Sales · How-to
Estimate follow-up for contractors: a 30-day cadence with templates
Follow up on every estimate on days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30, switching between text, a phone call and email, and stop when the customer says no or asks you to. Most estimates aren’t signed on the first visit, so the follow-up is where many jobs are actually won. Below are the schedule, word-for-word templates, and what to send when a customer goes quiet.
Why most estimates are won after you leave
ServiceTitan, which sells field-service software, reported in an April 2026 webinar recap that only 37% of estimates close on the first visit [1]. That’s vendor research from its own customers, not a neutral study, but it matches what most owners see: the bigger the ticket, the more often the answer is “let me think about it.”
The same recap advises at least four touchpoints before you give up on an open estimate [1]. ServiceTitan’s contractor playbook says follow-up should start within two days of delivering the estimate and keep going until you get a clear yes or no [2]. One Oklahoma home-service company in a ServiceTitan case study put one person on nothing but unsold estimates and reported recovering about $1 million of them in 2024 and $1.2 million in the first half of 2025 [3]. Your numbers will be smaller. The lesson is the same: open estimates are money sitting in a drawer. Follow-up is stage four of the five in the contractor sales guide.
The software companies don’t agree on exact timing, which tells you there’s no magic day. What they share is a plan written down in advance:
| Source | First touch | Later touches | When it ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jobber Academy [4] | Two days after sending | One week after sending | Shortly before the quote expires |
| Housecall Pro guide [5] | A day or two after sending | 4–5 days later, then a week after that | After the third try, move to a cold list |
| ServiceTitan playbook [2] | Same-day check-in call, follow-up within two days | Mixed text, email and video | When you get a yes or a no; long-term drip after |
| This guide | Day 1 | Days 3, 7 and 14 | Day 30, then a seasonal check-in |
We stretch the window to 30 days because home-service decisions wait on paydays, spouses, insurance adjusters and the weather. A roof replacement or a remodel can easily take a month to decide. A drain cleaning can’t, so shrink the schedule for small jobs.
The cadence: day 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30
Count from the day the customer received the estimate. Each touch has one job, and each uses a different channel so you aren’t repeating yourself.
- Day 1: text. Confirm they got it and invite questions. No pressure, no “just checking in.” You’re making it easy to reply.
- Day 3: phone call. This is the real sales touch. Ask what questions came up and whether the scope still matches what they want. Leave a short voicemail if they don’t pick up.
- Day 7: email with something useful. A photo of a similar finished job, a short video walking through the options, or an answer to the question most customers ask. Give them a reason to open it.
- Day 14: text that asks for a decision. Offer a simple way to say no. People who can say “not now” easily are more likely to answer at all.
- Day 30: the last-call message. Tell them you’re closing the file, mention when the price expires, and leave the door open. Then move them to a seasonal list.
Two rules make this work. First, every touch goes on a calendar the day you send the estimate, not when you remember. Second, if the customer gives you a date (“call me after the 15th”), that date replaces the schedule. ServiceTitan’s trainers make the same point: when a customer asks to be called after a vacation, change the follow-up date so it comes back at the right time [1].
Timing within the day matters a little. Jobber suggests sending email in the weekday morning window, roughly 6 to 10 a.m., based on outside research it links [4]. For calls, try early evening when homeowners are off work, and avoid dinner. If speed on the first contact is your weak spot, read how fast to call back leads; the same logic applies to the estimate itself.
Copy-and-paste follow-up templates
Swap in your names and details. Keep the texts short enough to read on a lock screen. Each one ends with an easy question.
Day 1 text: Hi Maria, it’s Dan from Ridgeline Heating. Just making sure the estimate for your furnace and AC came through okay. Any questions so far? Happy to explain anything on it.
Day 3 call opener: Hi Maria, Dan from Ridgeline. I’m calling about the estimate I sent Tuesday. Did you get a chance to look it over? … What questions came up when you talked it through at home?
Day 3 voicemail: Hi Maria, Dan from Ridgeline Heating about your system estimate. No rush on a decision. I wanted to answer any questions before you compare. I’m at 555-0142, or just reply to my text. Thanks.
Day 7 email subject: Photos of a roof like yours, finished
Day 7 email body: Hi Tom, I put together a few photos from a re-roof we did last month on a house a lot like yours, same pitch and the same architectural shingle in your estimate. A couple of customers asked what the ridge vent looks like when it’s done, so I included a close-up. If anything in the estimate is unclear, reply here and I’ll walk you through it. — Angela, Summit Roofing
Day 14 text: Hi Priya, it’s Luis from Clearwater Plumbing. Are you still thinking about the water heater, or should I close out the estimate for now? Either answer is fine, I just don’t want to keep bugging you.
Day 30 text: Hi Ken, Rosa from Greenline Lawn. I’m closing out open estimates this week. Your price for the season plan is good through the end of the month. If the timing’s wrong this year, no problem. I’ll check in before spring.
Short video text (any day): Hi Beth, I recorded a two-minute video walking through the three bathroom options so you don’t have to decode my line items. Here’s the link. Questions welcome.
