You quoted a bathroom remodel three weeks ago. You've followed up twice. No reply. You keep looking at that lead in your list and thinking: should I try again? Maybe they're just busy. Maybe one more text will do it. But also — maybe they hired someone else two weeks ago and you're wasting energy on a ghost.
Knowing when a lead is dead is one of the hardest judgment calls in any service business. Follow up too little and you lose winnable deals. Follow up too long and you burn time that should be spent on active opportunities.
Why most people hold on to dead leads too long
There's a psychological reason for it: every lead represents time you already invested. You drove out for the estimate. You measured. You wrote the quote. Walking away feels like wasting that work.
But the cost of holding on is real. Every minute you spend re-reading that unanswered text is a minute you're not spending on leads that are actually moving. Dead leads don't just waste time — they create mental clutter that makes your active list feel heavier than it is.
According to data compiled by Prospeo (2026), the optimal follow-up window for a warm lead is 5–7 touchpoints over 14 days. After that, response rates drop dramatically. Most people who are going to reply will do so within that window.
How many follow-ups before a lead goes cold?
The research is consistent across multiple studies:
- 2% of deals close on first contact
- 80% of deals require 5 or more touchpoints
- After 7 follow-ups with no response, the probability of closing drops below 5%
- Most replies to follow-ups come within the first 14 days (Prospeo, 2026)
For a solo contractor or freelancer sending personal texts and calls (not mass email), a realistic follow-up cadence looks like this:
| Touchpoint | When | What |
|---|---|---|
| Quote sent | Day 0 | Send the quote with a clear next step |
| Follow-up 1 | Day 2–3 | "Did the quote come through? Any questions?" |
| Follow-up 2 | Day 7 | New info, flexibility offer, or specific question |
| Follow-up 3 | Day 14 | "Should I keep this open or close it out?" |
| Final park | Day 14+ | Set a 30–60 day check-back, move on |
Three to four follow-ups over two weeks is professional. Beyond that with no response, the lead is cold — not necessarily dead, but cold enough to stop actively chasing.
How to tell the difference between "busy" and "not interested"
Not every silent lead is dead. Some are genuinely deciding. Here are signals to read:
Signs the lead is still alive (just slow):
- They opened your message but didn't reply (if you can see read receipts)
- They asked a question at some point, even a small one
- Their project has a season or timeline attached ("we want this done before summer")
- They replied to an earlier follow-up, even briefly
Signs the lead is dead:
- No response to 3+ follow-ups over 14 days
- The project was time-sensitive and the window has passed
- They told you they're "still thinking" more than twice with no progress
- You found out they hired someone else (from their social media, a mutual contact, etc.)
When in doubt, send the breakup message — it forces a decision without being pushy.
How to write a breakup message that re-opens the door
The "breakup message" is the most effective final follow-up because it gives the customer a low-pressure way to respond. You're not asking them to commit — you're asking them to tell you whether to stop.
Here are three templates that work:
Direct and simple:
"Hi [Name], I've reached out a few times about the [project]. Totally fine if the timing isn't right — just let me know if I should close this out or check back later."
With a timeframe:
"Hey [Name], haven't heard back so I'll assume you're all set for now. I'll check back in a couple months in case anything changes. No pressure either way."
With a reason to reply:
"Hi [Name], quick heads-up — my schedule is filling up for [month]. If you're still interested, I can hold a spot. If not, no worries at all."
The pattern: make "no" easy to say. People who've been ghosting often reply to breakup messages because it removes the guilt of not responding.
Real-world example: Priya the interior designer
Priya runs a small interior design business. She used to keep every lead on her active list until they explicitly said no — which most never did. At one point, she had 40 leads on her list, but only 8 were actually moving. The other 32 were ghosts she kept scrolling past every day.
She started using a simple rule: if a lead hasn't responded to 3 follow-ups over 2 weeks, park it with a 60-day check-back. Her active list went from 40 to 12. Her daily check-in went from "overwhelming" to "two minutes." And two of those parked leads actually came back when she sent the 60-day check-back — one turned into a $6,000 project.
The lesson: parking a lead isn't giving up. It's putting it where it belongs so your attention stays on the leads that are actually ready to move.
How to park a lead without losing it forever
"Parking" a lead means moving it out of your daily view without deleting it. The goal is to stop spending daily energy on it while keeping a reminder to check back later.
How to park a lead:
- Send the breakup message (see templates above)
- Set the next action to "Check back in 30–60 days"
- Set the due date 30–60 days out
- Stop thinking about it until the reminder fires
When the reminder comes, send one final check-in. If they respond — great, they're back on your active list. If not, you can mark the lead as lost with a clear conscience. You followed up professionally, gave them multiple chances, and moved on.
Where ActiveLead fits
ActiveLead makes parking leads simple. You set a next action ("Check back in 60 days"), pick a due date, and the lead disappears from your daily view until it's time. When the reminder surfaces, you send one message and either reactivate or close. No leads pile up, no mental clutter, and nothing gets permanently lost.
For most solo operators, the biggest relief isn't closing more deals — it's clearing out the dead weight so you can focus on the ones that are actually going somewhere.
Try ActiveLead free for 14 days — no credit card required.
Not every lead will close, and that's fine. What matters is having a system that tells you where to spend your time today — and what to stop spending time on.
FAQ
How many follow-ups is too many?
Three to four personal follow-ups over two weeks is the professional range for quotes and inbound inquiries. After that, park the lead with a long-term check-back. If you're adding value with each touchpoint (not just "checking in"), you won't feel pushy and neither will the customer.
Should I delete leads that never responded?
No — park them with a 30–60 day check-back. Some leads come back months later when their timeline changes. Deleting means you lose the context (what they needed, what you quoted). Keep them, but get them out of your daily view.
What if a parked lead comes back after 6 months?
Great — re-open it, update the quote if needed, and put it back on your active list with a fresh next action. The fact that you have their history (project details, previous quote) gives you an advantage over whoever they might call fresh.
How do I stop feeling guilty about giving up on a lead?
You're not giving up — you're prioritizing. The time you spend scrolling past dead leads every morning is time you're not spending on active ones. Parking a lead is a professional decision, not a personal one.
Examples are illustrative, not based on real customers.