Most contractors have a gut sense of how often they win jobs, but few have looked at the actual number. When we pulled close rate data across the Command network - covering roofing, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors - the averages landed in a narrow band, but the spread between the bottom quartile and the top quartile was enormous. Understanding where your trade sits and what drives the gap is one of the highest-leverage moves you can make in 2026.
Close rate benchmarks by trade
Across the network, average close rates break down as follows: roofing at 38%, HVAC at 42%, electrical at 47%, and plumbing at 51%. The lower multiples for roofing reflect longer sales cycles, higher average ticket sizes, and the volume of insurance claims that introduce adjuster complexity. Plumbing sits highest because urgent repairs drive high intent and fewer competing bids. HVAC and electrical fall in between, with electrical benefiting from code-compliance urgency on permit-required work.
These are averages. The top quartile in every trade runs 15 to 22 percentage points above the mean. A top-quartile roofer closes at 53 to 58%. A top-quartile HVAC contractor closes at 57 to 61%. The difference is not luck - it is a set of identifiable behaviors.
What separates top performers
The single biggest differentiator in our data is response time. Contractors in the top close-rate quartile respond to estimate requests within six minutes on average. The bottom quartile averages 47 minutes. That gap alone accounts for roughly 12 percentage points of close rate difference before any other variable is considered.
The second differentiator is follow-up consistency. Top performers send a minimum of four touches after delivering an estimate - typically at one day, three days, six days, and a weather or seasonal trigger. Bottom performers send one follow-up email and move on. The data is unambiguous: 68% of jobs that close after an estimate do so on the third or fourth contact, not the first.
The third differentiator is proposal quality. Contractors who deliver itemized proposals with photos, equipment specs, and a clear good/better/best tier close at a materially higher rate than those who send a single-line quote. The reason is straightforward: a richer proposal reduces the homeowner's need to shop around for a second opinion.
How to move your number this quarter
Start with the two levers that move fastest: response time and follow-up cadence. Automate your first response so it fires within five minutes of every lead - this alone can add 8 to 12 points to your close rate within 30 days. Then build a four-touch follow-up sequence for every estimate that goes unanswered after 24 hours. Use your job type and the homeowner's zip code to personalize each message. The contractors who do both of these things consistently - and track close rate weekly rather than quarterly - are the ones pulling away from the field.
See how Command handles this for your business.
Book a 20-minute demo. We will walk through your current setup and show you exactly where Command closes the gap.