When to chase a quote, how many times, what to write, and three short messages you can copy. Plus what to say when they went elsewhere, and the one habit that means you never forget to follow up again.
You sent the quote on Monday. It is now the following Wednesday and you have heard nothing. Do you chase? Will it look desperate? Have they gone with someone else? Most small businesses lose more work to silence than to competitors, and most of that silence is not a "no". It is a busy person who meant to reply.
Before writing anything, it helps to know what is usually happening on the other end:
Only the third one is a real "no", and even that is often "not now". Every other case is fixed by a short message that makes replying easy.
Two to three working days for the first one. Sooner looks anxious; a week later and the other quotes have landed and been discussed. If the customer told you when they are deciding ("we'll sort it after the holiday"), follow up the day after that, and not before.
The full rhythm, which works for most trades and services:
| When | What |
|---|---|
| The day you send it | Say when it is valid until, and when you will check in |
| 2 to 3 working days later | First follow-up: short, one question |
| About a week after that | Second: add something useful |
| Two to four weeks later | Close the file, kindly |
Three messages, then stop. Anyone who has not replied to three friendly notes has made a decision, and a fourth message only costs you goodwill. The exception is a job with a natural deadline (a wedding, a move, a planning date), where one more "the date is getting close" is fair.
Here is how that rhythm looks against a calendar for a quote sent on a Monday:
| Day | Action |
|---|---|
| Mon 13 | Quote sent as a PDF. Covering note says "valid 30 days, I'll check in Thursday". Follow-up booked for Thursday |
| Thu 16 | First follow-up (message 1 below). Next follow-up booked for the 23rd |
| Thu 23 | Second follow-up with something useful (message 2). Next booked for the 6th |
| Thu 6 (next month) | Close the file (message 3). Mark the quote lost, or won if they come back |
| 6 months on | A "how did it go?" note, because the next job usually comes from the last one |
Four touches over seven weeks, each one short, each one booked at the moment the previous one went. That last line is the one most people miss, and it is where the repeat work lives.
The rules that stop a follow-up feeling like a nag:
First follow-up, 2 to 3 days after
Hi Sam, just checking the quote for the kitchen came through OK. Any questions on it, or anything you would like me to change? Happy to adjust the scope if it helps. Thanks, Alex
Second, a week later
Hi Sam, one thing I meant to mention: I can hold the first week of October if that timing works for you, but I will need to release it by the 24th. If you are still deciding, no rush at all, just let me know either way. Alex
Closing the file, two to four weeks later
Hi Sam, I will assume the kitchen is on hold for now, so I will close the file at my end. If it comes back up, the quote is easy to refresh, just shout. All the best, Alex
Notice that none of them asks "have you decided?" and every one gives a reason to reply. The last one gets more responses than the first two combined, because it removes the pressure entirely. Half of them say "sorry, yes, let's go ahead".
Whatever they used to contact you. A text follow-up to an email quote feels like an escalation. If they messaged on WhatsApp, reply there. The words above work in any of them; just drop the sign-off in a text.
A phone call is the right tool for the second follow-up on a bigger job, because a question they have not asked gets asked on the phone and never in writing. Keep it to one minute and open with the useful thing, not the chase: "Hi Sam, Alex here. Quick one: I can hold the first week of October for the kitchen if that helps. Did the quote make sense?" Then listen. If it goes to voicemail, leave the same two sentences and send a one-line text saying you called.
"It's more than we expected." Do not drop the price. Ask what they were expecting and what matters most, then offer to take something out: "If we leave the tiling for you to arrange, that comes down to £2,300." A smaller job won at your rate is better than the full job at a loss, and the customer feels listened to rather than haggled with.
"We've gone with someone else." Thank them, mean it, and ask one question: "Can I ask what swung it?" Most people tell you, and it is the best feedback you will get this year. Then say the door is open if anything changes. A surprising number of these come back when the other firm does not turn up.
"We're going to leave it for now." Ask when would be a good time to check back, put that date in your follow-up list, and do it. "For now" means a date, not a no.
None of the above works if you forget. The fix is not discipline, it is doing one thing at the moment you send the quote: book the first follow-up before you close the email. Note the date, the person, and "chase kitchen quote". When the reminder comes up, you write the two-line message and book the next one.
You can do this in a diary, a spreadsheet with a "next date" column, or a CRM that shows you the day's follow-ups when you open it. The tool matters less than the habit, but the tool that shows you an overdue list every morning is the one that survives a busy week. If you want the spreadsheet version, our free CRM spreadsheet has the next-date column and a Today sheet built in; if you would rather not keep a spreadsheet open, Sheetsmith CRM does the same thing on your phone and is free for your first 25 contacts.
A small point that saves arguments later. In the UK a quote is a fixed price for a defined job; once accepted, that is the price unless the job changes. An estimate is your best guess and can go up or down. Say which one it is, in the document, and give it a validity period ("valid for 30 days"). It sets the expectation, and it gives your second follow-up a genuine reason to exist. For the quote itself, see how to write a quote for a job.
Is it rude to chase a quote? No. Customers expect it, and a polite check-in reads as "this person is organised", which is exactly what they are hiring. What reads as rude is a guilt-trip or a fourth message.
How many times should I follow up? Three, spread over about a month, then one friendly note six months later. More than three in a month and you are the pest the title promised you would not be.
Should I follow up a quote by phone or email? Match whatever they used first. Use the phone for the second follow-up on anything large enough that a quick conversation could win it.
What if they asked for the quote weeks ago and I never chased? Send the closing-the-file message now. It gives them an easy way back in without either of you having to mention the silence.
Should I discount to close it? Not as a reaction to silence. If price comes up, change the scope rather than the rate.
Send the quote with the free Quote Generator, then book the follow-up in Sheetsmith CRM so it chases itself. Free for your first 25 contacts, no card.
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