How long should you wait before following up a quote?

Don't wait more than 24 to 48 hours after sending a quote. The longer you leave it, the colder the lead gets and the more time a competitor has to swoop in. Following up quickly isn't pushy, it's professional.

The tradies and service businesses winning more jobs aren't sitting by the phone hoping for a callback. They follow up fast, keep it short, and stay top of mind until the customer is ready to say yes or no.

Is following up a quote pushy?

No. And this is worth saying clearly, because it's the thing that stops a lot of good tradies from following up at all.

The customer asked you for a quote. They invited you into the conversation. Checking in to see if they have questions or are ready to go ahead is not harassment, it's good service. Most people are busy and genuinely forget to respond, a follow-up message is doing them a favour.

The businesses that feel pushy are the ones who follow up five times in two days with "just checking in!!!" energy. One timely, calm message is nothing like that.

What should you actually say when you follow up?

Keep it simple. You're not writing a sales pitch, you're just opening the door.

Something like: "Hi [Name], just wanted to check you got the quote I sent through for [job]. Happy to answer any questions or adjust anything if needed. Let me know how you'd like to proceed." That's it. Short, warm, no pressure.

**A few things worth including:**
- A reference to the specific job so they know exactly what you're talking about
- An offer to answer questions, this lowers the barrier if they're on the fence
- A clear next step, even just "let me know" gives them something to respond to

Avoid "just following up" as your opener. It signals that you feel awkward about the message, and that awkwardness transfers to the reader. Lead with the job instead.

How many times should you follow up if you don't hear back?

Follow up twice after the initial quote, and then leave it.

**First follow-up:** 24 to 48 hours after sending the quote. Keep it short, friendly, reference the job.

**Second follow-up:** 5 to 7 days later if you still haven't heard back. This one can be even briefer. "Hi [Name], just circling back on the quote for [job]. Still happy to help if the timing works, no pressure." Then you're done.

Chasing someone a third, fourth, fifth time rarely turns into a job. What it does do is damage your reputation. Two touchpoints is professional. More than that tips into pressure, and pressure makes people uncomfortable enough to avoid you even when they do eventually need someone.

The goal is to stay top of mind without becoming a nuisance. Two well-timed messages does exactly that.

How do you stop quotes from going cold in the first place?

The follow-up problem is really a systems problem. Most tradies and service businesses send a quote and then rely entirely on memory to know who needs a follow-up and when. Memory is not a system.

This is where automation makes a real difference. A simple automated sequence can send a follow-up message on your behalf at exactly the right time, every time, without you having to think about it. No leads slipping through the cracks because you got busy on a job.

At LIP Services, this is exactly the kind of thing Robert helps service business owners set up. He comes from a tradie background himself, so the approach is practical, not tech-heavy. You don't have to be a coder or a wiz kid to have AI assist you in your business. You just need a simple system that works while you're out doing the actual work.

If you're tired of sending quotes and hearing nothing back, the fix probably isn't your price. It's your follow-up. Book a free call with LIP Services and let's sort it out.