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When to cut Angi and Thumbtack

Free · $0

Cut in steps, once YOUR Google card and answer path can carry the load.

Who for: US home-service shops of 1-15 that still buy marketplace leads and want a calm exit plan. HVAC / plumbing / electrical / cleaning / landscaping.

Who not: Shops with a thin card, no answer/SMS path, and no tracking. Fix those first (see free missed-call checklist). Franchise buyers. Anyone who wants a reason to cancel tonight.

A short decision sheet: when YOUR stack can carry the load, how to cut in steps, and how to keep ZIP exclusivity, all on your own numbers.

You already paid Angi, Thumbtack, or both, and some of those leads booked. The only question worth asking is whether YOUR card, phone answer, and follow-up can replace that pipeline without a gap in the calendar.

Count cost per BOOKED job (your numbers)

  1. Last 30 days: marketplace spend $ _____
  2. Booked jobs from those leads: _____
  3. Cost per booked job: (line 1) / (line 2) = $ _____
  4. Your average ticket $ _____
  5. Rough margin check: is line 3 eating the job?

Use your own invoices and calendar for these numbers.

Ready-to-cut checklist (all should be true before a hard cut)

  • Google card is callable (tap-to-call YOU hear; real photos; honest hours; primary category matches money work)
  • Missed-call SMS in under a minute (photo + ZIP + window)
  • Tracking numbers: you know which channel rang
  • Day 1 / 3 / 7 follow-up on estimates from YOUR channels
  • Fresh reviews after closed jobs (no paid incentives)
  • You know cost per BOOKED job on marketplace vs Google / LSA / referral
  • You have enough non-marketplace booked jobs in the last 30-60 days that a staged cut will not starve the calendar

If two or more boxes are unchecked: do not hard-cut. Fix the stack or book a $497 teardown.

Cut in steps

  1. Pause new boost / premium spend first. Keep the profile live if it still sends cheap booked jobs.
  2. Cap weekly lead spend. Re-check cost per booked job every week.
  3. Turn off the worst ZIP or category first (high cost, low book).
  4. Only after two calm weeks of YOUR channels covering the calendar: stop auto-renew / cancel the marketplace you no longer need.
  5. Keep one thin overflow channel only if YOUR exclusivity ZIP plan still has holes (and you can still hear the phone).

Do not cancel mid-season with a thin card and no SMS, and do not set yourself a deadline like leave by Friday.

Keep exclusivity ZIP plan

Better Call Stan rule of thumb for the main pack: one shop per trade per ZIP cluster. Before you cut marketplaces, write the ZIPs you will own and the ZIPs you will refuse. Marketplace leads outside your drive radius often look cheap and still lose money.

What to do today

  1. Fill the cost section with YOUR numbers.
  2. Tick the ready checklist. Fix the unchecked boxes that kill the phone first.
  3. If the stack is ready and you want a cut plan on YOUR books: Book a $497 teardown (deep $997). Credited to setup if you start the main pack within 14 days.
Book a $497 teardown

Missed-call checklist60-second script

Better Call Stan - home-service growth for small shops. Not affiliated with JustCall. Not affiliated with Angi or Thumbtack. One shop per trade per ZIP cluster. You keep the keys from day 1.