Most quotes are not rejected. They just sit there. The customer reads it in the truck, thinks “I’ll come back to that”, and never does. This page covers when to follow up, what to actually write, and why the third message is usually the one that gets an answer.
When should you follow up on a quote?
Send the first message on day 3, the second on day 7 and the last one on day 14. Day 3 is early enough that the job is still fresh and late enough that you do not look anxious. After day 14 you stop: by then the quote has expired or the customer is gone. Three touches, three different angles.
That rhythm is convention, not law. Jobber suggests 2 to 3 days for the first touch and stopping after two attempts. What is worth knowing is the number in that same article: home service pro Daniel Dixon estimates it can cost up to $250 to get someone to call, and $400 to $500 per quote once you count a salesperson’s time. You have already spent that money before you send anything. One message is a poor way to protect it.
Why day 3 and not the next morning
A quote of a few thousand dollars is rarely decided alone. The customer wants to show it to a partner, a business partner, or put it next to a second bid. Call the next morning and you force an answer before that conversation has happened — and the easiest answer to a question that comes too early is “we’ll let you know”.
Three days is roughly how long that internal conversation takes. You are then not calling to ask whether they have decided. You are calling because there is still an open item.
What to write in message 1, 2 and 3
The mistake most contractors make is that all three messages say the same thing: “just checking you got the estimate.” That is the same question three times, and it gets the same answer three times. Each message needs its own reason to exist.
- Day 3 — one open item. Not “did you read it”, but one concrete question that comes out of the quote itself. “I priced the drip edge along the full length — do you want the side included, or leave that as is?” That is a question the customer can answer without saying yes or no to the whole job.
- Day 7 — the schedule. You give information instead of asking for it. “I have two days open at the end of the month; after that I’m booked into the fall.” No pressure, but a reason to decide now.
- Day 14 — the last message. Explicitly the last one. “I haven’t heard back, so I’ll assume this one isn’t going ahead. If that’s wrong, let me know — the quote is valid through [date].” This message gets an answer surprisingly often, precisely because it takes the pressure off.
What not to do
- Apologising for following up. “Sorry to bother you again” teaches the customer that hearing from you is an imposition. You priced work and wrote it down; checking in is part of the job.
- Discounting on the second message. That teaches the customer that waiting saves money. If you want to move something, shrink the scope or split it into phases — not the price.
- Stopping after one attempt. One message and then silence is the most common way a quote dies.
- Doing all of it by email. A text on day 3 gets read; an email on day 3 lands in the pile. Alternate.
How Quofo handles this
Every Quofo package includes twelve ready-made follow-up messages for day 3, day 7 and day 14 — each in a text version and an email version. Every one takes a different angle: it arrived and was read, one open item, something you forgot to add, a slot in the schedule, the direct question, smaller or in phases, a practical question about starting, five minutes on the phone, the quote is expiring, the last message, what tipped it, and coming back in a few months.
On top of that there is a set of six messages per trade, written in that trade’s language, for day 3, 7, 10 and 14. Twelve trade editions: roofing and roof coating, painting, landscaping, HVAC and installation, cleaning, plastering, facade and pointing work, electrical, plumbing and heating, moving, photography, carpentry and interior fit-out.
There is not a single dollar figure in those messages, the same way there is no number in the quote that you did not put there. Why we built it that way, with the research behind it.
Complete and Pro also include the follow-up automation: it fires on day 3, 7 or 14 without you having to remember. Day 10 from the trade editions you send by hand. You pay once and there is no account — here is how that compares to the subscription tools.
Frequently asked questions
How many times can you follow up on a quote without being pushy?
Three times over two weeks is normal and rarely reads as pushy, as long as each message has its own reason. What makes you pushy is not the number of messages but asking the same question three times. After the third message you stop, and you can come back once a few months later.
Should you call or email to follow up on an estimate?
Text or call on day 3, email on day 7 and 14. A short text almost always gets read and feels lighter than a phone call. Save email for the moment you are putting something on record, such as a revised expiry date or a changed scope of work.
What do you write when a customer is not responding to a quote?
Not a repeat of the question, but new information: an open item from the quote, a slot in your schedule, or something you forgot to add. Close with one concrete question that can be answered in a sentence. Avoid “just checking you got it.”
When do you give up on a quote?
After the third message on day 14. Say explicitly that this is your last message and that you will assume it is not going ahead. That costs nothing and often gets a reply anyway. Then put the customer in your calendar to come back once in three to six months.
Can quote follow-up be automated?
Yes. The Complete and Pro packages include follow-up automation that fires on day 3, 7 or 14. Automate the sending, not the writing. A message that is visibly machine-written works against you with a customer who has already met you in person.
Try it yourself
The free Photo to Quote prompt shows you the quote this follow-up sequence belongs to. No account, no email address.
Try the free prompt See the packages
More on quoting
- Writing quotes with ChatGPT: what works and what you still do yourself
- Quoting without a subscription: what it costs once
- Why Quofo never invents a price for you
Sources
Follow-up timing and the cost-per-quote figures: Jobber — How to follow up on a quote, which attributes the $250 lead cost and the $400 to $500 per quote to home service pro Daniel Dixon as his own business estimates, not as industry data. Consulted 3 September 2026. We are not aware of any controlled study on acceptance rates per follow-up moment, so treat any page that hands you a percentage — including this one — with care. The message counts (twelve in the base package, six per trade edition) were counted in the actual package files.