HIGHLEVEL (GOHIGHLEVEL) STARTER KIT FOR PAINTING CONTRACTORS Free from Builds By Luke: https://buildsbyluke.com/highlevel/painting I am an independent HighLevel affiliate, not an employee, partner or representative of HighLevel. If you start a trial or buy through the links in this kit, HighLevel may pay me a commission. It does not change what you pay. The starter kits are free whether or not you use my link. Start a 14-day HighLevel trial: https://www.gohighlevel.com/?fp_ref=chronos-demo-company-dc736a HighLevel is a trademark of HighLevel LLC. This kit is mine, not HighLevel's. ======================================================================== PIPELINE STAGES (in this order) ======================================================================== 1. New lead: Every missed call and form lands here. 2. Contacted: You have spoken to them. 3. Estimate visit booked: On the calendar. 4. Estimate sent: The follow-up automation starts here. 5. Job scheduled: They said yes. Mark the opportunity Won. 6. Job complete: Starts the review request and the six-month check-in. ======================================================================== QUOTE REQUEST FORM FIELDS ======================================================================== - Full name - Mobile phone - Email - Property address - Interior, exterior or both? - What needs painting? (rooms, walls, trim, cabinets, siding, deck or fence) - Rough size (one room, several rooms, whole house) - When would you like it done? - Photos (optional file upload) - Consent checkbox: "I agree to receive texts from [your business] about my request. Reply STOP to opt out." ======================================================================== THE SIX AUTOMATIONS ======================================================================== Merge fields like {{contact.first_name}} fill in automatically. Replace anything in [square brackets] with your own details. 1. MISSED-CALL TEXT BACK Why: Most callers who reach voicemail ring the next painter on the list. A text inside a minute keeps the job yours until you can call back. Trigger: Call Details (HighLevel's call trigger). Add two filters: Call direction is Incoming, and Call status is no-answer or voicemail. Steps: 1. Send SMS: the text below. 2. Create/update opportunity: your pipeline, stage New lead. 3. Send internal notification: to you or whoever is on call. Note: Older HighLevel guides call this trigger Call Status. [SMS] Text to the caller Sorry we missed your call! This is {{location.name}}. Is it an interior or exterior paint job? Text back and we'll call you shortly to set up an estimate. Reply STOP to opt out. 2. NEW QUOTE REQUEST: ANSWER IN SECONDS Why: The first business to reply usually gets the job. This answers every form at once, day or night, and tells you who to call. Trigger: Form Submitted. Filter: your quote request form. Steps: 1. Create/update opportunity: your pipeline, stage New lead. 2. Send SMS: the text below. 3. Send email: the email below. 4. Send internal notification: the alert below. 5. Add task: "Call back within 5 minutes", assigned to whoever takes new leads. [SMS] Text to the customer Hi {{contact.first_name}}, thanks for contacting {{location.name}}. We got your request and will call you shortly to book your estimate. Reply STOP to opt out. [Email] Email to the customer Subject: We got your painting request Hi {{contact.first_name}}, Thanks for reaching out to {{location.name}}. Your request is in, and we'll call you shortly to book your estimate. Photos of the rooms or the outside of the house help us give you an accurate estimate, so feel free to reply with a few. Talk soon, {{location.name}} [Internal notification] Alert to you New painting lead: {{contact.name}}, {{contact.phone}}. Call within 5 minutes. 3. ESTIMATE SENT FOLLOW-UP Why: Most quotes are not a "no", they are a "not yet". Three polite nudges over ten days win back jobs that would otherwise go quiet, and they stop the moment the customer says yes. Trigger: Pipeline Stage Changed. Filter: stage is Estimate sent. Steps: 1. Wait: 2 days. 2. If / else: the opportunity is still in Estimate sent. If not, end here. 3. Send SMS: first text below. 4. Wait: 3 days. 5. If / else: still in Estimate sent. 6. Send email: the email below. 7. Wait: 5 days. 8. If / else: still in Estimate sent. 9. Send SMS: last text below. [SMS] Day 2 text Hi {{contact.first_name}}, it's {{location.name}}. Did you get a chance to look at your painting estimate? Happy to answer questions about colors, prep or timing. [Email] Day 5 email Subject: Your painting estimate: any questions? Hi {{contact.first_name}}, I wanted to follow up on the estimate we sent. If you'd like to change the scope, the paint or the timing, reply here and we'll update it. Ready to go ahead? Reply YES and we'll get you on the schedule. Thanks, {{location.name}} [SMS] Day 10 text Hi {{contact.first_name}}, should we keep your painting estimate open? Reply YES to book the job, or let us know if anything has changed. 