Plenty of estimates that don't close were never turned down. They got one touch, the bid, and then silence. Dan Kennedy's rough estimate is that somewhere between 5% and 25% of people who don't buy can be brought back with good follow-up. The fix is a schedule decided before the estimate goes out: a note on day 3, day 10 and day 30, each saying something different, and a hard stop the moment the customer answers.
Why do estimates go quiet?
Picture it from the homeowner's side. They had three roofers out. Your bid was fine. Then the kids got sick, the insurance adjuster didn't call back, and the stack of bids went under a pile of mail. Nobody said no. The decision just stalled.
Now picture your side. You meant to call Friday. Friday got away from you.
Kennedy's answer is to take memory out of it. Follow-up should run on a fixed schedule, applied to every estimate, so it doesn't depend on anyone remembering to call.
What should each note say?
Something new each time. The same "just checking in" note three times reads like a bill collector.
| Day | The job of the note |
|---|---|
| 3 | Make it easy to ask a question. Offer to walk the bid by phone. |
| 10 | Say something useful: a financing option, a scheduling window, what the adjuster usually needs. |
| 30 | Ask plainly whether to keep the estimate open or close the file. |
A day 3 note can be short:
Hi Karen, it's Mike from the shop. Wanted to make sure the estimate for the
roof on Cypress Bend made sense. If anything in the numbers or the shingle
choice needs a second look, I'm happy to walk it with you by phone.
The day 30 note gives people permission to say "not now." That's still an answer, and it's worth having.
When do you stop?
The moment they answer. A yes, a no, or "call me in March" ends the schedule. Nothing makes a shop look worse than a "just following up" note landing the day after the customer signed.
That's also why this can't be a dumb timer. Someone has to know what already happened: the phone call, the signed contract, the "we went with someone else."
Put it on a schedule
Write the three notes once, in your words. Decide who sends them. Then make sure something other than memory puts each one in front of that person on the right day.
That's the first thing the crew does every night: it drafts the day 3, 10 and 30 notes for each open estimate in Jobber, stops when an estimate is marked won or lost, and waits for your office to approve each one. Want to know how many of your quiet estimates are still alive? The assessment counts them in your own records.
Frequently asked questions
Won't three follow-ups annoy people?
In my view, three notes over a month, each saying something different, won't bother someone who asked you out to their house. What annoys people is the same "just checking in" note, or getting chased after they already said yes.
What if they said they'd call me?
Believe them, and follow up anyway. People mean it when they say it and then life happens. A short note on day 3 makes it easy for them to keep their word.
Should the follow-up come from me or the office?
From whoever the customer met, in that person's voice. The office can prepare and send it, but it should sound like the shop they talked to, not a marketing department.
When do I stop?
When they answer, or after day 30. At that point ask plainly whether to close the file, which gives them an easy way to answer.
Sources
- Dan S. Kennedy, Almost Alchemy (ForbesBooks, 2019). The case for a follow-up system that runs on a fixed schedule instead of on someone remembering to call.
- Dan S. Kennedy, Magnetic Marketing podcast, episode 206. His estimate that 5% to 25% of non-buyers can be brought back with good marketing.