April 2026 · 7 min read

Contractor Lead Qualification Checklist

5 questions. 5 minutes. Know before you drive.

Print this checklist. Run it on every inbound lead. It will save you more time than any other change you make to your business this year. Then download Lead Score to track every score automatically and see the patterns across hundreds of leads.


Choose Lead Score

Lead Score's 5-factor framework is a built-in checklist you run on every call — with the results tracked, scored, and added to your pipeline automatically.

Choose No qualification system

A PDF checklist sits in your Downloads folder. Lead Score's checklist becomes part of every lead's permanent record and feeds your close rate analytics.

Lead Score if…
  • You want a digital, trackable qualification checklist
  • You want checklist results to inform your pipeline analytics
  • You want offline-first, free to start
No qualification system if…
  • You want a printable PDF checklist for your team
  • You want to adapt the framework to different trades or project types with custom fields
Feature Comparison

Lead Score vs No qualification system

Lead Score was built so that running through a qualification checklist produces a lead score, not just a feeling. The framework is the same on every call. The data accumulates.

FeatureLead ScoreNo qualification system
Built-in qualification checklist 5-factor guided scoring No checklist in any contractor app
Checklist outcomes tracked Close rate by score tier Not available
Factor calibration over time Which factors predict closes in your market Not available
Works fully offline 100% local storage N/A
No account required Your device, your data N/A
Auto GPS mileage tracking Built in — per lead Separate app required
PDF estimates & invoices Built in Separate app required
Follow-up push notifications Exact date reminders Not available
Monthly price $9.99/month N/A
Free tier First 3 leads, no card N/A
5questions that predict whether a lead will close
5 minto complete on the first phone call
90%of qualification information available on call one

Why contractors skip qualification

There was never a simple checklist. Until now.

Most contractors don't have a qualification system because no one gave them one. Sales training focuses on closing. Business coaching focuses on marketing. The 5-minute phone screen that separates profitable contractors from busy-and-broke ones is almost never taught explicitly.

No checklistmeans every lead gets the same time investment
45 minaverage site visit for a lead that fails qualification
2 hrsfor a proposal written for a lead that shouldn't have gotten one

5 minutes on the phone saves 2–3 hours in the field on Bad Fit leads.

The checklist below is simple. It asks 5 questions. Each question gets a +1, 0, or -1. The total tells you what to do next. Run it consistently for 30 days and your close rate will improve — not because you got better at selling, but because you stopped quoting leads that were never going to close.

Lead Score turns this checklist into a digital system. Instead of paper, you score each factor in the app during or immediately after the call. The score is saved to the lead card. Over time, your dashboard shows which factors are most predictive in your market — so the checklist gets sharper with every lead you score.

"I ran this checklist on every call for a month. My close rate went from 15% to 38%. I wasn't closing better — I was filtering smarter."

Painting contractor, Lead Score user 2026

The 5-question checklist

Ask these on every inbound call. Score each +1, 0, or -1.

Question 1 — Project Fit: Is this a project your business handles well and profitably? +1 if it's in your wheelhouse and margins are good. 0 if it's borderline. -1 if it's outside your specialty or your margin would be thin. Question 2 — Budget Fit: Does their budget match your pricing? +1 if they confirm a realistic number. 0 if they're vague. -1 if they name a number well below your minimum or refuse to discuss it at all.

5 questionson every call — no exceptions
Scoretracks automatically in Lead Score app
Freetier — 3 leads, no card required

Question 3 — Decision Maker: Are you speaking with the person who can approve the work? +1 if the homeowner/owner confirms they're the decision maker. 0 if a spouse, partner, or landlord also needs to approve. -1 if you're clearly speaking with someone who has no authority to hire you. Question 4 — Motivation: Do they have a clear, urgent reason to act now? +1 if there's a specific event driving the project (leak, sale, renovation timeline). 0 if they're planning but not urgent. -1 if they're just 'thinking about it someday.'

Question 5 — Timeline: Is this project moving forward soon? +1 if they want to start within 30 days. 0 if they're thinking about 60–90 days. -1 if the timeline is vague, distant, or dependent on factors outside their control. Scoring: 4–5 = Great Fit (act fast). 2–3 = Possible Fit (site visit OK). 0–1 = Unclear Fit (one clarifying question first). -1 or below = Bad Fit (polite no now).


The Real Cost

What your current app stack actually costs.

Most solo contractors run 4–5 separate apps. Here's the monthly total — and what Lead Score costs to replace all of them.

Typical contractor app stack — per month
MileIQ (mileage)$8.99
Joist or Invoice Simple (estimates + invoices)$8–32
HelloLeads or similar (lead tracking)$5
Expense tracking app$5–10
Monthly total$27–56/month
Lead Score replaces all of the above
Lead scoring + mileage + estimates + invoices + expenses$9.99/month
Your annual savings$204–552/year

Or go annual at $59.99/year — less than $5/month for the full stack.


Pricing

Clear pricing. No surprises.

No qualification system

Instinct only

inconsistent results · No data to improve from

  • ✗ No lead qualification
  • ✗ No pipeline analytics
  • ✗ Separate tool — one workflow

Bottom Line

Who should use what.

Our Verdict

This checklist works on paper. It works better in Lead Score — because every score is saved, every outcome is tracked, and after 30 leads your dashboard shows which questions are most predictive in your specific trade and market.

Download Lead Score and run the checklist digitally on your next 3 leads — free, no card required. See what the data shows after your first month.


FAQ

What contractors ask before switching.

Can I use this checklist without an app?×
Yes. Print the 5 questions and keep them near your phone. Score each +1, 0, or -1 during the call. Track results in a notebook or spreadsheet. The checklist works on paper — Lead Score adds automatic tracking, push notifications, estimates, and pipeline analytics on top of the framework.
What if a lead refuses to answer budget questions?+
Score Budget Fit as 0 (unclear) and note the refusal. A homeowner who won't discuss budget isn't automatically a Bad Fit — some people are private about money early in the process. If other factors score +1, proceed with a site visit and address budget in person. If budget refusal combines with other weak factors, it shifts the overall score toward Unclear or Bad Fit.
How strict should I be with scoring?+
Score honestly, not optimistically. The most common scoring error is giving +1 to factors that are actually 0 because you like the homeowner or the project sounds exciting. Optimistic scoring defeats the purpose of the checklist — you end up driving to sites you should have screened out on the phone.
Should I tell the lead I'm scoring them?+
No — the questions work best as natural discovery conversation, not a formal screen. 'What range are you working with for this project?' is a normal question. 'I'm now scoring your budget fit' is not. The scoring happens in your head (or the app) while you have a normal qualification conversation.
How does Lead Score use this checklist?+
Lead Score digitizes the 5-factor checklist — each factor is a +1/0/-1 slider in the lead entry screen. Score during or immediately after the call. The total calculates automatically and assigns the tier. Over time, Lead Score tracks outcomes by tier and shows you which factors are most predictive in your market.

5 questions. 5 minutes. Fewer wasted afternoons.

Score your first 3 leads free in Lead Score. Track the checklist automatically.

Free tier · No account required · iOS & Android · Works offline

© 2026 Contractor School · contractorschool.co

Written by the Contractor School team based on publicly available pricing and feature information. Last updated April 2026. Lead Score is not affiliated with or endorsed by No qualification system.