What is the 5 minute rule for leads?

It is the idea that you should reply to a new lead within five minutes. It comes from US B2B sales research: James Oldroyd, Kristina McElheran and David Elkington's 2011 Harvard Business Review piece "The Short Life of Online Sales Leads", and the Lead Response Management Study Oldroyd ran with InsideSales.com. Both looked at US companies chasing sales leads, not UK homeowners picking a trade. The sound part for a trade is the direction, not the number: reply while the customer is still choosing.

How quickly should you respond to a lead?

As fast as you can send something specific. Set an instant holding reply on every channel a lead can reach you, so nobody waits in silence, then send a real reply inside a window you have named, such as "I'll ring you between 5 and 6". On a shared lead from Bark, Checkatrade or MyBuilder, move faster still, because other trades have the same job and Bark and MyBuilder rank you partly on how you reply.

Does replying first win the job on Bark or Checkatrade?

No platform says the first reply wins. Bark says the faster you respond, the more likely you are to land the job, and counts responsiveness in its search ranking. Checkatrade's terms say only that rankings will be fairly distributed, and it publishes no speed factor. What both share is that other trades can contact the same customer, so a slow reply hands them the conversation.

What should I say in my first reply to a lead?

Something that shows you read their message: name the job, ask the one question you need answered, and end with a next step. Bark's own advice is to end with a price, a time to talk, a date you are available, or what you need from them. Bark gives "Thanks for your enquiry, let me know if you're still looking" as the kind of reply that could have gone to anyone. If you cannot write the real reply yet, send a short note saying you have seen it and when they will hear from you.

How do I set up an auto-reply on WhatsApp Business?

In WhatsApp Business, open the Tools tab and choose Away message. You can send it always, on a custom schedule, or outside business hours, which needs your hours set in your business profile. A greeting message is set up in the same place: it goes to a customer the first time they message you, and again if they message after 14 days of no chat with you.

What do I do if I miss a call from a customer while on a job?

Text them first, from your own number, saying who you are and when you will ring back, then ring inside that window. Ofcom research found only about a quarter of people are likely to pick up a call from a UK mobile they do not recognise, so a cold callback often goes unanswered. Never ring a lead back on a withheld number: in Ofcom's 2022 research, most people who check caller display said they were unlikely to answer one.

Last updated 21 October 2026

How fast should you reply to a lead?

Short version: as fast as you can send something specific. There is no magic number of minutes. What works is an instant holding reply on every channel a lead can reach you, so nobody waits in silence, then a real reply inside a window you have named: "I'll ring you between 5 and 6."

Where the lead came from changes how hard you push. On Bark, Checkatrade's Opportunities Board, MyJobQuote or MyBuilder, other trades have the same job, and Bark and MyBuilder rank you partly on how you reply. On a lead from your own website or your own number, nobody else is in the race, and the holding reply buys you the evening.

Check this first

Who else has the same job?

The speed that matters depends on how many other trades are reading the same lead. Here is what each source says about that in its own terms and help pages:

Where the lead came from	Who else has it	Why speed matters there
Bark	Up to five professionals can contact the customer, and Bark tells customers to contact around five	Bark ranks you partly on how quickly and how often you reply, and shows your response rate on your profile
Checkatrade Opportunities Board	Several trades can pay for the same job; it comes off the board once three have	No refund if the customer goes quiet or picks another trade, so a slow reply can be money spent for nothing
MyJobQuote	Its lead terms allow three trades on every job	MyJobQuote itself expects trades to win about 1 job in 3
MyBuilder	Trades express interest, usually at no charge, then the customer shortlists	Ranking counts your recent replies, and the Shortlist Fee is due whether or not you win
Your own website or number	Nobody else	No race to win: reply properly, inside the window you promised

The first four are the reason the reply race exists at all. Bark's own help for customers says that if a professional does not reply, simply reach out to others in the list. On a shared lead, silence is not neutral: it is the customer being told to move on. Why paying to compete for the same job costs more per job you actually win is the whole of the shared lead trap, and Checkatrade vs MyBuilder vs Bark compares the three side by side.

Everything here about Bark's contract comes from its own published terms and conditions, last read on 21 October 2026. Terms get revised, so check yours against the current version before you act on anything.

Everything here about Checkatrade's contract comes from its own published terms and conditions, last read on 21 October 2026. Terms get revised, so check yours against the current version before you act on anything.

