Textable vendor list: why a link beats a PDF
A textable vendor list is a single web link to your recommended providers that you can text to a client. Unlike a PDF, it doesn't get lost in a downloads folder, it shows your latest changes every time it's opened, it works on any phone, and a client can forward one provider to a friend in seconds.
Why do vendor list PDFs get buried?
The vendor PDF is a good idea with a delivery problem. You put real work into it: the names, the phone numbers, the nice Canva layout. Then it goes out as an attachment at closing, along with forty other documents, and that's the last anyone sees of it.
Here's what usually happens next:
- It's filed with the closing documents. Your client saves it into the same folder as the settlement statement and the HOA rules. Eight months later, when the water heater leaks, they don't think to look there.
- It's hard to find on a phone. Attachments in a text thread scroll away. Downloads on a phone end up in a files app most people never open.
- It goes out of date. The handyman retires. The electrician stops taking small jobs. You update your master copy, but every PDF you already sent still has the old names.
- It's awkward to share. When a neighbor asks "who do you use for gutters?", your client has to find the PDF, open it, and either send the whole thing or type out one number. Usually they just type the number, and your name doesn't go with it.
- It's hard to read small. A letter-size page with two columns and small type is fine printed. On a phone, it means pinching and zooming.
None of this is the client's fault. A PDF is a printed page in digital form, and people treat it like paper.
What does a vendor list link do better than a PDF?
- It's always current. Change a phone number or drop a vendor once, and everyone who opens the link sees the change. No reissuing.
- It's easy to find again. A link in a text thread is searchable, and it can be saved to a phone's home screen or bookmarked like any web page.
- It's built for phones. Phone numbers can be tapped to call. Email addresses open a message. No zooming.
- It's easy to forward. A client can send the whole list, or one provider, with a couple of taps.
- It can keep your name attached. If the page shows who the list came from, every forward is a small reminder of you.
A PDF still has a place. A printed list in the closing folder is a nice touch. Put the link (or a QR code to it) on the printout so the paper takes them to the version that stays current.
What makes a good textable vendor list?
- One link that never changes. If the address changes every time you edit, you're back to reissuing PDFs.
- No login or app for your client. Every sign-up screen loses people. The link should just open.
- Grouped by trade. Plumber, electrician, heating and cooling, roofer, handyman. Clients look for the trade first and the name second.
- A short note per vendor. "Answers on weekends" or "good for small jobs" is the kind of detail that makes your list more useful than a search.
- Only people you'd actually send your family to. A short, honest list beats a long one. For what to include, see what to put on a realtor vendor list, and if your list is thin, how to build a vendor network as a new agent.
You can build a basic version yourself with a shared Google Doc or a simple web page. A tool made for it adds things like per-client links, tap-to-call cards and a record of who you referred. Our comparison of vendor list apps for realtors walks through the options.
How do you send a vendor list by text?
- Send it at closing, by text, on its own. Not buried in the closing email. A separate message gets read.
- Tell them what it's for. Something like:
Hi [Client], congrats again on the house! Here's my list of people I trust for anything the house needs, from plumbers to painters. Save this text; the list stays up to date. [link]
- Ask them to save it. "Add it to your home screen" or "star this message" helps it stick.
- Send it again when it's useful. Before winter, a line about furnace service with the link. In spring, gutters. The same link each time.
- Follow up on the referrals that come from it. When a client tells you they called someone, check in two weeks later. See how to follow up after referring a contractor.
Common questions
Should I stop sending my vendor PDF?
Not necessarily. Some clients like a printed page in the closing folder. Keep the PDF as a printout if you like, and put the link on it so the paper points to the version that stays current.
Can a Google Doc or Sheet work as a vendor list link?
Yes, as a start. Set sharing to anyone with the link can view, and make sure it reads well on a phone. Long spreadsheets are hard to use on a small screen, so keep columns to trade, name, phone and a short note.
How often should I resend the link?
Send it at closing, again around move-in, and then whenever there's a natural reason, such as a seasonal reminder about gutters or furnace service. Because the link doesn't change, resending it is a reminder, not a new file to manage.
Turning your PDF into a link with Proferral
Proferral is a free app that does this for you. Import the vendor list you already have, and every client gets their own go-to list link. It opens with no app and no login, and the link doesn't expire. When a client forwards a provider, the card carries your name and a link to the rest of your list. No provider pays to be on your list. See how it works or pricing.
Related reading: what is a preferred vendor list?