Why do my quotes go cold, and how do I get them back?
Short answer: a quote goes cold because nothing happens after you send it. The customer did not say no. You just never gave them a reason to say yes. A short, structured follow-up sequence fixes most of it, and it works on quotes you already gave up on.
What is really happening after you hit send
You did the site visit. You priced it right. You sent the quote. Then you went back to running crews, and the customer went back to their life. A week later they cannot remember which contractor was which. Two weeks later they either hired the one who called, or they did nothing at all. Most trades businesses lose more jobs to silence than to competitors.
Here is the part owners miss: those quotes are not dead. They are unattended. The customer still has the problem. Someone just needs to show up.
The proof that they come back
A local garage door company had more than 280 quotes sitting cold. We installed a seven-touch sequence of calls, texts and emails, nothing fancy, and the company recovered close to $52,000 in thirty days. No new leads. No ad spend. Just showing up on the quotes they had already paid to earn. Another contractor with 47 open quotes revived five and closed two jobs the first week, then installed a Day 3, Day 7, Day 14 sequence so it never piled up again.
The sequence, in plain terms
- Day 1, the quote goes out with a next step attached. Not "let me know." A specific question with a specific date.
- Day 3, a call. Voicemail if needed, then a text that says what the voicemail said. Ask one question about the job, not about the decision.
- Day 7, value. Something useful: what to expect during the install, a photo of a job like theirs, the one thing people wish they had asked before signing. You are staying present without pushing.
- Day 14, the honest check-in. "Are we still a fit, or has this moved down the list?" Most people answer that. Silence turns into a yes, a no, or a real date.
- Then a monthly touch until they buy or tell you to stop. Old quotes close months later all the time. Only if someone is still there.
That is the trades version of the Value Cadence: seven touches over twenty-one days, then a re-engagement rhythm. Written down, so your office manager or your estimator can run it, not just you.
Why owners do not do this
Because following up feels like chasing, and because the owner is already the only person who can close. So the quotes sit. The fix is not more discipline from you. It is a written cadence someone other than you can run, and a scoreboard that shows the quotes going stale before they are gone.
Is a text or a call better for follow-up?
Both, in order. The call shows you are a real person. The text right after makes sure the message lands. Email carries the value pieces. The sequence uses all three.
How old is too old to follow up on a quote?
If the customer still has the problem, it is not too old. The 280 recovered quotes above included plenty that were months old. Lead with honesty: 'We never closed the loop on this, is it still on your list?'
Won't customers feel harassed?
Seven touches in three weeks that each give them something useful is not harassment. It is service. Harassment is calling to ask 'did you decide yet' five times.
Where do I find out how much I am leaking?
Start at the SOS page to see the current approach. If your business is outside insurance, use the Work With Me form to ask Ryan about fit.
Written by Ryan James Miller. His story. Terms defined in the glossary.