How to Turn Small Window Jobs into Big Projects

The window market was valued at $12.32 billion in 2022, yet many contractors struggle to convert small repair calls into profitable projects. When a homeowner asks about replacing “just two or three windows,” most contractors see a $3,000 headache—barely worth the drive time.

But Dan Jaycox, Sales and Marketing Manager at STL Windows and Doors in St. Louis, sees opportunity. His family-owned company grows small calls into major projects—without resorting to high-pressure tactics or misleading promotions. 

The result? His approach consistently converts 20–30% of these small inquiries into whole-house projects, significantly more than the industry average conversion rate of 7–15%.

Small jobs barely cover overhead, create scheduling headaches, and limit growth potential. While they’re great for building a client base and cementing your reputation, a strategy for converting small jobs into whole-home replacements can accelerate your revenue.

From the initial phone call to closing the sale, here’s exactly how Jaycox builds trust, demonstrates value, and helps homeowners understand why replacing all their windows makes more sense than piecemeal repairs.

The small job trap hurting your bottom line

Small window jobs create a cascade of profit-killing problems:

• Overhead absorption. A two-window job takes the same time to estimate, permit, and set up as larger projects.
• Scheduling inefficiency. Multiple small jobs fragment your crew’s productivity and reduce billable hours.
• Growth limitation. With average window replacement costs at $554 per window, small jobs cap revenue potential.
• The paradox of homeowner satisfaction. Happy homeowners often return months later wanting more windows replaced… at yesterday’s prices

The math is brutal: Drive 45 minutes each way, spend three hours on site, and net minimal profits. Meanwhile, five-digit whole-house projects can deliver 40% gross margins while solving all the homeowner’s problems at once.

Key strategies

Are you ready to improve your conversion rates? Jaycox’s key strategies include:

• Train CSRs to gather information, not push sales during initial calls
• Focus on education over pressure during in-home visits
• Use visual tools and real data to make problems tangible
• Prepare homeowners for pricing throughout the conversation
• Offer transparent, percentage-based discounts rather than gimmicks
• Build relationships that generate returning customers

Let’s dive into exactly how each element works in practice.

Making the most of that first call

Your response to a homeowner’s first inquiry determines whether you’ll book a $3,000 job or a $30,000 project. Most contractors blow this opportunity from the start, when customer service reps have an interested homeowner on the line but fail to book an immediate appointment. Research shows customer service reps ask for appointments on only 36% of sales calls, letting potential projects slip away before a sales rep even gets in the door. 

Jaycox flips the script by gathering intel first, selling second. Here’s a script: “I noticed you mentioned foggy windows in the living room. Are you experiencing similar issues in other rooms?”

Ask the right questions first

Make sure you understand the full scope of the homeowner’s problem, not just the obvious symptoms. By digging deeper during the initial call, you may uncover needs they haven’t even considered.

“I try to get a little bit of background about why they’re trying to replace just two or three windows,” Jaycox says. Common reasons include broken seals causing foggy windows, storm damage, or simple wear and tear. 

Instead of rushing the sale, Jaycox’s team uses the initial call to:

• Document specific problems the homeowner mentioned
• Note which rooms and windows are affected
• Understand their timeline and any past window replacement experience

But Jaycox doesn’t push for the upsell on this call—just the appointment.

“I don’t dig into converting from what they originally asked for unless they ask,” he says. “I don’t do that over the phone because I want to give my sales rep a chance to get their eyes on the project.”

With only 56% of inbound calls being viable new leads, this methodical approach helps identify serious buyers while giving sales reps the context they need to succeed.

The in-home advantage: Converting on site

Once in the home, expand the project scope naturally. Educate, don’t pressure. Show homeowners how their window complaints connect to bigger issues like energy waste and home comfort.

Highlighting potential efficiency wins

Homeowners calling about window replacements often complain about high energy bills or rooms that won’t stay comfortable. That cramped bedroom that never cools down, or Those sky-high summer electric bills. Use these pain points to expand the conversation.

Yes, customers will get a few more efficient windows with a small job. “But we explain that you’re not going to see a dramatic change by doing one window,” Jaycox says. “Your house is only as efficient as its weakest efficiency point.”

Data backs this up: Upgrading to ENERGY STAR windows cuts household energy bills by 7–15%. That means the job pays for itself within a few years.

Try this script: “While I’m measuring these three windows, would you like me to check the others for seal integrity? It takes just a few minutes.”

