A Networx alternative for contractors who want their own pipeline

How does Networx work?

Networx is a lead service for home-improvement contractors. Homeowners submit a project request, Networx screens it and sends it to contractors who signed up for that category and area. The help center says leads arrive in real time by text message and email, and that you manage your plan from a dashboard and a mobile app.

Where do the homeowners come from? Networx answers that in its own help article on how it finds homeowners: paid marketing including Google and SEO, homeowners who reach its website through word of mouth, social media or content, and partnerships with affiliates and third parties to meet demand in each trade. That is a straightforward disclosure, and it is worth knowing. Some of the leads you pay for reach Networx through partners rather than its own marketing.

Networx is upfront about terms that matter to a small shop. It says it requires no contract and charges no setup fees. Its post-pay billing option, covered below, does carry an activation fee. You set a budget and change it when you need to.

What do Networx leads cost?

Networx publishes ranges rather than a single price. Its help article on lead prices says leads in the Pay Per Lead plan range from $10 to $100 or more, and leads in the Exclusive Leads plan from $15 to $120 or more. You can see the price for each category in your coverage area in the dashboard before you add it.

The two main plans differ in who else gets the homeowner:

• Pay Per Lead (shared). Networx calls it its most used and popular plan, and says each lead on it goes to a maximum of four contractors. You pay less per lead than on the exclusive plan and compete with up to three others for the same job.
• Exclusive Leads. The lead goes to you and no one else. During business hours, Networx says it tries to call as many exclusive leads as it can, to verify the request and transfer the homeowner to you as a live call.

Networx describes both plans as running on a prepaid credit system, with each lead's price deducted from your budget. Its own example: if a concrete lead costs $58 and you want ten a month, you prepay $580. A post-pay option also exists, with an activation fee and a weekly spending limit charged on a day you pick. On top of the plans, Networx offers Opportunity Leads, which may fall outside your chosen tasks or area and which you can buy or pass up, charged to your card on file rather than your prepaid balance. There is also a Direct Calls add-on, billed weekly for calls received.

Run the numbers with your own close rate before choosing. Take a made-up example: a shared lead listed at $40 that you close one time in five costs $200 in lead fees per job won. An exclusive lead listed at $70 that you close one time in three costs $210 per job. The cheaper lead is not always the cheaper job, and the only figures that settle it are your own.

Our guide on shared versus exclusive leads works through when paying more for an exclusive lead makes sense.

When does Networx give a credit?

Networx publishes a written lead credit policy, so you know the rules before you buy. You can request a credit when:

• the phone number is disconnected or the contact information is fake;
• the lead is for a service or area you didn't sign up for;
• the lead duplicates another Networx lead;
• the person has no authority to hire or no permission from the owner;
• the person was looking for a job, not a service.

The same page lists what is priced in and not eligible: the homeowner already found someone, changed their mind or was just shopping; you didn't win the job; you reported it more than 14 days after receiving it; or it arrived within an hour of pausing your account. Reviews of credit requests are final.

Read that list as an owner. On a shared lead, a homeowner who hired one of the other three contractors is not a bad lead under the policy. It is the normal cost of a shared lead.

Who is Networx a good fit for?

Networx has real strengths for some contractors.

• Contractors who want leads without a contract. A monthly or weekly budget you can raise, lower or pause is easy to test.
• Crews with spare capacity in a known category. If you can see the category price and you know your close rate, the math is simple to run.
• Owners who will pay for exclusivity. The exclusive plan removes head-to-head competition on each lead, at a higher listed price.
• Teams that answer fast. Leads arrive by text and email in real time. Networx's own guide to leads reminds pros that homeowners often reach out to several professionals, so a quick reply helps. On a shared lead, the contractor who calls first gets the first conversation with the homeowner.

The weak spot is the same as any bought lead. The homeowner is Networx's customer until you win the job, and next month's leads have to be bought all over again. When the budget runs out, the flow stops.

What replaces bought leads over time?

Owning your leads means homeowners find you and contact you directly, with no one else copied on the request. It takes several pieces:

1. A contractor website with a page for each job type. Concrete driveways, patios and steps each get their own page with photos and the towns you cover, plus a form that drops into your CRM. See our websites service.
2. Search visibility you don't pay for per lead. A complete Google Business Profile and local SEO help put you in front of homeowners who search for the work you do.
3. A phone setup that catches every call. Calls from your own website and profile cost you nothing per lead, so missing one hurts. Our phone systems page covers ring groups, text back and after-hours answering.
4. A CRM that tags every source. With each job tagged Networx, website, Google or referral, you can compare cost per job across channels. Our custom CRM starts there.
5. Repeat and referral work. Every homeowner you won through Networx becomes your customer once the job is done. Review requests, a seasonal email and your direct number keep the next project off the lead market.

Our own service companies run on this setup too. Expect months, not weeks, before search carries a real share of the schedule.

How do you cut your Networx budget safely?

1. Measure cost per job. Divide last quarter's Networx spend by the jobs it produced. The lead cost calculator handles the arithmetic.
2. Report bad leads inside 14 days. Put a weekly reminder on the calendar so eligible credits don't lapse.
3. Drop the weakest categories first. Keep only the categories where your close rate justifies the listed price.
4. Build owned channels alongside. Profile and reviews first, then service pages, then phone coverage.
5. Lower the budget in steps. Each time your own channels fill a week, cut the Networx budget and watch the calendar.

Frequently asked questions