ServiceTitan’s playbook recommends short videos in texts or emails because they help customers understand the work [2]. A phone video in the driveway is enough. Nobody expects a production.
What to say when they go quiet
Silence usually means one of five things. Each needs a different message, so guess the likely one from your visit and pick the matching line.
The price surprised them
Offer a smaller first step instead of a discount. “If the full project is more than you planned, I can split it: the panel upgrade now and the lighting next spring. Want me to price it that way?” See good-better-best pricing for building options before you send.
They’re getting other bids
Help them compare, don’t knock the competition. “When the other quotes come in, check that they include haul-away and the permit. Happy to go line by line with you.” More in when customers are getting other bids.
Someone else has to agree
Offer to talk to both decision makers. “Would it help if I hopped on a quick call with you and your husband some evening this week?”
Money or timing
Ask the timing question plainly. “Is this a now project or a later one?” If later, set the date they give you. If money, mention payment options once, honestly. See offering financing.
They just forgot
This is the most common one. A friendly, specific text fixes it: name the job and the date of the visit so they place you instantly.
Don’t send a “last chance, price goes up Friday” text unless the price really changes Friday. Fake deadlines get you found out, and homeowners talk to neighbors. If your estimate has a real expiration date, say so once, near the end.
Reopening line after a long silence: Hi Dave, it’s Carla from Brightside Electric. We spoke in March about the EV charger. Did that project ever happen? If you still need it, I can refresh the estimate with current material prices.
When to stop following up
Stop active follow-up when any of these happen:
- They say no. Thank them, ask one short question about why, and close it. A respectful exit is how you get the next call. Our lost-bid follow-up guide covers what to ask.
- They ask you to stop. Stop immediately on every channel they asked about.
- You’ve finished the day-30 touch with no reply. Move them to a seasonal list: one message before their busy season, nothing more.
- The job no longer exists. They sold the house, the insurer denied the claim, or the tree came down in a storm and someone else hauled it.
Opt-out words are a legal issue, not just manners. If you send texts through an automated system, FCC rules that took effect April 11, 2025 require honoring opt-out requests made by any reasonable means, including words like stop, quit, cancel, unsubscribe and end, within no more than 10 business days [6]. You may send one confirmation text with no promotion in it within five minutes [6]. A broader rule that would make one opt-out cover every type of message has been pushed back to January 31, 2027 [7]. This isn’t legal advice; the simple habit is to treat “stop” or “please don’t text me” as final across everything.
Closing-the-file reply after a no: Thanks for letting me know, Sam. I appreciate the straight answer. If you don’t mind me asking, was it price, timing or something else? Either way, keep my number for anything down the road.
How to run it in a small shop
The best cadence fails if it lives in your head. Set it up once and spend 15 minutes a day on it.
- Pick one owner. In a two-truck shop that’s probably you or the person who answers the phone. In the Oklahoma case above, the job was one coordinator’s whole day [3]. Someone has to own the list, or nobody does.
- Keep one list. Your job software’s quote list, or a spreadsheet with these columns: customer, job, amount, date sent, next touch date, last response, status.
- Block the time. Same slot every day, before the first job or right after the last one. Sort by “next touch” and work down.
- Load the templates. Save the texts above as canned replies on your phone or in your software so each touch takes seconds.
- Track two numbers monthly. Estimates sent and estimates won. Track them separately for jobs your techs found on service calls and jobs that came from ads; ServiceTitan notes that marketed leads are much harder to close [2].
Adjust by trade. A cleaning company quoting a weekly plan can compress the whole cadence into ten days. A remodeler quoting a basement might stretch the gap between touches but add a second in-person visit. A pest control company quoting a quarterly plan should follow up fast, because the bugs aren’t waiting. Plumbing and HVAC replacement quotes sit in the middle: the old unit is limping along, and the decision often lands on the next cold snap or heat wave.
When customers call back, make sure someone answers. A follow-up that triggers a return call to a full voicemail box undoes the work. Our missed-call text back guide covers the fix.
Common questions
Sources and how we compared
Figures and timing advice come from ServiceTitan, Jobber and Housecall Pro’s own published guidance and case studies (vendor research, not independent studies) and from law firm summaries of FCC consent rules, all opened October 4, 2026.
- ServiceTitan: Webinar recap, Follow-Ups 101: Back 2 Basics — April 2026; vendor research and training
- ServiceTitan Contractor Playbook: Follow-up coordinator — Vendor guidance
- ServiceTitan: Above + Beyond saves $1.2 million in unsold estimates — September 2025; vendor case study
- Jobber Academy: Quote follow-up email templates — May 2026; vendor guidance
- Housecall Pro: How to follow up on a quote — Updated October 2025; vendor guidance
- Nixon Peabody: FCC partially delays new TCPA consent revocation rules — April 11, 2025; law firm alert
- Burr & Forman: FCC delays TCPA revoke-all rule until January 31, 2027 — January 7, 2026; law firm blog
Last updated October 4, 2026. Prices change; if something here is out of date, call or text (507) 628-0400 and we’ll fix it.