How to follow up on a quote without sounding like a salesman
Most quotes aren't rejected, they're forgotten. A practical guide to chasing customers politely, when to follow up, how often, and what to say. Written for UK tradespeople.
Here's a statistic most tradespeople haven't seen but would find painful if they did: a large share of unaccepted quotes aren't declined. They're forgotten. The customer opened the email, meant to reply that evening, got distracted by dinner, and the quote slipped down the inbox. Three days later your competitor sent theirs, and that's the one sitting on top when the customer finally decides.
The difference between the tradesperson who gets the job and the one who doesn't is, surprisingly often, not price. It's a well-timed reminder.
Why we're all bad at chasing
Most tradespeople hate following up. It feels pushy. It feels like begging. It feels like the kind of thing a double-glazing cold caller does. So the follow-up goes on the list for “later in the week”, and later in the week becomes never.
On top of that, manual chasing is a timing problem. You send the quote Tuesday afternoon, you're on tools Wednesday and Thursday, by Friday night you're knackered and you've forgotten which quotes you were supposed to chase. The ones that do get chased get chased inconsistently, one customer gets poked after three days, another gets a nudge after two weeks, another gets forgotten entirely.
Inconsistency costs money. If the “second-touchpoint conversion rate” is real (it is, roughly; the exact percentage varies by trade but the pattern holds everywhere), then a tradesperson who consistently chases at day 3 and day 7 will book noticeably more work than one who only chases when they remember.
A sensible chase cadence
If you want a rule of thumb that works across plumbing, electrical, building, and every other UK domestic trade, try this:
- Day 0: send the quote, ideally from the customer's driveway before you drive away.
- Day 3: if no reply and no acceptance, a short friendly chase. No urgency, no discount pressure. Something like: “Hi [name], just checking you got the quote I sent Tuesday, any questions give me a shout.”
- Day 7: second chase, slightly more functional. Mention the quote's validity date if it's coming up.
- Day 14: final check-in. If they still haven't replied, you've probably lost it, but an occasional one converts here.
- Expiry: if the quote has a validity date (it should), let it expire quietly. No need to chase a dead quote.
The cadence is deliberate, close enough that you stay in mind, far enough apart that it doesn't feel hounding. And every chase should link back to the same quote, not a new version, not a rewritten pitch. Consistency matters.
What a good chase email looks like
The best chase emails are short, specific, and sound like a real person. Three rules:
- Reference the job, not the quote.“Wanted to check in on the bathroom refit quote I sent Tuesday” beats “following up on my quote”. The job is what the customer cares about.
- No fake urgency. Don't invent a last-minute discount or a “slots filling up fast” line. Customers spot it instantly and it kills your credibility. If your diary genuinely is filling, say that in one honest line.
- Offer to answer questions. Most non-responses aren't rejections, they're confusions. “Happy to walk through any bits that aren't clear” gives the customer a polite way back into the conversation.
Letting software do the chasing for you
Once you've got the cadence and tone right, the manual overhead is the problem. You're not going to check your outstanding-quotes spreadsheet every morning at 9am; you've got a job to do.
This is where automation earns its keep. Auto-chase in QuickPrice does exactly the above: a backend job runs every morning at 09:00 UK time, checks which of your quotes are still unaccepted, and sends a sensibly-timed chase email on your behalf. The email links back to the same client portal the customer already saw, so it reopens the existing conversation rather than starting a new one.
Auto-chase stops automatically when the customer accepts or declines, so you're never annoying someone who's already said yes or no. You can stop chasing any specific quote with one tap from the detail screen, and flip the toggle off before sending if you've already agreed on a next step on the phone.
What to chase, what not to chase
Not every quote wants chasing. Some tactical exceptions:
- Tender-style work. When you know the customer is collecting several quotes to compare formally, an over-eager chase can come across as desperate. Hold back.
- Price-sensitive domestic jobs. If the customer's already said “I need to check with my partner”, give them the weekend before the first chase.
- Jobs you secretly don't want. If a quote went out at a top-of-range figure because you're at capacity, let it sit. No chase needed.
The short version
Follow-up isn't optional. Tradespeople who do it consistently book more work than tradespeople who don't, and the gap isn't closing. The only question is whether you're doing it yourself on a Sunday evening, or letting software do it on a schedule. QuickPrice Pro (£12.99/mo + VAT, 21 days free) includes auto-chase, client portal, and view notifications out of the box. For the trade-specific details see our quoting software for trades hub.