Free email template

First reply to a new lead, while they're still looking.

Someone filled out your quote request form, and they may have filled out two others. You can't control the other contractors. You can control how fast you answer, and whether your answer has a real time to come out.

First response to a quote request

Subject: Your [job type] request: [Company]

Hi [Customer first name],

Thanks for reaching out about [what they asked for, in their words, e.g. the leak around your chimney]. I'm [Your name], the owner of [Company]. We [one line on what you do, e.g. repair and replace roofs in [Towns]].

[A straight answer to anything they asked in the form, e.g. Yes, we work on slate.]

I can come take a look [Option 1, e.g. Thursday at 10am] or [Option 2, e.g. Friday at 3pm]. The estimate is [free, or your fee and whether it's credited to the job] and takes about [Length]. Reply with the time that works, or call me at [Phone].

If you have photos of [the problem area], send them over and I'll come better prepared.

Thanks, [Your name] [Company]

Let Redline write it for you

Click any text to change it. Fill in the parts in [brackets] before you send.

When to send it

The same day, and as soon after the request as you can. A reply from the driveway beats a polished one tomorrow
If you can't offer times yet, reply anyway with when you'll have them, and call
Requests that land on a weekend still get an answer before Monday's calls start

What to change

Use their words for the problem. If they wrote "water stain on the ceiling", don't answer about "flashing failure"
Answer the question they typed in the form. It's the one thing they're waiting to hear
Offer two real times from your calendar, a day apart. "Let me know when works" adds a round trip
Ask for photos. It cuts down wasted trips and tells you what to bring
Skip the company history. One line on what you do is enough for a first email

From quote request to reply in four messages

Who's the new lead from my Pro Page?

Nora Quinn in Medford, an hour ago: leak around the chimney after Sunday's storm, asks if you work on slate. She's in Contacts as a lead.

Draft her a reply. Yes on slate. Offer two times for an estimate this week

Your best open slots: Thursday 10am (you're already in Medford at 8:30) or Friday 3pm.

Subject: Your chimney leak request: Quinn Roofing

Hi Nora, thanks for reaching out about the leak around your chimney. Yes, we work on slate. I can come take a look Thursday at 10am or Friday at 3pm, and the estimate is free. If you have photos of the area, send them over and I'll come better prepared.

Thanks, Mike

Tap Approve & send to email it from your Gmail. Her reply will land in your Gmail inbox. Tell me the time she picks and I'll book it.

Redline drafts, you approve, it sends from your Gmail. It doesn't reply to leads on its own and it doesn't text.

Where Pro Page leads go

Straight into Contacts

A quote request from your Pro Page lands in Contacts tagged as a lead, with a push on the iPhone app and a nudge in your morning brief. See Pro Pages.

3 a month on Free

Free shows you 3 quote requests a month. The rest are held with the name and contact details partly hidden until you upgrade. Solo and up show them all.

Real times, not "sometime next week"

Ask for a time and Redline offers up to 3 open slots, favoring days you're already in that town. See scheduling.

Replies come to your Gmail

Redline only sends mail. It never reads your inbox, so the lead's answer lands in Gmail. Tell the chat what they said and it books the visit and logs it. See contacts.

Questions contractors ask

Does Redline reply to new leads automatically?

No. It tells you the lead came in and drafts a reply when you ask. Nothing goes to the lead until you approve it.

Can I text the lead from Redline instead?

No. Redline doesn't text. Calling is one tap from their file, and the email goes from your own Gmail.

What if the lead didn't come from my Pro Page?

Add them by chat ("add Nora Quinn, chimney leak, Medford, nora@example.com") and the same reply works. Redline can't pull leads in from other sites.

A free page that sends you leads.

Every Redline plan includes a Pro Page with a quote request form. Start free, then answer each lead from your own Gmail.

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