Better enquiries, fewer price shoppers: let your website do the filtering

Why “more enquiries” on its own gets you nowhere

Do the maths. Every enquiry costs time: reading it, calling back, asking questions, perhaps a site visit with the drive there, then a quote that ties you to the office for an hour or more. If only one enquiry in five turns into a job, you have worked four times for nothing. So the goal is not the highest possible number of enquiries but a high hit rate: enquiries from your area, for work you enjoy doing, from customers who are willing to pay for quality.

Your website is the best tool for this, because it does its work before the first contact. What it says decides who calls and who does not.

An enquiry form with photo upload

A photo of the old boiler with its rating plate, the damp patch on the cellar wall or the scratch in the paintwork tells you in seconds whether the job is right for you, what to bring and whether a site visit is needed. For a plumber, that might save two wasted trips a week. A good form looks like this:

Every extra required field costs you enquiries. So do not ask for year of construction, square metres and budget all at once: you can clarify that on the callback. On data protection: mention the form in your privacy policy, use the data only for the enquiry and delete the photos if no job comes of it.

Phone, callback and WhatsApp

Not every customer wants to fill in a form. Older customers tend to prefer calling, younger ones would rather send a message. Offer several channels, but only as many as you can reliably look after.

• Phone: clickable on every page. Say when someone will pick up. Voicemail with a friendly message and a promise to call back beats a phone that just rings out.
• Callback request: a mini form with name, number and a time slot (“mornings”, “after 5 pm”). Ideal if you are on site during the day.
• WhatsApp Business: customers send photos the way they are used to. Use a separate work phone or number so private and business contacts stay apart, and mention WhatsApp in your privacy policy. The app matches the contacts in your address book with Meta, so there should be no private contacts on that device.
• Email: as a fallback, with an address on your own domain rather than a free webmail address.

Give a price range: the strongest filter

Many businesses shy away from putting prices on their website, because every job is different. That is true, but a range helps everyone. Anyone who reads “A complete renovation of a 6 to 8 m² bathroom usually costs between … and … euros with us, depending on the fittings” knows whether they have come to the right place. Someone who only wants to spend 2,000 euros will not call. Someone who does call has already accepted the figure.

• Typical projects with a price range: “Wallbox including installation and registration from around …”, “Interior painting of a 70 m² flat usually …”.
• What drives the price: access, old buildings, choice of materials, disposal, scaffolding.
• Quotes: say up front whether you charge for a quote (Kostenvoranschlag). In Austria, a consumer only has to pay for a quote if they were told beforehand that it would cost money (§ 5 KSchG, the Austrian Consumer Protection Act). In Germany, a cost estimate (Kostenanschlag) is free of charge if nothing else was agreed (§ 632(3) BGB, the German Civil Code). A minimum fee, or crediting the cost against the job, is a fair middle way.

Service area, minimum job size and process

Besides price, three other details filter particularly well. Your service area as a list of towns or districts, stating whether and from where a call-out charge applies. A minimum job size, or a clear statement on small jobs (“small repairs for maintenance customers only”). And a description of your process, so customers know what to expect.

A process like this on your website looks professional, and it also answers the question of why you will not give a flat price over the phone.

Response time: the underrated factor

People who contact three businesses often hire the one that gets back to them first and sounds competent. An automatic confirmation with a realistic promise (“We will be in touch by tomorrow lunchtime”) takes the pressure off. After that, what counts is keeping that promise. Fixed times help: for example, going through enquiries every day at 7 am and at 4.30 pm. And if you are fully booked, say so honestly and give the next available slot. That saves you phone calls too.

Building trust before the first contact

Price shoppers compare prices because they have nothing else to compare. Give customers other reasons: real reference projects with photos from the area, Google reviews, the faces of your team, your master craftsman's certificate (Meisterbrief) and experience, and guarantees you genuinely give. How to build all that up is described in the guide References and reviews.

Platforms or your own website?

Lead platforms such as MyHammer, Check24 Profis or Blauarbeit put you in touch with customers who are looking for a business right now. You usually pay for that, depending on the platform and model, as a subscription, per contact or as commission. The terms change regularly, so check the current conditions.

For a newly founded business, a platform can help land the first jobs. In the long run, most enquiries should come through your own website, your Google profile and word of mouth. How to get found locally is explained in the guide Local SEO for tradespeople.