3 minute read
How long should a tradesman wait before chasing a quote?
Sending a quote is only half the job.
The other half is knowing when to follow up without annoying the customer.
Wait too long and the customer picks another contractor.
Follow up too fast and you can come across as pushy.
Here is the short answer, by the size of the job:
- Most quotes: 2 to 3 business days
- Urgent work, a leak or no heat: the next day
- Big remodels and roofs: 3 to 5 business days
- No answer to the first follow-up: about a week later
- After that: one final message, then leave it
Two to three business days for most quotes
For most tradesmen, two to three business days after sending a quote is a good starting point.
That gives the customer time to read the price, talk it over at home, and compare the other quotes they asked for.
It is long enough to be respectful and short enough that the job is still on their mind.
The next day when the job is urgent
A leak, a dead HVAC system or an electrical problem is different.
Following up the next day makes sense on work like that.
The customer needs it fixed quickly, and they will be glad to know you are available.
Three to five days on a big project
Kitchen renovations, painting jobs, roofs and major remodels are a bigger decision.
Give those three to five business days before you follow up.
Larger purchases take more thinking, and often more than one person.
Make the follow-up useful, not a nudge
Do not ask, have you decided yet.
Give them a reason to answer. Something like this:
I sent the quote over on Monday and wanted to make sure it reached you. If you have a question about the work or the price, I can walk you through it.
That is not a demand for a decision. It is an offer to help, and it is far easier to reply to.
One more week, then leave the door open
No answer to the first follow-up? Try again about a week later.
After that, stop contacting them again and again.
One short final message leaves the door open without putting on pressure. Plenty of those come back months later.
Most quiet quotes are not rejections
This is the part worth remembering.
Most customers who go quiet are not turning you down. They got busy and forgot.
Following up steadily is what turns forgotten quotes into booked jobs.
Be professional, persistent and helpful. Not pushy.
The hard part is not the wording. It is remembering which quote went quiet on which day, three weeks into a busy month.
If you want something that keeps that clock for you, we suggest trying jobrescue.pro.
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