How to Track Estimates and Follow-Ups in a Free CRM
HubSpot Free CRM
We'd start with HubSpot's free CRM: the pipeline, deal amounts and tasks below are all in the free tier.
- Custom pipeline stages
- Dated follow-up tasks
- Lost-reason tracking
Plain link, not an affiliate link. Check current plans on the vendor's site.
These steps work in most CRMs with a free tier. No affiliate links on this page.
Step 1: Define your stages
New lead → Site visit scheduled → Estimate sent → Follow-up → Won / Lost. Keep it to six stages or fewer, counting Won and Lost.
Step 2: One record per job, linked to the customer
Name the deal "Smith – deck repair" and put the estimate amount in the amount field so your pipeline total means something.
Step 3: Follow-up tasks
Every estimate gets a dated task. When the task comes due, call or text, then log the outcome.
Step 4: Record why you lost
Add a "lost reason" (price, timing, went with someone else). After a few months, patterns show where to change pricing or response time.
Step 5: Weekly 15-minute review
Monday morning: overdue tasks, stale estimates, jobs won last week.
Bottom line
Five stages, a dated task on every estimate and a 15-minute Monday review will catch most of the quotes that used to go cold. If you also need scheduling and invoicing in the field, look at Jobber or Housecall Pro.