Guide

How to stop time wasting enquiries

A busy phone is not the goal. Driving across the city to price a job that was never going to happen costs you an evening you will not get back. Your website can do most of the filtering before anyone rings.

Be clear about what you do not do

If you do not do small repairs, say so. If you have a minimum job size, say so. It feels awkward writing it and it saves hours every month.

People respect a business that knows what it is. Nobody is offended by being pointed elsewhere.

Give a sense of price

You do not need a price list. A callout charge, a from figure or a typical range for a standard job lets people work out whether they are in the right place.

The enquiries you lose to that were never going to buy.

Spell out your area

Name the towns and suburbs you cover, and say plainly if you will travel further for larger jobs. Half of all wasted calls are simply too far away.

Let the form do some work

A few gentle questions filter more than you would think.

  • Where is the job
  • What kind of work is it
  • When are you hoping to start
  • A photo if they have one

Say how you work

Whether you charge for a survey, how long a quote takes and when you can realistically start. Setting that out up front stops the calls from people wanting someone tomorrow morning for nothing.

Common questions

Will showing prices scare customers off?

It filters out the ones who were never going to book you and it builds trust with the ones who were.

Should I charge for quotes?

For large or complicated jobs many trades do, and say so clearly. For quick jobs it usually costs you more work than it saves.

Where to go next

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