Qualifying leads before you waste an estimate
Some leads are gold. Some leads are a four-hour drive to a 'we'll think about it.' Find out which is which in the first call.
Three questions, in order
What problem are you trying to solve? What's your timeline? Have you gotten other bids? Three questions, two minutes. You'll know in under five minutes whether to drive out or politely pass.
Budget without asking 'what's your budget'
'For projects like this we usually land between X and Y, is that in the range you were expecting?' tells you everything 'what's your budget' doesn't, without the awkwardness.
Decision-maker check
'Who else weighs in on this decision?' is the cheapest question in sales. Walking into a kitchen quote where the spouse hasn't been part of any conversation is a guaranteed second trip.
Take your version of this question further
This is one operator-tested angle on the question. Your shop, your size, your trade, and your team change the answer. Ask your specific version inside Ask a Shop Owner to get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.