Contract Spot Blog

Now this is Team-Work!

2009-09-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

We're famous!

2009-08-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

We were featured on the Business Couriers television show called the 'Business Beat'. You can find the show here.

PayPal is Here!

2009-08-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

Now your customers can pay you with PayPal.

When they open your invoice, they will see the button to 'Pay Online'.

Then they simply select the Paypal option.

Then they enter their username and password.

Presto... thats it. Then your invoice will be marked as paid in ContractSpot and you can just go to your PayPal account to withdraw your funds.

Stop Stuffing Envelopes

2009-08-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand... we can now mail your invoices for you.

After you create an invoice, just click on the 'Send by SnailMail' button, and we will print, fold and mail your invoices on your behalf.

- No more printing and folding
- No more addressing and stuffing envelopes
- No more buying stamps at the post office
- No more going to the mailbox

We will do it all... so you don't have to.

Here are our prices:
1-99 Invoices = $.99 each
100-399 Invoices = $.89 each
400+ Invoices = $.79 each

More Payment Options - PayPal & SpotPay

2009-08-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Now you can offer your customers PayPal.

By becoming a member of ContractSpot, you automatically enable your SpotPay account, which allows you to accept credit card and e-check payments. Now you can also activate your PayPal account so that your customers can pay you quicker then ever.

On the landing page, you will notice the box that shows your payment options.

When you click on the box, it will take you to the Payment Settings page. Here you can activate your PayPal account or even disable payments completely.

More Payment Options = Happy Customers!!

Try it, You'll like it!!

2008-08-04T03:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know which is harder... getting my son to eat something besides chicken nuggets... or getting contractors to try a new invoicing solution.

Now you can try us out for free by clicking here.

Just try it. I promise you'll like it!!!

Payments are Optional

2009-07-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, for all of you contractors who are not ready to accept payments online... you can now just Turn them Off.

When creating an invoice, simply click the 'Hide Payment Option' box.

Your customer will still get an email telling them they have a new invoice.

But when they open the invoice, it will not have a payment option.

This new feature should help all you guys who want to email your invoices but only want to accept check payments.

Hope you like it!

New Homepage is here!!

2009-07-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

As you may know, we are changing our strategy to focus fully on Invoices and Payments. As proof, we have just changed our homepage so that everyone can see we are serious. Here it is.

Invoice Uploader

2009-07-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ok... for all of those who asked... we now have an Invoice Uploader.

This is for the guys who have been invited by their customer but still want to use their own software for invoice generation.

On the invoice screen you will see the 'Upload Invoice' button.

All you have to do is choose the files you want to attach, select your customer and fill in a few details about the invoice. The invoice will automatically be entered into your customers payables process as normal, and you will still get the real-time invoice status.

Neighborhood Marketing

2009-06-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

I found a site called NextDoor Sales on LinkedIn that looks like it can help contractors grow their business. Their goal is to send marketing material directly to the neighbors of all your customers. They will even help you design custom flyers that show your great work.

If this site is as good as it looks... we may have to partner with them, so you can market to your customers without leaving your ContractSpot web portal. :)

This is from their site...

"If you sold a product or service to the house with a TAN Dot, do you want to sell the same product/service to all the houses with BROWN Dots? Do you know how to reach them?

NextDoor Sales, LLC has developed software to find the closest neighbors to your current customer’s addresses. We can help you reach up to 30 neighbors for less than a dollar per address, including full color postcard printing, postage and list rental."

DIY - Insulation Tips

2009-06-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Invoice Status

2009-06-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

Real-time information is key to success. Our invoicing system allows you to see when your customer has Viewed, Approved, Paid, Partially Paid or even Scheduled your invoice to be Paid. You can also see if they Reject your invoice, and if so, why?

Thanks to the Internet... the guessing game is over!

DIY - Get rid of Ants

2009-06-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some Do it yourself tips for getting rid of ants. Hopefully this stuff works on the ant hill I have by my garage.

DIY - Plant Grass Seed

2009-06-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

With all of the customers coming to our site looking for pros... many of them have asked if we have any Do it yourself (DIY) tips. Eventually, we plan on having our own DIY section, but for now I will just post many of the helpful DIY videos that I come across online.

Online Continuing Education

2009-06-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

There are many sites out there that can help you build your skills as a contractor through Continuing Education. Below is a video from The Contractor Show that shows an interview with RedVector, and talks about the benefits of online training.

Education never hurts... the more you know about your industry, the stronger you will be as a contractor.

Go iLawn

2009-06-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Forget visiting customer sites just to give a Quote... Check out these demos from Go iLawn.

If this service is as cool as it looks... maybe we will partner with them to get you all discounted rates.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-05-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a video that talks about advertising in the TheHomeMag. TheHomeMag is an 'advertising-only' magazine that targets homeowners looking to renovate or upgrade their homes.

They have an interesting spin on their magazine because they think that customers don't care about renovation 'Articles'. They think customers just want a nice, clean magazine with pretty pictures they can flip through for ideas and inspiration.

I don't know anything about their success rate or advertising ROI, but I have to admit... I think I agree with their philosophy. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Let's Change the World

2009-05-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

The service industry is filled with entrepreneurs. This is a great video that reminds us all to keep pushing... to keep attacking... and to keep our dreams alive.

QuickBooks Integration

2009-05-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Are you a Quickbooks user?

Now you can save Time and Money managing your Receivables in ContractSpot, while managing your payroll and everything else in Quickbooks.

Imagine creating your invoices anywhere you have internet access and then monitoring if your customer has Viewed, Approved, Disputed or Paid the invoice in real-time. Also imagine accepting e-Check or Credit Card payments with NO Monthly Fees. Then imagine exporting all your Receivables right into Quickbooks with a simple click of a button.

Here is how simple it is...

Go to your Payment History and click on 'Export to Quickbooks'.

Then select your date range for the payments you want to export.

Then enter your Quckbooks account names and click 'Download Log'.

That's it!

Now you have an 'iif' file that can be imported directly into Quickbooks to keep your finances up to date. This new feature allows you to manage all your payments... both Online and Offline. The online payments are entered as 'splits' with the ContractSpot fees shown, while the offline payments are shown as undeposited checks.

If you are familiar with Quickbooks, then this new feature will be extremely simple and very helpful. If not, do not hesitate to call, email or chat any questions that you may have.

Getting Paid

2009-03-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

PWC recently wrote an article about getting paid and we were quoted in the article.

Check it out right here.

New Opportunities

2009-04-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for new business opportunities? Then our latest feature is just for you. We have tapped into websites such as Craigslist.org and Oodle.com to help you find new opportunities in your area. These opportunities come from local classifieds and range in size from small lawn projects to large basement remodels. The opportunities may also include job postings from larger contractors looking to hire help.

Our goal is to help you manage all your leads and opportunities in one spot. Hopefully you can turn these new opportunities into new customers and grow your business. Good luck!

How to Run Reports

2009-04-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

How to Withdraw Funds

2009-03-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

How to Create an Invoice

2009-02-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

How to Create a Quote

2009-01-27T18:53:00.000-08:00