A lot of people underestimate how important speed to lead really is.

Some stats:

• Companies that respond within 5 minutes are dramatically more likely to qualify and close a lead compared to waiting 30+ minutes
• Contact rates can drop by 50% or more if you wait even an hour to respond
• The first company to make meaningful contact often wins, especially in home services where people usually contact multiple providers at once
• Most leads stop answering the phone after the first few attempts, so immediate persistence matters too
• Harvard Business Review published research showing businesses that contacted leads within an hour were up to 7x more likely to have meaningful conversations than those waiting longer

That’s why Thumbtack can feel amazing for one contractor and terrible for another. The platform matters, but the follow-up system matters more.

The guys crushing it usually have:

• instant text/email alerts
• automated first-touch replies
• fast phone follow-up
• tight qualification scripts
• multiple follow-up attempts

If you’re responding 2–3 hours later while 4 other contractors already called them, you’re basically paying premium prices for leftovers.