Lost Estimates and Quotes

Estimates take real time: site visits, measurements, pricing. When they are sent without any tracking, a business cannot tell which are still open, which were lost, or which only needed one more conversation.

• Quotes sit in a sent folder with no status.
• Nobody knows which estimates are still waiting on a decision.
• A customer accepts, but the approval gets lost in email.

• Estimates are created in one tool and tracked nowhere.
• No follow-up date is set when a quote goes out.
• Win and loss reasons are not recorded.

• You are unsure how many estimates are open right now.
• Your close rate on estimates is a guess.
• Customers say they were waiting to hear from you.

• Hours of estimating work produce no revenue.
• Winnable jobs are lost to silence.
• Pricing decisions are made without feedback.

1. How many estimates are open today, and how old are they?
2. When an estimate goes out, when is the next touch scheduled?
3. Do you know why lost estimates were lost?

Look at monthly estimates sent, how many get no follow-up, the average estimate value, and how often a follow-up conversation leads to a yes.

This is illustrative only. Every business is different; use your own numbers.

• Track every estimate with a status: sent, followed up, won, lost.
• Set a follow-up date the moment an estimate is sent.
• Record a one-line reason for each loss to spot patterns.

Brian can review how estimates move through your business today and suggest a tracking approach, from a well-built spreadsheet to estimate software, based on what you actually need.

• Business Leak Finder: see whether this leak shows up in your answers.
• Estimate Follow-Up Opportunity: put a rough figure on it.
• Capture More Opportunities: solution options, costs and trade-offs.

If this sounds familiar, Brian can look at how it shows up in your business and suggest practical next steps. No obligation.