Free Guide

Stop Losing Leads: A Speed-to-Lead Guide

The first company to give a real answer usually books the job. Not the cheapest, not the fanciest website, the fastest useful reply. This is the exact system we use to answer every lead fast, with a price, even while we are on a job. No opt-in, no email gymnastics, just the playbook.

The five steps

1. 1. Set a response-time target you actually measure

   Our rule is to reply within 5 minutes while the lead is still on the site. Someone who just filled out your form is comparing you against two or three other companies right now, in the same sitting. Waiting until the end of the day to answer is how you lose a job you had already earned. Pick a target (we use 5 minutes), then track how often you actually hit it, because a target you never check is just a hope.

2. 2. Lead with a price, not "we will get back to you"

   Most owners reply with "thanks, when works for a walkthrough?" But the lead wanted a number, and you just gave them homework instead. Answer with an honest range built from home size, clean type, and frequency, then invite the next step. A 3 bed / 2 bath / 1,800 sq ft standard clean runs about $265–$300 for us, and sending that range in the first reply does more to book the job than a polished email that says nothing.

3. 3. Take yourself out of the first reply

   You cannot answer in 5 minutes when you are elbow-deep in someone's oven. The fix is a self-serve estimator on your site: the lead enters home size, type, and frequency, gets a real price range on the spot, and you get pinged by email and text at the same moment. The first reply happens whether you are on a job, at dinner, or asleep. It also weeds out the people who were never serious, so the leads that reach you are the ones worth your time.

4. 4. Text first, then call

   Leads answer texts, and they let calls go to voicemail. A same-minute text beats a voicemail every time: "Hi Sam, it is Maigan with Scrub to Scale. I saw your request for a 3 bed deep clean, that runs about [range]. Want me to hold Thursday morning?" Keep it short, use their name, reference exactly what they asked for, and give one clear next step. If they do not reply to the text, then you call.

5. 5. Follow up more than once

   Most of the jobs we book are not won on the first message, they are won on the second or third. People get busy, the text scrolls away, life happens. Follow up the same day, again the next day, and once more about three days out, then stop. A tool that reminds you to chase an unaccepted quote means the follow-up never quietly falls through the cracks, which is where most owners leak booked work.

The follow-up cadence we use

A lead is not lost after one unanswered text. Run this simple cadence, then let it rest. The first touch should be automatic; the rest take a minute each.

What an instant reply can send (real prices)

This is why a real range beats "we will get back to you." These are honest one-time standard ranges from our pricing model, the kind an estimator can send the second a lead lands. See every home size on the cost pages.

The mistakes that cost you jobs

• Replying only during business hours. Leads come in at 9pm and on Sunday. If your answer waits until Monday, the Sunday-night lead already booked the company that replied Sunday night.
• Answering with questions instead of a number. Collecting the details is fine, but make the first reply carry a real range. A price earns the conversation; a questionnaire ends it.
• One and done. You sent one text, got nothing back, and moved on. That is a booked job left on the table. More on staying warm without being pushy in getting your first clients.
• A system that only works when you are free. If speed-to-lead depends on you being at your phone, it breaks the day you get busy, which is exactly when the leads matter most. Automate the first reply so being busy never costs you the next job.

Where the leads come from (and where they go)

Speed-to-lead only helps if leads are actually reaching you. Fill the top of the funnel with low-budget marketing that works, then make sure every lead lands somewhere that captures it and can reply on its own. If you already run Jobber, you can wire your form straight through with our Jobber integration guide so a completed pricing form becomes a client, request, and quote note, hands-free.

Common questions