Before you leave the driveway
The best follow-up starts on-site. Ask when they plan to decide and who else is deciding. Write it down. Then tell them exactly what they will get from you and when: the quote and the inspection report today, a check-in in a few days. A homeowner who knows the next step is far less likely to ghost you.
Same day: the paperwork, and only the paperwork
Send the quote PDF and the inspection report within a couple of hours, while the visit is fresh. No sales copy. Short, specific, and it references something you saw on their house so it does not read like a template.
Hi [name], thanks for the time today. Attached are the quote we walked through ($[total], valid until [date]) and the inspection notes, including the overflow at the northeast corner we looked at together. You said you were hoping to decide by [day]. I'll check in then unless I hear from you first. Any questions before that, just reply here. [Rep name], [company], [phone]
Day three: one useful thing
Not “just checking in.” Give them something: the before/after visual if you did not send it already, a note on how the guard choice changes the price, or the answer to the question they asked that you had to look up. One paragraph.
Hi [name], here's the visual of your house with the new gutters and guard on it: [link]. It's a generated preview, not a photo of installed work, but it gives a good sense of the color against your trim. If the guard on the rear run is the part you're on the fence about, the quote without it is $[total]. Happy to split it either way. [Rep name]
Day ten: the honest ask
Ask directly whether they went another way, and make it easy to say so. People answer this one because it lets them off the hook, and the answer tells you whether to keep the job open.
Hi [name], I've got your install slot held for the week of [date]. If you went with someone else or decided to wait, no hard feelings, just let me know so I can release it. If you're still deciding, tell me what's holding it up and I'll see what I can do. [Rep name]
When to stop
Three touches after the same-day email, then one more in the shoulder season with a genuine reason (a price change, a storm, a new product). After that, leave them alone. A lead you nag becomes a bad review; a lead you left politely calls you in the spring.
Keep the record straight
Whatever tool you use, the status of the job should be visible to whoever is running the board: quoted, follow-up sent, sold, lost and why. In GutterBudder the job carries its status and the sold or no-sale reason on the dashboard, and the quote and report are attached to it so the follow-up email is two clicks in your own mail app. We do not send follow-ups for you automatically today; this guide exists because the words matter more than the automation.
Give the homeowner something worth following up on
A quote, an inspection report and a picture of their own house with the fix on it, sent from the driveway. That is what GutterBudder builds.