How to follow up on a quote with no response

You sent a quote, then heard nothing. Silence does not necessarily mean the customer chose a competitor. They may be waiting for approval, comparing proposals, sitting on a question or simply short of time. A useful follow-up does more than repeatedly ask whether they have made a decision. It helps them take the next step, even when the answer is no.

Table of contents

Why has the customer not replied to your quote?

Before writing, separate what you know from what you assume. The quote may have arrived but not yet been reviewed. In a business where several people approve purchases, your contact may need to forward it to a colleague or secure a budget. They may also be comparing suppliers, or need clarification on scope, pricing, delivery times or billing terms.

Each situation needs a different response. A customer waiting for internal approval does not need another sales pitch. They may need to know how long your offer remains available, or want a document that is easy to share. Someone unsure about the scope may want clarification or an alternative. If the purchase has been postponed, agree when to reconnect instead of sending more messages.

Check the basics first: did you send the quote to the right address? Are the contact’s name and details correct? Does the document open properly? Are the figures, services, terms and expiry date consistent? Correct any error before following up.

Keep pending quotes separate from billing matters. Here, your business is seeking a commercial response, not requesting payment. A template written for overdue invoices sets the wrong tone. If the prospect wants to understand billing before committing, explain the deposit, proposed payment schedule or included services, according to what your business actually offers.

How long should you wait before following up?

No single waiting period works for every quote. Timing depends on the complexity of the proposal, the customer’s decision process and the schedule you agreed together. If your contact said they would get back to you after a meeting or budget review, respect that milestone. Take the quote’s validity period into account without turning its expiry into artificial pressure.

If you have no agreed schedule, give the recipient a reasonable amount of time to read and share the offer. A few working days may be enough for a straightforward service and an urgent request. A purchase involving several decision-makers, a large commitment or a tender needs a different approach. Following up too soon can suggest that you do not understand their process.

The easiest approach is to agree the next step when sending the quote: “Would you like us to discuss it next Thursday?” That gives both parties a reference point. Otherwise, choose a proportionate interval and adjust it to the customer’s response.

An example sequence for a straightforward service

Use this as a working example to adapt, rather than a schedule to impose on every customer:

1. After three to five working days, an initial follow-up can confirm receipt and offer specific help.
2. The following week, another contact may be useful if you have clarification to provide, an option to discuss or a deadline to prepare for.
3. If those contacts go unanswered, a final follow-up can ask whether to pause the conversation.

If the prospect has told you their purchasing committee meets in three weeks, this example no longer fits. Following up after that meeting will be more relevant. Record the commitment in your CRM so that the sequence follows their timetable.

Should you use email, phone or a letter?

Email is often the best starting point. It keeps a written record, lets the customer reply when convenient and makes forwarding the quote easy. Reuse the subject of the original email or the quote reference so that your message is recognisable. Avoid a bare “Just following up” without anything useful to add.

A phone call can clarify a complex requirement or an issue holding up a decision. If you have already spoken to the customer, pick up on the unanswered questions instead of restarting your pitch. The aim is to understand what is missing: an explanation, another option, a different timeframe or a conversation with another person. If they do not answer, leave a short message and continue the thread in writing.

A postal letter mainly makes sense when the situation requires it: a formal process, a contact who prefers that channel or a file that needs paper correspondence. For most sales follow-ups, it slows down the conversation without adding much value.

How to write a polite, professional follow-up

A good message can be brief. Remind the recipient of the context, give a reason to reconnect and suggest an easy next step. Personalisation means more than inserting a first name: refer to something real about the requirement, the proposal or your conversation.

You can use this structure:

1. mention when you sent the quote and what it covers;
2. check that the document arrived;
3. offer practical help or ask a specific question;
4. make it easy to say that the purchase is postponed or no longer going ahead.

Avoid guilt-inducing wording, invented urgency and vague questions such as “Where are we with this?” Your follow-up should make replying easier, rather than make silence uncomfortable.

Email templates for following up on a quote

A first follow-up email

Subject: Your quote [reference] for [service]

Hello [First name],

I’m getting in touch about quote [reference], sent on [date] for [brief description of the requirement]. Have you had a chance to review it?

I can clarify [specific part of the quote] or go through the scope with you if anything has changed. If your timetable has changed, let me know and we can agree a more suitable time to reconnect.

