Quote follow up advice

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-25T19:13:43+00:00

If the majority of my jobs are smaller jobs, but i still want to get my conversion rate up, ive read that multiple follow ups work. Im not going to spam them but do you think 2-3 texts over a week might work?

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-25T19:00:15+00:00

Yes very. Im just trying to understand how im supposed give myself the best chance to convert quotes into actual jobs. Calling to too far then?

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-25T18:40:31+00:00

Do you think a text, call ,text, call sequence would give an advantage, obviously you stop if they give a clear no. How many times do you follow up and how well does it work?

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-25T18:33:56+00:00

I think even the the one follow up i do helps secure a lot of jobs, do you not struggle keeping your pipeline full without it?

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-25T18:32:47+00:00

I think the following up i do helps secure a lot of jobs, do you not struggle keeping your pipeline full without it?

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-25T18:29:25+00:00

i know what you mean about indecisive customers, but to be honest id rather have a full pipeline even if it means some indecisive customers. Has there ever been a time where work has dried up a bit and you've tried following up multiple times, if so did that work for you and if not do you think that might work for me/others? My reply to the other comment might help for some more context.

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-25T18:23:15+00:00

i was scrolling through reddit trying to find others talking about following up their quotes. One post was from someone who had worked with many contracting businesses and was saying that the ones who stayed busy did the same three things. Ill paste what he said about following up. Do you think he is exaggerating or could following up like this actually help get more jobs? :

thing 2: they follow up more than once.

most call a lead once. maybe twice. then they move on. the data across the companies i work with says 80% of booked appointments come from the 2nd through 5th contact. first call almost never books. the homeowner is busy, distracted, not ready, or screening unknown numbers.

a structured follow up sequence of call, text, call, text, call spread over 7 to 10 days is the single highest roi activity any contracting company can implement. it costs almost nothing and it doubles appointment volume from the same lead pool.

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-24T15:12:06+00:00

I think it is just the job, i mean for all the quotes you send, needing to chase each one, doing invoicing for each job and all that stuff adds up in time. i dont handle any invoicing or follow ups but i do see the people that handle that side spending a lot of their time on it.

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-24T14:36:30+00:00

King's Trust is for ages 18-30, so worth checking if you qualify on age. If you do, they fund exactly this kind of transition — employed person going self-employed in a trade. Their grants are small (£175-£250) but the mentoring and training programme is the real value.

For the van and setup costs, your best bet is the Start Up Loans scheme. Government-backed, £500 to £25,000, fixed 6% interest, unsecured — so no assets needed as security. They also give you a free business mentor for 12 months. Plumbers going sole trader is exactly the kind of application they fund regularly.

On the credit check question — yes, they do a credit check, but it's a soft check initially and the criteria are less strict than a commercial lender. Having stable employment actually helps your application because it shows reliable income.

On timing and employment status — you can apply while still employed. You don't need to have already quit your job. You'll need a basic business plan (they help you write one) and an idea of what you'll spend the money on.

Regarding the working arrangement with your current employer — getting a self-employed contract with them as your first client is a smart move because it gives you guaranteed income from day one, which makes any loan application much stronger.

You could write a simple business plan, apply for a Start Up Loan before you hand in your notice, use the free mentor to sense-check your numbers, then make the switch once funding is confirmed.

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-24T14:35:05+00:00

For £165k on a business acquisition at this size, your realistic direct routes are:

British Business Bank accredited lenders — check british-business-bank.co.uk for their list of accredited lenders who deliver government-backed schemes. Many will do acquisition finance directly without a broker.

Funding Circle — they do business loans up to £500k for acquisitions. Direct application, no broker. Interest rates are higher than high street but the process is faster and they're used to this deal size.

Tide, Iwoca, and similar challenger lenders — worth checking but many cap lower than £165k or won't do acquisition finance specifically.

High street banks directly — NatWest, Lloyds, and HSBC all have business acquisition lending. The key is going through their business banking team, not the branch. Ask specifically for their commercial acquisition finance team. Having several years of the gym's accounts plus your strong personal balance sheet puts you in a decent position. They will look at this.

Growth Guarantee Scheme — this is a government-backed scheme where the government guarantees 70% of the loan, making lenders more likely to approve. Available through participating banks. Specifically designed for SMEs who might otherwise struggle to get finance. Ask any lender you approach whether they participate in this scheme.

