There’s nothing worse than carving out time in your schedule, driving across town, and rocking up to a quote—only to be greeted by... no one. Or spending hours texting, calling, and following up leads that vanish into thin air.
No-shows and ghosting are a serious time drain for tradies and small business owners. Your time is money, and every minute spent chasing flaky leads is time you could’ve spent actually earning.
If you’re sick of no-shows and leads that lead nowhere, you’re not alone. The good news is: there are simple ways to filter out time-wasters and land more serious clients, with less chasing.
Here’s how.
We all want to fill our calendars with work, but not every lead is worth pursuing. Before you jump in the ute, make sure the job—and the customer—are legit.
Ask the right questions upfront, like:
What’s your timeline for getting the job done?
Have you got a budget in mind?
Have you spoken to other tradies yet?
If they’re vague, evasive, or “just getting quotes,” it might not be worth your time—especially if they’re not local.
Platforms like ServiceSeeking.com.au make this easy. You get detailed job requests, and you can message the customer directly before committing. You can quickly tell who’s keen and who’s kicking tyres.
It sounds simple, but a quick confirmation message goes a long way. It makes it feel more official—and makes the customer less likely to ghost you.
A quick text or message like:
“Hi Sarah, just confirming I’ll be there at 2pm Tuesday to quote the bathroom reno. Looking forward to meeting you!”
Bonus points if you get them to reply “yes” or “confirm.” It psychologically commits them to the appointment. Simple, but effective.
Some people don’t realise your time is valuable—so tell them. Let customers know up front that missed appointments mean missed income.
Try something like:
“I’ll be coming out to quote this properly, and I’ve set aside time for it. If anything changes, just shoot me a text or call—no dramas.”
Setting that boundary early can filter out the flakier ones. If they’re not respectful of your time from the start, they’re probably not going to be easy to deal with during the job, either.
Here’s the truth: more leads don’t always mean more work. In fact, chasing too many low-quality leads can leave you with less time to land the good ones.
It’s smarter to go where the serious customers are.
That’s where ServiceSeeking.com.au comes in. With a pro plan, you’re not just getting access to more jobs—you’re seeing better job info upfront, and you can quote jobs faster with tools that save you time.
More importantly, the platform encourages customers to provide key info before they even post. That means less time chasing—and more time quoting jobs that are ready to go.
Customers are more likely to show up and commit when they trust you from the get-go. And nothing builds that trust faster than solid reviews.
Keep your ServiceSeeking profile sharp:
Update your bio with recent work
Upload before-and-after photos
Ask every happy customer for a quick review
A strong profile does the talking for you. It helps weed out the dodgy jobs and attracts the customers who are serious about hiring someone they can rely on.
Sometimes, good customers just get busy. A quick follow-up can remind them you're keen, without sounding desperate.
Try:
“Hey John, just touching base to see if you’re still keen to go ahead with the quote. Let me know either way—no rush.”
If you don’t hear back after a couple of tries, move on. Time is better spent on customers who actually want the job done.
At the end of the day, chasing jobs shouldn’t feel like a full-time job.
If you’re tired of ghost leads, time-wasters, and no-shows, the solution isn’t to grind harder—it’s to get smarter about how and where you get your work.
ServiceSeeking.com.au helps Aussie tradies and service pros connect with genuine customers who are ready to hire. With a Pro plan, you get access to verified jobs, powerful quoting tools, and less time spent chasing.
Less stress. More work. Better customers.
And a lot fewer no-shows.