Quotes do not lose because of price nearly as often as they lose because of delay and silence.
TL;DR Send the estimate from site or same day. Then run a fixed four-touch follow-up automatically. Add digital signature so accepting takes one tap. Most quotes that go quiet were never chased more than once.
Speed matters, and here is the honest version
The widely circulated figures about response speed multiplying conversion odds by specific factors trace back to the Lead Response Management Study by Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, built on data from roughly 2007 to 2011. It is real research, it is frequently misattributed to recent years by vendor blogs, and the specific multipliers should be treated as period-specific rather than a current law.
What holds regardless of the numbers: the first credible responder has a large advantage, and that advantage decays quickly. Do not quote a percentage you cannot source. Act on the direction, which is well established.
Practical targets
- Acknowledge every enquiry within an hour during business hours, automatically if needed.
- Get the estimate out same day where scope allows.
- Quote from site for straightforward jobs.
Structured field intake
The estimate is only as good as the information captured on site.
A standard intake form on mobile
- Job type, from a fixed list.
- Access notes and parking.
- Measurements and quantities.
- Photos, minimum three.
- Condition flags that change the price.
- Customer’s stated priority. Cost, speed, or quality. Ask directly.
- Decision timeline and who else is involved.
The last two are the most commercially useful and the most often skipped. Knowing whether they need a partner to agree changes the entire follow-up.
Fixed lists over free text wherever possible. Free text does not aggregate and cannot drive automation.
Instant quote calculators
For standardised work, price on site.
Where they work
- Jobs with predictable scope and pricing rules.
- Per-unit work. Per metre, per window, per unit.
- Standard servicing.
Where they do not
- Anything where condition drives cost.
- Older properties with unknowns.
- Jobs requiring specialist assessment.
Build in a range, not a point, for anything uncertain.
Based on what I have measured, this comes to between $840 and $1,150. The variable is the state of the pipework behind the panel, which I cannot see until we open it. I will confirm before doing anything beyond the lower figure.
Honest ranges convert better than precise numbers that later change.
The four-touch follow-up
Set this up once and it runs on every quote.
| Touch | When | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Immediately on send | The quote, with a one-line summary and the accept button |
| 2 | Day 3 | “Any questions on this?” Nothing else |
| 3 | Day 7 | Something useful. A relevant photo, a note about timing |
| 4 | Day 14 | The close-out. “Filing this unless I hear otherwise” |
Stop the sequence on any reply, and on acceptance. Automatically. Nothing damages a live conversation like an automated chase arriving mid-negotiation.
Touch 4 does more work than touches 2 and 3 combined.
Hi Sarah, I am going to file this one as a no for now, which is completely fine. If the timing changes, the price holds until the end of next month and you have my number.
No pressure, a real deadline, and permission to say no. It produces replies from quotes that had gone completely silent.
Digital signature
Removing the print-sign-scan-return sequence measurably increases acceptance.
What to look for
- Works on a phone. Most acceptances happen on a phone.
- No account creation.
- Legally valid in your jurisdiction. Electronic signatures are broadly recognised, but check the requirements for your document types.
- Automatic copies to both parties.
- Notification to you on signature, immediately.
Put the accept button at the top and the bottom of the quote. Not only after four pages of terms.
What the quote document should do
- Lead with the outcome, not the line items. “A new combi with a ten-year warranty, fitted in two days.”
- Then the breakdown. Labour, parts, disposal, compliance.
- State what is not included, explicitly.
- Give the timeline and your current availability.
- One page of terms, not six.
- A clear expiry date. Not artificial urgency, just a real validity window.
Handling the response
Accepted. Confirm within the hour, book the date, send the welcome kit.
Question. Answer by phone, not email. A question is a live buying signal and text loses it.
Too expensive. Ask what they compared it to before adjusting anything. Frequently the comparison is a different scope, and the answer is explanation rather than discount.
Silence. Let the sequence run. Do not add manual chases on top of it.
Measure it
- Time from site visit to quote sent. The number to attack first.
- Quote acceptance rate, by job type and by value band.
- Time from quote sent to decision.
- Acceptance rate by touch. This tells you which follow-ups earn their place.
- Reasons for loss, recorded. Ask, and log the answer.
Build the four-touch sequence this week and switch it on for every quote. The day-14 close-out message alone will recover jobs you had already written off.
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