How to follow up a quote without being pushy

You measured up, wrote the quote, sent it, and heard nothing. It happens to every tradie. The customer might be comparing quotes, waiting on their partner, waiting for payday, or they simply forgot. A follow-up isn't pushy. It's good service.

Why follow-ups win jobs

A customer who asked for a quote wanted the work done. Silence usually means "not yet", not "no". A short, friendly message brings your quote back to the top of their inbox at the moment they're ready to decide. The tradie who follows up is often the tradie who gets the job.

A simple timing plan

You don't need a complicated system. Three touches is enough for most jobs:

1. Two to three days after sending: check they got it and offer to answer questions.
2. About a week after sending: a short nudge, with something useful.
3. About two weeks after sending: a polite last message that leaves the door open.

If the customer told you when they'd decide ("we'll talk about it this weekend"), follow up the day after that instead.

Has it been opened?

If you can see the quote hasn't been opened, a different message works better: "Just checking my quote reached you, sometimes they end up in junk." If it's been opened several times, they're thinking about it, so offer to answer questions.

Messages you can copy

First follow-up (2 to 3 days)

Hi Sarah, just checking you got the quote for the back fence. Happy to answer any questions or walk through it on the phone. Cheers, Dave

Second follow-up (about a week)

Hi Sarah, following up on the fence quote. If it helps, I can start the week of the 18th, and I've got Colorbond in Monument in stock. Let me know if you'd like to lock it in. Dave

Last follow-up (about two weeks)

Hi Sarah, I'll close off the fence quote for now so it doesn't hang around. If you'd like to go ahead later, just reply here and I'll check the price is still current. All the best, Dave

When they say "it's a bit more than we expected"

Thanks for letting me know. A couple of ways we could bring it down: lap and cap palings instead of Colorbond saves about $400, or we can leave the old fence removal to you. Want me to send an updated quote?

What makes a follow-up feel pushy

• Too often. Daily messages feel like pressure.
• Guilt. "I've been waiting to hear back" puts the customer on the back foot.
• Fake urgency. "Price goes up Friday" only works if it's true.
• Discounting straight away. It tells the customer your first price wasn't real.

What feels helpful instead: answering a question they hadn't asked yet, a start date, a cheaper option, or a photo of a similar job.

Phone, text or email?

Match the way the customer contacted you. If they rang, a quick call works well for the second follow-up, especially on bigger jobs. You'll hear their hesitation and can answer it on the spot. If they emailed or filled in a form, an email or text with a link back to the quote is easier for them.

On a call, keep it short: "Just ringing to see if you had any questions about the quote. Happy to talk through it." Then listen. Common answers and what to do:

• "We're still deciding." Ask when they expect to decide, and follow up the day after.
• "It's more than we thought." Offer options (a cheaper material, a smaller scope, a staged start), not a straight discount.
• "We went with someone else." Thank them, and ask what tipped it. Price, timing or something else? It's free feedback.
• "We haven't had time to look." Offer to walk them through it in two minutes.

Follow-ups after acceptance

Following up doesn't stop when they say yes. A short message confirming the start date, what you need from them (access, pets, parking) and when the deposit is due sets the job up well. After the job, a thank you and a request for a review helps win the next one.

Make the quote easy to come back to

A follow-up only works if the customer can act on it straight away. If your quote is a PDF buried in an email from two weeks ago, they have to find it, print it, sign it and send it back. If it's a link they can open on their phone, they can accept on the spot.

Keep track of who needs a nudge

The hard part isn't writing the message. It's remembering who to send it to. A notebook, a spreadsheet or your quoting app's follow-up list all work, as long as you check it every day.

Karven writes the follow-up for you at 3 days and again at 7, and puts it under Needs you on your Today screen with Send and Skip. By default it asks you first before anything is sent. Want it to run itself? Switch on Send automatically and the follow-ups go on their own between 9am and 6pm. More on that in automatic quote follow-ups.

When to stop

After three touches with no reply, stop. Send the last message, mark the quote as lost, and move on. Note why it was lost if you know (price, timing, went with someone else). Over a few months, those notes tell you whether your prices, your speed or your follow-up needs work.

Checklist

• Follow up 2 to 3 days, about 1 week and about 2 weeks after sending
• Check whether the quote has been opened before you write
• Keep it short, friendly and useful
• Offer options, not discounts
• Make accepting easy (a link, not a PDF to print)
• Stop after three touches

For the quote itself, see how to write a quote. For the customer who rings back months later, see how to keep a record of how you priced a job.