Quote follow-up email templates (and when to send them)

When and how should you follow up on a quote?

An unanswered quote is not a lost job. The customer may be waiting on two other quotes, need to check with a partner, a landlord or a management company, or may not understand a line and feel awkward asking. A well-written follow-up removes those blockers; a pushy one makes them worse.

This page is a toolkit: every template has a “Copy” button. For winning more enquiries in the first place, see our tradesperson website guide; for the quote itself, our guide on how to write a quote.

What follow-up schedule works?

The right pace depends on the value and urgency of the job. A leaking pipe is decided in a day; a fitted kitchen takes weeks. This schedule suits most quotes from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds or euros:

For urgent call-outs, compress everything: a phone call the next day usually does it. For big projects, space things out and make the second follow-up a call; five minutes on the phone clears up more than three emails.

• Log the date each quote was sent and the date it expires
• Set the first reminder the day you send it
• Three follow-ups at most, then close
• One message, one question
• Record why each lost quote was lost

Quote or estimate: why the wording matters

In the UK, Citizens Advice explains the difference customers are told about: a quote (or “quotation”, “fixed estimate”) is “a promise to do work at an agreed price”, while an estimate is the trader’s best guess. With a quote, rising material costs after you sent it do not, on their own, justify charging more. Extra work the customer agrees to, or an obvious pricing mistake, are the exceptions.

That has two consequences for your follow-ups:

• State how long the quote stands. “This quote is valid for 30 days” protects you if material prices move, and gives you an honest reason to get back in touch before the date.
• Call it what it is. If you cannot fix the price, call it an estimate and explain what could change it.

Quote follow-up email templates

1. First follow-up (day 3): did it arrive?

Subject: Your quote for [job] – any questions?

Hi [First name],

Just checking the quote I sent on [date] for [job] reached you; I have attached it again here.

If anything is unclear or you would like to change something, I am happy to help. It is often quickest to talk it through on the phone: [phone].

Thanks,
[Name]
[Business] · [phone]

2. Second follow-up (day 10): offer an option

Subject: [Job]: another option you might like

Hi [First name],

Looking at your [job] again, there is another way we could do it: [option – different material, two phases, alternative model]. That would bring the total to [amount], with [what changes].

I can send a revised quote today if that would help.

Best wishes,
[Name], [Business]

3. Before the quote expires

Subject: Your quote [number] stands until [date]

Hi [First name],

A quick practical note: the price for [job] is fixed until [date]. After that I would need to recheck material costs before confirming it.

If you would like to pencil in a date, I currently have availability from [date].

[Name], [Business] · [phone]

4. Final follow-up: close the file

Subject: Shall I close the file on your [job]?

Hi [First name],

I have not heard back, so I imagine the job is on hold or you have gone with someone else, which is completely fine.

I will close the file on my side. If you have a moment, it would really help to know why: price, timing or something else? And if the project comes back to life, I would be glad to hear from you.

All the best,
[Name], [Business]

5. After a site visit

Subject: Following my visit on [date] – your quote

Hi [First name],

Thanks for showing me round on [date]. As promised, the quote for [job] is attached; it takes into account [issue spotted on site].

Could we have a quick call on [Thursday] evening to go through any questions?

[Name], [Business] · [phone]

6. Quote accepted: confirm and reassure

Subject: Thank you – your [job] is booked in

Hi [First name],

Thank you for accepting the quote. We are booked in from [date] to [date]. Here is what happens next: [key steps, access, deposit if any].

Any questions before then, call me on [phone].

[Name], [Business]

Follow-up examples by trade

7. Builder or bathroom fitter

Subject: Your bathroom – photos of a similar job

Hi [First name],

To help you picture it, here are a few photos of a bathroom we refitted last month in [area], with the same layout as yours. Your quote from [date] stands until [date].

Happy to put you in touch with that customer if you would like a reference.

