The Web can be an extraordinary way to make yourself known, promote your business and get in touch with a large number of potential customers; the important thing is to use the right tools. How do you say? Is this what you were also thinking about but have not yet managed to find the right tool to give a “boost” of visibility to your business? Then I really think you should take a look at ProntoPro .
ProntoPro is a digital platform that allows professionals to get in touch with potential customers throughout Italy, without registration costs, subscriptions or commissions on the final work: you create a profile for free and pay only when an interested customer contacts you (you buy credits to be able to interact with customers). Once you have created your profile, from the ProntoPro website or app – everything is done in a few minutes -, you will start receiving requests from potential customers, which it will then be up to you to evaluate and eventually complete after a private negotiation.
In short, ProntoPro acts as an intermediary between professionals belonging to any sector (from computer scientists to construction companies, passing through plumbers, event organizers, nutritionists, psychologists, etc.) and customers, helping the former to build their own online showcase and make themselves easily traceable and the latter to quickly find a solution to your needs. How do you say? Does it seem to be just the kind of service you were looking for? Then set aside five minutes of free time and find out more about how ProntoPro works for professionals : everything is explained below.
Index
- ProntoPro: how it works
- ProntoPro: log in
- ProntoPro: set profile, services and prices
- ProntoPro: contacts and credits
- ProntoPro: calendar
- ProntoPro: reviews
- For more information
ProntoPro: how it works
If you agree, I would immediately go to the gist and show you how to grow your business with ProntoPro . All you need is a few minutes of free time and a bit of effort to create a winning profile (I’ll help you build one, don’t worry!).
For the tutorial I will use the web version of ProntoPro, but know that you can also do everything from the handy official ProntoPro app available for both Android and iPhone and iPad.
ProntoPro: log in
The first step you must take to register on ProntoPro as a professional is to connect to the home page of the service and enter in the field What do you do? the type of activity you carry out: various automatic suggestions will appear to choose the most suitable category for you.
Then specify the city you are in in the adjacent field and you will be shown an estimate of the work you could receive each month thanks to ProntoPro. If you are not convinced of the result, try to select another category relevant to your profession from the field What do you do? , then click on the Continue button to go on .
In the new page opened, type the name of your business in the field provided (if you are a private individual, enter the name with which you want to introduce yourself to customers) and go further , then fill in the form that is proposed to you with the requested data ( name , surname , email , telephone number and password ), check the boxes relating to general conditions , privacy policy and promotional information and click on the Next button .
At this point you will be invited to verify your phone number using a code that will arrive via SMS: type it in the appropriate field and go on . You can also register with a landline phone number, the verification procedure is slightly different, but even in this case you will be guided by the portal through clear and simple instructions.
Afterwards, check the boxes related to the various professional activities you do to show to your potential customers on ProntoPro (for example, if at the beginning you indicated computer repair as your main activity, you could add activities such as Internet connection assistance , data recovery , Apple computer repair , IT , phone and tablet repair , website development and so on): once this is done, press the Next button and you will have concluded the first phase of registration.
ProntoPro: set profile, services and prices
Now you have to follow the quick tutorial in which ProntoPro shows you how to best prepare your profile: at the end, click on the button Start using ProntoPro to go to the phase of completing your account, necessary to be found on the platform and receive the first requests of work.
First, therefore, click on the Complete button related to the Complete profile section and complete your profile by uploading a photo of yourself . I recommend: choose a photo of yourself in which you are clearly visible and smiling or, if you prefer, a photo of your team or your logo . Also make sure that the photo is of high quality and, if possible, use a square photo of at least 600 x 600 pixels , for the best possible resolution. Instead, don’t upload photos of business cards or phone numbers – customers want to see who you are before contacting you.
