Quoting & winning work
How to Follow Up on a Quote Without Being Pushy
Sent a quote and heard nothing? Learn when and how to follow up politely, with copy-and-paste messages for UK sole traders and tradespeople.
By Sole Trader Pal · 2026-09-01 · 4 min read
You price the job, send the quote and then hear absolutely nothing.
It happens to almost every sole trader.
The awkward part is deciding what to do next. Follow up too quickly and you worry about sounding desperate. Leave it too long and the customer may assume you’re too busy, forget about the job or choose somebody else.
Following up doesn’t need to feel like chasing.
A good follow-up is simply a friendly reminder that makes it easy for the customer to ask a question or tell you what they want to do next.
If the document itself needs tightening first, start with our guide to writing a professional quote for a job.
How long should you wait before following up a quote?
There isn’t one perfect timetable for every business, but a simple approach is:
- After 3–4 days: a light check-in if you haven’t heard anything.
- Around 7 days: a more direct but still friendly follow-up.
- Around 10–14 days: a final check before you stop actively chasing.
For urgent jobs or quotes where the customer has already told you they need the work quickly, following up sooner can make sense.
For larger jobs where several people may be involved in the decision, giving the customer more time may be appropriate.
The important thing is consistency.
A quote shouldn’t disappear simply because you became busy with the next job.
What should you actually say?
Keep it short.
You don’t need to resell the whole job or ask why the customer hasn’t responded.
Try something like this:
First follow-up
Hi [Name], just checking you received the quote I sent over for [job]. No rush — give me a shout if you’ve got any questions. Cheers, [Name]
After about a week
Hi [Name], just following up on the quote for [job]. If you’d like to go ahead, let me know and we can look at getting a date booked in. Happy to answer any questions as well. Cheers, [Name]
Final follow-up
Hi [Name], just a final check on the quote for [job]. No problem at all if you’ve decided not to go ahead, but if you’d still like the work doing just let me know. Cheers, [Name]
The exact wording should sound like you.
If you normally communicate with your customers informally, suddenly sending a formal sales email can feel strange.
Should I call, text, WhatsApp or email?
Use the channel that makes sense for the relationship.
If the customer originally contacted you through WhatsApp and you’ve been talking there ever since, a WhatsApp follow-up is usually more natural than switching to email.
If the quote was requested formally by a business customer, email may make more sense.
For many sole traders, the best follow-up channel is simply whichever one the customer is already using.
Don’t immediately offer a discount
Silence doesn’t automatically mean:
Your price is too high.
The customer may be:
- comparing several quotes;
- waiting to speak to somebody else;
- waiting until payday;
- busy;
- unsure about part of the job;
- or simply have forgotten to reply.
Dropping your price before they’ve even raised an objection can reduce the value of your work unnecessarily.
Ask if they have any questions first.
What if the customer says they’re still thinking?
That’s useful information.
You can say:
No problem. I’ll leave it with you. If you’ve got any questions about the quote, just give me a shout.
If appropriate, agree when you’ll check back.
That is much better than repeatedly contacting somebody who hasn’t asked you to.
What if they still don’t respond?
Eventually, stop chasing.
Your time has value too.
After a sensible final follow-up, leave the door open and move on.
A simple:
No problem if the timing isn’t right. The quote is there if you’d like to come back to it.
keeps the interaction professional without putting pressure on the customer.
The difficult part isn’t knowing what to say
For a lot of sole traders, the real problem isn’t writing the follow-up.
It’s remembering to send it.
You’re working, driving, answering calls, pricing new work and dealing with existing customers. A quote you sent last Tuesday is easy to forget.
That is exactly the kind of admin Sole Trader Pal is designed to help with.
Keeping each quote with the customer and the resulting job makes it easier to see what still needs attention, rather than rebuilding the story from memory.