Members to receive
a fair rating each and every time one is posted. In order
to ensure this, we follow a thorough process to protect our
members from misrepresentation. If a fraudulent or invalid
testimonial is found, it will not be posted. If a dispute
over a testimonial surfaces, Contractors.com Canada will
mediate the situation, making every effort to settle the
differences amicably. Despite how great a contractor is,
there are always some homeowners who are not satisfied. A
contractor’s average rating and number of reviews appear
on the contractor’s Profile Page, so one negative rating
against several positive will not harm the overall reputation.
Furthermore, Contractors.com will notify any of its members
who receive a negative review. This gives the contractor
a chance to resolve the issue with the homeowner. The contractor
also has the option to submit a rebuttal to a negative review,
which in many cases can make a stronger positive impact than
a constructive review can to begin with.
13. How do I change or
update the information about my business?
Changing any company information on Contractors.com is very
easy. To change your business information, simply log in
to your account using your username and password. From there,
select “My Company Details” and make all the
desired changes. When finished, click the SAVE button, and
you’re finished. If you encounter any difficulties
or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact our Customer
Service team.
14. How do I check what
job types and geographic areas my business is listed under?
Changing job types and geographic work areas is quite a
simple process. The first step is to log into your account
using your username and password. From there, click on either “My
Job Types” or “My Territory” and make adjustments
as necessary. Once you have completed this, save the changes
and you will be finished. Feel free to contact the Customer
Service team should you require additional support.
15. Can you help me put
up my company website?
Contractors.com Canada prides itself on being the number
one destination for contractor internet marketing in the
country. As a part of this, we offer a variety of website
packages designed to meet a contractor’s specific needs.
A contractor who would like to have a website simply needs
to supply us with their desired colours, photos, and some
additional content, and we take care of the rest.
16. Other Questions?
If you have questions or concerns that are not addressed
here, you may contact
us using our online form, or call toll-free 1-877-408-9995.
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