Turn a Thumbtack Lead Into an Estimate

What the Thumbtack connection does

You stay a Thumbtack Pro. Customers still request quotes there. After you connect, Handy Bro shows new leads in one list, newest first, with the details you would otherwise copy: name, phone, address, description, the times they offered, photos, and the questions they already answered.

Leads that already exist on Thumbtack stay there. A lead that arrives after you connect shows up on its own, with a push notification and an email, so you are not refreshing Thumbtack between jobs to see if anyone wrote.

Create Project is the handoff. It writes a client, a project, and a starting estimate from that lead, then opens the estimate so you can price it the way you price every other job. The lead remembers that it was converted. The next tap opens the same estimate.

How contractors work a lead

A remodeler gets a push at 7 a.m. for a kitchen backsplash. They open the lead from the notification, read the description and the photos, and hit the SMS button while the coffee is brewing. The text is short: they can come Thursday, and they need a photo of the outlet height. That reply is the thing that wins a shared lead. The estimate can wait until the customer answers.

When the customer confirms the address is in range, the remodeler taps Create Project. The client is already filled in. The estimate starts from the description Thumbtack collected, instead of a blank page and a memory of the notification. From there it is a normal Handy Bro job: price it, send the proposal, invoice it.

A lead that is outside the service area never becomes a project. The list is a queue, not a promise. You can read the charge and the refund details on the lead and decide it is not worth the drive before you create anything.

Connect Thumbtack on iPhone

The connection lives under Tools. You sign in as yourself. Handy Bro does not ask you to paste an API key.

1. 1

   Open Integrations

   In the Handy Bro iPhone app, open Tools, then the Integrations section, then Thumbtack. A Home banner also opens this screen after the account has existed for a day.

2. 2

   Connect Thumbtack

   Tap Connect Thumbtack and sign in with your Thumbtack Pro account. The sign-in happens in a browser sheet and returns you to the app. Leads already on Thumbtack are not imported. New leads that arrive after you connect show up here.

3. 3

   Add your business phone

   If no US business phone is saved, the app asks for one. Add it. Thumbtack uses that number. You can edit it later from the toolbar menu.

4. 4

   Open a lead and create the project

   Tap a lead for the customer, the address, the description, photos, and their answers. Text them from the SMS button, or tap Create Project. That creates a client, a project, and a starting estimate. Opening the same lead again goes to the estimate you already made.

After you are connected, the screen title uses your Thumbtack business name. The phone card stays visible until a number is saved. Add or edit it from the toolbar. The number you register is a US business phone, which is what Thumbtack expects.

Disconnect is in that same toolbar menu. It removes the connection and clears the lead list. Projects and clients you already created stay in Handy Bro. Disconnect when you are done with Thumbtack. Leave it connected when you still need the leads that arrived after you connected. Connecting again does not bring older leads back.

Read the lead, text them, create the project

A lead row opens the detail. You get status, the customer’s name and phone, the full address, the job description, proposed times, photos, and the question-and-answer list they filled out on Thumbtack. Pricing on the lead — their estimate, what the lead cost — is there so you can decide if the job fits. Photos open full screen. A file that is not a photo stays a link.

The SMS button is labeled with their number. It opens Apple’s Messages app, ready to send. That is the right first move on a shared lead, because the estimate is useless if someone else already booked the visit. Keep the text specific: a time, a question, or a reason you cannot take it.

Create Project runs once per lead. The button changes to Open Project after that, and it opens the estimate that was created the first time. If the first estimate was a rough start, edit that estimate. Do not disconnect and reconnect hoping for a blank one.

The Android app

The Thumbtack row, the connect button, and the lead list are not in the Android app. Connecting and working the leads happens on iPhone.

Once Create Project has made the client and the project, that job is a normal Handy Bro project. This article’s steps for finding the lead and converting it are the iPhone steps.

Tips so the lead does not go cold

• Answer from the lead before you build the estimate. A shared lead is a race, and the text is the entry.
• Create the project after you know the address, the scope, and that you want the job. A converted lead is a real client in your list.
• Open the Thumbtack screen after you have been in the field. New leads are already in the list, even if you missed the push.
• Read the photos on the lead before the site visit. Half of “small drywall patch” leads are not small, and the photos say so.
• Leave the connection on if you still need the leads that arrived after you connected. Disconnect clears that list. It does not delete projects you already created. Connecting again does not bring older leads back.
• Price the job in Handy Bro the same way you price a referral. The channel math for what a marketplace lead has to earn is a separate decision from how you write the quote.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get Thumbtack leads inside Handy Bro?

On iPhone, open Tools, then Integrations, then Thumbtack, and tap Connect Thumbtack. Sign in with your Thumbtack Pro account and add a US business phone if asked. Leads already on Thumbtack are not imported. New leads that arrive after you connect show up here, with a push notification and an email.

What happens when I tap Create Project?

Handy Bro creates a client from the lead, a project, and a starting estimate, then opens that estimate. Doing it again on the same lead opens the estimate that already exists. It does not make a second copy.

Can I text the customer from the lead?

Yes. The lead detail has an SMS button with their phone number. It opens Messages. Use that to answer before the estimate is ready, then create the project once you know the lead is real.

What does disconnecting Thumbtack delete?

Disconnect removes the Thumbtack connection and the lead list in Handy Bro. Clients and projects you already created from those leads stay. If you still need those leads, leave the connection on. Connecting again only brings in leads that arrive after you reconnect.

Is the Thumbtack integration in the Android app?

No. Connecting Thumbtack, the lead list, and Create Project are in the iPhone app. The Android app does not include them.

Does Handy Bro replace Thumbtack?

No. Thumbtack is still where the lead is bought and where the customer messaged you. Handy Bro is where you turn a lead you want into an estimate, a proposal, and an invoice. For what marketplace leads cost compared with other channels, see the leads guide.

How do new leads show up?

A new lead sends a push and an email, and it shows up in the list on its own. The list is ordered with the newest first. Tapping the push opens that lead.

The bottom line

Connect Thumbtack from Tools on iPhone, add the business phone, and treat the lead list as the inbox. Text first. Create Project when the lead is one you will actually price.

The estimate that comes out is a normal Handy Bro estimate, which is the point: the marketplace stays where the lead was bought, and the job moves into the app you already send proposals from.