The quotes you sent last month are still worth money

You drove out, looked at the job, priced it, sent the quote. That estimate cost you real money in windshield time and labor. Then the homeowner went quiet, and so did you.

Most shops follow up once or twice. Sales data across industries says the majority of deals need somewhere between 5 and 12 touches to close. The gap between touch two and touch eight is where your quoted, unclosed revenue is sitting.

The speed side matters too: one agency’s client data showed quote follow ups sent within 60 seconds booking at 73%, versus 4% for replies after 30 minutes. Slow follow up is nearly the same as none. Hatch, which analyzed 163,000+ HVAC follow up campaigns, found average response rates around 60% when campaigns actually run, and one plumbing and heating company’s inside sales effort on unsold estimates contributed roughly $400,000 a month. Those are vendor and agency numbers, so discount them, but even the discounted version is a bigger number than any ad spend you are considering.

AI follow up does the thing you keep meaning to do: a polite, well timed sequence of texts and emails on every open estimate until the customer says yes or no. No new leads needed. This is money you already paid to generate.

Step 1: Count your open estimates from the last 90 days and their total dollar value. This number usually stings. 15 minutes.

Step 2: Write a 5 touch sequence, or have AI draft it: day 1 thank you and quote recap, day 3 any questions text, day 7 value add (financing options, seasonal reason to act), day 14 check in, day 21 polite close out asking if you should release the slot. Keep every message under 3 sentences. 30 minutes.

Step 3: Automate it. Follow up automation is built into Housecall Pro, Jobber, ServiceTitan, and QuoteIQ, and standalone tools like Hatch specialize in it. Turn on what you already pay for first. 30 minutes.

Step 4: Route replies to a human fast. The automation opens the door, your office closes the job. Replies within 5 minutes while the customer is warm.

Step 5: Track one metric: closed percentage of sent estimates, before and after. Give it 60 days.

$0 to start if your field software has automations included. Standalone follow up platforms run roughly $100 to $360 a month. Weigh that against the dollar value of your open estimate pile from step 1.

The number is 8. That is how many touches it can take to close a deal. If your process stops at two, the last six belong to whoever quotes after you.

Google’s AI now answers local searches before anyone sees your listing, and it recommends one or two companies, not three. The free 90 minute fix that keeps you on the shortlist.

The Trades Brief is independent. We take no money from the tools we cover. If a link is ever a partner link, it is marked here. This issue contains none.