Tree service leads beside Angi and Thumbtack

Tree service leads need a check before you pay for another introduction. We do not rank or rate lead firms, so what follows is a way to judge any of them yourself, including the partner that calls you if you ask through this site.

Do you need a lead source at all?

Not always. How tree companies get more jobs starts with a month of tickets and a call to past customers if that is where the work started. A paid source starts to make sense when the board has open days and you already know the service area.

We do not publish a private lead fee. Ask for one in writing.

What Angi and Thumbtack say about matching

Angi's pro FAQ says each homeowner request is matched with no more than five pros. You are charged when both sides show interest. Subscription leads are charged even if you do not open them.

Angi's Approved Pro terms say a lead is frequently sent to several other Approved Pros, and that leads are not guaranteed jobs.

Thumbtack shows customers matching pros. Leads that match your job preferences are paid automatically. Opportunities cost only if the customer responds.

Are Angi and Thumbtack leads exclusive? is the short version. What is a shared tree lead? is the definition.

Questions to ask before you pay

Ask these on the first call, and ask for the answers in writing.

• Is this introduction shared or exclusive, and how many other companies will see the same homeowner?
• What written fee will I get, what does it include, and when is it due?
• What service area and job types will you send, and can I turn a type off?
• What license or registration do you hold, if any, in the state where I work?
• Will you ask me for a bank login, a remote-access tool, or a crew roster upload?
• What can you not do, and what result will you not promise?

Red flags

Each of these points back to a source, not to a review of a named company.

• They promise a full board or a booked job next week. Angi's pro terms say leads are not guaranteed jobs. Thumbtack's help page describes matching, not a hire. Angi Approved Pro terms
• They call an Angi or Thumbtack request exclusive. Angi says no more than five pros. Thumbtack says customers choose from matching pros. Angi opportunities and leads FAQ
• They will not put the fee or the sharing rule in writing, or they will not name a business address you can check.
• They ask for a bank login or a remote-access tool before you have a written agreement.
• They say a city forestry office sent them, or that an ISA Certified Arborist card is a government license. ISA says the credential is not licensure. ISA Certified Arborist application
• They treat a Louisiana arborist license as proof they can send jobs in every state. That license is a Louisiana fee-work rule. LDAF arborist licensing