How One Home Services Company Turned “Dead” Leads into $54,000 in 10 Days
Why “Dead” Leads Are Rarely Truly Dead
If you’ve ever worked in sales, you know the graveyard of your CRM — the “cold” or “dead” leads section where contacts go to be forgotten. They might have asked for a quote months ago, showed interest in a product, or even had an initial call before vanishing.
Most businesses assume these leads are a lost cause. After all, if they didn’t buy the first time, they’re not going to buy now… right?
Wrong.
In reality, those “dead” leads are often just dormant — people who weren’t ready at the time, got busy, or postponed a purchase. Circumstances change, and if you reach them at the right moment with the right message, they can turn into some of your easiest wins.
That’s exactly what happened for a mid-sized home services company that ran a database reactivation campaign and brought in $54,000 in just 10 days — without spending a dime on new lead generation.
Here’s their story.
The Company & The Challenge
Industry: Residential HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)
Database Size: ~1,200 dormant leads
Average Job Value: $800–$2,500
Primary Services: Air conditioner installs, repairs, and seasonal tune-ups
This company had been in business for over 15 years and was well-known in its community. Over time, they’d built a large database of leads from quote requests, service calls, and inquiries — but their follow-up process was inconsistent.
When a lead went cold, they simply moved on to chasing new ones.
By mid-summer, they were facing two issues:
Seasonal Slowdown — An unexpected drop in booked jobs due to mild weather.
Rising Ad Costs — Paid lead generation was getting more expensive, eating into profit margins.
The owner realized they had over a thousand leads sitting idle. If they could convert even a fraction of them, they could generate a serious revenue boost — fast.
The Campaign Objective
The goal was simple:
Re-engage old leads who hadn’t booked in the last 18 months.
Generate at least $30,000 in new revenue within 2 weeks.
Spend less than $2,000 on the campaign.
Step 1: Database Cleaning & Segmentation
The first step was to clean and organize the database.
What they did:
Removed invalid or duplicate contacts using a phone number verification tool.
Segmented leads into three groups:
Never Purchased – Requested a quote but never booked.
Past Customers – Booked in the past but hadn’t returned in 18+ months.
Lost Opportunities – Declined a proposal but hadn’t gone with a competitor.
This segmentation allowed them to tailor messaging for each group.
Step 2: Crafting the Offer
Instead of sending a generic “Hey, are you still interested?” message, they created an irresistible, time-sensitive offer:
“Summer Tune-Up Special – Just $99 (Normally $149) – This Week Only”
Why it worked:
Low barrier to entry — $99 is a small ask compared to a full install.
Seasonal relevance — Early summer meant many people were thinking about AC performance.
Scarcity & urgency — Framed as a one-week special to prompt quick action.
Step 3: Messaging Strategy
The company used SMS as the primary channel, supplemented by email for those without mobile numbers.
SMS Template for Past Customers:
"Hi [First Name], it’s [Company Name]. We’re offering a Summer Tune-Up Special for just $99 this week (normally $149). Want us to save you a spot? Reply YES."
SMS Template for Never Purchased Leads:
"Hey [First Name], this is [Company Name]. Not sure if you took care of your AC yet, but we’ve got a $99 Summer Tune-Up Special this week only. Want me to send you the details?"
Why SMS?
98% open rates
Immediate delivery
Feels more personal than email
Step 4: Automated Follow-Up
The magic wasn’t just in the initial text — it was in the follow-up.
Workflow:
Day 0: Initial SMS sent to all segments.
Day 1: Auto-reply to YES responses with booking link.
Day 2: Follow-up SMS to non-responders (“Spots are going fast — do you want me to hold one for you?”).
Day 4: Final reminder (“Last chance for the $99 Summer Tune-Up!”).
They also had a human sales rep call any high-value past customers who replied YES but didn’t book immediately.
Step 5: Handling Responses in Real-Time
A critical part of their success was rapid response handling.
They used an AI-powered SMS platform that:
Instantly answered common questions (“What’s included in the tune-up?”).
Collected preferred dates/times for service.
Notified a dispatcher to lock in appointments right away.
This eliminated the back-and-forth that can kill momentum.
The Results
After 10 days, here’s what they achieved:
Campaign Stats:
Messages Sent: 1,200
Delivery Rate: 97%
Response Rate: 21% (252 replies)
Appointments Booked: 63
Average Job Value: $850
Total Revenue: $54,000
Campaign Cost: $1,200 (SMS platform + staff time)
ROI: 45x
Key Lessons from the Campaign
Old Leads = Low-Hanging Fruit
These contacts already knew the company’s name — no need to build awareness.Segmentation Improves Relevance
Tailoring messages for past customers vs. never-purchased leads boosted response rates.Urgency Moves People
A limited-time offer encouraged immediate action.Fast Follow-Up Closes Deals
Responding to leads within minutes dramatically increased booking rates.Automation Saves Time, But Humans Close Sales
Automation handled the initial outreach and FAQs, while the sales team sealed the deal.
How You Can Apply This to Your Business
Even if you’re not in home services, the same approach can work for:
Real estate agents re-engaging old buyer/seller leads
Gyms and fitness studios bringing back lapsed members
SaaS companies reviving free trial users
E-commerce brands targeting past buyers with new offers
Quick Start Checklist:
Clean and segment your database.
Create a timely, relevant, and valuable offer.
Use SMS for initial contact.
Set up automated follow-ups.
Have a human ready to close hot leads.
This HVAC company didn’t need a bigger ad budget to hit their revenue target — they just needed to wake up the goldmine they already had.
If you have hundreds (or thousands) of contacts sitting idle in your CRM, now’s the time to bring them back to life. The right offer, message, and timing could turn “dead” leads into your next big payday.
Want to run your own high-ROI reactivation campaign?
Get Your Database Reactivation System at ProjectZeroMarketing.com
