{"id":1082,"slug":"rule-refuse-lead-gen-platform-value-proposition","title":"Rule: refuse to compete on the lead-generation platform value proposition; Candid's category is owned-asset infrastructure","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["agency-methodology","lead-gen-directories","psychology-aversion","positioning-voice"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** Candid is **not** the cheaper, smarter version of HomeStars or Angi Leads. Pretending to compete in that category invites the buyer's existing skepticism (which is well-calibrated, per the FTC record — [[ftc-homeadvisor-angi-jan-2023-7-2m-order]] — and the Vermont AG settlement — [[vermont-ag-angi-100k-settlement-oct-2025]]).\n\nCandid's category is **owned-asset marketing infrastructure**: websites, content, brand, custom development, structured data, performance engineering, attribution discipline. **Not** paid-lead procurement, **not** review-platform optimization, **not** \"we'll send you contractors.\" This distinction needs to be made **early and explicitly** in every sales conversation.\n\n**Why:** The \"agency-burned\" narrative concerns lead-gen marketplaces, not full-service marketing agencies, but the GC audience often does not distinguish ([[buildern-2026-1-8-to-3-2pct-residential-builder-spend]] — too few have invested enough to know the difference). Active category-disambiguation is therefore required, not optional. Pairs with [[contractor-owned-trust-signal-stack-vs-homestars-rental-comparison]] and [[homestars-rent-vs-own-evidence-reviews-not-portable]].\n\n**How to apply:** First sentence of Candid's \"what we do\" framing is a category-disambiguation sentence. Every contractor pitch begins by naming what Candid is *not*.","rationale_body":"R7 from the May 2026 psychology brief.","metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"homestars-rent-vs-own-evidence-reviews-not-portable","title":"HomeStars rent-vs-own evidence: when a contractor stops paying, profile reverts to \"no longer with HomeStars\" status, reviews remain HomeStars's property and cannot be exported to GBP or contractor site","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"contractor-owned-trust-signal-stack-vs-homestars-rental-comparison","title":"Contractor owned-trust-signal stack: HCRA / Tarion / RenoMark / WRHBA / OHBA / CHBA / COR / WSIB / Gold Seal / insurance / ENERGY STAR / Net-Zero / LEED AP / GuildQuality / Google Business Profile — verifiable, portable, free-or-low-cost — HomeStars cannot replicate any of these","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"ftc-homeadvisor-angi-jan-2023-7-2m-order","title":"FTC v HomeAdvisor (Jan 2023) — up to $7.2M order; $3M+ refunded to 110,000+ contractors by Nov 2023","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"vermont-ag-angi-100k-settlement-oct-2025","title":"Vermont AG Charity Clark — $100K Angi settlement Oct 13, 2025 over misleading \"Certified Pro\" terminology","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[]},"created_at":"2026-05-24T23:24:06.403Z","updated_at":"2026-05-24T23:24:06.403Z"}