The short answer: yes, when they’re followed up properly. In the six reviews that counted it exactly, about 3 in 10 real enquiries never replied to anything. The other 7 in 10 replied. Most of the lost work we found came down to what happened next: slow replies, missed callbacks and quotes that weren’t followed through.
What we looked at
When a client’s leads dip, or they ask us to check how things are going, we don’t guess. We open their lead app and read every conversation for a set period. We note who replied about a real job, who never replied, what was booked and what was left hanging.
| Trade | Conversations read |
|---|---|
| Roofing | 671 |
| Driveways and paving | 538 |
| Tree surgery | 73 |
Every review only counts someone as a reply if they actually replied about a real job. Ad comments, junk and people who never answered are counted separately.
Finding 1: real homeowners, with real reasons
Across the reviews, enquiries read like what they are: homeowners describing a leak, a driveway they want replacing, a tree that’s got too big. Some had already had a bad experience with another trade and wanted someone who’d turn up. Eight of the 27 reviews mention enquiries linked to a house sale, a purchase or a survey, often with a deadline.
Finding 2: about 3 in 10 never replied, which is why the first text matters
In the six reviews that counted both numbers exactly, 72 of 236 real enquiries (31%) never replied to anything. Some of that is people changing their minds. Some of it is timing. Nobody answers a call from an unknown number in the middle of a work meeting. And people don’t enquire on a tradesperson’s timetable: across a year of our clients’ Facebook lead forms (67,379 enquiries), about half of those with a time recorded arrived outside 8am to 5pm, and the busiest hour was 6pm.
That’s why every enquiry gets a text in your name within seconds, and follow-ups that keep going until they reply, then stop on their own. A text sits there until they’re ready.
In 20 of the 27 reviews, some numbers couldn’t get a text at all (a landline, a typo, or someone who’d opted out). Those need a call, which is why the app shows every lead, not just the ones who replied.
Finding 3: most lost work happened after the enquiry
This was the clearest pattern by far:
| What we found | Reviews it came up in (of 27) |
|---|---|
| Someone sent their details or available days and was left waiting for a reply | 27 |
| A visit happened, then no quote was recorded in the app | 16 |
| Visits were only arranged by text, with nothing in the calendar | 15 |
| People who phoned weren’t rung back | 12 |
| A customer waited in for a visit that didn’t happen | 8 |
“No quote recorded” doesn’t always mean no quote was sent. Plenty of tradespeople quote by WhatsApp or email. But every one of those rows is work at risk, and none of it is the lead’s fault.
What this means for you
- Reply first, then reply again. An automatic text gets you in first, but the jobs come from the person who rings back.
- Answer the ones who answer you. If someone sends their address and a good day, that’s a booking waiting to happen.
- Put visits in the calendar so nothing slips when the phone gets busy.
- Send the quote while they’re still keen.
- Judge your leads on cost per won job, not cost per lead. Try the cost per job calculator with your own numbers.
This is also why we keep going through clients’ leads after they go live. When results dip, Nick goes through them, works out why and fixes it, whether it’s the ads, the form or the follow-up.
Leads have been great …
Eden, roofer, Sutton Coldfield · WhatsApp, 8 Apr 2026, 13:23
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