how many jobs could you be losing?
21 October 2026
You might be losing work without even realising it.
A customer messages asking for a quote. You reply, perhaps arrange a visit, and send over your price.
Then nothing.
You get busy with other jobs, the days pass, and you forget to check back.
Sound familiar?
For sole traders and small service businesses, it's easy for potential jobs to slip through the cracks. Especially when you're juggling customer messages, site visits, quotations and the actual work.
Not every unanswered quote is a lost job
Sometimes customers are comparing prices. Sometimes they're waiting for payday, discussing the work with their partner or simply busy themselves.
Just because someone hasn't replied doesn't necessarily mean they've decided against you.
A friendly follow-up might be all that's needed to get the conversation moving again.
And if they've chosen someone else? At least you'll know.
Small missed opportunities can add up
Imagine you receive 20 customer enquiries each month.
You get busy and forget to follow up on five of them.
If just one of those enquiries could have become a paying job worth $500, that's potentially $500 in additional revenue that month.
Over a year, that's $6,000.
Of course, not every enquiry will become a job, and revenue isn't the same as profit. But it's worth considering what forgotten follow-ups might be costing your business.
How much business could you be missing?
We've created a free calculator to help you explore the numbers for your own business.
Enter how many follow-ups you miss, your average job value and how many might turn into paying customers.
Try the Free Missed Jobs Calculator
No signup required.
Following up doesn't have to be awkward
You don't need a complicated sales pitch or a pushy message.
Something as simple as this often does the job:
Hi Sarah, just checking whether you've had a chance to look at the quote I sent over. Happy to answer any questions. Thanks!
Keep it friendly, brief and professional.
And don't assume that a customer who hasn't replied isn't interested.
The difficult part is remembering
For many sole traders, the problem isn't knowing what to say.
It's remembering who needs a follow-up in the first place.
Customer enquiries arrive through WhatsApp, SMS, email and phone calls. Before long, important messages are buried beneath dozens of other conversations.
A simple habit can make a big difference:
Record every new enquiry in one place.
Set a follow-up date when you send a quote.
Check which customers need a response each day.
Keep track of which jobs you've won and which haven't gone ahead.
You don't need an elaborate system. You just need one you'll actually use.
HOW MUCH COULD MISSED FOLLOW-UPS BE COSTING YOU?
Try our free Missed Jobs Calculator to see how much potential work might be slipping through the cracks.
Don't let a forgotten message cost you a job
Winning more work isn't always about finding more customers.
Sometimes it's about doing a better job of following up with the people who've already contacted you.
That's why we created HeyMyBiz — a simple way to track customer enquiries, organise jobs and remember who you need to follow up with.
Track your jobs better. Close more jobs. Make more money.