Day 3, day 7, day 14: how to follow up a quote

In most firms that quote for a living, nobody decides not to follow up a quote. It just doesn't happen. Whoever priced it is already on the next job. The owner assumes sales is on it. Sales assumes the estimator will hear first if there's a question. Two weeks later, the quote is out of date and the customer has gone quiet.

Here's the rhythm we'd put in place. Three touches, on fixed days, for every quote over a value you choose.

Why it doesn't happen

Three reasons come up again and again:

• Nobody owns it. The quote belongs to whoever wrote it, and they're busy.
• It feels pushy. Nobody likes to nag. A good follow-up doesn't nag; it helps the buyer make a decision.
• There's no list. If the open quotes live in sent folders, nobody can see which ones are waiting.

Fix the list first. A spreadsheet with the quote number, customer, value, date sent and three follow-up dates is enough.

Day 3: did it land?

A short email checking the quote arrived and asking if anything is missing. It's easy to reply to, and it often surfaces the real question: a lead time, a different option, an approval the buyer needs.

Day 7: something useful

Not "any update?". Give the buyer something: a slot you can hold, a cheaper alternative that still does the job, or a question that shows you've thought about it. This is the touch that most often turns into a conversation.

Day 14: a straight question

Is it still live, has it gone elsewhere, or is it on hold? Give them those three answers to choose from. Even a "gone elsewhere" is useful: ask why, and write it down. After enough of those, you'll know whether you lose on price, lead time or something else.

When to stop

After the third touch, stop chasing and set a reminder for when the job is likely to come back round. A quote that went quiet in spring can be live again by autumn, and a short note then is welcome.

Track it by quote number

The point of all this is orders, so every order should be matched to the quote it came from. Without that, you can't tell whether the follow-ups are working, and nobody will keep doing them.