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Lawn care estimate follow-up: a free template and three texts that stop when they should

A copy-and-paste estimate checklist for lawn care companies, three follow-up texts for days 2, 5 and 9, and the rules that decide when the sequence stops. Starts with what Jobber already does.

By (@MattRonnX on X) · Published · 5 min read

People type "lawn care estimate template" and "lawn care quote template" into Google often enough that both show up as search suggestions (we checked on October 31, 2026; Google doesn't say how many searches that is). Nobody types "lawn care estimate follow up", though owners argue about it on LawnSite in threads like Following up on estimates submitted and Estimate follow-up. The template gets the estimate out the door. What happens after it goes out is usually up to whoever remembers.

This post gives you both: an estimate checklist you can copy, then three short follow-up texts with the rules for when they stop. It starts with what Jobber does on its own, then shows where our lawn estimate follow-up recipe fills the gaps. We tested that recipe against a mock of the Jobber API, not a live Jobber account. Everything we say about Jobber's own features comes from Jobber's help pages, read on October 31, 2026.

Why bother

Aspire's 2025 survey of more than 1,000 commercial landscape contractors put "winning bids" at the top of their risk list (38%), ahead of competition (34%) and keeping customers (30%) (Aspire 2025 Landscape Industry Report). Those are commercial contractors, so a residential mowing company may see it differently. We looked for a reliable public close rate for lawn estimates and didn't find one, so you won't see an "X% more jobs" number here.

The estimate template (copy this)

Whatever app you send it from, an estimate a homeowner can say yes to without calling you covers:

  1. Property: address, the areas included (front, back, side strips, beds) and anything excluded.
  2. Service and frequency: for example "weekly mowing, trimming and edging, April-October."
  3. Price per visit and how billing works: per visit, monthly or seasonal, and when invoices go out.
  4. Yard details you need: gate code, dogs, sprinkler heads, areas to skip.
  5. Weather: one line on what happens on rain days (our rain-day post has a sample).
  6. How to say yes: a link to approve online, or "reply YES."
  7. Who to ask: a name and a phone number.

In Jobber, items 1-3 and 6 are the quote itself; put 4, 5 and 7 in the quote's message or notes.

Start with Jobber's own quote follow-ups

Jobber's Automations help page (updated October 28, 2026) says:

  • Quote follow-ups are on the Connect plan and up (Connect was $99/month billed annually when we checked Jobber's pricing on October 28, 2026).
  • There are two quote follow-up automations, so a client gets up to two reminders about a quote in "awaiting response" status. You set the number of days after sending (up to 90) and the message.
  • The follow-up goes out the same way as the quote: text if the quote went by text, email if by email.
  • Only clients with "outstanding quote follow-ups" turned on in their communication settings get them.

If you're on Connect and two reminders are enough, turn those on and stop reading. The gaps we built around: Jobber's page doesn't describe stopping a follow-up because the customer texted back, the messages are the same for every customer, and nobody on your side is told when the sequence ends without an answer.

The three texts

These are the texts our recipe sends, with an invented customer (Dana) and company (Prairie Edge Lawn Co.). The day 2 and day 5 texts are copied from its mock test run; the day 9 text is the workflow's own template, filled in the same way:

Day 2:

Hi Dana, it's Kyle at Prairie Edge Lawn Co. Any questions on the estimate for weekly mowing, trimming and edging (April-October)? If something about the yard changed (gate code, dog, areas to skip), reply and we'll adjust it. Estimate: [link] Reply STOP to opt out. - Prairie Edge Lawn Co.

Day 5:

Hi Dana, Kyle from Prairie Edge Lawn Co. again. If the price or schedule doesn't fit, we can change how often we come or what's included. Just reply with what would work. Estimate: [link] Reply STOP to opt out. - Prairie Edge Lawn Co.

Day 9:

Hi Dana, last check-in from Prairie Edge Lawn Co. on your weekly mowing, trimming and edging (April-October) estimate. Want us to put you on the schedule? If now isn't the right time, say so and we'll stop following up. Estimate: [link] Reply STOP to opt out. - Prairie Edge Lawn Co.

Each one gives a reason to reply (yard details, a cheaper option, permission to say no) instead of "just checking in." On day 14 the customer gets nothing more; the estimator gets an email saying to call once, personally.

When the sequence must stop

Event What happens
Customer texts back anything No more automatic touches; the office is told to answer
Customer texts STOP (or "stop texting me") Added to one shared opt-out list used by all five lawn care recipes
Quote approved in Jobber Follow-ups stop; the customer gets a "what to expect" email
Client has Jobber quote follow-ups turned off Skipped
It's before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. where the customer is The text waits; email can still go

The 8 a.m.-9 p.m. window comes from the FCC rule on telephone solicitations, 47 CFR 64.1200. Proactive texts only go to customers with recorded text consent. Our texting consent guide and is missed-call text-back legal? cover consent in more detail. We're not lawyers; have yours look at your consent wording.

What our mock test showed

The recipe passed 20 of 20 scenarios in our mock run on October 31, 2026 (details on the recipe page and in how we test). A few that matter for the rules above:

  • L1-07 / L1-07b: a 9:30 p.m. run sent no text to a Kansas customer, and at 8 a.m. Central the text was still held, because western Kansas is on Mountain time.
  • L1-08: switched on late, on day 7, it sent only the touch due then (#2), not three at once.
  • L1-09: a customer who texted back got no automatic touch; the office was told to answer.
  • L1-12: the same "quote approved" webhook delivered twice did nothing the second time.

These are mock tests: a local fake of Jobber, Twilio and the email API with invented customers. Run it against your own account in a test window before you trust it.

The recipe for this problem

  • Lawn care estimate follow-up for Jobber: three useful touches, then a hand-off
    Every hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the workflow reads open Jobber quotes. On days 2, 5 and 9 after an estimate was sent, the customer gets one short message: a text if Jobber says the client accepts texts, otherwise an email. Each touch says something useful instead of 'just checking in': yard details (gate code, dog, areas to skip), an offer to change frequency or scope, then an offer to stop. It stops when the customer replies, opts out, or the quote is approved or archived. On day 14 the estimator gets a 'call them once yourself' email instead of a fourth message. When Jobber sends a signed QUOTE_APPROVED webhook, the customer gets a 'what to expect' email (gates, pets, rain days, billing), the quote gets a note and the office is told.
    Verified with mocks · last tested 2026-10-31 · setup, cost and test results
  • Quote request instant reply: answer in a minute, only inside your service area
    A short web form (name, address, ZIP, phone or email, service, optional text consent) posts to n8n. Outside your ZIP list, the person gets a polite 'we don't serve that ZIP yet' page and email and nothing reaches Jobber. Inside it, Jobber gets a client and a request, the customer gets an email right away and a text if they ticked the consent box (requests after 9 p.m. get the text at 8 a.m.), and the office gets an email with the Jobber link. If Jobber fails, the customer still gets an answer and the office gets every detail. A honeypot field, a signed form key and a minimum fill time keep bots out; repeats within 10 minutes are ignored.
    Verified with mocks · last tested 2026-10-31 · setup, cost and test results

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