Guide

How to follow up a quote when the customer goes quiet

Updated 24 October 2026

You visited, measured up, priced the job in your evening and sent the quote. Then nothing. It is one of the most frustrating parts of running a trade business, and most tradespeople never follow up at all. The ones who do win more of the work they have already priced.

Why customers go quiet

• They are busy and have not sat down to look at it properly.
• They are waiting for other quotes to come in.
• One thing is bothering them, often the price, timing or a line they do not understand, and they have not asked.
• They have decided not to go ahead and feel awkward saying so.

Only the last one is a no, and even then a reply helps you. A good follow-up deals with each of the others.

When to follow up

1. Day 3: check it arrived. Short and friendly. Quotes do land in spam.
2. Around day 10: offer help. Ask whether price, timing or scope is holding them up, and suggest a way round it.
3. Before it expires: give a reason to decide. Remind them of the date your price is held until.
4. After it expires: close the loop. "I'll close this off for now. Just reply if you'd still like it done."

Get all four messages, as texts and emails, from our free quote follow-up templates.

Make the quote easy to say yes to

• Send it quickly, ideally the same day as the visit, while you are still fresh in their mind.
• Itemise it, so they can compare it fairly with a cheaper, vaguer quote.
• Offer options. Good, better and best side by side lets them choose a version instead of choosing between you and someone else.
• Put an expiry date on it, so you are not held to an old price when materials go up.
• Let them accept online with one tap, rather than having to ring you back.

The best moment to call

If you can see when a customer opens your quote, that is the moment to ring. They are looking at it right now, and a quick "just checking you got it, any questions?" turns a lot of maybes into bookings.

Let the follow-ups send themselves

QuoteChase follows up every unanswered quote automatically, 3 and 10 days after sending by default or on up to four days you choose, in your own words. It emails you the first time the customer opens the quote, and stops following up the moment they accept, decline or ask a question.