You’re Burning Cash on Leads You Don’t Follow Up With

The Lead Follow-Up Problem Every Tradie Has

Let’s be honest. How many times has this happened? A lead comes in while you’re up a ladder or under a house. You tell yourself you’ll call them back when you’re done. By the time you get around to it a few hours later, they’ve already spoken to three other blokes and given the job to the first one who answered.

That’s not just a lost job. That’s money you’ve burned. Whether that lead came from a Google Ad you paid for, a lead-gen platform, or even a referral from a mate, your delay cost you the entire value of that job. For most tradies, this happens every single week. Over a year, the amount of lost revenue from slow follow-ups is staggering.

And it’s not your fault. You’re a tradie. You’re on the tools. You can’t be sitting by the phone all day waiting for it to ring. But your customers don’t care about your schedule. They care about getting their problem solved, and they’ll go with whoever responds first.

The Problem Isn’t a Lack of Leads. It’s a Lack of Speed.

In the trades, speed wins. Industry data consistently shows that if you don’t respond to a new lead within 5-15 minutes, your chances of winning the work drop off a cliff. After an hour, the lead is practically cold. But you can’t be on your phone 24 ⁄7 .

So how do you solve it? The answer is a CRM — and before you switch off, it’s not as complicated or expensive as you think.

What the Hell is a CRM, Anyway?

CRM stands for ‘Customer Relationship Management’, but forget the corporate jargon. For a tradie, a CRM is a simple system that does one thing brilliantly: it automatically follows up with your leads so you don’t have to.

Think of it as a digital assistant who works 24 ⁄7 and never forgets. The second a lead comes in — whether it’s a form submission from your website, a missed call, or a Facebook enquiry — your CRM is on it. Here’s what that looks like in practice. A new lead fills out a form on your website at 2pm while you’re knee-deep in a bathroom reno.

Within 60 seconds, your CRM sends them an SMS: “Hey [Customer Name], got your enquiry. I’m on the tools right now but will call you back within the hour. Cheers, [Your Name] from [Your Business].” It then sends them an email with your business info, a link to your project gallery, and maybe a few testimonials.

Finally, it puts a reminder in your calendar to call them back. That customer instantly feels looked after. They know you’re real, you’re busy (which is a good sign), and you’re coming back to them. You’ve bought yourself time, and you’ve put yourself ahead of every other tradie who hasn’t replied yet.

The Three Killer Automations Every Tradie Needs

There are three automations that, once set up, will change the way you do business.

1. The Missed-Call Text-Back. If you’re on the tools and miss a call from a new number, your CRM can automatically text them: “Hi, sorry I missed your call. I’m on a job right now but will get back to you shortly. Is this about a new project?” You’ve just captured a lead that would have otherwise gone to your competitor. Simple, effective, and it runs in the background without you doing a thing.

2. The Quote Follow-Up. You send a quote and then… crickets. Instead of manually chasing — or worse, forgetting entirely — your CRM can automatically send a friendly SMS or email two days later: “Hi [Customer Name], just wanted to make sure you received the quote for the [Job Description]. Let me know if you have any questions or if you’d like to go ahead.” This one automation alone can increase your conversion rate significantly, because most tradies simply never follow up.

3. The Review Request. After you finish a job, your CRM can automatically send the customer a message asking them to leave a Google review. More 5-star reviews means more trust, better Google rankings, and more leads. It’s a virtuous cycle, and it happens on autopilot.

Stop Wasting Money. Start Winning Jobs.

A CRM isn’t some complex, expensive software for big corporations anymore. It’s a simple, affordable tool that is essential for any tradie who is serious about growth. It stops you from wasting the money you’re already spending on marketing and turns more of your hard-earned leads into paying jobs.

If you’re not using a CRM, you’re not just losing leads — you’re handing them to your competition on a silver platter.

Want to see how a simple CRM could transform your business? At Shift Tech Media, we set up and manage lead-closing CRM systems for tradies, starting from just $199/mo?

[Book a free demo and see how it works.]