Quote follow-up messages: what to send after the quote, and when

I go through our clients’ lead apps and read every conversation, one by one. Across 27 reviews and 1,282 conversations, most of the work that slipped away went after the enquiry had already come in. Below are the messages I’d send instead, ready to copy.

Why does following up a quote matter so much?

Because most of the work we see lost goes in the quiet bit after the enquiry, not at the enquiry itself. The most common pattern in our reviews, found in all 27 of them, was someone who’d sent their job details, address or the days that suit them and was then left waiting for a reply or a booked day.

The second you’ve been out to look at a job, you’ve done the expensive part. Every message after that costs you a minute. Yet in 16 of 27 reviews, a site visit was booked or done and then no quote or outcome was recorded in the app. In some of those, customers had to chase the price themselves.

“No quote recorded” doesn’t always mean no quote was sent. Plenty of you quote by WhatsApp or email, which doesn’t show in the app. But a homeowner who’s had a stranger round to look at their roof or drive is waiting to hear back. If you’re the one who does, you’re ahead of everyone who doesn’t.

… I saw three jobs yesterday got one of them so it’s just about paid for itself this month

Jonathan, roofer, Ormskirk · WhatsApp, 1 Jul 2026, 12:03

One job from three visits is a good day. The other two are where a follow-up earns its keep.

When should you follow up a quote?

Follow up two days after the quote goes out, then on day 5 and day 10, then send a last message around two weeks in. These gaps aren’t magic. They’re spaced so you come across as keen without being a pest, and each message has a different job.

Put each chase in your calendar or set a reminder when you send the quote. In 15 of 27 reviews, visits were only arranged in text messages with nothing in the calendar, and that’s exactly how chasers get forgotten when the phone gets busy.

What should each follow-up message say?

Each message should name the job, say one useful thing and ask one easy question. Swap the bits in square brackets for your own. Send them from the number the customer already knows.

Day 0: when you send the quote

Hi [name], it’s [your name] from [business]. Here’s the quote for the [job] we looked at today. It covers [the main bits]. Any questions, just ask, and I’m happy to go through it on the phone too.

Day 2: did it come through?

Hi [name], just making sure the quote for the [job] came through OK. Did it all make sense, or is there anything you’d like me to change?

Day 5: a reason to decide

Hi [name], [your name] here about the [job]. I’m sorting the diary for the next few weeks. If you’d like to go ahead I can pencil you in for [week]. No pressure if you’re still deciding.

Only send this one if the diary gap is real.

Day 10: what’s holding them back?

Hi [name], I know you’ll have other quotes and things to weigh up. If it helps, I can give you a ring or pop round to go through the options. Is there anything holding you back that I can help with?

The last message

Hi [name], I won’t keep messaging about the [job]. I’ll assume it’s on hold or you’ve gone another way, which is completely fine. If you want to pick it up later, the quote’s there and I’m happy to come back out. Thanks for having me round.

A last message like this can get a reply when the others didn’t, because it’s easy to answer. “Sorry, still want it, just been busy” is the reply you’re hoping for. A no is worth having too, so you can stop wondering.

How should you word a quote follow-up for your trade?

Add one detail only your trade would know. It shows you remember their job, and it gives them something to reply to. These work as the day 2 or day 5 message.

Roofing

Hi [name], just checking the roof quote came through. I’ve attached the photos from when I was up there so you can see what I meant about the [ridge / flashing / valley]. Any questions, give me a ring.

Hi [name], you mentioned the survey picked up the roof. If you need the quote in writing for the sale, just say and I’ll send it over.

Eight of our 27 reviews mention enquiries tied to a house sale, a purchase or a survey, often with a deadline. Those people need an answer quickly, so don’t let the chase drift. More on roofing enquiries in Facebook ads for roofers.

Driveways and patios

Hi [name], just checking you got the quote for the drive. If it helps you choose, I can drop some samples round or send photos of a couple of drives we’ve done nearby in [block paving / resin / tarmac].

There’s more on winning driveway work in how to get driveway jobs.

Tree work

Hi [name], following up on the quote for the [tree]. If there’s any chance it’s protected or you’re in a conservation area, I can check with the council before we book anything, so you don’t need to worry about that side.

See how to get more tree surgery work for where tree enquiries come from.

