Estimate follow-up for tradespeople: a routine that takes two minutes
You price three jobs a week from the van, send them from your phone, and never find a quiet moment to chase. Here is a routine that takes two minutes a day and fits on a phone.
The two-minute routine
- When you send an estimate, note it. Name, number, job, price. In a notebook, a notes app, or by dropping the PDF into something that keeps it for you.
- Every morning with the first brew, look at the list. Anything two days old gets a text. Anything five days old gets another. Anything ten days old gets a last email and comes off the list.
- Ring the ones who answer. That is the only phone call you need to make.
The text to send
If you have no link page, end with "Reply YES to book or ring me on 07700 900000". A link that opens a page with two buttons gets more answers, because it is a tap rather than a typed reply.
Do not skip the small ones
A £95 job chased costs you a text. A £95 job not chased costs you £95 and a customer who would have had you back for the £1,500 one. Chase everything; it is the same two minutes.
When you cannot even manage two minutes
That is what Chase My Quote is for. Drop the estimate in from your phone, and it runs this routine in your name: day 2, day 5, day 10, working hours only, stopping when they answer. You get a ping when someone taps Call me. Around 50 estimates chased for £19 a month. See it for builders and trades or start free.