An estimate is the most expensive thing a painting company gives away for free. By the time you hand one over, you have paid for the marketing that produced the request, the drive, the walk-around and the evening spent writing it up. Signing a few more of those estimates is often the cheapest growth available, and this service is about doing exactly that.
What it is
We help painting companies set up a simple estimate pipeline and a follow-up rhythm, then measure where quotes are lost. It is business consulting and marketing support. We advise and build the system; your team still visits the property, writes the price and talks to the customer.
The pipeline has five stages that almost every painter recognises:
- Request received: call, text or email logged with the source.
- Visit booked: date set, with a reminder sent the day before.
- Estimate sent: written quote delivered, ideally within a day or two of the visit.
- Follow-up: a planned sequence of useful contacts.
- Won, lost or deferred: with a reason recorded for every lost quote.
Who it's for
- companies running plenty of estimates but signing fewer than they'd like
- owners who still write every quote at night and follow up when they remember
- businesses adding an office person or estimator who needs a process to follow
- painters who don't know their own close rate
What's included
Quote documents that sell the prep
Many lost painting quotes are lost on price because the customer couldn't see the difference between your number and a cheaper one. We help you rewrite your quote template so it explains, in plain words:
- what prep is included (washing, scraping, sanding, caulking, spot-priming)
- what product line and how many coats
- how you protect floors, plants and furniture
- what your warranty covers and for how long
- when you can start
A follow-up rhythm
A sample rhythm for a residential repaint, written as templates your team adapts:
- Day 2: "Here's your estimate for [Address]. Happy to walk through it by phone."
- Day 7: a short note with a relevant project photo from a similar home in [Neighbourhood].
- Day 14: an offer of a start date: "We have an opening the week of [Date] if that suits."
- Day 21: a polite close: "Shall I keep this on file for spring?"
Reporting
A monthly view of estimates sent, signed, lost (with reasons) and deferred, broken down by source and by estimator.
Timeline
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | Review of last season's estimates and current quote template |
| Weeks 3–4 | Pipeline set up in your tools, quote template revised |
| Month 2 | Follow-up templates live, team trained |
| Month 3 onwards | Monthly close-rate reporting and adjustments |
How results are measured
The core measure is close rate: signed jobs divided by estimates sent. We also watch the time from request to visit, and from visit to estimate, because both tend to predict lost jobs.
A worked example. A company sending 25 residential estimates a month at a $4,800 average and a 28% close rate signs 7 jobs, about $33,600. If faster quotes and steady follow-up lift the close rate to 36%, it signs 9 jobs, about $43,200, with no extra marketing spend. Your own numbers will differ; the method is the same.
Mistakes painters make with estimates
- Quoting a week after the visit. By then the homeowner has two other numbers.
- One price, no options. A "good, better, more prep" layout lets people choose rather than walk away.
- Following up with "just checking in." Every follow-up should add something: a photo, a date, an answer.
- Not recording why quotes are lost. Without reasons, you can't tell a price problem from a timing problem.
- Bulk-texting old quotes a promotion without thinking about consent. The CRTC's CASL guidance sets the rules for commercial messages.
If you often miss calls while on the tools, a missed-call text-back setup such as CallText.chat can catch requests before they ever reach the pipeline. For the full arithmetic, read the estimate maths guide. This service pairs well with seasonal ads; see pricing for plans.
Frequently asked questions
Will you call my customers for me?
No. We design the follow-up process, templates and reporting, and train your office or estimator to run it. Conversations with your customers stay with your company.
Do I need expensive software?
No. Many painters run a good pipeline in their existing job software or even a shared spreadsheet. The habit matters more than the tool.
How many follow-ups are too many?
Three or four over about three weeks is usually enough for a residential quote, each one adding something useful such as a colour sample or a start date. After that, move the quote to a seasonal reminder list.
Is texting customers allowed?
Replying to someone who asked you for a quote is normal business. For marketing messages beyond that, Canada's anti-spam law requires consent and an unsubscribe option. We set templates up with that in mind; we don't give legal advice.