OB Growth Systems
Which estimates to work first
Don’t start at the top of the list. Sort it:
- Replacements over repairs. A system replacement is worth many repair tickets. Work those first.
- 30 to 180 days old. Under 30 days, your advisor should still be on it. Between one and six months, the homeowner has usually stopped shopping without buying.
- No-heat or no-cool estimates from last season. If the old system limped through, the next cold snap or heatwave is when they decide.
- Older than 6 months. Still worth one message. Some will have bought elsewhere. Some won’t.
Leave out anyone who said no clearly, anyone who bought from you since, and anyone who asked not to be contacted.
The timing
| Touch | When | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 1 | Text, or email if you don’t have texting permission |
| 2 | Day 7 if no reply | |
| 3 | Day 21 if no reply | Text or email, then stop |
Three touches, weeks apart. More than that and it starts to feel like a chase. Fewer and most of them never see it.
Best days: the first cold or hot week of the season. Homeowners who put it off in spring remember when the system struggles.
What to say
Keep it short, in the company’s name, and give them an easy reply.
Message 1: the check-in
Hi [first name], it’s [company] here. [Advisor name] came out on [month] about replacing your [system]. Did you get that sorted, or is it still on the list? Happy to help either way.
Message 2: the useful one
Hi [first name], one more from [company]. If you’re still weighing up the [system] replacement, we can re-check the quote against this season’s pricing and any rebates you qualify for. Want us to take another look?
Message 3: the close-out
Hi [first name], last one from us on this. If the [system] is still giving you trouble, reply here and we’ll get you on the schedule. If you went another way, no problem at all. Thanks for having us out.
Message 3 gets replies because it lets them off the hook. People answer a message that’s easy to answer.
What kills estimate follow-up
- Nobody owns it. Advisors are paid to close new estimates, not old ones. Old ones fall between chairs.
- It stops after the first week. Most follow-up happens in the first few days, then never again.
- It sounds like a sales sequence. “Just circling back!” gets ignored. A plain question gets answered.
- Replies go nowhere. If a homeowner answers on a Saturday and nobody sees it until Tuesday, you’ve lost the moment.
- Nobody counts it. If you don’t know how many old estimates booked last quarter, you don’t know what it’s worth.
Do it yourself, or have it done
Doing it yourself: export the list, sort it as above, load the three messages into your field service software or texting tool, and give one person the job of answering replies the same day.
Having us do it: you send the export, approve the wording, and your office takes the warm calls. We do the rest for 60 days. You pay $400 for each recovered estimate that books an install or replacement, $100 for a repair or maintenance visit, and nothing if nothing books.
See what your open estimates are worth → · How the pay-per-booked-job pilot works