Mining for Gold: How Home Improvement Businesses Can Unlock the Value Hiding in Their Existing Leads

Ask most home improvement companies what they need in order to grow, and you’ll often hear the same answer: “We need more leads.” 

But what if the real opportunity isn’t in spending more on marketing – but in mining the gold that’s already in your pipeline?

The truth is, most home improvement businesses are sitting on a database full of unsold leads, inactive customers, and missed follow-up opportunities. And while lead costs continue to climb – a 25-30% increase year over year for many contractors as referenced on a Winning Without New Leads webinar – the companies that thrive are the ones that maximize what they already have.

Keep reading to find out how to execute this low-cost lead generation strategy – and how it could be easier than you think. 

‍

Rehash: The Secret Weapon Hiding in Your CRM   ‍

Too many contractors think a "dead lead" is dead for good. But industry data tells a different story. In fact, 70% of unsold leads will buy within 12 months of their original consultation, based on data from gFour Marketing’s recent webinar. That means if you're not revisiting those opportunities, you're handing revenue to your competitors.

A rehash campaign is the process of systematically following up on unsold leads. It works best when you segment your database into groups like:

• Leads issued but not demoed
• Leads demoed but not sold
• Old customers with no recent activity

Once segmented, you can apply targeted follow-up campaigns – emails, texts, call reminders, even postcards – to revive interest and get back in the door.

‍

Don’t Just Close Deals – Create Repeat Customers

Repeat customers are easier to sell to, have higher average ticket sizes, and are more likely to buy premium upgrades. But staying top of mind takes intentionality.

With a home improvement CRM like Builder Prime, you can:

• Set reminders to follow up 6, 12, or 24 months after a completed project
• Track which services past customers used – and what else they might need
• Automate check-ins and seasonal promotions to re-engage them over time

And don’t forget, as Qualified Remodeler shares, “satisfied customers are repeat customers.” So, ensure you’re providing high-quality customer service from beginning to end to ensure those customers keep coming back. 

‍

Turn Your Past Customer List into a Referral Machine

A great referral program doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be consistent. Your CRM should make it easy to track and scale.

Here’s how:

• Use automated email and SMS campaigns to ask for referrals within days of job completion
• Include referral links and forms in every customer follow-up message
• Run reports to see which customers are referring the most, and reward them

It’s estimated in the recent webinar, Winning Without New Leads, that referrals close at 50%+ and cost far less than paid leads. Yet most companies never systematize the process. This is your opportunity to swoop in and take easy-to-close prospects off the market before your competitors even know they exist. 

‍

Why Custom Reports Could Be Your Competitive Advantage

Most businesses have the intent to follow up – but not the infrastructure. If you’re not using your CRM to set automated reminders, segment your database, or run reports that surface leads worth revisiting, you're likely leaving serious money on the table.

The fix? Better reporting. When you have the right contractor CRM, you can:

• Run a report showing all leads with a proposal but no sale in the last 6 months
• Identify jobs where only part of the work was done (e.g., 5 windows replaced out of 10)
• Spot customers who haven’t been touched in over a year
• Surface referral activity and reward your brand champions
• Identify repeat purchase patterns and build personalized follow-up sequences

These are simple but powerful actions. When done consistently, they can unlock huge value without spending a fortune on lead generation.

‍

Time to Turn Your Old Leads into New Sales 

When you have an all-in-one business management software like Builder Prime that makes it easy to run and analyze detailed reports on a regular basis, you can supercharge the value you get from the leads in your database. 

In fact, the contractors who use Builder Prime have run over 100,000 reports in the last 90 days alone. Why? Because when you can instantly see which leads need a follow-up, which referral sources are driving profit, and which jobs are ripe for upsell, you sell smarter.

If you want to:

• Rehash like a pro
• Tap into your database for referrals and repeat business
• Know which reports you should be running to harvest these valuable leads

...then it’s time to see how Builder Prime helps contractors like you grow without guesswork.

‍

Schedule a free demo with Builder Prime today, and find out how you can systematically turn your pipeline into profits. 

‍