You send out estimates. Some turn into jobs. Most don’t. Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing: most paving contractors lose jobs they could’ve won. Not because their price was too high. Not because they did bad work. They lose because they didn’t follow up.
Think about it. You spend an hour measuring a parking lot, calculating materials, putting together a solid estimate. You email it over. Then… nothing. You wait for the phone to ring. It doesn’t. Job goes to someone else.
That’s money you left on the table.
Why Following Up Actually Matters
Research shows it takes 5-7 contacts before most commercial property managers will hire you. Residential customers? Same thing. They’re not sitting around waiting for your estimate. They’re busy running their business or dealing with their kids or whatever else is going on in their lives.
Your estimate gets buried in their inbox. They mean to look at it later. They forget. Unless you remind them.
Start Tracking Your Numbers
Before you change anything, you need to know where you stand. What percentage of your estimates turn into jobs?
Track residential and commercial separately. They’re different animals. A homeowner might decide in a week. A property manager might take three months and need board approval.
Check your numbers once a month. If you’re closing 20% of residential estimates and 15% of commercial, that’s your baseline. Now you’ve got something to improve.
Why track this? Because when you start winning more jobs, you can slowly raise your prices and still stay busy. That’s how you grow.
Build a Simple Follow-Up System
You don’t need fancy software. You need a system you’ll actually use. Here’s what works:
Day 1: Send the estimate with a personal note. Not “please review the attached quote.” Something real like: “Hey Mike, here’s the estimate for your parking lot overlay. I noticed some drainage issues on the north side – included fixing those in the price. Call me if you have questions.”
Day 3: Short email. “Just making sure you got my estimate. Any questions about the scope or timeline?”
Day 7: Give them something useful. Link to a recent project you did that’s similar to theirs. Or send them your insurance certificate if they need it for records.
Day 14: Call them. Actual phone call. Ask if they’ve had time to review it. Ask if they need any other info. Don’t be pushy. Be helpful.
Day 21: Final email. “I know you’re probably still deciding. I’ve got availability the week of [date] if you want to move forward. Otherwise, I’ll assume you went another direction. Either way, let me know if I can help with anything.”
That’s it. Five touchpoints over three weeks. Most paving companies don’t do any of this. You’ll stand out just by being consistent.
Use Email Automation (But Keep It Personal)
You can set up automated emails, but make them sound like you wrote them that day. Nobody wants to feel like they’re on a marketing list.
Tools like Mailchimp, High Level or HubSpot let you set up email sequences. You write the emails once. The system sends them automatically. But here’s the key: customize each sequence for that specific job.
Don’t send the same generic “just following up” email to everyone. Reference their actual project. Use their name. Make it clear you remember their job site.
What to Send in Each Email
Each email should do something:
First email: The estimate. Obviously. But also tell them what to look at on your website. Maybe your Google reviews page. Maybe photos of similar jobs you’ve done.
Second email: Make sure they got it. Ask if the scope makes sense.
Third email: Give them something valuable. Your current insurance certificate. Your state contractor license number. A link to your BBB rating. Something that proves you’re legit.
Fourth email: Ask about timing. “When are you looking to get this done?” Gets them thinking about next steps.
Fifth email: Last chance. Not desperate. Just clear. “I’ve got availability coming up. Want to grab that slot?”
Stop Losing Jobs You Should’ve Won
Call the people who didn’t hire you. I know. It sucks. Do it anyway.
Ask them straight up: “Why didn’t you go with us?”
Most will say your price was too high. Ask them what they paid. Half the time they’ll tell you. If their price is way lower than yours, the bids weren’t the same. Maybe they went with an overlay when you quoted a full tear-out. That’s fine. Not every customer wants the best solution.
If their price is close to yours – maybe $500 less on a $15,000 job – then you know you were competitive. Ask what made them choose the other company. You’ll learn something.
Sometimes you’ll hear: “They called me back three times. You called once.” That’s the whole point. Following up wins jobs.
Offer a Real Warranty
Warranties prove you stand behind your work. Put it in writing. Two years on residential driveways. One year on commercial lots. Whatever makes sense for your work and your market.
Check with your insurance company or a lawyer to make sure you’re covered. Then put that warranty in every estimate. Print it on your website. Talk about it when you’re on site.
It shows you’re not afraid to come back if something goes wrong. That matters to people dropping $10,000 or $50,000 or $200,000 on their parking lot.
The Bottom Line
You’re already doing the hard part – showing up, measuring, estimating. You’re spending the time and gas money to bid the job.
Following up costs almost nothing. A few emails. A couple phone calls. Maybe 30 minutes of work per estimate.
If following up helps you win even two more jobs per month, that’s probably $20,000+ in revenue. For 30 minutes of work per estimate.
Set up your system. Track your numbers. Follow up on every estimate. Do this for three months. Watch your close rate improve.
Your price doesn’t need to be the lowest. Your work just needs to be on their mind when they’re ready to sign a contract.
Need help setting up an automated follow-up system for your paving company? We set these up for contractors all the time. Call us at 720-571-8307.