How Many Times Should You Follow Up on an Estimate?

Follow up on an estimate at least five to seven times, starting within two days of giving it, mostly by short text messages, then ask a direct yes-or-no question about keeping the estimate open. One call and a voicemail isn't follow-up, and most unsold estimates are lost to silence, not to a competitor.

What does the data say?

Hatch, an AI follow-up vendor, analyzed 163,212 HVAC estimate follow-up campaigns that started two days after the estimate. The average response rate was 60%. The best campaign reached 90% using seven short messages (five texts and two emails) over about a week; the worst, at 18%, used longer messages that weren't text-led and ran over ten days. Hatch recommends texts of about 160 to 220 characters. It's a vendor study from its own customers, so treat it as a strong signal rather than a controlled experiment.

When should you start following up?

Within 48 hours. Hatch says engagement drops sharply if the first follow-up waits longer than two days. The homeowner still remembers your visit, and other contractors may be quoting the same week.

A practical estimate follow-up cadence

Adjust for your trade. A water heater replacement moves in days; a kitchen or pool can take months. Always stay inside federal and state quiet hours: 8am to 9pm federal, stricter in states including Florida, Oklahoma and Texas (ActiveProspect).

What should each follow-up say?

Short, specific and easy to answer. Mention their project, not your offer. Our estimate follow-up text templates has examples for each step.

When should you stop following up?

When they say no, opt out, or don't reply to the direct question. A clear no is useful: it cleans your pipeline and tells you something about your pricing or process. Put non-responders into a long-term pool you reopen in 45 to 90 days, when plans often change.

Why do contractors stop too early?

Because follow-up competes with today's jobs. Salespeople chase new appointments, office staff answer the phone, and estimates from three weeks ago drift. That's why many companies run a separate rehash process, or hand estimate follow-up to software or a service.

Setterly runs estimate follow-up for you by two-way AI text: it messages each unsold estimate about their project, answers questions and books return visits or calls with your rep. You pay per booked appointment. There is no setup fee and no retainer. CRM integration is optional for a one-off fee. See unsold estimate follow-up.

Our results are from UK campaigns. Cloudy2Clear, a UK misted double glazing repair franchise, had 64% of 6,769 old leads reply and booked 673 appointments. One business's result, not a forecast for yours.

What's the takeaway?

Start within two days, lead with text, keep messages short, follow up five to seven times and finish with a direct question. Then reopen the quiet ones a couple of months later. If your old leads are piling up, read new leads vs old leads for contractors.