Here's the uncomfortable maths: a big share of the quotes you send never get a yes or a no. They just go quiet. Not because your price was wrong, but because the customer got busy, meant to talk to their partner about it, and it slid off the bottom of the list. Those jobs are the cheapest work you will ever win, because you've already done the quoting.
Silence is not a no
Tradies talk themselves out of following up because they read silence as rejection and don't want to look desperate. It's almost never rejection. A customer who thought your price was mad doesn't feel bad about telling you, they just don't bother. The quiet ones are usually the ones still deciding.
A rhythm that works
Three touches over a fortnight, then stop. That's it. More than that is pestering, fewer and you're leaving work on the table.
- 1Day 2 or 3: a short check that it arrived and made sense. Low pressure, easy to answer.
- 2Day 7: add something useful, when you could start, or a note on a choice they have to make.
- 3Day 14: the closer, let them know you're about to release the slot you'd held.
What to actually say
Keep it short enough to read on a phone on a job site, because that's where it'll be read. Ask a question that's easy to answer, and never open with 'just following up', which announces that you have nothing to say.
- “Hi Sarah, did the quote for the bathroom come through alright? Happy to walk you through any of it.”
- “Hi Sarah, I've got a gap the week of the 14th if you wanted that bathroom done before the holidays. Want me to pencil you in?”
- “Hi Sarah, I'm about to release that week to someone else. Do you want me to hold it, or park this one for now?”
The third one works because it's honest and it gives them permission to say no. A clear no is worth far more than another month of maybe, it frees up your week and your head.
Make the yes one tap
Every extra step between deciding and confirming loses you jobs. If saying yes means finding your email, opening a PDF, and writing a reply, some customers simply won't get there. A link they can open and accept on their phone, or a text they can answer with one word, converts far better than a document that needs an office to deal with.
Most lost jobs weren't lost on price. They were lost to a customer's busy fortnight.
Know when to stop
After three touches, let it go, but let it go visibly: 'I'll leave this one with you, give me a yell if it comes back around.' Plenty of those turn into work months later. What you must not do is keep firing messages at someone who has clearly moved on, because the trade runs on reputation and the person you pestered talks to their neighbours.
Where Agentize fits
Following up is simple, it's just relentless, and it's the first thing to fall over after a long day. Agentize sends the quote as a link the customer can accept on their phone, tracks which quotes have gone quiet, and drafts the nudge in your voice for you to approve. You stay the one who presses send.