Subsequently, I recommend that you complete your profile by uploading a gallery of images that best represent the way you work , your projects in progress and those completed. If you have special certificates or qualifications, you can also include photos of them, as they will certainly make your profile more authoritative. You can add new photos to your profile at any time by logging into your ProntoPro dashboard and going to the More> Pictures section (if you are updating from the app) or Settings> Pictures from browser.
Then move on to your description : this is another key element to increase the chances of being chosen – in fact it represents the first impression customers have of you – so write it with particular attention.
Try not to be verbose , describe the services you offer and illustrate your work experience (when you started your business, why and why a client should choose you and not another professional in the same sector).
Instead, avoid writing sentences entirely in capital letters (remember that, on the Internet, writing everything in capital letters is equivalent to “screaming”), re-read what you have written well (a professional presentation full of typos is not the best way to make a impress customers!) and make sure your business name is prominently featured. Obviously, the latter should be effective and easy to remember (therefore not too long / complicated, but not too generic; in short, it should be a short name but one that remains impressed, as well as original).
Now you have to indicate the services you want to offer to your potential customers. Then press the Set button relating to the section Start appearing in the search results and receive Direct Requests and select, from the page that opens, the services for which you want to receive requests.
Clearly, be sure to select only services for which you can actually offer work services (“inflating” your profile and then “pulling back” on receiving any work requests is counterproductive for your image).
Once you have selected the services, you must also indicate the work preferences for each of them. For example, in the PC assembly task you may need to indicate the purpose of use of the PC , the type of case , the number of inches of the monitor or operating system on which to operate, and so on.
If you are having difficulty in this phase and you are not sure how to set your work preferences, try this exercise: take a pen and paper, write which types of jobs make you more money , are easier to manage and you like to do more and make your choices accordingly. In short, focus on your strengths, your qualities and the types of jobs in which you manage to earn more or for which you feel more competitive.
You must then indicate for each activity the maximum distance you intend to cover, therefore how far you are willing to travel to reach your potential customers; on the other hand, it would make no sense to accept jobs for which, economically, there is such a distance that it is not worth moving. If you offer your services online, you can select the From all over Italy option to receive requests without geographical limits.
Finally, indicate the prices to ask for your services. I know, it’s not always easy to estimate how much to ask for a job – there are too many variables at play – but this figure plays a key role in being contacted by a greater number of customers on ProntoPro (and allows you to an automatic skimming of those not in line with the necessary budget).
Therefore, if for a type of job you can make a true and competitive estimate of the starting price to ask , enter it. If, on the other hand, you are unable to make an estimate of this type, it is better not to enter the data and therefore avoid showing a potentially incorrect price.
Do not be too afraid of “mistakes” in the initial setup phase of your profile: If necessary you can modify the data on services, prices and distances covered by the section Services of the dashboard of ProntoPro .
In any case, once everything is set up, all you have to do is verify your identity by providing your VAT number or your social security number: this allows ProntoPro to provide a quality service to customers, offering them only verified professionals, and simultaneously protect professionals from potential identity theft.
Therefore, click on the button to start the identity verification , go ahead and indicate if you are Private or Self-employed or company , by ticking one of the two available options.
Once this is done, indicate the company name of your business and tax code (if you are a private individual) or VAT number (if, on the other hand, you are a professional or have a company). Finally, press the Verify button and that’s it. You will receive an email within 24 hours confirming that your profile has been verified.
Now you have a complete and verified profile on ProntoPro and you are ready to accept the requests of your potential customers.
ProntoPro: contacts and credits
When your potential customers contact you, you will receive a notification from ProntoPro, so you do not miss any requests. You will then be able to manage everything and respond to job proposals through the Inbox section of your ProntoPro dashboard .
There are two types of requests you can receive: the first is the direct request and occurs when the customer contacts you directly, because you are compatible with his needs (so you appeared in his List of professionals based on the preferences you have set for prices and type of service offered); alternatively there is the generic request that is obtained when a customer does not address you directly. The requests are all real , as they are carefully checked by the ProntoPro staff, who check the veracity of all the contact details and data contained therein.
