Many quotes do not get a clear yes or no. They simply go quiet. In our experience, silence usually means the customer is busy, comparing options or waiting for someone else. It rarely means a firm no.
The six steps below show when to follow up, what to say and when to stop. The examples use a fictional painting business and customer, and the timings are starting rules for you to adjust, not research results.
1. What should you agree when you send the quote?
Agree the next step before the silence starts. Ask when the customer plans to decide, and write that date down.
A short question in your quote email does most of the work:
“Hi Sam, here is your quote for painting the weatherboards. When are you hoping to make a decision? I’ll check in then if I haven’t heard from you.”
Also check three things. Who else needs to agree, such as a partner or a manager? How long is your price valid? Would a ten-minute call help explain the quote? Each answer gives you a natural reason to contact them later.
You can collect timing even earlier. If your website has a quote request form, add a simple “When do you need this done?” question. Our guide to booking and enquiry forms explains which questions are worth asking.
2. When should you follow up, and how often?
Follow up on the date the customer gave you. If they gave no date, use a simple starting schedule and adjust it to the size of the job.
- After 2–3 working days: check the quote arrived and offer to answer questions.
- After about a week: share one useful piece of information, such as your next available start date.
- After about two weeks: send a short closing message that makes it easy to say yes, no or not yet.
This is our suggested starting point, not a universal rule. An urgent repair may need a check the next day. A business customer waiting for a monthly approval meeting needs a check after that meeting, not before it.
Stop the schedule as soon as the customer replies. Then follow the conversation, not the calendar. If you send many quotes, our guide to which leads to follow up first helps you decide where your time goes.
3. What should each follow-up say?
Give every message one purpose. Keep it short, and make it easy to reply in a few words.
First follow-up: check and offer help.
“Hi Sam, just checking the quote reached you. Happy to explain anything or adjust the scope if that helps.”
Second follow-up: add something useful.
“Hi Sam, a quick update: our next free start date is 18 November. If that timing suits, I can pencil you in while you decide.”
Closing message: make every answer easy.
“Hi Sam, I don’t want to keep chasing you. Should I keep your quote open, or has your plan changed? Either answer is fine.”
Avoid messages that only say “just following up”. They ask the customer to do work without giving them anything new. Also avoid invented deadlines, such as a price that “expires tonight” when it does not.
4. Should you phone, email or text?
Use the channel the customer used or asked for. Phone suits larger or more complex quotes. Email gives you both a written record.
A text message works for a short reminder if the customer has already texted you. After a phone call, send a two-line email that confirms what you agreed. That way, nobody has to remember the details.
Keep follow-ups about the quote the customer asked for. If you want to send promotions or add them to a newsletter, different rules apply. In New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs explains that commercial electronic messages need consent, a clear sender and an easy way to unsubscribe.
5. When should you stop, and should you offer a discount?
Stop when the customer says no, asks you to stop, or does not reply to your closing message. Do not offer a discount just because the customer has gone quiet.
An unprompted discount can suggest your first price was padded. It also teaches customers that waiting pays. Instead, ask what is holding them back. If price is the problem, offer a smaller scope, such as painting the front of the house first.
When you stop, record the result. Mark the quote as won, lost or no reply. If the customer said “maybe next spring”, set one reminder for then. Otherwise, let it go. A polite close leaves the door open, and some customers come back months later.
6. How do you keep track of quotes and learn from lost ones?
Keep every open quote in one list with its date, value, next follow-up date and status. Then review lost quotes once a month to see why they were lost.
A spreadsheet works when you send a few quotes a week. Look for patterns. Are you losing on price, on timing or because the scope was unclear? Did quotes that took longer to send win less often? Our guide to sales enquiry response time covers the first part of that journey.
When quotes start slipping through, a spreadsheet is no longer enough. Our guide on whether a small business needs a CRM explains the signs. For growing New Zealand businesses, AI Sales shows which quotes are waiting, which have stalled and which need action. It can prepare a short follow-up message for your approval and handle routine follow-ups automatically. When a conversation needs judgement, it hands the task to your team. Read more in our guide to AI sales follow-up.
What else should you know about following up quotes?
How long should I wait before following up a quote?
Follow up on the date the customer gave you. If they gave no date, a first check after two or three working days is a sensible starting point. Use it to confirm the quote arrived and offer to answer questions. Adjust the timing for urgent jobs and for business customers with approval meetings.
Is it rude to follow up a quote more than once?
No, if each message is short, polite and useful. Customers are often busy and appreciate a reminder. It becomes pushy when messages repeat the same request, invent deadlines or keep going after a no. Around three follow-ups, ending with a polite closing message, is a reasonable limit.
Should I offer a discount if the customer does not reply?
Usually not. A discount nobody asked for can suggest your first price was too high, and it rewards waiting. Ask what is holding the customer back instead. If price is the concern, offer a smaller scope or a staged option, so the price still matches the work.
What should I say if the customer says the price is too high?
Thank them, then ask which part of the quote matters most to them. Explain what the price includes, and offer options such as a smaller first stage or simpler materials. If the gap is still too big, accept it politely. A respectful no leaves the door open for future work.