Landscaping

Hi [name], just checking the quote for the garden came through OK. If you’d rather do it in stages, say the patio first and the lawn later, I can split the quote so you can see each part.

Carpet cleaning

Hi [name], just checking you got the price for the carpets. If you send me a photo of any stains you’re worried about, I’ll tell you honestly what’s likely to come out before you book.

Carpet cleaning jobs are often priced without a visit, so the follow-up is the visit. There’s more in how to get carpet cleaning customers.

What do you send when they’ve gone quiet after the visit?

Send a message the same day as the visit that says when the quote will arrive, then keep to it. This is the gap the 16 of 27 finding sits in, and a quick holding message stops it opening up.

Hi [name], thanks for having me round today. I’ll have the quote over to you by [day]. If anything else comes to mind about the job, send it over and I’ll add it in.

If the quote has gone and they’ve gone quiet after a visit that felt good, go back to what they told you on the day.

Hi [name], when I was round you mentioned [what they told you, e.g. wanting it done before family come to stay]. Is that still the plan? Happy to answer anything that’s come up since.

What if the visit didn’t happen?

Message the same day, and be the one who rearranges. If they weren’t in, keep it light, because things come up.

Hi [name], I came round at [time] for the [job] but couldn’t get an answer. No problem at all. Do you want to pick another time? I could do [option one] or [option two].

If it was you who couldn’t make it, say sorry before the time, not after. In 8 of 27 reviews, a customer waited in for a visit that didn’t happen.

Hi [name], I’m really sorry, I can’t make it today. [One honest line why.] Could I come out [day] at [time] instead? I’ll make sure it happens.

A homeowner who’s taken time off to wait in won’t give you many second chances. Some of the people in our reviews had already been let down by another trade, which came up in 8 of the 27.

What do you say when they say it’s too expensive?

Thank them, then find out what “too expensive” means before you change anything. It’s either over their budget or more than another quote, and the answer is different for each.

Thanks for being straight with me. Can I ask, is it more than you’d planned to spend, or more than another quote you’ve had? If it’s the budget, I can look at doing it in stages or changing [material] to bring it down. I’ll be honest about what I would and wouldn’t change.

Fair enough. When you’re comparing, check each quote includes the same things, like [waste removal / scaffolding / the guarantee]. If mine has something the others don’t, I’m happy to explain why it’s there.

Don’t drop your price in the first reply. If you knock a chunk off straight away, they’ll wonder what the first number was. Change the job, not the rate.

What should you never send?

• “Just checking in” with nothing else in it. It gives them nothing to reply to.
• A chase every day. Two or three days apart is plenty.
• A made-up deadline or a price that “ends Friday” when it doesn’t. It’s pushy, and false urgency can fall foul of consumer protection law too.
• Anything knocking another trade’s quote. Let the customer tell you about the last firm; don’t pile in.
• An automatic “are you still looking?” text to someone who’s already booked. We’ve seen it happen, and it makes the business look like it isn’t paying attention.
• Another message after they’ve said no or asked you to stop.

Should you text, WhatsApp, ring or email?

Text or WhatsApp first, because people answer those when they’re free, then ring if they go quiet. Use whatever they contacted you on. In 20 of 27 reviews some numbers couldn’t get a text at all (a landline, a typo, or someone who’d opted out), so a call is the only way to reach them.

Don’t rely on texts alone either. In 8 of 27 reviews, some leads only ever got automatic texts and were never phoned by a person, and in 12 of 27, people who rang the business weren’t rung back. A text gets you in first, but the jobs come from the person who rings back. There’s more on this from what 1,282 lead conversations show.

Can the follow-up be done for you?

Partly. With Lead Wave, every enquiry from your ads gets a text in your name within seconds, and follow-ups keep going until they reply, then stop on their own. That gets the conversation started.

Once you’ve been out and priced the job, the chase is yours, because only you know what was said on the day. That’s what these messages are for. When results dip, I go through your leads, work out why and fix it, whether it’s the ads, the form or the follow-up.

My ads [are] great had a few enquiries few quotes to do as well

Paving & landscaping · WhatsApp, 5 Oct 2026, 09:45

To see what each won job really costs you, and how much a better hit rate on quotes is worth, put your own numbers into the cost per job calculator. How the ads and the instant text work together is in Facebook ads for tradesmen.