BUILDING BEYOND THE BID
How I Built a Better Way After HomeAdvisor Sold My Info to 15 Contractors

Thirty minutes. Fifteen calls. Zero questions about scope, timeline, or fit. Just "We can beat anyone's price." That's the lead-gen machine working exactly as designed—and why I built Beyond the Bid™.

What's Inside?

Table of Contents

Recognized & Trusted By:
TL;DR
The Lead-Gen Tax & What I Built Instead
Problem: Lead-gen platforms sell your lead to 3–15 competitors, forcing a price race that crushes margins from 18% to 9%.
The FTC Found: In 2023, HomeAdvisor paid $7.2 million for false lead-quality claims.
Hidden Cost: 15–20 hours weekly lost to bad-fit intake, free estimates, and proposals that go nowhere.
What I Built: Beyond the Bid™—AI-powered right-fit matching that qualifies scope, budget, timeline, and jobsite norms before anyone wastes a minute.
Result: 20–40% higher close rates, 15–20 hours recovered weekly, protected margins.
The Phone Call That
Changed Everything
The Setup
I entered my bathroom remodel info on HomeAdvisor
The Reality
Fifteen contractors called in 30 minutes—zero asked about fit

The Lead-Gen Machine: How It Works Against You
Shared leads are sold to 3–15 contractors. You pay $15–$100+ per lead to compete against yourself. Close rates drop to ~10% or less; margins get hammered. The fastest dialer wins, and everyone races to the bottom on price.
The Lead-Gen Tax
Platforms like HomeAdvisor and Angi even bid on your company name in Google Ads, then sell that traffic back to you and your competitors. That's a tax on your reputation.
The FTC Settlement
In 2023, the FTC required HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2 million for false lead-quality claims. The message: these platforms profit while builders struggle.
The Hidden Costs You Feel
Every Week
The lead-gen blast model doesn't just cost money upfront. It drains your time, your team's morale, and your reputation. Here are the real costs you're paying:
15–20 Hours Weekly Lost
Intake, qualification, site visits, proposals, and follow-ups that go nowhere
Price-First Conversations
Crush your brand and invite scope creep from day one
Wrong-Fit Clients
Drain morale, trigger change orders, and put your reputation at risk

THE REALIZATION

"After watching this cycle destroy good builders for years, I didn't try to 'optimize' the old model. I built a new one." You Don't Need More Leads You need better fit. The best client isn't the first to raise a hand. Stop Paying to Compete Against Yourself Every shared lead is a built-in price war where the platform wins and you lose Build an Owned Pipeline Where the right clients find you—and you only engage when the fit is real

What I Built Instead: Beyond the Bid

Born from that bathroom-remodel war zone, Beyond the Bid™ is an AI-powered matching application built on Vibe Coding to align homeowners and contractors on what actually determines project success: Scope & Budget Realism Deep-fit profiling that goes beyond "what's your budget?" to uncover decision status, finish level, elasticity, and procurement preferences Timeline & Communication Style Must-start/finish dates, communication cadence, decision-making style, and sequencing preferences Jobsite Norms & Constraints Working-from-home hours, kids/pets on site, parking, HOA rules, access/noise windows, weekend work tolerance Risk & Payment Expectations Change-order tolerance, payment schedules, prior remodel experience, and trust-building factors

Old Model vs. Right-Fit Matching
How the Match Works
Beyond the Bid™ uses AI to ask better questions, then filters for fit before anyone wastes a minute. Here's the four-step process:
Dynamic Question Engine
Adapts in real time to uncover scope clarity, budget range, timeline constraints, communication preferences, and jobsite realities
Contractor Truth-Profile
Builders create a living profile: scope sweet spots, geographic radius, jobsite norms, communication rhythm, and tech stack
Multi-Factor Match Score
The system weights hard constraints (permits, location, schedule) and soft preferences (communication style, WFH/pets/HOA fit)
Curated Introductions
Homeowners see a tight, high-trust shortlist. Builders only see projects already aligned. No pay-to-sprint. No fifteen voicemails.
Why This Matters for You
Beyond the Bid™ vs. Lead-Gen Blast
This isn't theory. Our team has helped 112+ builders implement 315+ AI solutions with an average revenue increase of $775,564 per year—and BTB slots into the same system-first approach.

Stop Paying to Compete Against Yourself

The Benefits You recover 15–20 admin hours weekly by eliminating bad-fit intake, free drive-by estimates, and proposal churn. Protected Margins No more price-race by design. Your close rate improves 20–40% because every conversation is qualified and aligned. Smoother Projects Fewer change orders, fewer "surprises," less reputational risk. Right-fit matching means better outcomes. Own Your Pipeline Build a direct channel where the right clients find you Bypass the Sharks Stop letting platforms tax your reputation Scale Systematically More leads into a broken intake equals chaos

See It Live

Explore Beyond the Bid™ in Action Want to see the right-fit matching work? Explore an example and details here: View Beyond the Bid™ Demo Right-Fit Filtering See how AI qualifies on scope, budget, timeline, and jobsite preferences before the first call Trust-Building Profiles Homeowners and contractors match on communication style, work norms, and expectations Better Outcomes Higher close rates, protected margins, and projects that actually fit how you build

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FAQ
Your Questions Answered
Common questions about Beyond the Bid™ and how it differs from traditional lead-gen platforms:
How is Beyond the Bid™ different from HomeAdvisor or Angi?
Beyond the Bid™ doesn't sell your lead to 3–15 competitors. Instead, it generates a deep-fit profile and invites only the 1–3 best-matched contractors. No "fastest dialer wins." No race to the bottom. You only see projects already aligned with how you work.
How does the AI matching actually work?
The Dynamic Question Engine adapts in real time to uncover scope clarity, budget range, timeline constraints, communication preferences, and jobsite realities (WFH, pets, HOA, noise windows). Then it matches against your Contractor Truth-Profile: scope sweet spots, geographic radius, jobsite norms, communication rhythm, and tech stack. The result is a ranked shortlist based on multi-factor fit scores.
What does it cost, and how do I get started?
Beyond the Bid™ is installed through our 6-Week MAP™ program, which includes client qualification frameworks, automated intake, CRM integration, and the matching system itself. This is a build-with-you implementation, not a course. Take the free Owner Bottleneck Assessment or book a diagnostic call to see if it's a fit.
Does this replace my existing lead sources?
No—it enhances them. Beyond the Bid™ plugs into your operating system and works alongside referrals, direct response, and other channels. The goal is to filter and qualify all incoming leads on the factors that actually predict project success, so you stop wasting time on bad-fit opportunities regardless of where they come from.
Is my data and my clients' data safe?
Yes. We ensure data safety through our AI-First Framework™: SOC 2/ISO 27001 certified vendors, encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, and strict data retention policies. We configure private knowledge bases and ensure compliance with TCPA and PCI standards.
READY TO BUILD SOMETHING BETTER—NOW?
Stop Paying to Compete Against Yourself
This isn't a magic pill. It's hard work—the right work. Start your transformation today.
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