Proposals

When to follow up on a quote

Follow up on a quote two working days after the customer opens it, or three to five days after sending if it has not been opened, then again a few days before the quote expires and once the day after. Tie every follow up to the quote's validity date, so each message has a reason and the last one has a deadline.

Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder

5 min read · Published 13 October 2026

Follow up on a quote two working days after the customer opens it. If it has not been opened, check it arrived three to five days after you sent it. Then follow up again at the midpoint of the quote’s validity, a few days before it expires, and once the day after it lapses. That is four or five touches over two to four weeks, each with a reason.

The timing matters more than the wording. A follow up sent while the customer is still deciding helps them decide; one sent a fortnight later reminds them they already chose someone else. What to say at each point is covered in how to follow up on a quote; this article is about when.

Read the open before you call

The most useful fact about a quote you have sent is whether it has been opened. A quote sent as a PDF attachment tells you nothing. A quote sent as a link can tell you when it was opened and for how long it was viewed.

In OneCraft, each recipient gets their own tracked link, the owner is notified the first time each link opens, and the activity page shows every open and the total viewing time. An open counts once per link per half hour, and viewing time accumulates in 15 second heartbeats while the quote is on screen, so a number like “opened three times, six minutes viewed” means real reading. The proposal view tracking page covers how that works.

Use the signal this way:

Opened within a day, long view: they are interested and probably comparing. Follow up two working days after the open with a specific question.
Opened, short view: they looked at the price and left. Follow up sooner, and ask what would make the scope fit their budget.
Opened several times over days: they are discussing it with someone. Offer to talk to the other decision maker.
Not opened after three to five days: resend, check the address, or call.

Tie it to the validity date

Every quote should have a valid until date, and the follow up schedule should hang off it. A date gives the customer a reason to decide and gives you a reason to get in touch that is not “just checking in”.

The 18 proposal and quote templates counted for this article use three validity lengths. Fourteen days for quick jobs where prices move or the calendar fills fast: catering, coaching, printing, repairs, trades call-outs, tutoring and celebrant services. Twenty one days for events, landscaping and photo or video shoots. Thirty days for larger engagements: bookkeeping, cleaning contracts, construction, consulting, interior design, marketing retainers, software and web design.

The table above maps a follow up schedule onto each length. The pattern is the same: one touch after the open, one at the midpoint, one before expiry and one after.

When a OneCraft quote passes its valid until date unaccepted, a daily check moves it to expired and the customer can no longer accept it. The customer sees that it lapsed and is asked to contact you. That makes the reminder before expiry honest: the price really does stop holding. See proposal validity period for choosing the length.

What to say at each point

Keep each message short and give it a job.

After the open. Ask one question that moves the decision: “Did you want the safety switch upgrade left in, or should I take it out to keep it under budget?” A question about an optional item is easy to answer and turns the conversation toward which version, not whether.

At the midpoint. Bring something new. A start date that is filling up, a supplier price that is about to change, a detail from the site visit you forgot to mention. If there is nothing new, skip this touch.

Before expiry. State the date plainly: “The quote holds until Friday the 24th. After that I will need to recheck material prices.” Three working days ahead is enough on a 14 day quote; five on a 30 day one.

After expiry. One line, no pressure: the quote has lapsed, and you are happy to requote if the job is still on. Then stop.

When to stop

Stop after the expiry note unless the customer replies. More messages after that tend to damage the relationship more than they recover the job. Put the lead in a list to contact in three or six months if the work is seasonal, such as landscaping before spring or catering before the end of year.

Stop earlier if the customer says no. Ask one question, what tipped the decision, and record the answer. Over a season, those answers show whether you lose on price, timing or scope.

Rules for follow up emails

A follow up to a quote the customer requested is a business conversation. Once your messages start promoting other services or offers, they become commercial electronic messages under the Spam Act 2003. ACMA’s guidance on avoiding spam says those need consent, must identify the sender and must make it easy to unsubscribe. The simple rule: follow up on the quote they asked for, and keep marketing for people who opted in.

