How fast should you send a bid? Follow-up timing for remodel leads

I'm not going to quote you a made-up statistic about how many jobs you lose per day of delay. Nobody has a trustworthy number for tile remodels specifically. But in three years of working only with tile and bath contractors, I've watched the pattern play out enough to say it plainly: the slow bid loses a lot of jobs it should have won.

Does sending a bid faster actually matter?

Yes, for a simple reason. The homeowner is most interested at the moment you walk out the door.

They just spent half an hour with you. They told you what they want. They're picturing the new bathroom. Every day after that, their attention drifts back to work, kids and everything else, and another contractor's proposal might land in the gap.

There is real research on how fast interest fades, though it's about online sales leads in general, not contractors. In a study of more than a million leads published in the Harvard Business Review in 2011, companies that tried to reach a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to have a meaningful conversation with a decision-maker as companies that waited even an hour longer. That's about the first callback, not about sending a proposal, so don't stretch it too far. But the direction is clear: interest is perishable.

Speed also says something about you. A homeowner who gets a clean, detailed proposal the next morning assumes you'll show up on time and run the job the same way.

What's a realistic bid turnaround for a remodel?

Set your own standard, write it down and keep it. Here's a reasonable starting point:

The number matters less than keeping your word. Before you leave the walkthrough, tell them exactly when they'll have it: "You'll have the proposal tomorrow by noon." Then deliver by noon. You've just beaten every contractor who said "I'll get it over to you soon."

What if you can't send it fast?

Then say so, and give a real date.

"This one has a few moving parts. I want to get it right, so you'll have it Thursday morning" is fine. Silence is not. A homeowner who knows when to expect your bid will usually wait for it. A homeowner who hears nothing assumes you're not interested.

If a job really needs time, a quick text the next day helps: "Working on your proposal, still on track for Thursday." It costs you ten seconds and keeps you in the running.

The bigger fix is making bids faster to write in the first place. That starts on site, with a walkthrough that captures everything you need. See the field walkthrough checklist. It also means not retyping the job into a spreadsheet every night. If you're weighing that, here's an honest comparison of spreadsheets and estimating software.

When should you follow up after sending a bid?

Decide your follow-up plan before you send, so you're not guessing every time. Here's a simple one:

1. When you send it. A short text: "Just sent your proposal to your email. Take a look and call me with any questions."
2. A couple of days later, if they haven't opened it. "Wanted to make sure the proposal came through. Sometimes these land in spam."
3. A couple of days after they've read it, if they've gone quiet. Call, don't text. Quiet after reading usually means a question they didn't want to type, or a spouse who hasn't seen it yet.
4. A few days before the proposal's end date. "Your proposal is good through Friday. After that I'll need to re-check material prices. Anything I can answer?"
5. After the end date. Close the loop: "I'll close this one out for now. If the project comes back around, I'd love to bid it again."

What should you say in a follow-up?

Keep it short, friendly and useful. Every follow-up should give them an easy next step.

• Make it easy to ask questions. "Anything in there that didn't make sense?"
• Offer a way to adjust. "If the number's a stretch, I can show you a simpler version." (That's cutting scope, not price. More in how to write a proposal that wins without being the cheapest.)
• Bring in the other decision-maker. "Happy to walk you both through it on a quick call."
• Never guilt-trip. "Just checking in again..." on the fourth message sounds desperate. A clear deadline sounds professional.

How many times should you follow up?

Enough to be sure they made a decision, not so many that you become the thing they're avoiding.

The plan above is about five touches over a couple of weeks, with a clear end. That's plenty. The end date on the proposal does a lot of the work for you, because it gives the homeowner a reason to decide and gives you a natural reason to reach out.

How do you know if they've even opened it?

If you email a PDF, you don't. You're guessing, and that changes the follow-up. "Did you get a chance to look?" lands differently than "I saw you had a look. Any questions?"

This is one of the biggest practical reasons to send proposals as a link instead of an attachment. A link can tell you when it was opened and how many times. A homeowner who's opened your proposal four times is talking about it at dinner. Call them.

How BidCraft helps you send fast and follow up on time

BidCraft is built to shrink the gap between the walkthrough and the proposal. You capture the job on your phone (photos, a walkthrough video, voice notes) and it drafts the scope and a priced proposal from your numbers while the job is still fresh in everyone's mind.

Once it's out, you can see when the homeowner opened it and how many times. If a proposal sits unopened for two days, BidCraft puts a follow-up on your My Day list. If they read it and go quiet for two days, it adds a "follow up, they've seen it" card. Those cards clear themselves once the homeowner opens or signs, so you're not chasing someone who already said yes. Every proposal can carry a "signable until" date, and you can extend it with a tap.

Walk through it in send a proposal and collect an e-signature, then try it on your next lead with the 14-day free trial (card required) from the pricing page.