Why quotes go quiet
A customer asks three people to quote. The quotes arrive over a week. By the time the last one lands they've half-forgotten the first, they're not sure which one included the making good, and life has got in the way. Nobody's said no to you. They just haven't said yes to anyone.
Following up isn't nagging. It's the thing that turns 'we must get back to them' into a booked job, and it's the step most trades skip because it feels awkward.
Send the quote fast, then wait a day
The follow-up starts with the quote itself. A quote sent the same day as the visit is read properly; one sent four days later is read for the price. Send it, and then leave it a full day. Chasing within hours reads as desperate.
The first follow-up: a question, not a push
Two or three days after sending, ask one easy question. Not "have you decided?" but "is there anything on the quote you'd like me to explain?" It gives them a reason to reply that isn't yes or no, and it's often where you find out the real sticking point: the start date, the deposit, or a line they didn't understand.
Hi Mrs Hughes, just checking the quote for the shower reached you alright. If there's anything on it you'd like me to explain or change, give me a shout. Dean.
If you know when it was opened, use that
The single most useful thing to know is whether they've read it. Opened last night and nothing back by the afternoon is the perfect moment for a short call: it's fresh in their mind, you're the one who bothered, and the one question they have gets answered there and then. Not opened after three days means it's sitting in junk or under a pile, and a text saying 'sent the quote on Tuesday, let me know if it hasn't come through' is the right move.
Apps that send the quote as a link can tell you this. If yours doesn't, ask in the first follow-up whether it arrived.
The second: a week on, with a reason
A week after the quote, follow up once more, with something useful: your availability, a note about lead times on a part, or simply that you're planning the next few weeks and wanted to know whether to pencil them in. The reason gives the message a point beyond 'well?'
Hi Mrs Hughes, I'm sorting the diary for the next few weeks and wanted to check whether you'd like me to pencil the shower in. No problem at all if you've gone another way, just let me know. Dean.
The third, and then stop
Around two weeks on, one last message: a plain, friendly close that leaves the door open. After that, stop. Three follow-ups is plenty; a fourth costs you goodwill and the ones that were going to come back already have. A customer who gets a graceful last message will come back next year. One who got six won't.
Hi Mrs Hughes, last one from me on the shower quote. If it's not the right time, no worries at all; the quote stands for 30 days and you can come back whenever suits. Dean.
Make the yes easy
The best follow-up is a quote that's easy to say yes to in the first place.
- Let them accept on the quote itself, on their phone, rather than having to ring you.
- Put the deposit on it so saying yes and paying the deposit is one step.
- Keep the options as lines they can tick, not a second quote to compare.
- Say when you can start. 'We could do the week of the 23rd' turns a maybe into a date.