Contractor Lead Generation | Trades Lead Programs | Piedmont Avenue Consulting
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Trades-specific lead programs

Lead generation that fills the schedule.

Contractor and trades lead generation runs on different economics than B2B SaaS or professional services. Speed of follow-up predicts conversion more than lead quality. Service area boundaries are tight. Job-by-job pricing varies. We design lead programs around these realities — for plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, landscapers, painters, and the multi-trade home services brands.

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Response Time
5 min vs. 30 min
5x Lower Conversion Rate When Response Crosses 30 Minutes (HBR + InsideSales)

Speed of follow-up predicts close rate.

The data is consistent across every trades business we audit: response time predicts conversion better than lead source quality. A homeowner calling at 2pm about a broken AC system follows up with the next contractor on Google if you don’t respond by 2:30. The mediocre lead followed up in 5 minutes converts at 3-5x the rate of a high-intent lead followed up the next day.

Yet most trades businesses operate with no defined response SLA, no automated follow-up sequences, no after-hours capture system, and no accountability for response time. The funnel isn’t leaking at the top — it’s leaking right after the lead arrives.

The math always shows where the leverage is. The interview makes it specific to your business.

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02 · The Math

A working follow-up SLA calculator.

Plug your numbers in. The math always shows where the leverage is for your specific lead volume.

Monthly leads receivedFrom all sources combined
200
Current close rateAt 30+ min average response
12%
Current jobs / month200 × 12%
24 jobs
Close rate at 5-min responseIndustry data: 3x improvement
36%
Jobs at 5-min response200 × 36%
72 jobs
Additional jobs / monthFrom follow-up SLA fix alone
+48 jobs
At an average ticket of $850/job, that’s $40K+/month from a process change. No additional ad spend required.
Lead Gen Services

What we execute.

Contractor lead generation engagements span acquisition, capture, follow-up, and conversion — in priority order based on where your specific business is leaking.

01

Funnel diagnostic

Where leads come from, what they do, where they die. CRM data review. Phone call analysis. The diagnostic that frames everything else — and usually surprises operators.

02

Follow-up SLA design

Defined response times by lead type. Text-back automation (so a 2am AC inquiry gets an instant text). After-hours capture. Workflow accountability. The single highest-leverage fix in most trades businesses.

03

Google Business Profile

GBP optimization for trades. Service area definition. Photo strategy. Review velocity. Posts cadence. Q&A management. The free tool that drives more leads than most paid programs.

04

Google Local Service Ads

LSA setup and ongoing optimization. Background check completion. Bid strategy. Lead dispute management. The trades-specific Google product most operators underuse.

05

Paid search

Google Ads and Microsoft Ads structured around service-area-plus-service-type. Tied to actual job conversions, not lead volume. Negative keyword discipline.

06

CRM & tracking

Trades-specific CRM (ServiceTitan, JobNimbus, Housecall Pro). Lead source attribution. Job profitability tracking. So you actually know which channels produce profitable jobs — not just leads.

Want to see the full scope for your business? The interview gets specific.

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Trades Specialties

Trades we've worked with.

Lead generation across the spectrum of contractor and trades businesses. Each has different lead source mix and follow-up dynamics.

Plumbing

Service plumbers and rooters. Emergency vs. scheduled mix. After-hours capture is critical.

Electrical

Service electricians and EV charger installers. Permit-aware lead qualification. P.E. Electrics is a referenced client.

HVAC

Heating, AC, and refrigeration. Seasonal demand patterns. Maintenance program lead nurture. Weatherly Air is a referenced client.

Roofing

Storm response capability. Insurance claim coordination. Higher-ticket sales cycles than service trades.

Painting & finishes

Interior and exterior painting. Higher-ticket residential and commercial. Lead qualification critical.

Landscaping

Lawn care, hardscape, irrigation, design-build. Recurring revenue plus project mix.

Don't see your industry? The methodology applies broadly — ask us.

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How We Engage

How lead gen rolls out.

Six-month engagement stages. Different trades need different emphasis — but the diagnostic-first sequence stays consistent.

