Following up
A quote sent without a follow-up date has a very low chance of being signed, whatever its quality.
In short
Quote follow-up is set up when you send it, not afterwards: say that you will call, and give the date. That sentence changes the nature of the call that follows, because you are no longer chasing, you are keeping a commitment made in front of the client. The first call comes three to five working days after sending.
When handing over the quote, say: « I'll call you Thursday so we can go through it, does that work? » The client almost always agrees, because it is a reasonable proposal and it saves them from having to come back to you.
Thursday's call is then no longer a sales chase, it is an agreed appointment. The difference is considerable on both sides: you do not have to apologise for calling, and they do not have to justify not replying.
Do not ask whether the quote arrived: the answer is always yes and it leads nowhere. Do not ask « so, what do you think », which invites an overall judgement that is rarely favourable.
Ask about one specific point in the quote: an option, a lead time, a line item. That question assumes the document was read, it is easy to deal with, and it surfaces the real subject, which is almost always somewhere other than where you were looking.
Three causes cover most cases: the budget is not approved, another priority went ahead of it, or your contact is not the decision maker and will not say so. None of the three is solved by resending the quote.
All three are solved by asking directly, without circling: « what would you need to move this forward? » Frankness is received far better than polite insistence, and it saves you weeks.
To adapt, keeping them short.
When you were not able to announce a call-back date on sending.
Objet : A question about quote [reference]
Hello [first name],
One question about the proposal sent [day]: would you like me to detail [option / specific line], or is it clear as it stands?
Happy to call for five minutes if that's easier, just say.
The message that gets the most replies, because it asks for nothing.
Objet : Closing file [reference]
Hello [first name],
With no reply from your side I'll file proposal [reference]: clearly not the right moment, and I'd rather not keep chasing you.
The quote stands until [date] if things change, and you have my number.
All the best.
Once is enough. Resending it every time suggests you doubt it arrived, which is mildly patronising.
A genuine validity date, tied to your costs or your schedule, is legitimate and understood. A date invented to apply pressure is spotted and damages the relationship.
Ask compared with what. In half of cases the comparison is against a different scope, which is resolved by spelling out what your quote includes and the other does not.
Lea CRM keeps your contacts, deals and reminders in one place, and shows you every morning what needs doing today.
