What actually indicates a serious buyer
A specific problem. "The water heater's leaking into the garage" is a customer. "Just wondering what you charge" may be.
A timeframe. Someone who names when they need it done has decided to do it.
Willingness to answer questions. A serious buyer will tell you the address, the age of the system, what happened.
Asking about your process rather than only about price. What is included, how long, what happens on the day.
Availability. Someone who offers times is planning.
What genuinely suggests otherwise
Price only, and immediately. Not always disqualifying, but a caller who asks the price and nothing else, then ends the call, is usually collecting numbers.
Vagueness about the job. Cannot say what needs doing, where, or when.
Requesting a free quote for insurance or a landlord with no intention of using you. Legitimate for them, and it is not work.
Asking for something you do not do, then asking whether you would do it cheaply.
Wanting a firm price without a visit on work that genuinely cannot be priced remotely.
The mistake that costs more
Over-filtering.
Someone whose pipe is leaking sounds abrupt. They will not fill in an eleven-field form, they may not want to explain the full history, and they want a price and a time. That behaviour reads as impatient and is actually urgency — and urgent jobs are frequently the most profitable.
Businesses that build heavy qualification lose these first and disproportionately.
Three questions, not eleven
What is the problem? Where are you? How soon do you need it?
Those three sort nearly everything, and they can be asked on a call in twenty seconds without making anyone feel interrogated.
Price shoppers are not the enemy
Someone comparing three quotes is behaving sensibly. They are not a tire-kicker; they are a customer doing due diligence, and a fair share of them buy.
What converts them is being easy to deal with, answering quickly, and being clear about what is included — not being screened out.
Handling the ones who are not
A prompt, polite response costs a minute. A referral where you can offer one, or an honest note that it is not work you take.
People remember being turned down well, and some of them come back later with a job you do want.
Where over-qualifying shows up
If your enquiry count fell after you lengthened your form, that is the cost, and it is usually larger than the wasted visits it prevented.
Frequently asked questions
What signals a serious buyer?
A specific problem, a named timeframe, willingness to answer questions about the property and the fault, asking about your process rather than only price, and offering availability.
What is the biggest mistake?
Over-filtering. Someone with a leaking pipe sounds abrupt and will not complete a long form — that is urgency, not time-wasting, and urgent jobs are often the most profitable.
How many questions should I ask?
Three: what is the problem, where are you, and how soon do you need it. They can be asked in twenty seconds without anyone feeling interrogated.
Are price shoppers worth pursuing?
Yes. Someone comparing three quotes is doing sensible due diligence, and a fair share of them buy — usually from whoever answered quickly and was clear about what is included.