No, they don't.
Sortlist is similar to other platforms such as Yelp and TripAdvisor : clients do not pay to use these platforms.
If we were to charge companies looking for a provider, the amount of projects created on Sortlist would be drastically reduced. As a result, providers would receive way less opportunities on their dashboard.
This would neither be interesting to our clients nor for the providers, as making this a paid service would directly mean less business for the provider.
Instead, the project owner simply tells us what he needs once. We then send the request to trusted providers, that match the company's requirements, its budget and that might have relevant experience in its sector.
Providers, however, pay in order to get new business with the generation of inbound warm opportunities. Each incoming project is treated by a dedicated team of Account Managers and is systematically screened and qualified, thanks to an automated and human qualification process.
As you may understand, there is quite some work involved:
Attracting the client,
Screening the project,
Challenge the project,
Writing the briefing,
Selecting relevant providers.
The fees that are paid by the providers to accept the project cover these internal costs.
Clients are being sensitized by our team of Account Managers. They are made aware of the fact that aproviders spend money, time and effort in order to get in touch with them. We are very transparent about our way of working and the client is informed about our business model and agrees to it before we send out the project.
There is no contract black on white, but they do agree to respect our terms and conditions and way of working.
The goal is simple:
Respond to each provider that is applying to their project,
Listen to what they suggest for the project,
Compare their offers and then choose the best provider.
Our team of Account Managers is thoroughly trained to handle this with care, and our clients agree to respect our deontology before going forward.