Follow-up
Lead Follow-up Best Practices for Small Businesses
Two cadences you can copy, the messages to go with them and the rules that keep follow-up going in a busy month.
By the LeadCentre team. Published . 6 min read.
Most follow-up advice is written for sales teams with a manager and a headset. In a small business, follow-up gets fitted in between jobs. So the test of a good routine is simple: will you still be doing it in your busiest month?
"Follow-up" really covers two different jobs: reaching someone who hasn't answered yet, and chasing a quote you've already sent. They need different messages, so keep them apart. The timings below are starting points. Adjust them to your trade.
Cadence 1: You haven't spoken yet
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes after the enquiry | Call. If there's no answer, leave a voicemail and send a text | The job is on their mind |
| Later the same day | Call again at a different time | Someone busy at 11am may be free at 5:30pm |
| Day 2 | Text or WhatsApp with one easy question | Easy to answer on a break |
| Day 4 | Call and send an email | Reaches people who ignore unknown numbers |
| Day 7 | Send a closing message | Prompts a reply, or lets you close it with a clear conscience |
If there's still no reply, mark it lost with the reason "no response" and stop.
Change the pace to suit the job:
- Urgent work (a burst pipe, no heating): squeeze it into a day or two. After that, they've found someone.
- Considered work (a kitchen, an extension, a new roof): stretch it to about two weeks. They're in less of a hurry, and a week away shouldn't end the conversation.
Cadence 2: The quote is out
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| When you send it | Tell them when you'll call | The chase is expected, so it doesn't feel pushy |
| Day 2 | Call to check it arrived and ask about questions | Catches spam folders and confusion early |
| Day 5 | Text one useful point, such as your next start date | Gives them a reason to act |
| Day 10 | Call and ask plainly where they've got to | Gets you a real answer |
| Day 21 | Send a last message, then mark it won or lost, or set a later date | Keeps your quote list honest |
The messages
Copy these and put them in your own words. Keep them short enough to read on a phone.
New enquiry, day 2 text: "Hi [first name], it's [your name] from [company]. I've tried you a couple of times about your [service] enquiry. Is it still something you need? A yes or no by text is fine."
New enquiry, day 7 closing message: "Hi [first name], I'm going to close your enquiry about [service] for now, as I haven't managed to reach you. If you still need help, reply here and I'll pick it up."
Sending a quote: "Hi [first name], your quote is in your inbox now. I'll call you on Thursday afternoon to go through any questions. If another time suits you better, let me know."
Quote, day 5 text: "Hi [first name], a quick one on your quote. Our next start date is [date], in case that helps your planning. Is there anything in it you'd like me to explain?"
Quote, day 10 call: "I don't want to keep chasing you if it's not the right time. Where have you got to with it?"
Quote, day 21 message: "Hi [first name], I'll stop chasing for now. Your quote is good until [date]. If anything changes, reply to this message and I'll pick it up."
Seven rules that keep it going
- Every open lead has a next date. A lead with no date will be forgotten. Stopping prospects falling through the cracks starts with this one rule.
- Change the time of day. A second call at the same time reaches the same busy person.
- Change the channel. Some people never answer an unknown number and will reply to a text in a minute. If they've told you how they prefer to be reached, use that.
- Ask something easy to answer. "Just checking in" gives them nothing to do. A yes or no question, or a choice of two times, does.
- Write one line after each contact. "Wants to wait for insurance, ring Friday" lets anyone pick it up, including you in three weeks.
- Do it at a set time. Twenty minutes, same time each day, perhaps before your first job or at lunch. Follow-up done "when I get a moment" doesn't get done.
- Stop when asked, and close when finished. A clear no is useful, because it clears your list. If someone asks you not to contact them, stop straight away.
When they say "not now"
Some people mean it. "After the summer" is a real answer, and you should treat it as one. Set one follow-up for that time, write down why, and take it off your weekly chase.
Be careful about the difference between following up on an enquiry and marketing. Replying to something a person asked about is one thing. Adding them to a list for offers is another, and direct marketing rules apply. Check what applies where you operate before you do it.
A week in practice
Say a fencing company gets an enquiry at 2pm on a Tuesday. The owner is on site and rings at 2:10. There's no answer, so he leaves a voicemail and sends a text. He tries again at 5:30, with no luck, and sets a reminder for Thursday.
On Thursday morning the reminder goes off, and he sends: "Is it still something you need? A yes or no by text is fine." The reply comes at lunchtime: "Yes, sorry, work is mad. Saturday morning?" The visit is booked.
Total time spent chasing is under five minutes. The Thursday text is the step that usually gets skipped, because nothing else in the owner's day would have reminded him.
Using LeadCentre for follow-up
You can run this from a diary. If you'd rather have it on your phone, LeadCentre's follow-ups work like this:
- A lead can have several follow-ups, each with a date, a time and an optional note.
- Shortcuts for Later today, Tomorrow, In 3 days and Next week make setting one quick.
- Overdue, Today and Upcoming tabs show what needs doing, and you can complete or reschedule each one.
- A push reminder goes to the assigned user when one is due.
- Marking a lead Won or Lost offers to cancel the follow-ups left on it, so you don't chase someone who has already said yes.
- Message templates with placeholders like {first_name} and {service} save you retyping these messages, whether you send by text, WhatsApp or email.
It's worth being clear about the limits. LeadCentre reminds you, and you still send the message. Automated follow-up sequences aren't available yet (Lead Rescue is on our Coming Soon list), and the only automatic message today is the Instant Replies email to a new lead. If you run a home services business, a reminder on your phone can still do a lot, because it reaches you between jobs and the customer hears from a real person.
For the very first contact, see how to respond to new leads faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times should I follow up with a lead?
There's no magic number. A sensible start is five or six attempts over a week for a new enquiry, fewer for urgent work and spread over longer for bigger jobs. Stop as soon as someone gives you a clear answer.
Should I call or text first?
Call first if the job is urgent or needs a conversation, then text if there's no answer. The text matters because it gives them your number and a way to reply when they're free. If they've said how they prefer to be contacted, do that.
Won't people find repeated messages annoying?
Not usually, if they asked you to get in touch, each message is short and useful, and you stop when they ask. Tell them when you're closing the enquiry, so the last message gives them an easy way back.