In their own words

On a shared lead, speed moves you up the list.

Replying fast on a lead site is not only manners. Two of the platforms say in writing that it changes where you appear for the next customer:

Platform	What it says
Bark	Its ranking factors include "Responsiveness: How quickly you reply to new enquiries, and how often you reply overall." Ranking updates continuously, and the top five professionals are the first five a customer sees.
Bark	"The faster you respond to an enquiry, the more likely you are to land the job."
MyBuilder	Its terms commit you to "responding promptly to Leads and Customer communications", and its ranking counts how many replies you sent in the week before the job was posted: "The higher the number of answers, the higher up you will appear in the ranking for the Customer."
Checkatrade	Its terms say only that search rankings will be "fairly distributed" between approved trades. It publishes no speed factor, so do not believe anyone who says it ranks you on reply time.

Note what nobody says: that the first reply wins. Bark says faster replies make you more likely to land the job, which is a different thing. And Bark makes a point every trade should hear: "From the customer's side, a quiet inbox looks the same whether you're uninterested or just flat out on a job. They can't tell the difference."

A moderator on UK Business Forums put the split bluntly. The businesses that call paid leads rubbish are the ones who "just set up with these places", take days to get round to a lead and send "a plain email response". The ones on the other side "have notifications set up ... respond instantly, follow up".

Everything here about MyBuilder's contract comes from its own published terms and conditions, last read on 21 October 2026. Terms get revised, so check yours against the current version before you act on anything.

Fast is not enough

A fast reply that could have gone to anyone.

Bark's own help centre names the reply that loses: "A fast reply that could have gone to anyone, like 'Thanks for your enquiry, let me know if you're still looking,' suggests you haven't engaged with their message. A thoughtful reply that arrives after they've made up their mind may never get the chance to be read."

So the rule is two replies, not one. A short holding reply the moment you see it, then the specific one. Bark's advice: "You don't need a finished quote to respond", and end the real reply with a price, a time to talk, a date you are available, or what you need from them to move forward. Three you can adapt:

The holding reply (Bark's own example)

Got your message, I'll follow up with details this evening.

The holding reply, with a window

Hi [name], it's [your name] from [business]. I'm on a job until 4. I'll ring you between 5 and 6 about the [job]. If a text suits you better, just say.

The specific reply

Hi [name], thanks for the photos of the [job]. From what I can see it's [what you think it is]. Can you tell me [the one thing you need to know]? I can come and look on [day] at [time], or I can give you a rough price first if you'd rather.

Bark also has an AI "draft a quick reply" button, in beta. Bark's own advice is to review the draft before sending it, and the test is the same as for anything you write yourself: does it mention their job?

Set it up once

Let the phone send the first reply.

You cannot reply from a roof. The fix is to set up the holding reply once, on every channel a lead arrives through, so it goes out while you are working:

1
Turn notifications on
On every lead app and on WhatsApp. Bark lists it among the habits of its top-performing pros, and a lead you have not seen is a lead you cannot answer.
2
WhatsApp Business away message
Tools tab, then Away message. Customers who message you get it automatically. Choose "Always send", a custom schedule, or "Outside of business hours", which needs your hours set in your business profile.
3
WhatsApp Business greeting message
Goes out the first time a customer messages you, and again if they message after 14 days of no chat with you. Use it to say who you are and when you reply. You can also save quick replies for the questions you answer every day.
4
A text back for missed calls
"Sorry I missed you, I'm on a job, I'll ring you back by 6." Set it up so it goes out on its own, which how to get more calls covers.
5
An auto-reply on your website form
Somebody who fills in your form should get an instant reply saying it arrived and when you will be in touch, so they do not fill in the next trade's form as well.
6
Your Google Business Profile
Google's own chat was switched off on 31 July 2024. If your profile offers it, add a WhatsApp or text option to your contact details instead, so customers can still message you from your profile. Add both and Google shows only the text option.

The missed-call text and the out-of-hours plan are set out in how to get more calls. If you would rather a person picked up while you work, the options and what they cost are in call answering services for trades.

Calling back

Text first, and never ring back on withheld.

