Playbook
Moving lead call script: what to say in the first 90 seconds
You called within five minutes and they picked up. Now what? The opening, the sizing questions, the range, and the close — plus the text that gets a reply when they don't answer.
By the MoveLead team · Published
The short answer
The first call to a moving lead has one goal: get the customer to agree to a quote — a phone estimate now or a survey appointment — before you hang up. Open by naming the request they just made, confirm the date and both addresses, ask three sizing questions, and give a price range on the call. Movers who quote on the first call beat competitors who promise to 'send something over'.
Before you dial
- Call within five minutes of the lead arriving. The odds of qualifying a lead drop 21-fold between a 5-minute and a 30-minute response (Lead Response Management study). Everything below assumes you got there first.
- Have the lead open in front of you: name, move date, origin, destination, home size. You will use every field in the first 30 seconds.
- Have your calendar open. The close is an appointment or a booking, and you cannot make either without knowing when the truck is free.
The script
1. Open by naming their request (10 seconds)
“Hi, is this Sam? It's Dana with Northside Movers. You just sent a request for a move on the fourteenth from Maple Street over to Riverside — I'm calling to get you a price. Have you got two minutes?”
Name, company, the specific thing they did, and a reason for the call. Never open with 'how are you today' or 'I'm following up' — the customer has four movers calling and will only stay on the line with the one who obviously knows why they are calling.
2. Confirm the basics (20 seconds)
“So that's the fourteenth — is that date fixed, or is there some flexibility?”
“And you're going from a two-bedroom on Maple to the place on Riverside — is that a house or an apartment? Any stairs or an elevator on either end?”
Date flexibility tells you whether you can offer a cheaper day. Stairs and elevators change the labour estimate more than square footage does.
3. Size the move with three questions (30 seconds)
“Roughly how full is the place — everything a two-bedroom normally has, or are you travelling light?”
“Anything heavy or awkward — piano, safe, treadmill, large glass?”
“Will everything be boxed and ready on the day, or would you want us to pack?”
Three questions is enough to give a range. More than five and the customer starts to feel interviewed while the other movers are still calling.
4. Give a range on the call (15 seconds)
“Based on that, you're looking at somewhere between eleven and fourteen hundred, and I can tighten that to a firm number once we've done a quick video walkthrough — that takes about ten minutes. Most of our two-bed moves in your area come in around the middle of that range.”
Give the range. The mover who says a number first sets the anchor every later quote is compared to, and a customer who has a range from you has a reason to take your next call. 'I'll send something over' is how you lose to whoever quotes on the phone.
5. Book the next step (15 seconds)
“I've got a crew free on the fourteenth right now, but that date's filling up. Can we do the ten-minute walkthrough this evening or tomorrow morning, and I'll hold the slot for you until then?”
Offer two specific times, not 'when suits you'. Holding the slot is a real thing you can do and a real reason to decide today.
If they don't answer: the text that gets a reply
“Hi Sam, it's Dana at Northside Movers — you just requested a quote for a 2-bed move on the 14th. I have a crew free that day. Reply here or call me back on this number and I'll get you a price in two minutes.”
It names the request, offers something concrete, and asks for a small reply. Do not send a generic 'we received your enquiry' — that is what the other three movers sent.
The four objections you will hear most
"I'm just getting quotes right now."
“That's exactly what you should do. Let me give you our range now so you've got a real number to compare the others against — and if anyone comes in lower, call me before you book and I'll tell you honestly whether we can match it or why we can't.”
"That's more than I expected."
“Understood. The two things that move the price most are the date and the packing. If you can move on a weekday, or have everything boxed before we arrive, I can usually take a fair bit off. Which of those is realistic for you?”
"Another company quoted less."
“They may well be a good option. Can I ask whether that was a firm quote or a starting price, and whether it included the stairs at the pickup? Most of the low numbers people hear on the phone change on the day. Ours won't.”
"I need to talk to my partner."
“Of course. I'll text you the range and what's included so you've got it in writing, and I'll hold the fourteenth until tomorrow at noon so you don't lose the date while you decide. Does that work?”
What not to do
- Do not leave a voicemail and wait. Text within a minute and call again within the hour.
- Do not refuse to give a number on the phone. A range with an honest explanation of what moves it beats a precise quote three days later.
- Do not run through a twelve-field survey. Three sizing questions, a range, a next step.
- Do not badmouth the other movers. The customer has spoken to them; you are being compared on manners as well as price.
Follow-up cadence for a lead that hasn't booked
| When | What | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Minute 0 | Call | Reach them first |
| Minute 1 | Text naming the request | Get a reply from screeners |
| Hour 1 | Second call | Catch them after the other movers have called |
| Day 1 | Text with the range in writing and the held date | Give them something to compare against |
| Day 3 | Call or text: 'still holding the fourteenth — want it?' | Force a decision while the date has value |
| Day 7 | Final text, release the date | Close the loop; some come back |
Follow-up cadence after the first contact.
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Sources
- 1.Lead Response Management Study, InsideSales.com with Prof. James Oldroyd (MIT). Three years of data, six companies, over 15,000 leads. Checked .