Open your CRM, your job management software, or even your phone's message history. Go back six months. Count the people who enquired about a job, got a quote or a response from you, and then went quiet.
Some of them hired someone else. Some of them put the job off. Some of them are still waiting for the right tradie to follow up.
You paid to generate every one of those leads. Most trades businesses never contact them again.
Dead lead reactivation is the most overlooked revenue source in trades businesses. Unlike missed calls or cold quotes — which feel urgent — old leads feel like lost causes. They're not. A quiet enquiry from four months ago isn't a dead lead. It's a warm lead with a timing problem.
How many dead leads does your business actually have?
Most trades business owners underestimate their database size because they've never counted it. Here's a rough way to calculate it:
Quick database estimate
How many inbound calls or enquiries do you get per month? (e.g. 40)
How many of those become booked jobs? (e.g. 25 — so 15 didn't convert)
Multiply the unconverted leads by 12 months: 15 × 12 = 180 dead leads per year
Take the last 12 months only (leads older than that have lower reactivation rates)
For a business getting 40 enquiries per month and converting 60%, that's roughly 180 potentially reactivatable leads sitting in their database right now.
What percentage are still winnable?
Not every dead lead is recoverable. But more are than most tradies think. Here's a realistic breakdown of where old leads typically end up:
Hired someone else and are happy
Hired someone else but weren't fully satisfied
Put the job off — still need it done
Budget wasn't ready — may be ready now
Situation changed completely
Roughly 40% of dead leads are worth contacting. For a database of 180 leads, that's 72 people who might be ready to book. At an average job value of $500, that's $36,000 sitting in your database — from leads you already paid to generate.
The three-message reactivation sequence
The sequence works because it's low pressure, respectful of time passed, and gives people an easy way to respond or opt out. Run it via SMS — open rates are far higher than email for this type of contact.
Message 1 — Day 1
Channel: SMS · Send Tuesday–Thursday, 9am–11am
Purpose: Reopen the conversation without pressure. Acknowledge that time has passed. Make it easy to reply or ignore.
Script
"Hi [Name], it's [Your name] from [Business]. You enquired about [job type] a while back — just checking in to see if you still need it done. No pressure at all — happy to help if the timing's right. — [Your name]"
Message 2 — Day 4 (if no reply)
Channel: SMS · Only send if no reply to Message 1
Purpose: Add a small reason to act now. Availability or a seasonal angle works well without being pushy.
Script
"Hi [Name], just following up on my message from earlier this week. We've got some availability coming up if you'd like to lock something in for [job type]. Still happy to help — just let me know either way. — [Your name]"
Message 3 — Day 10 (if no reply)
Channel: SMS · Final touch — then stop
Purpose: Close the loop cleanly. The "final message" framing removes all pressure and often prompts replies from people who've been sitting on the fence.
Script
"Hi [Name], last message from me on this — I know life gets busy. If you ever need [job type] done down the track, you've got my number. All the best. — [Your name], [Business]"
What to do when they reply
When someone replies to a reactivation message, they're a warm lead again. Treat them accordingly — respond quickly, be helpful, and move them toward a booking without making them feel like they're being processed.
If they say: "Yes, still need it done"
Respond within 5 minutes. Book a time to quote or confirm the original quote is still valid. Don't make them wait — they've already waited long enough.
If they say: "We went with someone else, thanks"
Reply warmly: 'No worries at all — hope it went well. Feel free to reach out any time.' That person is now a future lead. Don't burn the bridge.
If they say: "Not right now but maybe later"
Ask when would be a good time to check back in. Set a reminder. Three months from now, they get a single follow-up message. This is how long-term pipelines are built.
If they say: No reply to all three messages
Stop. Don't contact again for at least 6 months. Some leads aren't ready and that's fine — pushing beyond three touches damages your reputation.
The numbers — what quarterly reactivation is worth
| Business | Dead leads/yr | Worth contacting | 10% convert | Annual value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo plumber | 96 | 38 | 4 jobs | $1,800 |
| 2-truck electrician | 180 | 72 | 7 jobs | $2,940 |
| HVAC business | 240 | 96 | 10 jobs | $7,500 |
10% conversion on contactable leads is conservative. Well-timed campaigns with personalised messages typically convert 15–20%.
These are conservative numbers based on a 10% conversion rate on contactable leads. The actual return depends on how well-maintained your database is, how personalised your messages are, and how quickly you respond when someone replies. Businesses that run this quarterly and respond to replies within minutes consistently see 15–20% conversion.
Revenue Leak Calculator
See your dead lead leakage estimate
Dead lead reactivation is one of six revenue leaks the Vorticon calculator estimates. Put in your numbers and see what your full monthly leakage looks like.
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Frequently asked questions
How old is too old for a dead lead reactivation?
For most trades businesses, leads up to 18 months old are worth contacting. Beyond that, circumstances change too much — people move, properties sell, budgets shift. The sweet spot is 3–12 months. Leads older than that can be contacted but with lower expectations on conversion rate.
Won't people be annoyed if I contact them out of the blue?
Rarely. Most people who enquired about a job and went quiet aren't annoyed — they're just busy or the timing wasn't right. A respectful, low-pressure message that acknowledges time has passed and gives them an easy out is almost never received negatively. The key is framing it as helpful, not desperate.
How often should I run a reactivation campaign?
Quarterly is the right cadence for most trades businesses. Run it every 90 days and you'll catch leads whose timing has changed since the last campaign. Running it more frequently risks annoying people; less frequently means leaving recoverable jobs on the table.
The bottom line
Your dead lead database isn't a graveyard — it's a pipeline that nobody has worked. Every quarter, a percentage of those people are ready to book. The only question is whether you contact them before a competitor does.
The three-message sequence above works because it's respectful, specific, and low pressure. Run it manually if you have the time — or automate it with a system that fires the messages, stops when someone replies, and logs everything back to your CRM.