Updated October 2021 by Devon Osborne

When re-evaluating lead generation services for the painting industry for 2022, we found that there are several components that have remained the same with the lead generation vendors over the years while others have changed. 

We’ve identified a few factors that have remained constant during the past three years. The first, is that painting contractors continue to express an overall goal of having a steady flow of quality painting leads and the companies reviewed below offer painting lead services. We also know that pay-per-lead services continue to be an excellent means of lead generation for painters, and are being used more frequently in conjunction with SEO or other lead services. The third factor is that painters can still count on many of the same lead generation companies that we evaluated back in 2018 with just a few exceptions. For example, the team at 99 Calls reports the same pricing for exclusive painting leads and the addition of Google Ads PPC to provide more leads faster. A couple of the companies we reported on in 2018 appear to be out of business, but almost all are providing similar services and with similar pricing. 

The whole world was shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Everything we once knew was suddenly completely different. Homeowners suddenly had to take additional precautions when it came to who was in their house, some even opting to take the DIY route. Thankfully, many businesses were able to make it through the hardships and consumers are once again calling contractors for house painting.

As we continue moving towards a post-pandemic world, the revenue of the painting industry is expected to grow 3.2% over the next year. (“Painters Industry in the US – Market Research Report”) In order to make the most out of the market growth. You will need to determine what lead generation company is right for you.

There are several different pay-per-lead providers for painting contractors, but the ways in which they operate differ.  In order to ensure that you get the highest return on investment (ROI), you’ll need to do your research to find which lead generation company works best for your business model. We took a look at several reputable pay-per-lead providers to help you get started.

	Exclusive Leads	Lead Verification	Lead Source(s)
HomeAdvisor	No	Yes	Homeowners submit their information to HomeAdvisor (now called Angi)
PainterChoice	No	Yes	Homeowners submit leads to PainterChoice
CraftJack	No	Yes	Homeowners submit leads to CraftJack
Networx	No	N/A	Third-party data sources
Thumbtack	Yes	Yes	Homeowners submit leads to Thumbtack
TruBids.com	?	?	Do not appear to be operating at this time
eWebify	Yes	Yes	Drive prospects to contractor’s website
Connexion Solutions	Yes	Prospects contact contractor directly	Drive prospects to contractor’s website
Porch	No	N/A	Referrals from Porch, Lowe’s and Wayfair
99 Calls	Yes	Prospects contact contractor directly	Drive prospects to contractor’s website

Figure 1: How each pay-per-lead website handles lead generation, verification, and distribution

What To Consider When Selecting a Pay-Per-Lead Vendor

To select the best pay-per-lead vendor for your painting business, you should consider the following:

• How does the vendor generate painting leads?

• Does the vendor verify each lead before selling it to a contractor?

• How many contractors are sharing each lead?

• What is the price per painting lead?

There’s a lot to consider. Here’s what you should know about these specific terms:

Lead Source

If you have heard of contractors complaining about getting bad leads, then you’d understand the importance of lead source.

• Some pay-per-lead vendors deliver higher quality leads that are more likely to turn into clients so you’d want to focus on getting prospects from those sources.
• There are many lead sources – some from third-party data sources or come directly from homeowners while others are referrals.
• Keep in mind that vendors who offer leads from third-party data sources are essentially buying and re-selling leads, which could mean an increase in cost.
• You may need to experiment to see what works best for your business. Keep track of where the leads come from so you can focus on sources that send you the highest quality leads.

Lead Verification System

No smart business owner wants to waste his marketing dollars on bad leads. That’s why having the ability to verify leads before you pay for them is a smart way to make sure you’re spending your money on prospects that are most likely to turn into clients.

• Look for vendors that have a lead verification system in place, or provide an easy and fair way to dispute bad leads, so you can be sure that you’re spending your marketing dollars most efficiently.
• In the case where a lead vendor has prospects call you directly, find out how to dispute a lead. Often direct leads are recorded and reported. This allows you and the lead vendor to post-qualify leads. You should not have to pay for unqualified leads.

Exclusive Leads vs. Shared Leads

When you share leads with other contractors, the likelihood of winning a client will decrease. You may also get into a bidding war, which can negatively impact your profit margin.

