Fortune in the Follow-Up: How Home Improvement Businesses Can Win More Jobs with Smart SMS, Email, and Phone Strategies

Most contractors don’t lose jobs because their price is too high – they lose them because they never followed up in the first place. And here’s the kicker: up to 80% of sales require at least five follow-up touches… but most contractors stop after just one.

Think of all the missed revenue opportunities simply because you never followed up.

The truth is, you put serious money and effort into generating quality home improvement leads. But if you’re not showing up in your prospect’s inbox, on their phone, or in their text messages multiple times – professionally, respectfully, and reliably – there’s a good chance you’re getting ghosted while your competitor walks away with the deal.

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Where Most Home Improvement Companies Lose Jobs

Let’s be clear: most homeowners aren't making decisions after one conversation. Even if you design your home improvement sales process with a one-call close as the goal, the majority of those presentations will not close right away on the first visit. 

Homeowners are doing research. They're requesting multiple quotes. They're asking their spouse, their friends, and their family what they think. And unless you're the first to respond and the one who stays on their radar, there's a good chance you’ll fall to the bottom of their list.

So what is the best way to follow up with home improvement leads? The answer isn’t just about persistence – it’s about combining SMS, email, and phone in a coordinated system that builds trust, maintains momentum, and closes the loop.

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SMS: The Fastest Way to Stay Top of Mind

Text messaging is fast, personal, and highly effective. Studies show SMS open rates hover around a whopping 98%, making it the ideal first follow-up.

SMS follow-up best practices for your team:

• Keep it under 160 characters
• Personalize with first names
• Include a clear action step (confirm, reply, click, etc.)
• Don’t overdo it. Sending 1 to 2 texts early in the sales process is plenty.

A simple follow-up text could read:

“Hi Mrs. Brown, just wanted to make sure you saw your siding estimate. Let me know if you’d like to review it together or have any questions. – Mike, ABC Remodeling”

SMS follow-ups are especially effective for confirming appointments, sending quick reminders, or re-engaging cold leads.

Want professional text messages written for you? Keep reading to find out how Builder Prime can help! 

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Email: For Depth, Documentation, and Nurture

Email lets you include more detail than a text message. This is perfect for attaching estimates, outlining project scopes, or educating homeowners with helpful resources.

Email follow-up best practices for your team:

• Use concise subject lines: “Your Roofing Estimate – Next Steps”
• Focus on what’s in it for the client - there should be more “You” and “Your” than “I”, “We”, and “Our”
• Make your CTA (call-to-action) easy to spot. What do you want the customer to do next? 
• Keep the email skimmable: short paragraphs, bold headers, and bullet points
• Follow a cadence: for example, 1 day after initial contact, 3 days later, 7 days later

Pro tip: Don’t treat every email as a sales pitch. A thoughtful follow-up with FAQs, testimonials, or next steps shows you’re organized, helpful, and not desperate.

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Phone Calls: For Personal Connection and Closing

Some decisions require a real conversation. A well-timed phone call can clarify confusion, address objections, and earn the homeowner’s trust.

But many contractors avoid the phone – either because they’re too busy or don’t want to feel pushy. Done right, phone follow-up feels helpful, not aggressive.

Phone call follow-up best practices for your team:

• Call within 24 - 48 hours of the initial estimate
• Always leave a voicemail (name, reason, callback info)
• Call again 2 - 3 days later if there’s no response
• Smile while talking (believe it or not, it affects your tone!) 

Including phone calls as a piece of your follow-up will especially be appreciated by Boomer customers who are easier to close and spend more. 

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Turn Your Follow-Up Process into a System

Here’s where the difference lies between chaotic sales teams and consistent closers: systems.

Contractors who scale their businesses understand that follow-up isn’t a “maybe” task – it’s built into their operations. That’s where using a CRM for contractors becomes essential.

A strong home improvement CRM helps your team:

• Track every lead and their stage in the sales funnel
• Schedule reminders for calls and emails
• Automate SMS follow-ups to speed up response time
• Keep everything in one place: texts, emails, notes, and appointments

What’s even better is that some platforms now use AI to improve communication. For instance, Builder Prime users get built-in SMS response suggestions, powered by AI.  

You or your team can follow up smarter, faster, and with less guesswork – without losing the human touch.

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Automation Works in Your Favor

Let’s be real: your team is juggling installs, estimates, and customer concerns. That means even the best reps will forget to follow up at times.

And while other home improvement companies might be slow to implement technology, you can embrace automation as your competitive advantage. 

With the right business management software for contractors, you can:

• Trigger follow-up emails or texts the moment a lead comes in
• Automate reminders for unscheduled estimates
• Re-engage cold leads after 7, 14, or 30 days
• Send appointment confirmations, project updates, or thank-you notes without lifting a finger

Think about it this way – would you rather rely on your salesperson’s memory, or a system that never forgets?

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Your Follow-Up Determines How You Finish

If you’re feeling like you don’t have enough leads to hit your sales goals, it might be worth asking yourself if you just need better follow-up with the leads you already have. 

By showing up consistently – via text, email, and phone – you’ll stay top-of-mind with customers, earn their trust, and win more jobs. 

If you’re ready to follow up with more consistency, speed, and confidence, Builder Prime can help.

Book a demo and see how the right system does the follow-up for you. That way, you’ll win more jobs and have more time to focus on growing your home improvement business. 

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