A study by InsideSales found that 48% of salespeople never follow up after the first contact. In the trades the number is even higher. Most owners send the quote, hope for the best, and move on.
Meanwhile, 80% of jobs are won between the 2nd and 5th follow-up.
You are not being pushy by following up. You are being professional.
The 3-touch formula
This works for residential and commercial quotes. Three touchpoints over 7 days. Each one takes less than a minute.
Touch 1: Text at 24 hours.
Send a text the day after you send the quote. Keep it short.
"Hi [name], this is [your name] from [company]. Just wanted to make sure you got the estimate I sent yesterday. Let me know if you have any questions or want to go ahead."
That is it. No pressure. No selling. Just confirming they received it.
Touch 2: Phone call at 72 hours.
Call on day 3 if they have not responded. Most people will not answer. Leave a voicemail.
"Hi [name], it is [your name] from [company]. Following up on the estimate I sent on [day]. Wanted to see if you had any questions. You can call or text me back at this number. Talk soon."
If they answer, ask if they had a chance to review the quote and whether anything needs to change. Listen more than you talk.
Touch 3: Final text at 7 days.
If you still have not heard back, send one more text. This one adds a soft deadline.
"Hi [name], just circling back on the estimate from last week. I have a few openings next week if you want to get this scheduled. No rush though. Let me know either way and I will update my calendar."
That last line, "let me know either way," gives them permission to say no. People who were going to ghost you will often reply to say they went with someone else. That is useful information too.
Why this works
Most of your competitors send one quote and disappear. By following up 3 times you stay in front of the customer when they are making their decision.
You are not annoying them. You are showing up. Customers hire people who seem organized and responsive. A follow-up says "I want this job and I will do it right."
What to track
Keep a simple count. How many quotes did you send this month? How many got a response? How many turned into jobs?
If your close rate is below 40%, your estimates are either too high or your follow-up is too slow. Fix the follow-up first. It is free and it works faster than cutting your prices.
The bottom line
Three texts and one phone call over 7 days. That is the whole system. It costs nothing and it works every time. The trades businesses that follow up consistently close 30 to 50 percent more jobs than those that do not.
Want to see how Rundo handles this?
Try it free for 14 days. No credit card required.
Start free trial