Why AI Is a Game Changer for Trades
You're a tradesperson. You're good at what you do — maybe great. But you're spending hours every week chasing leads that go nowhere. Writing quotes at 10pm after a full day on the tools. Copying and pasting the same message to every job that pops up on RatedPeople, Thumbtack, or hipages.
And half the time? Someone else has already won the job before you even hit send.
That's the game you're playing right now. And the rules are about to change.
The lead-chasing problem
Here's what the typical cycle looks like for most tradespeople on lead platforms:
A homeowner posts a job — say, a bathroom refit in Manchester, a kitchen remodel in Austin, or a roof repair in Sydney. Within minutes, 5 to 15 tradespeople get notified.
You read the job description. You think about what to write. You type out a response on your phone between jobs. Maybe it takes 10 minutes. Maybe you rush it and send something generic.
The homeowner picks someone else. Often the first person who replied with a decent message. Your 10 minutes are gone. Your lead credit is spent. And you've got nothing to show for it.
Now multiply that across 5 or 10 leads a day. That's an hour or more every day spent writing messages that don't land. For a plumber billing at $80/hour or a sparky charging 60 quid/hour, that's real money walking out the door.
Why speed wins on lead platforms
Every lead platform — whether it's Checkatrade in the UK, Angi in the US, or ServiceSeeking in Australia — operates on the same basic principle: the first quality response usually wins.
Homeowners don't wait around. Research from Thumbtack shows that the first tradesperson to respond is 3x more likely to get hired than the fifth responder. RatedPeople data tells the same story. hipages pros who respond within 30 minutes win dramatically more jobs.
The problem? You're on a job site. You've got plaster dust on your hands. You can't sit there crafting a thoughtful, personalized response to every lead that comes through.
Until now.
The tradesperson with AI vs. without
Let's compare two electricians — both qualified, both experienced, both using the same lead platform.
Dave (no AI): A rewire job comes through at 2pm. Dave's on site until 5. He finally writes a response at 7pm over dinner. It's a few lines — "Hi, I can do this. I'm available next week. Happy to discuss." Five other sparkies have already replied. Dave doesn't hear back.
Sarah (with AI): The same job comes through. Sarah takes 90 seconds on her phone. She pastes the job description into ChatGPT with a quick prompt. AI generates a personalized response that references the specific property, asks two smart questions about the consumer unit, mentions her Part P certification, and suggests a time for a quick call. She tweaks one line and hits send. Total time: 2 minutes. She's first to respond. She gets the job.
Same skills. Same qualifications. Different result — because Sarah used AI to respond faster and better.
What you'll learn in this course
Over the next 20 days, you're going to build an AI-powered system for winning more work from lead platforms. No tech background needed. No coding. Just practical, step-by-step lessons designed for people who'd rather be swinging a hammer than sitting at a computer.
Week 1 — Foundations: Set up your AI tools, understand lead platforms, build a killer profile, and craft your first AI-powered response.
Week 2 — Winning Work: Master quote writing, follow-ups, review management, and turning one job into repeat business.
Week 3 — Marketing & Growth: Use AI for social media, Google Business profile, local SEO, and building your reputation online.
Week 4 — Scaling Up: Automate your lead workflow, build templates, and create a system that keeps winning work while you're on the tools.
This isn't about replacing your trade skills. It's about making sure your skills get seen by the right people, at the right time, with the right message.