01
Funnel audit

Where the leads are coming from, where they're leaking, what the actual lead-to-job conversion looks like by source. Usually surprises everyone.

Weeks 1-3
02
Follow-up fix

Most operators see 30-50% conversion improvement from response time changes alone — before touching acquisition spend. We do this first.

Weeks 4-7
03
Acquisition activation

GBP, LSA, paid search, and partner referral programs. In priority order based on the audit.

Weeks 8-20
04
Optimization

A/B testing on landing pages and ad creative. Conversion rate optimization. Bid strategy refinement. The compounding optimization that runs through the engagement.

Weeks 21-26
Engagement Levels

Three engagement levels.

Engagements scale from focused 3-month foundational work through flagship 6-month embedded engagement to ongoing Advisor-tier retainers. Most clients start at Gold.

Tier 01
Silver
3-Month Engagement · Foundational

A 3-month focused engagement covering the foundational work for lead generation in one priority channel like GBP optimization or follow-up SLA.

  • Diagnostic audit of current state
  • Brand & positioning sharpening
  • One major channel activated
  • Skills transfer documentation
  • Bi-weekly working sessions
Starts at 3-month commitment
Tier 02 · Most Common
Gold
6-Month Engagement · Flagship

The flagship 6-month engagement. Embedded consulting work across lead generation — acquisition, capture, follow-up, and conversion.

  • Full audit + competitive analysis
  • Strategy document & quarterly milestones
  • Multi-channel execution (3-5 channels)
  • Weekly working sessions
  • Documentation library & SOPs
  • In-house team training
Starts at 6-month commitment
Tier 03
Advisor
Ongoing Retainer · Maintenance

After Gold, ongoing monthly retainer for clients who want continued strategic input on channel optimization.

  • Monthly strategic check-in
  • Quarterly planning session
  • Async Slack / email advisory
  • Pattern-recognition from peer clients
  • First call for major decisions
After Gold, monthly retainer
Common Questions

Lead generation questions.

What contractor and trades operators ask before engaging.

What CRM do we need for this to work?

Trades-specific CRM is non-negotiable for serious lead generation work. We work with ServiceTitan, JobNimbus, Housecall Pro, FieldEdge, and Jobber — the major players in the trades CRM space. Generic CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho) doesn't handle dispatching, recurring service contracts, or trades-specific job profitability tracking.

How fast does follow-up actually need to be?

Industry data is unambiguous: 5-minute response converts 5-10x better than 30-minute response, and 100x better than next-day response. For emergency trades (plumbing, HVAC, electrical), the response window is even tighter. We design SLA targets at 5 minutes for emergency, 15 minutes for high-intent service requests, and 1 hour for project quotes during business hours.

Should we use Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, and the lead resellers?

Sometimes. Lead resellers are useful as supplemental channels but should never be your primary lead source. They sell the same lead to multiple contractors, the lead quality is variable, and unit economics work only if your follow-up is fast and your close rate is high.

What about Google Local Service Ads (the green-checkmark ones)?

Yes, included — if your trade is eligible. LSA produces some of the highest-intent leads available for service trades because Google pre-screens and the badge signals trust. Setup requires background checks, license verification, and insurance documentation. Most operators underuse LSA because the setup is annoying.

Will this work for a small business with 2-3 trucks?

Yes — arguably better than for larger operators. Smaller trades businesses have less complexity, faster decision cycles, and easier follow-up SLA implementation. A 2-truck plumbing business can deploy a follow-up SLA fix in 2 weeks; a 30-truck operation takes 3 months because of dispatcher training.

How do we measure what's actually working?

Lead source attribution tied to job profitability — not lead volume. Most trades operators measure leads-per-channel (which is meaningless) instead of profitable-jobs-per-channel (which is the only metric that matters).

Get Started

Ready to fill the schedule?

The free 30-minute interview is where we figure out where your specific business is leaking leads — and what the highest-leverage fix is. Most trades operators are surprised by the audit results.

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Or call us · +1 (510) 761-5895

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