How to follow up on a new roofing lead

The first hour, step by step

Speed matters more than anything else in this hour. Two widely cited studies, from 2007 and 2011, found that the odds of reaching and qualifying a web lead drop sharply within minutes and fall off steeply after the first hour. We cover them in exclusive vs. shared leads. They looked at many industries, not roofing alone, so measure your own contact rate by how fast you call.

1. Read the answers before you dial. Spend thirty seconds on them. Replacement or repair, roof age, stories, material, what matters most and the timeline. You should know what you are calling about before the phone rings.
2. Call first. A phone call reaches a person faster than a text or an email, and it lets you book the inspection in one step.
3. No answer? Leave a voicemail. Keep it under thirty seconds. Say who you are, why you are calling, and how to reach you.
4. Then send a text. Right after the voicemail, send a short text that names your company and the project. A homeowner who won't pick up an unknown number may still read a text.
5. Try again within the hour. A second call a little later catches people who were driving or in a meeting.
6. Log it. Record each attempt, the time and the result in your CRM before you move to the next lead.

A follow-up schedule for the first week

This is a common starting pattern, not a proven rule. No study we found tests this exact cadence for roofing. Run it, track your contact rate at each step, and change it based on what your own numbers show.

If the homeowner replies at any point, stop the schedule and work the conversation. If they ask you to stop, stop, and record it.

Use the lead's answers to set the order and the message

When several leads come in at once, the answers tell you who to call first and what to say. With a HomeAnvil roofing lead, the homeowner answers questions about the project, the home, whether they own it and their timeline before giving contact details, and you get every answer with the lead.

• Timeline sets the order. Call "ASAP" first. Call "within a few months" next. Call "just researching" last, and plan a longer, lighter follow-up for them. A helpful first call gives a researcher a name to come back to when they are ready.
• Replacement or repair sets who calls and what you book. A replacement usually means a full inspection and a written estimate. A repair may be a quicker visit, and it can turn into a replacement once you see the roof.
• Roof age tells you what to ask. An older roof makes replacement more likely. A newer roof with a problem raises questions about the installer's workmanship warranty or a manufacturer's warranty.
• Stories and material shape the visit. A two-story home or a steep roof may need a different ladder or crew. Material tells you which products and which estimate to bring.
• What matters most sets your message. If they picked price, talk about a clear written estimate and financing if you offer it. If they picked warranty, lead with what your warranty covers. If they picked looks, bring samples or photos of past work.

A short call script

Use this as an outline, not something to read word for word.

1. Opening. "Hi, is this Dana? This is Chris with (your company). You asked about your roof a few minutes ago, so I'm calling back. Is now a good time for two minutes?"
2. Confirm the project from their answers. "I see you're looking at a full replacement on a two-story home, the roof is about twenty years old, and it's asphalt shingle. Is that right? Anything else going on, like leaks or missing shingles?"
3. Book the inspection. "The next step is a free inspection so we can give you a written estimate. I have Thursday at 10 a.m. or Friday at 3 p.m. Does either work?"
4. Confirm. "Great, Thursday at 10. I'll send you a text now with the time and my name. Is this the best number for that? Will anyone else in the home want to be there?"

Ask for a specific time, not "sometime this week." Offer two choices. Send the confirmation text while you are still on the call.

Voicemail and text examples

These are plain examples. Swap in your own names and details.

Voicemail: "Hi Dana, this is Chris with (your company). You asked about replacing your roof a few minutes ago, and I'm calling to set up a free inspection. Call or text me back at this number. Again, Chris with (your company). Thanks."

Text after a missed call: "Hi Dana, this is Chris with (your company). You asked about a roof replacement today and I just left you a voicemail. When is a good time to talk, or would you like me to suggest an inspection time? Reply STOP to opt out."

Text to confirm an inspection: "Thanks, Dana. You're booked for a free roof inspection Thursday at 10 a.m. at your home. I'll text when I'm on my way. Reply here if you need to change the time."

