Why should I become Bark verified?

Get ready to elevate your professional game with the Blue Badge, a mark of distinction that doesn’t just verify – it amplifies your credibility! 

Over the years, we’ve listened to the feedback of our customers, understood your concerns around trust and safety, and worked to craft a solution. 

We’re absolutely thrilled to introduce our new verification process. The checks include a comprehensive background check, a fraudulent and active card check and registered business confirmation. 

We’re investing heavily in trust and safety because we know how crucial it is for you to establish your authenticity and for customers to feel confident in choosing you. 

The Blue Badge isn’t just a status of verification; it’s a powerful beacon and a recognised status (think IG and Twitter) that draws customers to you. It’s a widely recognised symbol that in Bark communicates: “I am a professional who has been thoroughly vetted and verified.” And let’s face it, customers will always gravitate towards professionals they trust. 

Recent findings suggest that a verified badge significantly enhances consumer trust and attitudes. Having the Blue Badge on your profile is increasingly essentiatypl, potentially leading to higher hiring rates by offering customers the reassurance they seek.

So, here’s the question: are you ready to take this small step for a giant leap in your professional journey? It’s not just a monthly investment, it’s an investment in your future success, an investment in enhancing your visibility, and an investment in securing your reputation. 

Invest in the Blue Badge today!

How can I find my Companies House number?

  1. Go to www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house
  2. Select Find Company Information.
  3. Select Start Now. 
  4. Next Search for your company by Entering the company name, number or officer name.
  5. Once you’ve entered your company details, press the search icon.
  6. Next search for your company and select your company when it appears on the list.  
  7. Once selected, it will open up the company details. You’ll find the registered Company number under the company name. 

 

Here are some amazing tips that will help you get hired:

 

  1. Complete your profile: This is your opportunity to show off what you do. Customers love reading about professionals so make sure your profile is complete and up to date.
  2. Ensure you have a high star rating: Customers love reading reviews for every service and product and it is the same with Bark. Even one 5 star review makes you 3 times more likely to win the business over someone with no reviews. You can add reviews here from any of your previous customers (even non-Bark customers).
  3. Respond quickly: Customers like to hear from professionals as soon as possible. Being the first to respond actually makes you 50% more likely to secure the business.
  4. Call the customer: When you introduce yourself to a customer, always call them straight away. They’re expecting to hear from you. You will be emailed their details and can also find them under My Responses.
  5. Give a quote: Where you can, give the customer a quote. You can also send an email using our email templates function with a breakdown of the quote.
  6. Follow up with the customer. Ring them again, email them again, maybe send them a follow up SMS. Not all business is secured on the day you purchase the lead – lots of business is secured on the 2nd and 3rd for example
  7. Do not get too disheartened when a customer doesn’t respond to you. A customer’s response is largely going to be based on their assessment of how good a fit you are for their request/project – sometimes despite having a great service or making a good first impression they will just decide to hire someone else. Realise this is part and parcel of business and respond to your next lead with just as much enthusiasm and positivity.

Congratulations! Getting hired is what Bark is all about. 

When you get hired by a customer you meet through Bark, all the money you make is yours to keep.

Remember, we have no involvement in payment. This is entirely between yourself and the customer.

We strongly recommend you mark that lead as ‘hired’. Our customers love to see how many times a professional has been ‘hired’, so make sure you’re showing this to them. 

For information about setting a status on a lead, click here

Don’t forget to invite customers to review you on Bark. 

For information about how to add reviews to your Bark profile and invite customers to review you, click here.

If you’d like advice on increasing your conversion rate, then watch the video below.

Bark helps professionals like you find new customers for your business, no matter what service you provide or the size of your company. Simply put, every week thousands of customers come to us looking for a particular service across thousands of categories. We’ll let you know when promising leads come through, and you only need to pay for that lead if you want to contact them.

A great first message is so important to catch the customers attention and stand a good chance of getting hired. We have now made this easier than ever to do by creating easy and eye-catching email templates or newsletter style responses. 

You can have photos, logos, banners, you can write in columns or normal text and you can build this out to be as colourful or as simple as you like as well customise each email template to suit different kinds of leads (and then save them for future use!) See more here:

Your first message should include key points about your business and what you offer; a short, clear description of how you can help the customer; a basic quote or estimate and your contact details. 

It is also crucial that your message is well written and clearly formatted with no spelling or grammatical errors. 

Always include your direct contact details so the customer can contact you directly. 

Despite sending a great first message, we would still recommend calling the customer unless they have stated otherwise.

How can I encourage the customer to respond to me?

Whilst you are unlikely to hear back from every customer you respond to, there are lots of things you can do to encourage a customer to reply.

Firstly, a customer’s response is largely going to be based on your profile and their assessment of how good a fit you are for their request/project so ensure your profile is completed to a good standard. You will need to have spent some time filling this out, including a company description, uploading photos and videos where appropriate and ensuring that you have positive reviews from your previous customers on your Bark profile. More information on doing this here:

Ensure you have made use of all of the contact details provided, calling the customer and sending an email via our site.

Trying to call the customer outside of standard working hours (but not too early or late) is also a great way of reaching them to pitch your services.

Don’t call the customer too much within a short space of time, as this could make them less likely to reply to you positively.

For some more great tips for responding to leads which increase your chances of hearing back from customers, click here

Your Bark profile plays a huge part in whether a customer decides to respond or not. They will look at your profile and the links/information/pictures etc that you attach to help them assess whether your business is a good fit for them. See more on why your Bark profile is important below.

If you would like direct assistance and advice from Bark to help you increase the number of customers you hear back from, please contact our customer success team here.

Visibility is one of the most important things for any business. As an Elite Pro member, your business is highlighted to 100s of customers every month, boosting your profile and providing them access to your contact details. 

The Elite Pro fee is a small investment in solidifying your reputation as a first-class professional. With our service, your profile prominently displays the gold badge, demonstrating your commitment to excellence and reliability. 

One additional customer per month could very well cover the cost of Elite Pro. By prominently displaying our badge on your profile and sharing it with customers when you respond to leads, they can confidently trust that they’re dealing with a reputable business.. Elite Pro works hard to enhance your reputation, allowing you to focus on what you do best, building your success. 

  • Enjoy regular exclusive discounts on credit packs.
  • Your Elite Pro status is highlighted with a prestigious gold badge, instilling confidence in potential customers.
  • Gain valuable SEO backlinks for your profile, improving your online presence and driving more traffic to your business.
  • Jump the email queue with our priority customer service, ensuring that your inquiries are addressed promptly and efficiently.
  • Receive personalised support from our team of Account Optimisation Specialists.
  • Enjoy being featured in seller suggestions (when applicable), giving your business increased exposure and visibility among potential customers.
  • Your contact details are prominently displayed on your public profile, enabling browsing customers to reach out directly..

To ensure you get the full benefits from the Elite Pro service, you must have a completed Bark profile with lots of information on it. You don’t want customers to find a bare profile – first impressions count!

Your profile description is a great opportunity for you to explain in your own words what you do and what sets you apart from other businesses in your industry.

A few key things you could include are:

  • A list of the different services you offer.
  • A brief company history e.g how long you’ve been in business etc.
  • What makes you different from your competitors.
  • Any current offers you may have.

Remember, you want to make a good first impression, so:

  • Format your description so it can be read clearly.
  • Space things out and avoid big blocks of text.
  • Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors.