Know your close rate, diagnose the leaks, and calculate exactly how many quotes you need to hit your revenue target—before you send the next one.
A healthy close rate for a solo tradesman doing residential service work is 55–70%. Below 50% usually signals a pricing or positioning problem. Above 80% usually signals underpricing—you're winning every job because you're the cheapest, leaving margin on the table. The sweet spot is uncomfortable: you should be losing 1 in 3.
When a customer says the price is too high, 60% of the time they mean "I don't understand the value" or "I found someone I trusted more." A clear written quote with scope, materials, and warranty information outperforms a low price in head-to-head tests. Track whether you're losing to known competitors or to vague ghosting.
The industry average for quote follow-up is zero—most contractors send the quote and wait. A single follow-up email or call at day 3 increases close rate by 15–25% for jobs that went quiet, not rejected. If your follow-up rate is low, that's easier to fix than your price.
The Tradesman's Business Starter Kit includes quote follow-up scripts, a pricing psychology guide, close-rate tracking template, and the core business forms every trade needs. Guide from $19 — Complete Kit with all 19 templates, $49.
Get the Business Kit — $19If you're not tracking your quote acceptance rate, you don't know if your pricing is too high, your sales process is weak, or both. Enter your quotes sent and jobs won over any period to get your acceptance rate, then benchmark it: 40–60% is typical for competitive markets, 70%+ often means you're underpriced. Use it monthly to spot pricing drift before it hurts revenue.