Wording library

Quote follow-up templates: what to say when a quote goes quiet

Most quotes are not lost to price. They are lost to silence, because nobody followed up and the customer booked whoever did. Chase three times over two weeks: a short nudge on day two, a helpful one on day five, and a polite closing message on day twelve. Below are eight templates you can copy for text, email and WhatsApp.

Why quotes go quiet

Almost nobody replies to say no. They get busy, they ask a partner, they get another price, and your quote slides down the pile. Then a fortnight later they book the company that sent a friendly message on Tuesday. Silence is not a decision, and it is very rarely a rejection.

That is why the wording below never asks "did you get my quote?". They got it. The job of a follow-up is to make replying easy and to give them a reason to reply today.

The three rules that matter

Chase three times, then stop. One nudge is too few and six is harassment
Give them an easy way to say no. People who feel trapped go silent, people given an exit often say yes instead
Ask one question they can answer in three words. "Still want it done before September?" beats "let me know your thoughts"

Text message templates

1. Day two, the short nudge

Hi Sarah, just checking the quote landed alright. Any questions on it, or shall I hold the date? Dave

2. Day five, the helpful one

Hi Sarah, no rush on deciding. One thing worth knowing: if we do it in the same visit as the bathroom tap it saves you a call-out charge. Happy to talk it through if useful. Dave

3. Day twelve, the polite close

Hi Sarah, I will take you off my list so I stop pestering you. If it comes back around later just text me and I will pick it straight back up. All the best, Dave

Email templates

4. Day two, the short nudge

Subject: Your quote

Hi Sarah,

Just making sure the quote reached you and nothing looked odd.

Two quick questions and then I will leave you in peace: are the dates I put down still right, and is there anything on there you want me to price differently?

Thanks,
Dave

5. Day five, the one that adds something

Subject: One thing I should have mentioned

Hi Sarah,

I should have said this on the quote. The lead time on the units is about three weeks at the moment, so if you did want it finished before the end of September we would need to get the order in by Friday week.

No pressure either way. Do you want me to pencil that in provisionally?

Dave

6. Day twelve, the polite close

Subject: Closing this one off

Hi Sarah,

I have not heard back so I will assume the timing is not right, and I will stop filling your inbox.

The quote stands for another month if anything changes. If you have gone with someone else that is genuinely fine, and I would still appreciate knowing what tipped it, because it helps me quote better next time.

All the best,
Dave

WhatsApp templates

7. When WhatsApp is already how you talk

Hi Sarah, quote is with you. Want me to hold the week of the 8th, or is that too soon?

8. When they replied once and then went quiet

Hi Sarah, you mentioned checking with Mark. Did he have any thoughts? Happy to answer anything he raised.

Only message people on WhatsApp who have already messaged you or clearly agreed to it. Sending quotes and chasers to cold numbers is a fast way to get your number restricted.

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The timing, in one place

Day 0: send the quote, and say in the covering message when you will follow up
Day 2: short nudge, one question, no pressure
Day 5: add something they did not know, such as lead times, availability or a cheaper option
Day 12: polite close, leave the door open, ask what tipped it if they went elsewhere
Then stop. Put a reminder in for three months if the job is the sort that comes back around

Ask yourself

Is this already costing you work?

You know there are quotes from last month you never chased
You chase when it is quiet, and forget entirely when you are busy
You have no list of quotes out, only a memory and some emails
Customers tell you months later that they went with someone who "kept in touch"

All four have the same fix: the chase goes out on a set schedule, in your own words, whether or not anyone remembers.

Making the chase happen when you are busy

Copying the wording is the easy half. The hard half is that quotes need chasing exactly when you are on a job with your phone in the van. That is why most owners set the sequence up once: the quote goes out, and the day two, day five and day twelve messages send themselves unless the customer replies, in which case the sequence stops.

It is the same principle as replying quickly in the first place. If you want the numbers behind that, the lead response calculator works out what your own quiet quotes are worth using your figures, not made-up averages.

Want to see it running?

GoHighLevel is the tool we use for all of this in our own business. You can try everything on the 14-day free trial and judge it on results.

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Common questions

How many times should I chase a quote?

Three, spread over about two weeks, then stop. One chase is not enough to catch someone who was simply busy, and a fourth and fifth start to annoy the people you most want to work for. If the job is seasonal, put a note in your diary to ask again in three months.

Does chasing make me look desperate?

Not if the message is short and gives them an easy way to say no. What reads as desperate is a long message that repeats the price and asks them to reconsider. What reads as professional is one question, no pressure, and a clear exit.

Should I drop the price to win a quiet quote?

Not as your opening move. Silence usually means busy, not too expensive, and cutting the price teaches customers that your first number is negotiable. Ask a question first. If they do come back and say it was price, you can offer a smaller scope rather than the same job for less.

Text or email for chasing quotes?

Text for anything under a few thousand pounds and for trades, salons and mobile services, because it gets read within minutes. Email for larger jobs, anything a customer needs to forward to a partner or a finance person, and any quote that has attachments they will want to reread.

What if they say they went with someone else?

Thank them and ask what decided it. Most people answer honestly, and the answer is usually availability or a detail you did not explain, not price. That one question, asked every time, is the cheapest market research a small business can get.