One of the most common mistakes tradespeople make is treating every contact on their list the same way. But someone who’s just asked for a quote needs completely different attention than a customer you’ve done three jobs for over the years.
The Fundamental Difference
New enquiries need convincing. They don’t know your work yet, they’re probably getting other quotes too, and they need reasonably frequent contact to actually get booked in before they go elsewhere.
Existing customers need maintaining. They already trust you and know your work — they need occasional, well-timed contact to stay front of mind for the next job, not constant chasing.
Following Up on New Enquiries
Hot Enquiry (Quote Just Sent)
- Frequency: Every 3-5 days
- Duration: 2-4 weeks
- Goal: Get the job booked
- Approach: Direct — “shall I get you booked in?”
Warm Enquiry (Interested, Not Ready Yet)
- Frequency: Weekly
- Duration: 2-3 months
- Goal: Stay front of mind until they’re ready to go ahead
- Approach: Low-pressure check-ins, no hard sell
Went Quiet (No Response After Quoting)
- Frequency: Every 5-7 days for the first few weeks, then monthly
- Duration: Ongoing, low-effort
- Goal: Stay available in case things change
- Approach: Friendly, no-pressure check-ins
Staying in Touch With Existing Customers
Regular / High-Value Customer
- Frequency: Every month or two
- Goal: Stay top of mind for repeat work and referrals
- Approach: A quick “how’s everything holding up?” call, or letting them know you’re around if anything else needs doing
Occasional Customer
- Frequency: Every few months
- Goal: Stay connected without being intrusive
- Approach: Brief check-in, especially around times work tends to come up (start of a season, before winter, etc.)
Gone Quiet (Used to Book Regularly, Hasn’t in a While)
- Frequency: Every couple of weeks until you hear back
- Goal: Find out if there’s ongoing work you’re missing out on
- Approach: “Just checking in — anything coming up I could help with?”
How to Put This Into Practice
Step 1: Split Your List
Go through your contacts and mark everyone as either a new enquiry or an existing customer, then rank how important each one is.
Step 2: Set Different Follow-Up Gaps
| Type | Follow-up gap |
|---|---|
| Hot enquiry | 3-5 days |
| Warm enquiry | 7 days |
| Quiet enquiry | 5-7 days, then monthly |
| Regular customer | 30-60 days |
| Occasional customer | Every few months |
| Gone-quiet regular | Every 2 weeks |
Step 3: Change How You Talk to Each Group
- New enquiries: “Here’s what I can do for you, shall we get it booked in?”
- Existing customers: “How’s everything going? Anything else I can help with?”
Step 4: Review Every Now and Then
Enquiries become customers once they book a job. Regular customers can go quiet. Check your list every month or so and move people between categories as things change.
The Bottom Line
Treating every contact the same way means either badgering existing customers who don’t need chasing, or under-following-up on quotes that are still very winnable.
Get the follow-up rhythm right for each type of contact, and you’ll book more jobs from your quotes and keep more repeat work from your regulars — without either group feeling neglected or pestered.
DailyDial keeps this sorted automatically. It separates your new enquiries from existing customers and follows a sensible cadence for each — so you always know who to call today. Try it free for 14 days — no credit card required.
Related reading: How to Follow Up After Sending a Quote · Existing Customers Are Your Best Source of New Work