• The ROI of shared leads is often not as high compared to exclusive leads, which may cost more but give you a better chance of closing a sale at a higher profit.
• Shared leads can work well if you’re looking for an immediate influx of new businesses and have the time and resources to compete (e.g., when business is slow).
• Exclusive leads are particularly effective for established painters who have a solid reputation. Many consumers now use the internet to research painting contractors online and pick a winner based on quality reviews rather than price.
• It’s not one or the other. Painting contractors can get painting leads from multiple vendors. For instance, an established painting business is likely to use 99Calls.com to generate exclusive painting leads throughout the year and use HomeAdvisor to provide shared leads during slow periods or for select high-value jobs.

Price-Per-Lead

Ultimately, you want to make sure that the money you invest in lead generation is paying off. Price-per-lead is an important piece of your customer acquisition cost, and you need to take it into consideration to properly optimize your ROI.

Here is the price per painting lead from our top 8 vendors:

	Price per painting lead	Note
HomeAdvisor	$45-$75 / shared lead	Plus $350/year
PainterChoice	$35 / shared lead	Small leads are free
CraftJack	$12-$75 / shared lead
Networx	$30-$70 / shared lead
Thumbtack	$7-$68 per lead / Varies by location	You are only charged for the leads you receive
Trubids	Appears to no longer provide leads
eWebify	Varies based on package
Connexion Solutions	Included with monthly subscription	Packages start at $497/month. You arealso responsible for your Google Ads monthly budget
Porch	$20-$45 / shared lead	Plus $35/month profile pro subscription
99 Calls	$29 / exclusive painting lead	Pay only per qualified organic lead, PPC with Google Ads is also available as a separate service

Figure 2: Price-per-lead comparison

Top 8 Pay-Per-Lead Services for Painter Contractors

After reviewing the information above, you likely have a good sense of which vendor is the right fit for your business. Below you can find more details about each vendor as well as the pros and cons of working with them to help you make the best decision:

1. HomeAdvisor / Angi

Cost per lead (painting job): $45-$75 per lead.

Additional Cost: $350/year.

Lead distribution system: Leads shared by several contractors.

Lead source: Forms on the website and third-party data sources.

Pros:

• It’s the largest and oldest contractor-matching service.

• It has the largest number of contractors doing business on the platform, compared with other services.

• It has a strong online presence.

• It offers a user-friendly interface.

Cons:

• Shared leads … you’ll compete with other contractors on every lead.

• The refund policy isn’t the most satisfactory. May get some bad leads and not be credited.

• They have a strong online presence, but they won’t help you build yours.

• You may pay for more leads than you can handle.

Advice: For every lead that you receive, the corresponding amount will be charged to your account. Manage your profile carefully and remember to turn off the paid leads feature every 14 days if you can’t accommodate clients to avoid paying for too many leads.

Reviews:

Source: BBB-Better Business Bureau

2. PainterChoice

Cost per lead (painting job): $35 per qualified shared lead.

Introductory Price: $175 for the first 8 leads, plus free small leads. Afterward, it costs $175 per 5 leads.

Lead distribution system: Leads shared by 1-3 contractors.

Lead source: Local advertisement to generate traffic to PainterChoice website.

Lead Verification System: All leads are pre-screened to make sure they’re actual customers.

Expected leads per month: 15-40 painting leads per month depending on the service area.

Pros:

• Small leads are free.

• You get a full refund for invalid leads.

• There are no additional or hidden fees.

Cons:

• Shared leads … you’ll compete with other contractors on every lead.

• The job often goes to the lowest bid.

• You aren’t building your own online presence.

Reviews:

Source: shopperapproved.com

3. CraftJack

Cost per lead (painting job): $27-$74 per lead.

Introductory Price: $100 to start receiving leads.

Lead distribution system: Shared by 1-4 contractors.

Lead source: Homeowners submit a request on CraftJack website.

Lead Verification System: As soon as homeowners submit their requests to CraftJack, the system gives them a call to verify that they are in fact real customers. Any lead that contains an invalid or disconnected phone number is automatically rejected.

Pros:

• It utilizes a patent-pending Speed-to-Call discount. When you call a lead within 30 minutes of receiving it, you’ll get 20% off.

Cons:

• Shared leads … you’ll compete with other contractors on every lead
• You will often have to be the lowest bid do win the job

Reviews:

Source: BBB-Better Business Bureau

4. Networx

Cost per lead (painting job): $30-$70 per lead.

