Speed-to-Lead

Speed-to-lead — the elapsed time between lead submission and your first contact attempt — is the single biggest predictor of close rate in home services sales. The data is overwhelming and consistent across studies: - Respond in <5 minutes: baseline close rate - Respond in 6–30 minutes: -50% close rate - Respond in 1 hour: -65% close rate - Respond in 24 hours: -90% close rate The reason is simple: when a homeowner submits a roofing request, they're shopping. They're going to text or call several contractors. The first contractor to engage them is the one who anchors the conversation. For owner-operators, the practical playbook: 1. Set up SMS notifications so you hear the ping the moment a lead comes in 2. Build a 30-second voicemail script if they don't pick up 3. Follow up the call with a text offering a specific time slot 4. If still no response in an hour, send a one-line "still want that estimate?" text SatelliteQuotes handles the "fire instantly" part automatically. The "respond" part is on you — but the whole system makes 5-minute response times achievable instead of aspirational.