Kind regards,

[Signature]

A follow-up with useful information

Subject: A clarification on quote [reference]

Hello [First name],

Following our conversation, I wanted to clarify [service, delivery time or option]. [Add the specific information here in one or two sentences.]

Does that answer your question? If it would help, we can also have a short call to check that the proposal still matches your needs.

Best wishes,

[Signature]

A final message to close the loop

Subject: Should I close the follow-up on quote [reference]?

Hello [First name],

I haven’t heard back about quote [reference]. To avoid following up unnecessarily, could you let me know whether the requirement is still current, postponed or no longer going ahead?

A few words either way will help me adjust our follow-up. If the subject comes up again later, you are welcome to get in touch.

Kind regards,

[Signature]

Adapt these templates rather than sending them unchanged. Replace the bracketed fields, remove sentences that do not fit and avoid invented personalisation. A short, accurate message is more useful than a long generic sales pitch.

What should you say on a follow-up call?

You can start simply: “Hello [First name], I’m calling about quote [reference], sent on [date]. I wanted to check that it arrived and ask whether anything needs clarification.”

Let the customer explain their situation. If they are unsure, ask an open, practical question: “What would help you move forward with the decision?” If they are busy, ask when to call back. After the conversation, send a short email if needed to confirm what you agreed and the next step.

How many times should you follow up before stopping?

There is no universal sequence. An initial follow-up, then a reminder with something new to add, may be enough. A final closing message can make sense when the value or importance of the opportunity justifies it and the timetable allows. Repeating the same request at short intervals tires the customer and suggests that you are ignoring their lack of response. If you do not know whether there is still interest, ask directly.

Stop when the customer declines, asks not to be contacted, gives a date to reconnect or says the purchase has been abandoned. For a postponement, record the agreed date instead of creating an automatic chain of messages. If you hear nothing after the closing message, mark the opportunity as unanswered or pending according to your internal process, then move on.

Following up when the prospect hesitates over price

Silence does not prove your price is too high. Before offering a discount, find out what is holding things up. The person who requested the quote may need management approval, a comparison with another option or an explanation of billing.

Ask a concrete question: “Is it the overall budget, the scope or the billing arrangements that need clarification?” Their answer tells you which issue to address. If the budget is confirmed as an obstacle, consider a narrower scope, a phased approach or an option already included in your offer. Only promise what your business can deliver.

Protect the commercial relationship. An immediate price cut does not necessarily improve your chances of closing: the prospect may mainly need to understand what is included. Show the services, limits and next steps. A clear explanation builds more confidence than an improvised discount.

A template before internal approval

Subject: Would a summary help your team?

Hello [First name],

You mentioned presenting our offer to [team or manager]. Would a summary of the services, schedule and billing terms help you prepare that discussion?

If there is an outstanding question, I can also go through it with your team. Let me know what would be most useful.

Kind regards,

[Signature]

How to track quotes in your CRM

Reliable follow-up should not depend on the salesperson’s memory. For each quote, record at least the sending date, expiry, contact name, next planned contact, channel and opportunity status. Add a short note after each conversation: an objection, clarification sent, expected decision or reason for delay.

This prevents duplicate follow-ups when several people work on the same account. It also separates quotes awaiting approval from genuinely lost opportunities. Record objections expressed by customers and prospects rather than inferring their intentions from an email open. A sales opportunity tracking dashboard can make the next steps visible to the team. If you first need to structure contact qualification, a lead scoring template can help, provided you do not confuse a prospect’s score with a decision on a specific quote.

Automation can remind a salesperson that a deadline is approaching. It should not mechanically send identical wording to every customer. Keep the situation at the centre of the message. Our article on marketing automation explains where automation can help.

Where does Web Push fit in the prospect’s journey?

Sales follow-up and visitor retargeting can complement each other. With our Web Push solution, you can re-engage an audience that agreed to receive notifications and offer content related to its interest in your services. After a services page has been viewed, for example, a campaign can invite the relevant subscribers to read answers to common questions or get back in touch.

Our standard retargeting uses the pages visited or elements of their URLs. It does not mean the browser recognises the recipient of a quote or that our solution knows their CRM status. Keep individual follow-up in your sales process, and use push notifications to bring subscribed visitors back to a useful resource. Our page on how to retarget your audience explains the use case.

FAQ: following up on an unanswered quote