4. ESTIMATE VISIT CONFIRMATIONS AND REMINDERS Why: A wasted trip costs you a morning. A confirmation and two reminders cut no-shows, and give the customer an easy way to reschedule. Trigger: Customer Booked Appointment. Filter: your estimate visit calendar. Steps: 1. Send SMS: confirmation below. 2. Wait: choose "Until a scheduled date/time" and set it to 1 day before the appointment. 3. Send SMS: day-before reminder below. 4. Wait: "Until a scheduled date/time" again, set to 2 hours before the appointment. 5. Send SMS: same-day text below. Note: Where a text says [appointment date and time], insert HighLevel's appointment merge field from the message editor's merge-field menu. [SMS] Confirmation You're booked! {{location.name}} will come by for your estimate on [appointment date and time]. Reply here if you need to change it. [SMS] Day before Reminder: your painting estimate with {{location.name}} is tomorrow at [appointment time]. Have any color ideas or photos ready if you like. [SMS] Same day We're on schedule for today at [appointment time]. See you soon! {{location.name}} 5. REVIEW REQUEST AFTER EVERY JOB Why: People choose the business with the most recent reviews. Asking every happy customer, every time, is the cheapest marketing a trade business has. Trigger: Pipeline Stage Changed. Filter: stage is Job complete. Steps: 1. Wait: 2 hours. 2. Send review request: HighLevel's built-in review request (set your Google review link under Reputation first). 3. Optional second workflow: trigger New Review Received, step Send internal notification, so you can reply to every review the same day. [SMS] If you would rather send your own text instead of the built-in request Thanks for choosing {{location.name}}, {{contact.first_name}}! If you love your fresh paint, a quick Google review would mean a lot to our team: [your review link] 6. SIX-MONTH CHECK-IN Why: Six months after a job is the right time to check the finish, offer touch-ups and ask about the next room or the exterior. It turns one job into several. Trigger: Pipeline Stage Changed. Filter: stage is Job complete. Steps: 1. Add contact tag: past-customer. 2. Wait: 6 months. 3. Send SMS: the text below. 4. Wait: 7 days. 5. Send email: the email below. [SMS] Text Hi {{contact.first_name}}, it's {{location.name}}. How is the paint holding up? If another room or the outside is on your list, we're booking now. Reply YES and we'll call you. [Email] Email a week later Subject: How is your paint holding up? Hi {{contact.first_name}}, It's been about six months since we painted for you. If you've spotted anything that needs a touch-up, or you're thinking about the next room or the outside of the house, reply here and we'll set up a visit. {{location.name}} ======================================================================== SET IT UP IN THIS ORDER ======================================================================== 1. Start your 14-day HighLevel trial and set up the account for your business. 2. Settings > Phone Numbers: get a local number and forward your business line to it (or publish the new number). If you text US customers, start A2P 10DLC registration the same day. 3. Settings: connect your email sending and add your business name, address and logo. 4. Opportunities > Pipelines: create the pipeline with the stages above, in that order. 5. Sites > Forms: build the quote request form with the fields above, then put it on your website. 6. Calendars: create a calendar called "Estimate visit" with your real working hours. 7. Reputation: add your Google review link so the review request has somewhere to send people. 8. Automation > Workflows > Create workflow: build the six workflows above, one at a time, and paste in the messages. 9. Test it: call your own number and let it ring out, fill in your own form, book yourself an appointment, and move a test opportunity through the stages. Check every text and email reaches your phone and inbox. 10. Turn each workflow on (Publish) only after its test passes. 11. Exterior season: tag exterior estimates (for example "exterior") so you can text them all when your spring schedule opens. ======================================================================== GOOD TO KNOW ======================================================================== HighLevel offers a 14-day free trial on every plan. After the trial, the Starter plan is $97 a month. Texts, calls and emails are billed by usage on top, and billing starts automatically when the trial ends unless you cancel. (HighLevel's pricing page, checked 17 October 2026.) Texting customers needs their consent. In the US, HighLevel requires your number to be registered for business texting (A2P 10DLC) before texts go out; registration has its own fee and approval time, so start it on day one.