#004 — Lead Follow-Up Automation | CMART™ Vault
#004 · Solar Contractor Series Automation

Lead Follow-Up
Automation

Every lead deserves an instant response — especially the ones who enquire at midnight. Build your first automated follow-up workflow and never let a lead go cold again.

12 min read Hands-on — build as you read Works inside CMART™ App

By the end of this resource you will

  • Understand what a workflow is and how it works inside CMART™ App
  • Know the ideal follow-up sequence for a solar lead
  • Have your first automated email + SMS follow-up workflow live and published
  • Understand how to stop the sequence automatically when a lead replies

Section 1

Why Follow-Up Is Where Solar Jobs Are Won

Most solar leads don't convert on the first touch. They submit a form, wait to see who responds first, and often go with the contractor who follows up fastest — not necessarily the best one. Speed and consistency win the job.

Think of it this way

Imagine a homeowner gets three solar quotes. Contractor A calls back the next day. Contractor B never follows up. Contractor C sends an email within 5 minutes, a WhatsApp the next morning, and a follow-up two days later. Contractor C wins — not because their price is lower, but because they felt more professional and present. Your automation becomes Contractor C, even while you're on a roof in Midrand.

A workflow inside CMART™ App is a set of automated actions that fire in sequence when a trigger happens — like someone submitting your opt-in form. Once it's set up, it runs automatically, 24 hours a day, for every new lead.


Section 2

The Ideal Solar Follow-Up Sequence

This is the sequence we recommend for solar contractors as a starting point. It balances speed with persistence — without being pushy. You can adjust timing and messaging to suit your style.

Your Automated Workflow — Overview

⚡
Trigger
Form Submitted
Fires the moment a lead submits your opt-in form or contact form on your SMART Website.
📧
Email 1 — Instant Acknowledgement
Sends within seconds. Thanks the lead, confirms you received their enquiry, and sets expectations for when they'll hear from you.
💬
Action · Immediate
SMS 1 — Instant Text
A short, friendly SMS sent at the same time as Email 1. SMS is opened within minutes — it ensures they know you saw their enquiry fast.
⏱
Wait Step
Wait 1 Day
Pauses the workflow for 24 hours before the next action fires.
📧
Email 2 — Value & Credibility
Shares a useful resource (like your Solar Savings Calculator or a case study). Builds trust and keeps you top of mind.
⏱
Wait Step
Wait 2 Days
Another pause before the final follow-up touch.
📧
Email 3 — Soft Call to Action
A gentle nudge to book a free site assessment or reply with questions. No pressure — just an open door.
🏷
Action
Add Tag — "solar-followup-complete"
Tags the contact so you can track who has completed the sequence and segment them for future campaigns.
✓
End of Workflow
Sequence Complete
The contact remains in your CRM. You can enrol them in a longer nurture sequence later, or follow up manually.
💡 Important: Add a "Customer Replied" trigger or an If/Else condition to stop the sequence automatically if the lead replies to any message. You don't want to keep sending automated emails to someone who has already booked a call.

Section 3

Build Your Workflow Step by Step

Follow these steps inside your CMART™ App. Take it one step at a time — the workflow builder is visual and straightforward once you know where everything is.

1

Create a New Workflow

Inside your CMART™ App, navigate to:

PathAutomation → Workflows → + Create Workflow

When prompted, select Start from Scratch. Give your workflow a clear name — something like "Solar Lead Follow-Up Sequence" — so you can find it easily later.

2

Set Your Trigger

Click Add New Trigger and select Form Submitted from the list.

Click Add Filter → Form is, then select the specific opt-in form you built in Resource #003 (your lead magnet form). Click Save.

This ensures the workflow only fires for leads who came through that specific form — not every form submission in your account.

💡 Tip: Give your trigger a descriptive name like "Solar Opt-in Form Submitted". This makes it easy to read your workflow at a glance when you come back to it later.
3

Add Email 1 — Instant Acknowledgement

Click + Add Action → Send Email. Configure it as follows:

From Name: Your business name (e.g. SunTech Solar)
From Email: Your sender email address
Subject: We got your enquiry, {{contact.first_name}} ☀️

Write a short, warm message — confirm receipt, introduce yourself, and let them know you'll be in touch within 24 hours. Use {{contact.first_name}} to personalise the greeting.

Click Save Action.

💡 Send a test email before moving on. Use the "Send Test Email" option inside the email editor to confirm it lands in your inbox and looks correct.
4

Add SMS 1 — Instant Text

Click + Add Action → Send SMS. Keep it short — SMS works best under 160 characters.

Example message:

Hi {{contact.first_name}} 👋 Thanks for reaching out about solar. We'll be in touch shortly. — [Your Name], [Business Name]

Click Save Action.

⚠️ SMS requires a connected phone number. Make sure your CMART™ App phone number is set up under Settings → Phone Numbers before publishing this workflow. If SMS is not yet set up, skip this step and add it later.
5

Add a Wait Step (1 Day)

Click + Add Action → Wait. Set the duration to 1 day. This pauses the workflow before the next email fires.

Click Save Action.

💡 Timing matters: You can also set the wait to deliver only during business hours (e.g. 8am–6pm Mon–Fri). This prevents follow-up emails landing at 3am. Look for the "Allow actions only during business hours" option inside the Wait step settings.
6

Add Email 2 — Value & Credibility

Click + Add Action → Send Email. This email should deliver something useful — a link to your Solar Savings Calculator, a short case study, or a "5 questions to ask your solar installer" tip.

Subject: Thinking about solar? Here's something useful, {{contact.first_name}}

Keep the body conversational and short. One useful piece of value + one soft call to action (e.g. "Reply to this email with any questions").

Click Save Action, then add another Wait step — 2 days.

7

Add Email 3 — Soft Call to Action

Click + Add Action → Send Email. This is your final touch in the sequence — keep it brief and low pressure.

Subject: Still thinking about solar, {{contact.first_name}}?

Offer a clear next step: book a free site assessment, reply with questions, or visit your website. Don't be pushy — just open the door.

Click Save Action.

8

Add a Tag — "solar-followup-complete"

Click + Add Action → Add Tag. Type solar-followup-complete and save.

This tag marks every contact who has gone through the full sequence, so you can filter and report on them later — and avoid sending them the same sequence again.

9

Publish Your Workflow

Before publishing, click through every step and review it. Check that:

  • The trigger is set to the correct form
  • Email 1 sends immediately with correct sender details
  • SMS 1 message is under 160 characters
  • Wait steps are between actions
  • All emails use {{contact.first_name}} personalisation
  • The final tag is in place

When satisfied, toggle the workflow from Draft → Published using the toggle at the top right of the workflow builder. Click Save.

💡 Test it yourself first. Submit your own opt-in form using a personal email address and confirm the full sequence fires correctly before real leads start coming through.

Section 4 · Reference

Email Copy Starting Points

These are starting points — adapt them to your voice and business name. The pull in real contact data automatically from your CRM.


Section 5 · Your Action Steps

Your Implementation Checklist

Work through these before moving to the next resource. Tick each item as you complete it.

0 of 8 completed


  • I've created a new workflow named "Solar Lead Follow-Up Sequence"
  • My trigger is set to the correct opt-in form
  • Email 1 (immediate acknowledgement) is written and saved
  • SMS 1 (immediate text) is written and saved
  • Wait steps are added between each email
  • Email 2 (value) and Email 3 (soft CTA) are written and saved
  • The "solar-followup-complete" tag is added at the end
  • I've tested the full sequence using my own email and published the workflow