The schedule on a real quote

Brightwater Electrical sends the Nakamura family a kitchen rewiring quote on Monday the 3rd, valid for 14 days. It is opened Tuesday evening and viewed for four minutes. On Thursday the 6th, two working days after the open, Brightwater calls and asks whether the optional safety switch upgrade should stay in. The family wants to check with their builder. On Monday the 10th, the midpoint, Brightwater emails that the electrician’s calendar has one week free later in the month. On Friday the 14th, three days before expiry, an email states the quote holds until Monday the 17th. The family accepts on Saturday.

A quote like this one is laid out in the quotation example, and how a quote should be written in the first place is in how to write a quote.

A follow up schedule for the three validity lengths the 18 OneCraft quote and proposal templates use (14 days on 7 templates, 21 on 3, 30 on 8). Days count from the day the quote is sent. The schedule is a recommendation, not product behaviour.
Touch	Valid 14 days	Valid 21 days	Valid 30 days	Reason to get in touch
Send	Day 0	Day 0	Day 0	Quote, valid until date and one line on the next step
Opened: first follow up	Day 2 after the open	Day 2 after the open	Day 3 after the open	Answer the question they have not asked
Not opened: resend	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Check it arrived; resend the link
Midpoint	Day 7	Day 10	Day 14	Something new: a start date, a material price, a site detail
Before expiry	Day 11	Day 17	Day 25	The date the price holds to
After expiry	Day 15	Day 22	Day 31	Last note; offer to requote

A finished example

A quotation template should give the price line by line, say what is and is not included, how long it stays valid and when each payment falls due. This one is filled in for Copperfield Bathrooms, quoting Alana Reid $34,780 including GST for a full bathroom renovation at 14 Selwyn Street, Hawthorn. Eight trades are priced as separate lines, the fixtures and fittings are a $7,350 prime cost allowance, the job runs four weeks from Monday 5 October 2026, and the payment schedule takes 5 per cent on acceptance, 50 per cent when tiling is done and 45 per cent at practical completion.

Read the quotation template priced trade by trade

Questions people ask

How soon is too soon to follow up on a quote?

The same day, unless the customer asked for a call. Give them at least one working day to read it and talk to whoever else decides. If you can see the quote was opened, two working days after that open is a good first follow up, because they have read it but the decision has not yet gone cold.

How many times should I follow up?

Three or four times across the life of the quote is plenty: once after it is opened, once at the midpoint, once before it expires and a final note after. Each one should carry something new or a reason, such as the start date filling up. After the quote expires, stop unless they reply.

Should I call or email?

Call for the first follow up on larger jobs, because a two minute conversation surfaces the real objection faster than an email thread. Email works for the reminder before expiry, since it gives the customer the date in writing. For small jobs, a short email or text is enough at every point.

What if the customer never opens the quote?

Resend it after three to five days and check the email address. Quotes land in spam folders, go to a shared inbox or reach the wrong person. A short message asking whether it arrived is not pushy. If two sends go unopened, call, or treat the lead as lost and move on.

Do follow up emails have to include an unsubscribe link?

A message following up a quote the customer asked for is generally a factual business message rather than marketing. ACMA's guidance is that commercial marketing messages need consent, must identify the sender and must offer an easy way to unsubscribe. Once your follow ups promote other services, treat them as marketing and follow those rules.

What do I do when the quote expires?

Send one last note the day after: the quote has lapsed, prices held until that date, and you are happy to requote. Then stop. An expired quote should not be accepted at old prices, and a fresh one lets you update materials and dates. A requote often restarts a stalled decision.

Written by

Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder

Works across the builders and the export paths: how a form becomes a PDF, how a flyer canvas becomes a print file, and how a signed document carries its audit trail.

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Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked 13 October 2026.

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