A matching Facebook post is the beginning of a lead review. The next step is deciding whether your business can help, what information is missing and how to respond. Use this checklist with your Find Prospects Now feed to build a useful shortlist without mistaking every keyword match for a ready-to-buy customer.
Check that the post contains a real request
Read the full post. “Can anyone recommend a roofer?” is a request for help. “I recommend my roofer” is a recommendation, and “roofing services available” is a supplier advertisement. Similar words can describe very different situations.
Look for what the author wants to achieve, who needs the service and whether they are asking for a recommendation, availability, a quote or general advice. A useful educational conversation may still deserve a reply even when it is too early to call it a sales opportunity.
Confirm the service fits your business
Separate the actual task from a broad industry label. A kitchen designer, installer and cabinet supplier may all match a kitchen-related phrase, but they do not offer the same help. Ask whether you can deliver the requested work with your current skills and capacity.
Record a clear reason for a mismatch: a service you do not provide, a project size outside your range or a different customer type. Those reasons can help refine your keywords or AI criteria later.
Check location and timing
Use the stated job location when one is available. Group membership alone does not prove where the work is needed. If a post says “moving next week” but does not name the destination, leave the location unknown and ask a short question.
Compare the requested timing with your availability. An urgent request is useful only if you can respond and deliver appropriately. Avoid promising attendance, a start date or a quote turnaround before checking your diary.
Understand scope and who can make the decision
Find the detail needed for a sensible next step: the rooms involved, property type, rental management needs or software problem. You do not need a complete specification to offer help, but you should know which question would clarify fit.
A neighbor asking on behalf of someone else may be a useful introduction. A tenant reporting a problem may need the owner's authorization for the work. Record who is asking and what remains uncertain without assuming ownership, budget or purchasing authority.
Use a repeatable qualification checklist
| Check | What to record | Useful next question |
|---|---|---|
| Need | The author's actual request | What are you hoping to have done? |
| Service fit | Fits, does not fit, or unclear | Do you need supply, installation, or both? |
| Location | Stated area, or unknown | Which area is the property in? |
| Timing | Requested timeframe and your availability | When would you like the work completed? |
| Scope | Known work and missing detail | Is this a repair or a full replacement? |
| Permission | Group rules and an appropriate response | Would a brief outline here be useful? |
| Next step | Reply, ask, save for review, or pass | Would you like to discuss the details? |
Keep “unknown” as a valid answer. A post without a stated budget is not automatically a poor lead. A post with a clear budget is not automatically suitable. Decide from the whole request and your ability to help.
Work through a request before replying
Consider this invented example: “Looking for someone to paint two bedrooms in Clifton before we move in next month. Any recommendations?” A local painter can identify the task, area and approximate timing. Room condition and availability still need checking.
A useful response could be: “I run a local painting business and cover Clifton. Are the rooms ready to paint, or do they also need repairs? If helpful, I can explain what I would need to give you a quote.” This answers the request and makes your connection clear without inventing a price.
If you do not cover Clifton, pass on the request or offer a helpful recommendation you can stand behind. Use the reply templates for other situations.
Organize the shortlist in Find Prospects Now
Save posts that need follow-up and use Seen for posts you have reviewed. These are review states, not sales stages: neither confirms that the person has replied, requested a quote or booked your business.
Use author hiding deliberately. Hiding an author affects more than one unsuitable post, so do not use it just because a single job falls outside your service area. For useful opportunities, open the original conversation and check whether the request is still current.
Measure the opportunities that move forward
Track reviewed requests, suitable requests, conversations, quotes and booked work separately. Record the reason when a request does not progress. That gives you a useful basis for improving the monitoring setup instead of chasing a bigger match count.
The lead tracking guide explains how to keep one record per underlying request and assess results. Start with a small consistent checklist, then adapt it as you learn what your customers need.
