Lead qualification · General contractors
Stop giving remodel consults to projects you would never take.
GC phones collect ‘I want a kitchen’ and call it a lead. The expensive part is the site visit. Qualification is project type, occupied vs vacant, timing, decision-maker, and the budget band you are willing to ask for — not a first name.
EXCEL asks the questions your estimator already asks, then scores the next action you defined. It does not price an allowance or promise a permit.
Elliot is a receptionist demo, not a GC qualifier. Book a consult to write the project-type questions.
Why GC calendars fill with the wrong work
Tire-kickers get the Saturday consult. Insurance rebuilds never capture whether they are the decision-maker. Punch-list jobs from other GCs waste a drive. Budget is asked too late, or asked as a confrontation.
What qualification means on a GC line
Project type (kitchen, bath, addition, insurance rebuild). Occupied home. Timing. Who decides. Budget range if you approve asking. Then: consult, estimate follow-up, or a polite no. People still bid.
GC inquiries that are not equal
Kitchen remodel, occupied, this season
Layout keep vs change, occupied, target season, decision-maker. Consult-worthy if it matches your job size.
‘Just need a punch list from another crew’
Often a no, or a different product. Ask. Do not book an addition consult.
Storm damage, insurance rebuild
Owner vs public adjuster, claim opened, dwelling vs contents. Still not a legal or coverage opinion.
The fields that save a Saturday
Project type
Kitchen, bath, addition, rebuild — your menu.
Decision-maker
Owner, spouse, investor, someone else.
Timing
Season, occupied, hard deadline.
Budget band
Only the ranges you are willing to ask. Unknown is allowed.
Hypothetical: kitchen, keep the layout
Hypothetical. Not a bid and not a promise of permit or price.
We want a kitchen this fall. Keep the layout. We live here. I saw you on a neighbor’s job.
I can take this as a remodel inquiry. Who will be making the decision, and is there a budget range you are working from — even a band is enough?
My spouse and I. We were hoping to stay under a mid-range you would call mid-five figures. Is that realistic?
I will not price an allowance or a permit on this call. I will record occupied kitchen, layout stays, both decision-makers, fall timing, and the band you offered, then follow the consult rules you set.
An estimator still walks the house. The agent only decides whether that walk is worth the calendar.
Qualification hard stops
- Price the job, an allowance, or a change order
- Promise a permit outcome
- Treat a punch list like an addition
- Skip the decision-maker
- Invent a budget the caller did not give
GC qualification configuration
- Project types you take and a clean decline line
- Minimum job size if you have one
- Budget-band language you can live with
- Insurance-rebuild extra questions
- What happens to a ‘maybe’ — nurture vs close the file
Estimators still own the number
Anything that sounds like a bid, a production schedule, or a dispute with another contractor.
Plan details live on the pricing page. Current plans are listed there.
Parent pages
This page is the intersection. The service and industry pages still stand on their own.
Related EXCEL services
- AI ReceptionistA custom AI receptionist that answers calls, handles approved questions, captures leads, routes callers, and supports scheduling around how the business already works.
- AI Follow-Up AgentKeeps quotes, missed calls, and unfinished conversations from dying in a notebook — using the cadence and copy you approve.
- AI Sales AgentA sales and intake agent that responds to inquiries, gathers information, qualifies opportunities, and keeps leads moving.
Related guides
Questions for this workflow
Will it give a ballpark price?
Not unless you published a rule. Default is capture a band, then a person.
Can it decline work that is too small?
Yes, if you define that. A polite no is part of qualification.
What about permit questions?
It can say you pull permits when you do. It should not promise an inspection date.
Is this the same as a receptionist?
No. The receptionist answers and routes. Qualification decides whether a scarce consult is spent.
Do insurance rebuilds need extra fields?
Usually: who is the decision-maker, is a claim open, dwelling vs contents. Still not coverage advice.
Who defines qualified?
You do. The agent uses your questions and routing. It does not invent a credit score or a secret ranking.
What happens to unqualified callers?
You choose: a polite decline, a resource, a nurture follow-up, or a message to the team.
Where do we see pricing?
Essential, Professional, and Custom plans are on the live pricing page. Fit depends on workflows, usage, and integrations — scoped in a consultation, not guessed here.
Bring the last ten consults you wish you had declined sooner. Those questions become the agent.
Bring the real call types. We will tell you what belongs in an agent and what should stay with people.