On this page · 7 sections
- Most lost quotes are lost to silence, not to a cheaper competitor.
- An unanswered request should become a staff task after 24–48 hours.
- An opened-but-unsigned quote gets a short reminder a few days later.
- Every sequence stops the moment the customer does anything.
Most quote requests that go cold are lost to silence, not to a cheaper competitor, and three automatic follow-up triggers recover most of them: unanswered request, opened but not signed, and quote about to expire. Each trigger fires at a set moment and stops as soon as the customer acts. This guide covers the three triggers, their timing, sample wording, when to stop, and how the deal owner hears about a quote being opened.
Why follow-up matters more than it seems
It’s tempting to treat a quote as “sent, done” and wait for the customer to respond. In practice, customers configuring a made-to-measure structure are often comparing two or three companies, juggling a budget conversation at home, or just busy. A quote that doesn’t get a timely nudge can simply be forgotten, not rejected. The business losing these isn’t losing on price or product; it’s losing on attention. Three triggers recover most of what would otherwise fall through:
The three triggers
1. Unanswered request
If a quote request sits without any reply from your team past a set threshold (commonly 24–48 hours), it should automatically create a task for a staff member and send an alert. Not wait for someone to notice a growing inbox. This is the backstop for the 24-hour rule: even on a busy day, a request doesn’t silently age past the point where it still matters.
2. Opened, not signed
A quote the customer has opened (viewed the online quote page or PDF) but hasn’t accepted after some days usually means something unresolved. A question about an option, a price they want to discuss, or simply a delay in deciding. A reminder at this point, timed a few days after the open, re-surfaces the quote without being pushy. This should stop automatically once the customer takes any action (accepting, declining, or any other activity on the deal) so it doesn’t keep nagging someone who’s already moved.
3. Expiring quote
Quotes carry a validity window (common for made-to-measure pricing, since supplier costs shift). A nudge shortly before expiry, “this quote is valid until [date]”, gives a customer who’s been meaning to decide a reason to act now rather than let it lapse and have to request a new one.
Timing
| Trigger | Typical timing | Stops when |
|---|---|---|
| Unanswered request | 24–48 hours after submission | A reply is sent |
| Opened, not signed | A few days after first open | The customer accepts, declines, or any merchant activity happens on the deal |
| Expiring quote | Shortly before the expiry date | The quote is accepted, declined, or re-sent |
Wording examples
Keep these short and specific. A long follow-up email reads as a sales pitch, a short one reads as a helpful nudge.
Unanswered request (internal task, not sent to customer): “Quote request from [name] for a [product]. No reply in 48h, please action.”
Opened-not-signed (to customer): “Hi [name], just checking you’ve had a chance to look over your pergola quote. Happy to answer anything before you decide. [Link]”
Expiring quote (to customer): “Your quote for [product] is valid until [date]. Let us know if you’d like to go ahead, or if anything needs adjusting.”
When to stop
Every sequence should stop the moment the customer does anything (opens, replies, accepts, declines) rather than running on a fixed schedule regardless of activity. A reminder sent after the customer already signed reads as sloppy, not attentive, and undermines the trust the rest of the process built.
Deal owner notifications
Alongside customer-facing nudges, the staff member assigned to a deal should get notified at the moments that matter to them specifically. Most usefully, when a quote is first opened. Knowing a customer just opened their quote is a good moment to call and talk through it live, before a generic reminder email would otherwise be the next touch.
Where this fits
Follow-ups are the safety net under the rest of the funnel. See how to sell pergolas, verandas and carports online for the full picture, and follow-ups for the mechanics. For verandas specifically, where decision cycles often run longer (financing conversations, planning permission questions), a well-timed nudge matters even more, see verandas. See pricing or apply for a walkthrough.
