Free templates
Quote follow-up email templates
Three emails to send after a quote: on day 3, day 7 and day 14. Copy them, fill in the brackets, and send. Versions for trades, engineering firms and clinics are below, and the tracker comes free by email.
The three emails
Day 3, day 7, day 14
Day 3: did it land?
Subject: Quote [number] for [job]: anything to check?
Hi [first name],
I sent our quote for [the job] on [date]. Is there anything in it you'd like me to go through, or anything missing?
If it helps, I can call for ten minutes this week.
[Your name]
Day 7: something useful
Subject: Re: Quote [number] for [job]
Hi [first name],
One thing that might help: we can hold [a start date, an install slot, a delivery week] for you until [date]. If budget is the sticking point, [the cheaper option] would bring the price down and still [do the main job].
Happy to talk it through.
[Your name]
Day 14: a straight question
Subject: Re: Quote [number] for [job]
Hi [first name],
So I can keep our diary straight, where are you with [the job]? A one-word reply is fine:
1. Still deciding
2. Gone with someone else
3. On hold for now
If it's 2, I'd be grateful to know why. It helps us quote better next time.
[Your name]
By trade
The day 7 email, three ways
For trades
Subject: Re: Your quote for the [kitchen, rewire, roof] at [street]
Hi [first name],
We've had a gap open up in [week]. If you'd like it, we can hold it for you until [day]. And if the price is the worry, [using a different material, doing it in two stages] would bring it down.
[Your name], [phone]
For engineering and industrial firms
Subject: Re: Quote [number], [project]: lead time and options
Hi [first name],
Our lead time on this is currently [x] weeks from order, so an order by [date] would meet [their date]. If [the spec item] is flexible, [the alternative] would cut [cost or lead time].
Happy to go through it with your team.
[Your name]
For clinics and coaches
Subject: Your [treatment plan, programme] from [business]
Hi [first name],
If it would help to talk it through before deciding, [name] has a free ten-minute call on [day]. Just reply with a time that suits.
[Your name]
By phone
When to phone instead
Phone when the quote is a large one for you, when the buyer has called you before, or when the day 3 email gets no reply at all. Keep it short and give them an easy way out:
"Hi [first name], it's [your name] from [firm]. I'm calling about the quote for [job] we sent on [date]. Have you had a chance to look at it? ... Is there anything you'd like changed, or anything you need from us to decide? ... No problem. When would be a good time to check back?"
Tips
Five rules that keep replies coming
- Put the quote number in the subject, and reply in the same thread.
- Send from a named person whose replies are read the same day.
- Every email asks a question or offers something useful. Never "just checking in".
- Offer a different option before a lower price.
- Stop after three touches, and note when the job might come back round.
The full guide, with business and homeowner differences and the common mistakes: how to follow up a quote.
The tracker
Get the free tracker
A spreadsheet for every open quote: quote number, customer, value, the three follow-up dates, the reply and the outcome. We'll email it with the three emails.
Done for you
Want us to send them for you?
Lost Quote Recovery takes every stalled quote from the last 12 months, writes three follow-ups for each in your voice, and gets them all sent within 14 days of getting your list. The fee is a share of the gross profit on orders that come back. No orders, no fee.