You've got money sitting in your CRM right now. Every quote you sent that never booked is a customer who had a garage door problem, called you, and then went quiet. Most of them didn't buy from a competitor. They got busy, put it off, and the estimate slid down the list. A single well-timed message pulls a chunk of them back.
This is a reactivate old leads script built for three ages of quote — 30, 90, and 180 days old. Each touch has a different tone because a lead that went cold last month needs a different nudge than one that went cold half a year ago. Use them by SMS or by phone; the wording holds for both.
First, only reactivate leads who contacted you first. A quote request, a call, a form fill — that's your basis for reaching out. Don't blast people who never asked. If you're texting rather than calling, keep it to prior customers and inbound leads, and confirm current consent rules for your state before you build a texting list.
Second, lead with a reason to reach out now — not "just checking in." Cold leads ignore "just checking in." They respond to a specific hook: a price still holding, a seasonal window, a storm that just rolled through. Every script below is built around a real reason.
At 30 days the customer remembers you. The job is probably still on their mind — they just haven't pulled the trigger. Give them an easy reason to book now.
SMS:
"Hi [Name], it's [Your Name] at Best Choice Garage. I've still got your quote for the [spring / opener / off-track door] at [address] — $[amount], and I can honor that price this week. Want me to grab you a window? Reply here or call [number]."
Phone:
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] from Best Choice Garage — I quoted you a few weeks back on your [issue]. Wanted to catch you before that price got stale on my end. It's still good, and I've got openings this week. Should I get you on the schedule?"
The hook is the price still holds and there's a window now. That's concrete. It beats "following up on your estimate" every time.
At 90 days they've half-forgotten. Don't assume they remember the number. Re-anchor the problem, then give a light nudge — a seasonal reason or a small incentive if your margins allow one.
SMS:
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] at Best Choice Garage. Back in [month] I quoted you on your garage door [issue]. If it's still on your list, I'd love to get it handled before [winter / spring / the busy season] hits. I can even knock a bit off to make it easy — want the details?"
Phone:
"Hi [Name], it's [Your Name] from Best Choice Garage. A while back you had me look at your [issue] — is that still hanging around? I ask because [heading into winter, a door that's already sticking tends to quit for good on the first cold snap]. If it's still on your mind, I can get a tech out and take care of it."
The hook is the problem hasn't fixed itself, and the season makes it worse. Only offer a discount if it's real and profitable for your shop — a fake "special" reads as desperate.
At 180 days, this is your final swing. Make it low-pressure and easy to close out. Two outcomes are both fine: they book, or they tell you they're done and you clean them out of the pipeline.
SMS:
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] at Best Choice Garage — last check on the [issue] I quoted back in [month]. If it's handled, no worries and I'll close it out. If it's not, I'm here and can still take care of it. Just reply either way?"
Phone:
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] from Best Choice Garage. I'm cleaning up my old quotes and yours from [month] is still open. Did you get that [issue] taken care of, or is it still on your plate? Either answer's fine — I just don't want to keep bugging you if it's done."
The hook is honesty and an easy out. People respond to "I don't want to bug you" because it's true and it hands them control. A surprising number book right there because you gave them a clean, no-guilt reason to say yes.
The fastest reactivations come from timing, not scripts. Watch for two triggers and reach out the same day:
These triggers work because the reason is real and outside your control. You're not inventing urgency — you're pointing out weather the customer already noticed.
A reactivation list only pays if someone works it. Two habits keep it alive:
Reactivation is missed-revenue recovery on a delay. The quote didn't miss — the follow-up did. The same principle drives the 8 AM missed-call recovery routine: the lead is already yours; you just have to reach back out before it goes cold.
Ava captures every new call with the name, number, address, and issue, so tomorrow's leads never go cold in the first place. That front-end capture is the difference between a pipeline you can reactivate and calls that quietly go missing.
Call the live demo and have Ava call you now — hear exactly what your customers will hear when they call your shop.