Free playbook
Why 40% of your quotes die —
and the 5-minute fix.
You don't lose most jobs at the price. You lose them in the gap between “I'll send that quote tonight” and actually sending it — and in the silence after. Here's the exact system that plugs both leaks. Steal the templates; they're yours.
First, the ugly math
Here are real numbers from one working concrete company's year: its average job runs about $6,700, and dozens of quotes go out every month. Now the leak — lose just one of those quotes a week to a slow reply or a follow-up that never happened, and that's roughly $350,000 a year walking out the door. Not to better contractors. To faster ones.
Answer inside 5 minutes
A homeowner with a cracked porch messages five contractors and books whoever answers first with a real human reply. Studies peg it brutally: after 5 minutes your odds crater; after an hour you're voicemail #4. You don't need to quote in 5 minutes — you need to respond in 5. Use this the second a lead lands:
The instant acknowledgment (text or email)
Hi [Name], thanks for reaching out to [Company] about your [porch/driveway]. I've got your details — I'll have an estimate to you by [tomorrow AM]. Quick one: is the best number to reach you this one? — [Your name]
That one text does three things: beats every slower contractor, sets an expectation, and confirms the number. It's not the quote — it's the handshake.
Quote in two tiers, with a deadline
A single price is a yes/no coin-flip and an invitation to shop you. Two tiers change the question from “do I hire them?” to “which one do I want?”Always give a “good” and a “better,” and put a date on the price so it can't sit forever:
The two-tier quote (the closer)
Hi [Name], here's your estimate for the [work]: • Option A — [standard repair & finish], [3]-year warranty: $[X] + tax • Option B — [premium finish], [10]-year warranty: $[Y] + tax Both include prep, repairs, and cleanup. This price holds for 21 days. Want me to pencil you in for a start date? — [Your name]
Follow up 3 times, then stop
Most jobs are won on the 2nd or 3rd nudge — but most contractors send zero. The rule: three touches, spaced, polite, then you let it go. Not harassment — persistence with a finish line. Here's the exact sequence:
Nudge 1 — 2 days later (the check-in)
Hi [Name], just making sure my estimate for the [porch] landed. Happy to walk you through the two options or answer anything. — [Your name]
Nudge 2 — 5 days later (the helpful offer)
Hi [Name], no rush at all — if it helps, I can swing by and look in person so the number's exact. Would [this week] work? — [Your name]
Nudge 3 — day 10 (the gentle close)
Hi [Name], I'll close your file for now so I'm not cluttering your phone — but if you'd still like the [porch] done this season, just reply and I'll get you scheduled. — [Your name]
And the golden rule: the moment they reply, the sequence stops. A robot must never talk over a live conversation.
The 48-hour rule
Every quote has a shelf life. Two days of silence and the homeowner has stopped refreshing their inbox for you. Put every open quote on a clock — if it's been quiet 48 hours, it's owed a nudge today, not “when you get to it.” The quotes you forget are the ones your competitor closes.
Here's the catch
None of this is hard to understand. It's hard to do— every time, on every lead — while you're on a roof, in a trench, or running a crew. That's the whole reason these quotes die: not ignorance, just no time and no system.
That's exactly what we built Concrete Proof to do— inside a real, working contracting business. It answers every lead in seconds, turns photos into a two-tier quote in 90 seconds, drafts every one of these follow-ups for a one-tap send, and puts a clock on every quiet quote so none slip. You approve; it never sends on its own. Your customers never know it's software.
Want this to just… happen — on every lead, automatically?
Founding contractors get it at $149/mo locked for life, first 30 days free, set up by hand. A real person reads this and calls you.
Steal the templates. If you'd rather they ran themselves, claim a founding spot.