Lead distribution system: Shared by 1-4 contractors.

Lead source: Third-party data sources.

Pros:

• You can set up a custom profile to showcase your services.

Cons:

• Shared leads … you’ll compete with other contractors on every lead.
• You will often need to be the lowest bid to win the job

Reviews:

Source: BBB-Better Business Bureau

5. Thumbtack

Cost per lead (painting job): $7-$25 to send a quote.

Additional Cost: No additional cost.

Lead distribution system: Shared by several contractors.

Lead source: Forms on the website.

Lead Verification System: The company reviews each customer to make sure the request is legitimate.

Pros:

• The site provides you with a detailed description of each job or project.

• There’s a large number of homeowners sending requests to Thumbtack.

• There’s no additional or hidden cost, you only pay for each quote you send.

Cons:

• It’s very competitive for quality jobs since many many contractors receive the same opportunity to provide a quote.
• You have to quote jobs without seeing the job site.
• Your company’s contact details are not visible to potential clients so they can’t contact you directly via your Thumbtack profile.

Advice: Create an outstanding company profile to help you beat your competition. Collect and import excellent reviews on the profile and write compelling descriptions of your services.

Reviews:

Source: BBB-Better Business Bureau

6. ConnexionSolutions

Cost per lead (painting job): Included in monthly cost

Additional Cost: Packages start at $497/month. This fee covers unlimited exclusive leads. You are also responsible for the Google Ads spend.

Lead distribution system: Exclusive.

Lead source: Leads generated through your website.

Pros:

• The company builds your website and does the advertising, SEO, and social media marketing for you.

• You will be the only contractor in your category within your town or city.

Cons:

• It’s more expensive than many other pay-per-lead sites.
• You pay a fixed fee each month regardless of the results

Reviews: Very little is known about what consumers think. They only have 1 review on Google and none on Yelp.

Image source: Google

7. Porch

Cost per lead (painting job): $20-$45 per lead.

Additional Cost: Porch Plus subscription costs $35 per month, which gives you added visibility, an enhanced profile, and project/profile support.

Lead distribution system: Shared by up to four contractors.

Lead source: Leads come from local homeowners through word of mouth, organic searches, or Porch’s partnerships with Lowe’s and Wayfair.

Pros:

• 10% credit back on leads you respond to within the first hour.

• Porch partners with Lowe’s and Realtor.com, from which you can get referrals.

Cons:

• You’ll compete with other contractors for every lead.
• It an be difficult to dispute unqualifed leads
• Contractors often have to be the lowest bid in order to win the job

Reviews:

Source

8. 99 Calls

Cost per lead: $29 per exclusive lead.

Additional Cost: None. Only pay per qualified organic lead (SEO)

Lead distribution system: Exclusive live leads, sent directly to contractor.

Lead source: 99 Calls creates a proven Google optimized website for your painting business that gets you in front of local customers searching for your services.

Expected leads per month: Lead volume is low in the first couple months but steadily increases over the next 2 years. Customers who follow the 99 Calls system can expect 50-150 leads in the first year, and 100-300 leads in the second year.

Pros:

• Exclusive painting leads – customers call you directly.
• Additional complimentary services such as managing online listings and reputation management. Your business is listed on prominent directories including Google My Business, Facebook, Yelp, Bing Places, Yellowpages.com and more.
  
• Free call tracking and monthly lead report to prove you are receiving quality painting leads.
• Simple and easy to dispute unqualified leads.
• Now offers Google Ads PPC for faster results for an low montly fee. Contractors set their own budgets.

Cons:

• Lead volume is low in first few months while SEO builds up

Reviews:

Source: BBB-Better Business Bureau

Also see:
Google reviews for 99 Calls
Facebook reviews for 99 Calls

Conclusion

Selecting the best pay-per-lead vendor for your painting business can take some trial-and-error. While some painters get great results through one lead provider, others may have a less-than-satisfactory experience with the same vendor.

It’s therefore important to understand the needs of your business and find a painting leads vendor that meets your criteria.

Don’t forget to monitor your marketing metrics to ensure that you’re getting the highest ROI for the resources you invest in lead generation. A reputable vendor should be able to provide you with lead reports to prove you got the painting leads you paid for.