The Follow-Up Problem: Why 80% of Contractor Estimates Never Close

Sound familiar? You drove to the customer's house. You spent an hour measuring, assessing, calculating. You put together a detailed estimate. You sent it over. They said "thanks, I'll get back to you."

And then silence. A week goes by. Two weeks. You meant to follow up but you got busy with actual work. Eventually you assume they went with someone else and move on.

This is where most contractors lose the most money. Not from missed calls — from missed follow-ups on estimates they already sent.

The data on follow-up

Research shows that 80% of sales require 5 or more follow-up contacts. But most contractors follow up once — maybe twice — and then give up. The customer didn't say no. They just got busy, got distracted, or are comparing your quote to two others and need a nudge.

Here's the thing: the contractor who follows up wins the job. Not because their price is better. Because they showed up. They stayed top of mind. They made it easy to say yes.

Why manual follow-up fails

You know you should follow up. Every contractor knows this. But when you've got 15 open estimates and you're working 10-hour days on job sites, remembering to text each person on the right day is impossible. It's not a willpower problem. It's a bandwidth problem.

Some guys try spreadsheets. Some use sticky notes. Some use the "I'll remember" method. None of it works consistently because you're a contractor, not an office worker.

What automated follow-up looks like

Day 1: You send the estimate. Day 2: The system texts them — "Hey, just checking in on that estimate. Any questions I can answer?" Day 5: Another nudge. Day 7: "We've got availability next week if you're ready to move forward." Day 14: A final touch — "Still interested? No pressure either way, just wanted to check."

Each message is personalized. Each one feels like it came from you. And the customer can reply at any time to move forward. All of this happens automatically. You set up the estimate, and the system does the rest.

Contractors who implement automated follow-up typically see their estimate-to-close rate jump from 20-25% to 35-45%. On the same leads. With the same pricing. Just better follow-through.

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