Last text in the schedule: "Hi Dana, Chris with (your company) again. I don't want to keep bothering you, so this is my last message about your roof. If you'd like an inspection later, just reply here."

Consent and calling rules

This section is general information, not legal advice. State rules vary and can be stricter than federal rules. Talk to a lawyer about your own calls and texts.

• Calls and texts to cell phones. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the FCC's rule requires the homeowner's prior express written consent before you place telemarketing calls to a cell phone using an autodialer or an artificial or prerecorded voice. Know which of your tools count and what consent covers them.
• The National Do Not Call Registry. The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule bars sales calls to numbers on the registry, with exceptions. One is an established business relationship. The FTC says that exists when the consumer made a purchase from the seller within the previous 18 months, or made an inquiry or submitted an application within the previous 3 months. Ask your lawyer whether a form filled out through a lead seller counts as an inquiry to your company. The FTC also says sellers must check their call lists against the registry every 31 days.
• Calling hours. Both the FCC's rule and the FTC's rule bar telemarketing calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., local time where the homeowner is. Check the lead's address, not your office clock.
• Honor opt-outs. The FCC says a homeowner can take back consent by any reasonable method, and that a STOP reply to a text counts. Its rule sets a short deadline to honor the request. The FTC's rule also requires you to keep your own do-not-call list and honor it. Put every opt-out in your CRM the moment it comes in, so no one on your team calls that number again.
• Know what the homeowner agreed to. With a HomeAnvil lead, the homeowner agrees to be contacted on the last step of the quote form, and we record when they agreed. Keep that record with the lead.

What to track, and why to tell your lead seller

Track five things for every lead:

• Attempts. How many calls, texts and emails, and when.
• Contact. Whether you reached a person, and on which attempt.
• Appointment. Whether an inspection was set, and whether it happened.
• Estimate. Whether you gave a written estimate, and for how much.
• Signed. Whether the homeowner signed, and the job value.

These numbers tell you where your process leaks. A low contact rate points at speed or the schedule. Many contacts but few appointments points at the call itself. Many estimates but few signed jobs points at price or the sales visit. They also let you work out your real cost per signed job, which we explain in what roofing leads cost.

Report outcomes back to whoever sells you leads. A seller who never hears what happened cannot tell a good area from a bad one. HomeAnvil asks you to tell us what happened with each lead: reached, appointment set, sold. We use it to tune your ZIP codes and volume.

Our terms, in brief

Exclusive leads

Each new lead goes to one contractor only during your exclusivity window; after it, a lead may be offered again, under the terms the homeowner saw.

No contract term

A prepaid balance your card tops up when it runs low. No cancellation fee. Pause or stop any time.

Credits for bad leads

Report a wrong number or out-of-area lead within 14 days, unless your agreement says otherwise. Accepted returns are credited back.

Your ZIPs, your cap

Choose the ZIP codes you serve and how many leads you want each week.

Our full pricing and terms

Frequently asked questions

Where this information comes from

• FTC, Complying with the Telemarketing Sales Rule, read September 28, 2026: the established business relationship exception (18 months after a purchase, 3 months after an inquiry), calling hours, checking the registry every 31 days, and company-specific do-not-call lists.
• FCC rule 47 CFR 64.1200, via Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, read September 28, 2026: prior express written consent for autodialed and prerecorded telemarketing calls to cell phones, the 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. calling hours, and revoking consent by any reasonable method, including a STOP reply.
• InsideSales.com and James Oldroyd, Lead Response Management research summary, 2007, read September 28, 2026, and James B. Oldroyd, Kristina McElheran and David Elkington, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads, Harvard Business Review, March 2011, read September 28, 2026: how quickly the odds of reaching a lead fall.
• The follow-up schedule, script and example messages are our own, written as a starting point to test.

We will update this page when these sources change, and the date above will say when.