Make or Break! When to Hire an Estimator

Do not promote a crew leader or operations-focused employee to an estimator role; sales requires a fundamentally different skill set (e.g., communication, follow-up, rejection tolerance) that rarely translates from operations.

Fully delegate and optimize administrative and operational tasks before considering delegating sales; sales is often the highest leverage activity for the owner, and letting it go prematurely can lead to micromanagement and inefficiency.

When delegating sales, implement a rigorous training process: have the new estimator shadow you, then observe and coach them after every estimate until they can consistently duplicate your closing rates.

If your GM complains about being too busy for sales, first investigate business inefficiencies (e.g., old equipment, disorganized routes, lack of standardization) before scrutinizing their time management.

At a significant revenue milestone like $1.2 million, if you must choose between delegating sales or operations, most owners should delegate operations and retain sales, as finding a high-performing salesperson is typically harder and more expensive than finding an operations manager.

For owners who genuinely dislike sales and are not good at it, consider hiring a high-compensation salesperson and focusing your time and attention on optimizing operations, as this can lead to rapid growth.