By Andy Royle, the co-founder and MD of Leads 2 Trade.

In 2021, installers were able to feast on unprecedented demand and make hay while the sun shone bright.

That was never going to last forever and with installers reporting a definite shift to receiving fewer enquiries from their self-generated efforts, winning work will be tough as the year progresses.

With many having invested in putting extra resources in place last year to cope with that demand, be it extra staff, new machinery or more marketing, they will need to maintain those lead volumes.

That won’t be easy, particularly after an artificial peak. When demand dips, installers are left with very few alternatives and it’s why they turn to a third-party lead generation company to help generate the leads they need.

Installers are also becoming more switched-on when it comes to maximising their time. Lead generation is a time-consuming part of any installers job and in today’s world they have not got the time to waste on leads that might not go anywhere.

Third-party lead generation companies save time installers don’t have by providing ready-made leads, so all the installer has to do is sell their products and services.

Using a third-party lead generation service like ours allows installers to reach consumers on-line who they wouldn’t necessarily be able to reach with their own branded advertising and SEO campaigns as we market ourselves as a comparison service for consumers, which is what more and more consumers want when it comes to their home improvements.

For example, at Leads 2 Trade we generate leads using our comparison service and our online assets would rank better for more generic search terms meaning quicker wins for our members.

With lead generation the best way to fuel business growth and demand slowing down, it’s no wonder we have seen installers reach out to us and our members become more reliant on our services, including our no pitch no fee guaranteed appointment service to save time and get a better conversion rate and cost per sale.

Installers will have to work harder to convert leads into business this year – and third-party lead generation companies can help.