Identifying mismatched design

Pay attention to aesthetic issues homeowners haven’t considered. Are they replacing three out of nine black windows with white ones? That might look odd from the street. Better to replace them all now. 

Plus, window manufacturers frequently discontinue models, meaning the style installed today might not be available in two years. This makes phased replacement risky for homeowners who value consistency.

Building trust through transparency

Patient, transparent pricing beats aggressive sales tactics every time. Consider presenting your quotes broken down by line item, which removes the mystery from whole-house pricing. This transparency helps them realize that financing 15 windows at $200 per month makes more sense than paying cash for three.

Consider letting homeowners take the lead, instead of training your sales reps to be pushy. During assessments, Jaycox asks, “Is there anything else while we’re here that you have questions on or that you’d like us to take a look at?” This simple question opens doors without being overbearing.

Bring the homeowners into the pricing process, too. Jaycox uses Provia’s visual system to build quotes in real time. “They see the plan come to life and see pricing as we’re building it,” he says. Thermal imaging is another great tool to show homeowners their drafty windows, making problems tangible.

Overcoming price objections

Sticker shock kills deals. When homeowners expect to pay for three windows but receive a whole-house quote, the numbers can be overwhelming.

Plant pricing seeds throughout the conversation, preventing that deal-killing shock. During your initial conversations, make your average window cost clear, and break down what’s included in the price, like materials, labor, and taxes. This gradual education avoids confronting homeowners expecting a $3,000 job with a $15,000 quote. By building up from per-window costs rather than presenting a large total, the final number feels more logical.

Still, many homeowners struggle with budget concern. That’s when offering home improvement financing comes in clutch. A $15,000 whole-house project might become $200/month with financing, which less than the average bill for electric and gas—especially if inefficient windows are driving up that cost.

“’What are you guys comfortable with on a monthly budget?’,” Jaycox asks homeowners. “We have a lot of options that we can look at.” The shift from total cost to monthly payments opens possibilities, and can even help grow jobs. Nearly half of consumers say installment plans let them spend 10-20% more.

Spend time determining which payment structure works for each customer’s situation. As Jaycox says, “The most important thing is to not put them in an uncomfortable situation.”

Creating genuine urgency

Create urgency through facts, not fabricated pressure. 

First, make it clear to the homeowner that today’s price may not last forever. “Prices never tend to decrease,” Jaycox says. This isn’t a sales tactic but market truth: Wholesale window prices jumped 49% between January 2020 and January 2024.

Raise your prices every January. This creates particularly strong urgency in fall and winter months when heating kicks on and customers are reexamining their energy-efficiency. Combined with year-end considerations like expiring tax credits (currently up to $600 for ENERGY STAR window upgrades) and homeowners wanting to maximize current-year deductions, the financial case for acting now becomes compelling.

Discount intentionally, too. For whole-house projects, Jaycox offers discounts of 10–15%. Doing one larger job “saves us time going back and forth between projects. We can take more than one measurement and do more than one day of install,” he says. This transparency builds trust. 

“You scratch our back, we scratch yours. You make this a little easier on our process, we’re going to make it a little easier on your bottom line,” Jaycox says.

Avoiding common contractor upselling mistakes

Many contractors fail at upselling because they use outdated or deceptive tactics. Here are two specific pitfalls to avoid.

The “buy two get two” trap

Jaycox calls common window promotions the “Kohl’s deal… They marked the windows up 50% and then discounted them 50%.” Instead, use upfront percentage discounts applied to every window. For instance, you may apply a 5% military or first responder discount across the board, dropping the price of one window from $1,000 to $950. 

Focusing on short-term wins

Perhaps most important: Don’t force your customers into immediate decisions. Jaycox says he looks for long-term relationships, not supersized one-off checks. “We are very confident that if we do one window with you, you’re not going to reach out to anybody else,” he says.

This patience pays off. Jaycox reports that 40% of monthly leads are returning customers wanting additional work, proving the value of his relationship-first approach.

Upselling a three-window job into a whole-house project often comes down to approach. By focusing on solving homeowner problems rather than pushing sales, contractors can achieve conversion rates that far exceed industry averages while building a base of satisfied customers who return for future work.

Ready to fuel your growth with customer financing? Financing options help you upsell bigger jobs by increasing your close rate and average ticket size. Learn how Acorn Finance helps contractors win more jobs with easy payment solutions homeowners will love.