Websites are beginning to spring up where you can search for and find rated plumbers, electricians, vets, builders, and foreign language tutors. Economies of scale dictate that a company such as Pimlico Plumbers can cover most of London without worrying about extra fuel costs, for example, or your local minicab rank is not such the godsend it used to be if you are armed with a smartphone and an Uber or Hailo app. There is a noticeable trend towards this industries who traditionally rely on word of mouth, or being the only outlet in town, are facing stiffer competition now that almost all kinds of service are more mobile and travel is not such an issue. To employ a phrase that is in severe danger of becoming over-used where new business ideas are concerned, what if there was another way? Companies who make products are desperate to get them onto price comparison websites, or on rare occasions, make a big deal out of the fact that they refuse to be listed (a strategy that works well but still requires the price comparison site to be there in the first place). It’s unsatisfactory, and yet we persist with it in the absence of a satisfactory alternative. It’s why many businesses end up forming long term partnerships with firms they are less than 100% happy with. Knowing what you want and not being able to find it is not only frustrating for you but also for the service provider who wishes you knew about them. Like a price comparison site, but with the focus on comparing services and working methodology, rather than just price. The logical conclusion to all this wasted effort is that what you really need is a searchable database that you can apply filters to and tailor to your needs. Perhaps you can source a list of recommended firms or find a discussion forum to help you, but again it’s not a comprehensive but a highly selective way of searching. You still have to visit the website, study the details, send an email requesting further information, and you will be overlooking many other companies on the basis that they do not score well in search rankings, when perhaps their quality is such that they don’t need to. This tells you something that they are a solid bet or that they recognise the importance of marketing their services, but if you have a clear idea of what you are looking for then you haven’t really narrowed down your search. This will work reasonably well, but it does have limitations firstly the companies you will find first are most likely to be either the biggest and most well established in their field, the ones you already know about, or the ones who have spent the most on ad-words. First of all, you can try Google, or a local services directory.

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