Jon Wild
Hi Brian, Some general thoughts and advice about using Rated People. I've been using it for over two years now and it's pretty much the only place I find work (apart from repeat custom). I spent a lot of money building a reputation on RP and learning which leads to avoid so hopefully this will give you some short cuts and save you some money. 1, Build a reputation before you start pitching for bigger projects (nobody is going to give you there loft conversion if you have no similar reviews on Rated People) its a bit slow but you have to build up to the bigger jobs where you would expect people to be more cautious. 2. Leads to avoid... Ones that start "we've just brought a house..." They have no money, don't touch them with barge pole! Ones that start "we are thinking of buying a house..." They will have no money! Avoid hastily or thoughtlessly written postings (if they don't care enough to write it properly they are probably just pitching around for costs). Always check the postcode on Google maps and Google Streetview, you can generally figure out if they can afford what they are asking for (harsh but true!) Most of the time if the budget is way out or they say they are have a small budget they aren't worth bothering with. Most of the time I avoid postings with losts of spelling mistakes (can they be bothered?, will there be cultural differences / expectations?) Look at surnames - what might that tell you about people Avoid "we have all the materials, we will buy all the materials" Their starting point is they "know more that you" and they think you will rip them off. Avoid people who "need the best craftsmen" etc etc, people who are paranoid about being ripped off are too much hard work and not pleasant to work for. In summary read between the lines, research the address and name before you buy and build up a reputation. I now win more that 50% of the postings I bid for - that is a VERY good hit rate, if you look at my overall spend on Rated People its is a VERY cost effective way of wining work compared to traditional marketing and advertising but it requires work Finally never ever, ever, get a bad rating, once you have a reputation protect it with your life! Good luck Brian Jon Exploit Space