[Name], [Business]

8. Garage

Subject: Your [model] – quote for [repair]

Hi [First name],

Following up on the quote for [repair] on your [model]. The parts are in stock with our supplier this week, so we could book you in from [date].

As mentioned, [safety item] is worth sorting soon. Any questions, call me on [phone].

[Name], [Garage]

9. Caterer or events

Subject: Your [wedding / event] on [date] – menu and availability

Hi [First name],

Hope the planning is going well! We have had another enquiry for [date], so I wanted to let you know I can hold the date for you until [date] if the quote works for you.

If you would like to try a few dishes first, we are running a tasting on [date].

[Name], [Business]

10. Beauty salon (course of treatments)

Subject: Your treatment plan – shall we book the first session?

Hi [First name],

Following our chat, I sent over the details of the [number]-session [treatment] plan. If you like, we can start with one session so you can see how it suits you before committing to the rest.

My next free slots: [times].

[Name], [Salon]

Only mention another enquiry or limited availability if it is true. Inventing urgency to rush a decision is misleading, and customers who spot it do not come back.

What if the customer never replies?

After three follow-ups, stop. You have done your part, and pushing further harms your reputation. Then:

• Mark the quote as “lost – no reply” with the date.
• Review lost quotes every quarter: if they are all lost on price, look at your pricing or how you present it; if they are lost without a reply, your follow-ups are probably too late.
• Do not add them to your newsletter without their agreement.
• Stay on good terms: someone who did not book this time may come back or recommend you.

Many people choose a tradesperson on the strength of their Google reviews. When a job is finished, ask for one: our guide to Google reviews for tradespeople and our review request email templates are built for exactly that.

Email or phone: which works better?

Use both. Email leaves a record, carries the quote and lets the customer reply when it suits them; a phone call clears doubts in minutes. A pattern that works: email on day 3, a call around day 10 (followed by a short email summarising it), and a closing email.

Before you call, have three things ready: the quote number in front of you, an open question (“what did you think?”) and a concrete next step (a date, an alternative).

How do you stop forgetting to follow up?

The problem is rarely willingness; it is time. When you are on site all day, quotes you have sent slip down the list. A few simple fixes:

• A three-column list (sent, followed up, won/lost) in a notebook or spreadsheet, checked every Monday morning.
• Phone calendar reminders set the moment you send the quote: day 3 and day 10.
• One place for every enquiry and its status. With a Voxtya website, quote requests arrive by email and in your account, where you track each one (contacted, quote sent, won or lost) with your notes.

Better-qualified enquiries make follow-ups easier too: when the form asks for the type of job, budget and timing, you know from the start who you are dealing with. See the Voxtya website and the website + quote requests trial.

Follow-up mistakes to avoid

• Following up too late: after three weeks, many customers have already booked someone else.
• Chasing every other day: it feels like pressure.
• Cutting the price unprompted: it makes the first quote look padded. Offer a variation that changes the scope instead.
• A generic message with no name or job reference.
• Forgetting the attachment: the customer should be able to reply without searching.
• Fake deadlines (“price only valid today”): misleading, and bad for your reputation.

Working in France or for French-speaking customers? The same schedule works there; French rules also require a detailed written quote before repair and maintenance work in the home, including its validity period. Our French page covers the details.

The steps at a glance

Steps to follow up on an unanswered quote on a sensible schedule.

1. Log the dates. Note when the quote was sent and when it expires.
2. First follow-up on day 3. Check it arrived, reattach the quote, offer a call.
3. Second follow-up around day 10. Add something new: an option, a start date, photos of a similar job.
4. Reminder before it expires. Give the expiry date and your next availability.
5. Final follow-up. Close the file politely and ask what was missing.
6. Review lost quotes. Every quarter, look at why quotes were lost.

This guide for your trade

• Builders and tradespeople
• Garage
• Beauty salon
• Caterer and food

Go further

• Tradesperson website: the guide
• More Google reviews for tradespeople
• Voxtya for tradespeople
• Websites for garages
• How to get more Google reviews as a tradesperson
• GDPR for small businesses