Morning,
You drove out, measured, and sent the estimate. Then... nothing.
People go quiet for boring reasons. They forgot. They're waiting on a spouse. Your quote got buried. A short, friendly text often brings them back.
This week: 3 follow-up texts, and how to make them personal in 2 minutes.
The plan: day 1, day 3, day 7
Day 1 (day after the estimate): Did it come through? Any questions?
Day 3: Share one helpful detail about the job.
Day 7: A polite "should I keep this open?"
Then stop. Three texts in a week is attentive. A fourth starts to feel pushy.
Let ChatGPT write them for each job
1. Open the free ChatGPT app. The free version works fine for this. You don't need to pay for anything.
Open the app. The message box is at the bottom.
2. Tap the message box at the bottom.
3. Paste the message in the gray box below.
4. Replace the [brackets] with 2 or 3 lines about the job. What it is, and anything the customer cared about.
5. Tap the send arrow.
6. Read all 3 texts. Delete anything you didn't actually say or can't back up.
7. Press and hold a text, tap Copy, and paste it into a text to your customer on the right day.
Time: about 2 minutes per quote.
Cost: $0.
Copy and paste this
I'm a [your trade] contractor. I sent an estimate and haven't heard back. Job details: [what the job is, what the customer cared about, any worry they had]. Write 3 follow-up texts: day 1, day 3, and day 7. Under 300 characters each. Friendly, no pressure, no fake deadlines, no discounts, nothing made up. Day 3 should share one helpful detail from my notes. Day 7 should make it easy to say no: "Reply 1 to keep it open or 2 to close it out."
Before and after (made-up example)
This is a made-up job and customer, just to show the idea.
Before (a plain follow-up):
Hi, just following up on the estimate. Let me know.
After (what ChatGPT wrote from the notes "Roof repair, Mr. Ortiz, shingles missing after storm, worried about insurance"):
Hi Mr. Ortiz, quick follow-up on the shingle repair. If you're filing with insurance, we can send photos of the damage and a written list of the work for your adjuster. Just say the word and we'll get you on the schedule.
It remembered his insurance worry and offered real help. If it had promised insurance will pay, we'd cut that.
⚠️ Watch Out
We're not lawyers. This is general info, not legal advice.
Follow-ups are fine. Ads are different. Texting about a quote they asked for is about their job. Don't add them to sales texts later without clear permission. Read the federal texting law here.
Stop the moment they say stop or "no thanks."
Texting from an app? It may need to be registered with phone companies. Ask your texting app or phone provider. More info here.
Normal hours. Federal rules use 8 AM to 9 PM local time for sales contact. Stay well inside that.
AI makes things up. Don't let it invent warranties, discounts, or deadlines.
Your turn
Pick 3 quiet quotes this month and try it. Hit reply and tell us how many came back.
Next Thursday: getting more Google reviews without breaking Google's rules.
— The Bids & Bots Team