A fast callback is worthless if they do not pick up, and most people do not pick up a number they do not know. Ofcom's own research:

What Ofcom found	What to do about it
A quarter (26%) said they were likely to pick up a call from an unrecognised UK mobile number (research from February 2025, published July 2025)	Text before you ring, with your name, your business and when you will call, so your number is expected
Of people who use caller display to decide whether to answer, 57% said they were unlikely to pick up a withheld number (published November 2022)	Never ring a lead back on a withheld number. Ring from the same number they contacted, or the one you texted from

Then ring inside the window you gave. A UK customer on a cycling forum summed up what most people want: "I don't expect someone to be available 24/7 but a ring back would be nice." The window is how you give them that without downing tools, and keeping it is what makes the next text believable. If the lead goes cold after the visit, the next job is following up the quote.

The rule everyone quotes

Where the 5 minute rule comes from.

The much-repeated rule that you must reply within five minutes comes from US B2B sales research: James Oldroyd, Kristina McElheran and David Elkington's "The Short Life of Online Sales Leads" in Harvard Business Review in March 2011, an audit of US firms responding to web leads, and the Lead Response Management Study Oldroyd ran with InsideSales.com. Both were about US companies qualifying sales leads, not a homeowner in the UK choosing a plumber. Some UK write-ups relabel the same US figures as British.

The direction holds for a trade: a customer who is still choosing is easier to win than one who has already chosen. The number does not carry over. Nobody up a ladder can promise five minutes, and no UK source gives a minute count worth working to. So work to the two things you control: a holding reply that goes out on its own, and a specific reply inside a window you named. Is a three-day wait too late? On a shared lead, assume so, because the customer has been told to try the others. On your own lead, still reply, but you have let your own customer wait three days to hear from you.

The bigger picture

On your own lead, nobody else is replying.

Every rule above gets harsher the more trades share a lead. On a lead site you are racing the others to the customer's phone, and being ranked on how you did. On a lead from your own website or your own number, nobody else got it. The holding reply goes out, you finish the job you are on, and you ring at 5 with the customer expecting you.

That is the case for owning your leads rather than renting them: a website that turns visitors into calls and messages to you alone. See the tools we build into trade websites, and if you still buy leads, weigh what they really cost in the shared lead trap.

Straight answers

Questions owners actually ask.

What is the 5 minute rule for leads?: It is the idea that you should reply to a new lead within five minutes. It comes from US B2B sales research: James Oldroyd, Kristina McElheran and David Elkington's 2011 Harvard Business Review piece "The Short Life of Online Sales Leads", and the Lead Response Management Study Oldroyd ran with InsideSales.com. Both looked at US companies chasing sales leads, not UK homeowners picking a trade. The sound part for a trade is the direction, not the number: reply while the customer is still choosing.
How quickly should you respond to a lead?: As fast as you can send something specific. Set an instant holding reply on every channel a lead can reach you, so nobody waits in silence, then send a real reply inside a window you have named, such as "I'll ring you between 5 and 6". On a shared lead from Bark, Checkatrade or MyBuilder, move faster still, because other trades have the same job and Bark and MyBuilder rank you partly on how you reply.
Does replying first win the job on Bark or Checkatrade?: No platform says the first reply wins. Bark says the faster you respond, the more likely you are to land the job, and counts responsiveness in its search ranking. Checkatrade's terms say only that rankings will be fairly distributed, and it publishes no speed factor. What both share is that other trades can contact the same customer, so a slow reply hands them the conversation.
What should I say in my first reply to a lead?: Something that shows you read their message: name the job, ask the one question you need answered, and end with a next step. Bark's own advice is to end with a price, a time to talk, a date you are available, or what you need from them. Bark gives "Thanks for your enquiry, let me know if you're still looking" as the kind of reply that could have gone to anyone. If you cannot write the real reply yet, send a short note saying you have seen it and when they will hear from you.
How do I set up an auto-reply on WhatsApp Business?: In WhatsApp Business, open the Tools tab and choose Away message. You can send it always, on a custom schedule, or outside business hours, which needs your hours set in your business profile. A greeting message is set up in the same place: it goes to a customer the first time they message you, and again if they message after 14 days of no chat with you.
What do I do if I miss a call from a customer while on a job?: Text them first, from your own number, saying who you are and when you will ring back, then ring inside that window. Ofcom research found only about a quarter of people are likely to pick up a call from a UK mobile they do not recognise, so a cold callback often goes unanswered. Never ring a lead back on a withheld number: in Ofcom's 2022 research, most people who check caller display said they were unlikely to answer one.

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