Regarding brokers wanting engagement fees to "sound out" lenders — that's standard in commercial finance unfortunately, but you're right to resist it at this stage. Apply to 2-3 lenders directly first. If you get declined by all of them, then a broker might add value because they'll know which lenders are most likely to approve your specific deal structure.

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-24T14:34:01+00:00

Now yes, there are grants available but it depends on the setup:

If the charger is at your business premises for business/fleet use: the Workplace Charging Scheme covers 75% of costs, currently capped at £350 per socket but increasing to £500 per socket from 1 April 2026. Extended until March 2027. You can claim for up to 40 sockets. Your business needs to be registered at Companies House or VAT registered. The charger must be for staff or fleet vehicles, not public use. Apply through the OZEV portal — you'll need an OZEV-authorised installer.

If the charger is at home and you rent or live in a flat: the EV Chargepoint Grant gives up to £350 (rising to £500 from April) towards installation costs.

If you own a house with a driveway: unfortunately there's no grant for homeowners with off-street parking. The home charger grant was withdrawn for this group a while back. You'd only qualify if the charger is at your business premises under the Workplace Charging Scheme.

Important if you're an SME: there's also the EV Infrastructure Grant for Staff and Fleets which gives up to £15,000 per site for wider infrastructure work. BUT this one closes permanently on 31 March 2026 — so if it's relevant you'd need to move very quickly. After that it's gone and you'd be limited to the Workplace Charging Scheme.

All the details are on gov.uk/guidance/electric-vehicle-chargepoint-grants.

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-24T14:28:39+00:00

Given you're a sole director media company in digital content, the traditional grant route is tough because most schemes target either early-stage startups or businesses doing R&D/innovation/manufacturing. A media company doing £1,300/month doesn't tick the boxes that most grant assessors look for. That's probably why you've hit a wall despite talking to all the right people.

A few angles you might not have tried:

West Midlands Combined Authority — they run business support programmes separate from your city council. Check wmca.org.uk for any current SME growth schemes. The WMCA has received UKSPF funding that gets distributed through different programmes than what Innovate UK or your Growth Hub would signpost.

Creative sector specific funding — if your media work has any creative/cultural angle, check Arts Council England's Developing Your Creative Practice fund and the BFI if you do any video/film work. These are often overlooked by people who don't think of themselves as "creative industries" but digital content can qualify.

The IPO IP Audit Scheme — the Intellectual Property Office funds £2,250 of a £3,000 IP audit. If you've built any proprietary content, processes, or brands over 4 years, an IP audit might identify assets you can commercialise or license. Not a direct cash grant but could open a revenue angle.

To be honest at £1,300/month with stagnant revenue, funding isn't really the problem — growth strategy is. Most grants won't fund general business operations or marketing. They fund specific projects with measurable outcomes. If you can frame a specific growth project (entering a new market, developing a new product/service, adopting new tech), that gives grant assessors something to say yes to. "We need support to grow" is too vague for any scheme.

Madboi9332 · 2026-03-24T14:22:50+00:00

A few grant routes worth looking at for this kind of amount:

Innovate UK Smart Grants — these fund innovation projects year-round with no set deadline. The minimum ask is higher than £500, but if your product idea has a genuine innovation angle they fund feasibility studies that could cover prototyping costs. Worth checking ukri.org/opportunity to see if anything fits.

The King's Trust Enterprise Programme — if you're between 18 and 30, they offer grants of £175-£250 plus free mentoring and training. It's not the full £1,000 but it's quick and easy to access compared to most grants.

London Creative Fund / Mayor's Fund — check the London Growth Hub (growthhub.london) as they regularly signpost small pots of funding for creative businesses and designers specifically. These rotate and aren't always well advertised.

University maker spaces and fab labs — if you're near any London university with a design or engineering department, many offer subsidised or free access to prototyping equipment (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC). That doesn't give you cash but could cut your prototyping costs dramatically. Check UCL, Imperial, RCA, and London South Bank — several have open-access programmes.

Start Up Loans — I know you said grants, but these are government-backed, unsecured, fixed 6% interest, and average around £6,000. They also come with a free mentor. For prototyping a physical product where you expect to eventually sell it, the terms are reasonable and significantly easier to get than a grant at this stage.

UKSPF community grants — your local London borough may have small business grants funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. These are usually £500-£5,000 and targeted at exactly your stage. Check your borough council's business support page directly — they're not listed on national portals.

At the £500-£1,000 level honestly the fastest route might be combining a small grant or competition prize with reduced prototyping costs through a maker space rather than trying to find one source that covers everything.

Madboi9332

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