In order to respond to requests and accept jobs, you need to spend credits . Credits are the currency of ProntoPro and are necessary, in fact, to be able to interact with customers and respond to requests received. The number of credits needed to respond to a request varies according to the type of request, its economic value and the interaction with the customer. However, they are only spent on the first interaction with the customer.
Going into more detail, both for direct requests and for general requests, you will use your credits only if you decide to interact with the customer or if the latter shares his / her telephone number.
Credits can be purchased in packages valid for 24 months , with prices starting from 99 euros for 44 credits (a single credit has a cost of 2.25 euros, VAT included). ProntoPro consultants are always available to create packages designed on the needs of professionals registered on the platform. By choosing one of the packages that include the ProntoRicarica service you will receive an automatic recharge when you are responding to a request but you do not have the necessary credits to do so: in this way you will always have enough credits to respond to all job opportunities.
You can purchase credits using many secure payment methods , such as PayPal , credit / prepaid card and bank transfer (the latter is not accepted for purchase with the ProntoRicarica option and requires longer crediting times), by clicking on the appropriate button on the dashboard and selecting the package you prefer. Read more here .
Once you have purchased credits, you can respond to a request by simply selecting it, in order to view all the details, and pressing the Reply button .
You can therefore indicate a fixed price , price per hour , price range or if you need more information to establish the price of the work you offer, write your message and add any attachments .
In the message, be sure to greet the customer and thank him for the request; introduce yourself by describing well the service you offer, illustrate your experiences, ask the questions necessary for the performance of the work and clarify the reasons for the prices you ask for (or why you cannot yet establish a precise price for your service). Finally, propose a first contact to the customer, to define the details, and send everything. Do not enter contacts, as they will be blacked out.
After sending the quote, the negotiation with the customer will start , in which you will have to be good to take the job home.
For example, if the customer does not respond, allow two / three days to pass before contacting them again, otherwise you may seem too “pressing”. So ask him if everything is okay and make yourself available to clarify any kind of doubt or perplexity.
If you suspect that he has not answered you because the price you have proposed is too high, let him know that you can give him a small discount; underline that any checks / inspections you will carry out will be free and so on. In short, remember that you are interacting with a person who does not know you and you must do everything possible to gain their trust.
ProntoPro: calendar
Correctly reporting your availability to customers is essential, as is always having a complete picture of the commitments you have .
In this regard, I would like to point out that with the ProntoPro Calendar you can indicate the days when you are not available , so as not to receive job requests for the days you are busy or on vacation. From the same screen you can also activate the option to accept jobs only with a certain notice , to be determined in days .
ProntoPro: reviews
The reviews are very important to ProntoPro. With at least two reviews, your chances of being chosen by new customers will significantly increase. On ProntoPro you can receive two types of reviews: verified reviews , i.e. those coming from customers you have acquired through the platform and unverified reviews , i.e. those coming from your old customers acquired outside the portal and from which you have the possibility to get you reviewed to start giving a good image of you to ProntoPro customers. Read more here .
Plus, getting at least 5 verified reviews in a year and getting an average rating of at least 4.8 out of 5you will become a Top Pro : badge that distinguishes the best professionals on the platform and, of course, confers authority in the eyes of customers, thus increasing the chances of receiving new requests.
Another thing that could give you many “points” in the eyes of potential customers is the way you respond to requests : try to fulfill them quickly but comprehensively. If you get used to responding quickly to requests, both direct and generic, you will also be more visible in the list of professionals seen by ProntoPro users.
For more information
By now you should have a pretty clear idea of how ProntoPro works for professionals . In any case, I advise you to always keep the FAQ section of the ProntoPro site just a click away , where there are many informative articles with answers to the most frequently asked questions on the functioning of the service.
And if you need to get in direct contact with ProntoPro support, you can do it through the Help Center available via chat from Monday to Friday, from 10.00 to 18.00.
