After this tutorial, your contracting business will have:
- A 3-email quote follow-up sequence that sends automatically after you send a quote
- An automatic job completion email that thanks customers and asks for a Google review
- Seasonal maintenance reminder campaigns (pre-winter, spring, etc.) for past customers
- A referral request automation that runs after every completed job
- A win-back campaign for customers you haven't heard from in 12 months
Tools and cost: ActiveCampaign (starts at $15/month, free trial available) or Mailchimp (free up to 500 contacts). This tutorial uses ActiveCampaign because it handles quote follow-up automation more cleanly, but Mailchimp works too.
Why contractors leave so much money on the table by not following up
Studies across the trades consistently show that 80% of sales require 5 or more follow-up contacts before a customer decides. Yet most contractors send a quote and never follow up at all, or call once, get voicemail, and give up.
The customer hasn't forgotten you. They're busy, they're comparing quotes, they're waiting for a partner to sign off. A gentle, professional follow-up email at day 2, day 5, and day 10 reminds them you exist, demonstrates professionalism, and often is the deciding factor when they're choosing between you and a competitor.
One Denver general contractor tracked his data for 6 months: before automation, he closed 38% of quotes. After adding a 3-email follow-up sequence, he closed 61%. Same pricing, same quality, same crew. Just follow-up.
On top of quote follow-up, email automation helps contractors generate annual maintenance revenue. A single email blast in October reminding last year's customers to schedule their pre-winter plumbing/HVAC/roof check can add $30,000–$50,000 in predictable revenue from work that was going to competitors by default.
Start following up on every quote automatically
ActiveCampaign makes quote follow-up automations easy, you build it once and it runs for every quote forever. Free 14-day trial, no credit card.
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How to Set Up Contractor Email Automation
Set up ActiveCampaign and import your contacts
Create your ActiveCampaign account (free trial, no credit card required). During setup, enter your business name and upload your logo if you have one. The branding settings take 5 minutes and ensure every email looks professional.
Import your existing customers: Go to Contacts → Import and upload a CSV file with your customers' names, email addresses, and phone numbers. If you have them in a spreadsheet, export as CSV. If they're in your phone, export from Contacts.
Tag your contacts by type: "past-customer," "active-quote," "prospect". These tags are how ActiveCampaign knows which automations to trigger for each person.
Screenshot: ActiveCampaign Contacts import screen with tag assignment options
Build your quote follow-up sequence
This is the highest-ROI automation you'll build. Here's the exact sequence:
Here are the exact email templates:
Hi [first_name],
I wanted to follow up on the quote I sent you for [project description]. I know you're probably comparing a few options, totally makes sense for a project this size.
I'm happy to answer any questions, walk through the quote in more detail, or adjust the scope if needed. Just reply here or call me at [your phone number].
— [Your name], [Company name]
Hi [first_name],
I was reviewing your quote and realized I didn't mention something that often comes up with this type of project: [add one relevant tip, common concern, or thing to look out for, e.g., "If you're getting multiple roofing quotes, make sure you ask each contractor about their underlayment warranty, it's often where the real difference in quality lies."]
Happy to chat about it if you'd like. What questions can I answer for you?
— [Your name]
Hi [first_name],
I wanted to give you a heads-up that our schedule for [month] is booking up quickly. I want to make sure we can fit your [project] in if you decide to move forward.
If you've already chosen another contractor, no worries at all, I hope the project goes great. If you're still deciding, I'm here to answer any questions.
Best,
[Your name]
Set up job completion + review request automation
When a job is complete, you should be sending two things automatically: a thank-you email and a Google review request.
Create a new automation triggered by the tag "job-complete" (you add this tag when you mark a job done in your system). Two emails in this automation:
Hi [first_name],
The [project type] is all done! It was a pleasure working with you and your family. If you have any questions in the next few weeks or anything needs attention, just call me directly at [phone].
Thanks again for choosing [company name]. We really appreciate it.
— [Your name]
Hi [first_name],
I hope you're enjoying your [completed project]. We'd be really grateful if you could take 30 seconds to leave us a Google review, it means a lot to our small family business and helps other homeowners find trustworthy contractors.
Here's the link (takes less than a minute): [YOUR GOOGLE REVIEW LINK]
Thank you so much.
— [Your name], [Company name]
Set up seasonal maintenance reminder campaigns
This is where significant additional revenue comes from. Set up two campaigns per year that go to your entire past-customer list:
Pre-winter campaign (send in October): "It's that time of year, here's your pre-winter checklist for [plumbing / HVAC / roofing / etc.] and how to schedule your inspection."
Spring campaign (send in March/April): "Spring means it's the right time to check on your [gutters / deck / HVAC / irrigation system]. Here's what to look for and how to book a maintenance visit."
These are one-time campaigns (not automations) that you schedule in advance. In ActiveCampaign, go to Campaigns → Create → Email Campaign. Schedule it for the right date and send to your "past-customer" tag.
Average result: 15–20% of past customers respond to a maintenance reminder within 30 days. For a list of 200 past customers, that's 30–40 maintenance jobs you would have otherwise lost to a competitor who happened to call at the right time.
Set up a referral request automation
Happy customers are your best sales channel, but most won't refer you unless you ask. Add a 4th email to your post-job sequence (sent 2 weeks after job completion) asking for referrals:
Hi [first_name],
I hope your [completed project] is still looking great! Quick question: do you know any neighbors, friends, or family members who might need [plumbing / roofing / HVAC / general contracting] work done?
We're always grateful for referrals, and if someone you refer books a job with us, we'll send you a $50 thank-you gift card as our way of saying thanks.
No pressure at all, just wanted you to know we're always happy to take care of your people.
— [Your name]
How a Denver General Contractor Added $44K in Maintenance Revenue with Email Automation
Carlos runs a general contracting business in Denver with 3 crews. He was sending about 15 quotes per month and closing around 6 of them. He had 200 past customers but never communicated with them except when they called him.
He set up ActiveCampaign in one afternoon. Quote follow-up sequence went live first, within 2 months his close rate went from 38% to 61%. Then he sent an October maintenance reminder to his 200 past customers. Forty-one responded within 3 weeks. That was $44,000 in maintenance jobs he'd never have gotten otherwise.
Start automating your quote follow-ups today
ActiveCampaign starts at $15/month and includes unlimited automations, contact management, and email templates. Free 14-day trial.
Try ActiveCampaign Free →Affiliate link, we may earn a commission if you subscribe. No credit card required to start trial.