5 Text Message Templates to Win Back Dead Estimates

You ran the route, you measured the job, and you typed up the estimate.

Then... absolute crickets.

If you're like most contractors, you probably assume they went with some guy named 'Chuck in a Truck' who quoted them half the price. But the truth is usually way less dramatic: they got busy, their kid got sick, and your beautifully crafted estimate got buried under 50 spam emails from Home Depot.

If you aren't following up via text message, you are basically setting piles of cash on fire every month.

Here are 5 text message templates you can copy and paste right now to wake up the ghosts.

1. The "I'm Not Annoying, Just Checking" Text

This is the lowest-friction text you can send. Send this 48 hours after you drop off the quote.

"Hey [Name], Caleb with SchlappyOps here. Just wanted to make sure you got the estimate for the driveway project and it didn't end up in your spam folder. Any questions so far?"

2. The "FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)" Text

Create a little bit of urgency without sounding like a desperate used car salesman.

"Hi [Name], following up on the estimate from Tuesday. We're filling up our schedule for next week and I have exactly one afternoon slot left. Let me know if you want me to snag it for you!"

3. The "Okay, Was It The Price?" Text

If they ghosted you for a week, it was probably sticker shock. Give them a graceful way to admit it.

"Hey [Name], checking in on the quote. If the number was a bit higher than you expected, we can actually swap out [Material X] for [Material Y] to knock the cost down by about 15%. Want me to shoot over a cheaper option?"

4. The "Are We Still Doing This?" Text

For estimates that have been dead for 30+ days. Time to clean out the pipeline.

"Hi [Name], Caleb here. We're auditing our open estimates from last month so we can close out the books. Did you end up getting that plumbing issue fixed, or are you still swimming in the living room?"

5. The "Happy Anniversary" Text

For past clients who haven't booked you in a year.

"Hey [Name]! Hard to believe it's been a whole year since we installed the AC unit. It's time for the annual tune-up so it doesn't blow up in July. Want me to swing by next Tuesday?"

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The Big Problem With Copy-Pasting

Look, these templates work. If you send them to 10 dead leads right now, at least two will suddenly remember you exist and book the job.

But there's an obvious problem: you have to actually remember to send them.

When you're upside down under a sink or driving 80mph down the highway, the last thing you're going to do is set a calendar reminder to text "John from 123 Main St."

That's why we built SchlappyOps. We got tired of losing jobs just because we forgot to text people back. SchlappyOps automatically texts your dead estimates for you. You hit send on the quote, and if they don't reply in 3 days, our software fires off a follow-up text directly from your business number.

You do the heavy lifting. SchlappyOps does the annoying nagging.

Stop losing jobs to guys who are worse at the trade but better at texting. Start your free trial of SchlappyOps today and let the robots chase your money.