In short
Why does a list of warning signs fail to sort a contractor's inquiries?
A list of warning signs makes you judge each inquiry by feel, so normal questions like "how much?" become a reason to ignore someone. A scoring rubric gives each answer points, adds them up, and sets one next step for each score, so every inquiry is read the same way.
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Most advice for contractors is a list of warning signs: they ask about price first, they will not give a budget, they want it done cheap. That list feels useful. It still leaves you reading every inquiry and deciding by gut who to call back.
Why do warning-sign lists fail contractors?
A warning sign is a yes or no judgment about a whole person, made from one detail. Most signs on those lists are normal behavior. Nearly everyone asks the price before they hire a plumber. Many people do not know what a new water heater costs, so they cannot name a budget. Someone getting three quotes is doing what any careful homeowner does.
A list also gives no weights. It cannot tell you if "outside your area" matters more than "wants it next year." So two people in the same office can read the same inquiry and decide differently.
And a list gives no next step. Spotting a warning sign does not tell you whether to call today, email a price range, or reply kindly that you cannot help.
A rubric fixes all three. It gives each answer points, says how much each question counts, and ties each range of scores to one action.
What does a scoring rubric for a contractor look like?
Here is an example for a small plumbing or electrical business. The numbers are made up to show the shape. Use your own.
| Question | Answer | Points (example) |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the job? (40 points) | Inside your service area | 40 |
| A nearby town you sometimes cover | 20 | |
| Outside the area | 0, and turned away | |
| What is the job? (25 points) | Urgent repair | 25 |
| Repair | 20 | |
| Install or replace | 20 | |
| Remodel | 15 | |
| A price check, no job planned yet | 10 | |
| How soon? (20 points) | This week | 20 |
| This month | 15 | |
| Within three months | 10 | |
| Later, or no date yet | 5 | |
| Roughly how big is the job? (15 points) | $500 or more | 15 |
| $250 to $499 | 8 | |
| Under $250 | 0 |
Location counts most because it is the one answer you cannot change. Job size counts least, and it never turns anyone away. A low amount from someone who has not heard your prices yet is a starting point, not a final answer.
In Qualiform, the Home services and trades template is one of the five templates offered. Picking it asks you up to three things only you know.
How do four example inquiries score?
Score each inquiry out of the questions it answered. If someone skips a question, leave it out of the total instead of counting it as zero. A person with a burst pipe should not lose points for not naming an amount.
| Inquiry (example) | Points earned | Points possible | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burst pipe, in your area, today, no amount given | 40 + 25 + 20 = 85 | 85 | 100 |
| New water heater, in your area, this month, about $1,800 | 40 + 20 + 15 + 15 = 90 | 100 | 90 |
| Rough price for a bathroom remodel, nearby town, next year, no amount | 20 + 10 + 5 = 35 | 85 | 41 |
| Any job outside the area | Turned away | 0 |
Look at the third one. A warning-sign list would call it "just shopping" and drop it. The rubric gives it 41, which means a real reply with a price range. That person may call you back in spring.
Also check how much of the rubric each score rests on. The first inquiry scored 100 from questions worth 85 of the 100 points. A score built on only one or two answers means you should read the message, not trust the number.
What should happen at each score?
Write down one next step for every range, so nobody decides by mood. For example:
- 70 to 100: call the same day.
- 55 to 69: offer a time this week.
- 40 to 54: reply with a price range and an offer to come look.
- 15 to 39: reply with useful information, such as what the job usually involves.
- 0 to 14, or turned away: say kindly that you cannot help, and suggest where they might look instead.
Every inquiry gets a reply. What changes is how fast it comes and how much of your time it takes. The guide to lead routing rules for a small service business covers these steps in more detail. For the last step, see how to reply kindly to inquiries that are not a fit.
When is a list of warning signs good enough?
Sometimes it is. If you get five inquiries a week, read them all and call the ones you like. A rubric starts to help once you cannot read every inquiry the same day.
One warning sign also works on its own: a job outside your service area. That answer is physical. Saying so right away is kinder than a week of silence. That is why it is the only answer in the example that turns anyone away.
A rubric will not replace a talk about a large remodel, either. A score tells you who to call first. It does not tell you how the job will go. For that, you still pick up the phone.
How do you know the rubric is working?
Score a month of inquiries. Then put each score next to what happened: a job, a quote that went nowhere, or no reply. If jobs you won keep scoring under 55, a point value or a cut-off is wrong. Change one number and check again the next month.
A scoring rubric is a fixed set of points for each answer, added up and tied to one next step for each score. The guide to qualifying leads from your contact form walks through building one, and the page for home services and trades shows the questions a contractor's form can ask.
Common questions
How many questions should a contractor's form ask?
Ask only what your rubric scores, plus a way to reach them. For most trades that is four answers: where the job is, what it is, how soon, and roughly how big. Then ask for a phone number or an email address.
Should you turn away someone who only wants a price?
No. Most people ask the price before they hire anyone. Score a price check lower than a planned job, reply with a range, and leave the door open.
Do you need software to use a scoring rubric?
No. A sheet of paper or a spreadsheet works if you get a few inquiries a week. Write the points for each answer, add them up, and do the step written next to that score.