Quote follow-up with no reply: when to send it, what to write, and how to automate both emails (free blueprints)

By Oz Shamo · Updated 2026-10-12 · Get guides by email · YouTube · Telegram

Part of: Free lead capture: a form, a Google Sheet and a Telegram alert in seconds (Tally + Make, no plugins, no CRM)

Short answer

Follow up once, three days after the quote, with one short question; if there is still no answer, send one last email around day 10 that offers to close the file, then stop. In a study of 12 million outreach emails, one follow-up lifted replies by 65.8% (Backlinko, checked 2026-10-12), and two free Make blueprints send both emails from one Google Sheet, for about 122 credits a month at 20 quotes (checked 2026-10-12).

When to follow up on a quote with no reply, what to write on day 3 and day 10, and two free Make blueprints that send both emails from a Google Sheet.

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A quote with no reply is rarely a decision. The client is busy, comparing, or waiting for someone else to sign off, and your quote is one email in a full week. The silence costs twice: the job you might have won, and a pipeline that still counts a quote nobody is going to sign.

This page is the step after the lead is captured and answered: the quote has gone out, and nothing came back. It covers when to follow up, what to write, and how to make both emails go out without anyone having to remember.

Capture every lead first: form, sheet and alertThe free lead capture chain, with three blueprints

When to follow up: a schedule that ends

A follow-up schedule for a quote with no reply (our recommendation; the two blueprints below send days 3 and 10)
Day	What to send	Why
0	The quote, with the day you will check in	The follow-up is then expected, not pushy
3	One short follow-up: one sentence, one question	Long enough for a real read, while the quote is still fresh
10	A last email that offers to close the file	Yes or no is easy to answer, and "close it" invites the real reason
After 10	No more automatic email; call if the job is worth it	A third automatic message reads like a machine; a call finds the objection

Why stop at two? The best public data on follow-ups comes from outreach, not quotes. Backlinko and Pitchbox analysed 12 million outreach emails: 8.5% got a reply, one follow-up raised replies by 65.8%, and sequences of three or more messages had the best response rate overall (backlinko.com/email-outreach-study, last updated April 2019, checked 2026-10-12). Those were cold link-building pitches; a client who asked for a quote is warmer, and cannot be emailed five times. Take the direction, not the number: one follow-up clearly helps, and a short sequence that ends cleanly beats silence and nagging.

Three days is a judgement, not a finding: long enough for a working day or two with the quote, short enough that you are still the last vendor they spoke to. If a partner has to approve, move both dates out.

What to write

Day 3: the follow-up

One sentence and one question, and nothing that asks the client to explain their silence. For example: "Subject: Quick question about the quote. Hi Dana, did the quote for the reception refit reach you, and is there anything in it I should clarify or adjust?" The 3-day blueprint takes your subject and body as placeholders, so the wording is yours.

Day 10: the last email

The last email gives the client an easy way to say no, which is often the answer you need most. The 10-day blueprint sends this text, which you can edit after import: "Subject: Should I close this quote? I sent you the quote for the reception refit on 2 October and followed up once since. I don't want to keep filling your inbox, so this is my last note about it. Should I keep it open, or close the file for now? A one-word reply is perfect. If the timing or the scope was the problem, tell me and I will adjust it."

It names the quote, so the client does not have to search for it, and ends with a one-word question. A reply of "close it" still cleans the pipeline.

Automate both emails from one sheet

Both scenarios read the same quotes sheet with five columns: client, email, amount, sent_date (as YYYY-MM-DD) and status. Each one moves the status forward, which is what stops any email going twice: "sent" becomes "followed up" on day 3, and "followed up" becomes "closed - no reply" on day 10.

Quote unanswered for 3 days → one follow-up, automatic

Every quote sent and unanswered within three days gets one short follow-up email, and the consultant gets an alert. Nothing to remember, nobody to chase.

Blueprint, steps and caveats → · Watch on YouTube

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Get all 27 blueprints in one ZIP, by email

Quote still unanswered on day 10 → one last "should I close this?" email

A quote still silent 10 days after it went out, follow-up included, gets one last short email offering to close it. The row is closed; you get an alert.

Blueprint, steps and caveats → · Watch on YouTube

Copy the quotes sheet template from either page: client, email, amount, sent_date, status, in that order.
Each time you send a quote, add a row with the date and the status "sent".
Import the 3-day follow-up blueprint into Make, connect Google Sheets, Gmail and Telegram, write your subject and body, and schedule it for every morning.
Import the 10-day blueprint, point it at the same sheet, put your name in the signature, and schedule it a few minutes later.
Test with a row of your own address and a sent_date 11 days ago, status "followed up": run once, and check the email, the Telegram message and the new status.
When a client replies, change the status to "replied", "won" or "lost". That is the only manual step, and it matters.

What it costs

At the calculator's default volumes, the 3-day follow-up uses about 76 credits a month for 15 quotes and the 10-day email about 46 for 5: roughly 122 credits a month, inside the Free plan's 1,000 credits, and exactly its two active scenarios (make.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-12). A third automation for the same business is where Core, at $12 a month (checked 2026-10-12), becomes the answer. Gmail itself is not the limit: a personal account can send up to 500 emails a day (Gmail Help, checked 2026-10-12).

Put your own quote volume into the calculatorPick the two quote automations, type your quotes a month, see the credits and the plan

Both quote scenarios run on Make's free plan at small-business volume; this is our link when you need more scenarios: Sign up (one month of Core free) → paid link · we earn a commissionPaid link. If you sign up through it we earn a commission from Make; your price is the same, and the link gives you one month of Core free.

Not sure which automation comes first?Answer a few questions; get the automations in order, with the credits each one uses

What does not work

A reply does not reach the sheet. Both scenarios read the status column only, so a client who answered on day 4 still gets the day-10 email unless someone changes the status.
Each email is a new message, not a reply in the quote's Gmail thread. The subject names the quote so the client can place it.
Old quotes on the first day. Both scenarios count from sent_date, so switching them on over a sheet of month-old quotes sends the follow-up one morning and the last email the next. Close old rows by hand first.
Large or delicate quotes. An automatic email is the wrong tool for a quote that deserves a call; give those rows a status such as "manual" and neither scenario touches them.
Dates typed in another format. The filters compare sent_date against a YYYY-MM-DD date; a date typed as 10/2 may be misread.

How long should I wait to follow up on a quote?

Three days is a sensible default for a small service business: the client has had time to read it, and the quote is still fresh. Move it out if your quotes need someone else's approval, and tell the client in the quote when you will check in.

How many times should I follow up on a quote with no reply?

Twice by email: a short follow-up on day 3 and a last "should I close this?" email around day 10. After that, call if the job is worth it. Outreach data shows a follow-up lifts replies a lot, but a client relationship cannot absorb a long automatic sequence.

What should I write in a follow-up email after a quote?

One sentence that names the quote and one question: did it arrive, and is there anything to clarify or adjust? The last email should offer to close the file and ask for a one-word answer.

Does this work on Make's free plan?

Yes, at small-business volume. Both scenarios together use about 122 credits a month at 20 quotes, inside the Free plan's 1,000 credits and two active scenarios (make.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-12).

Can the follow-up be a reply in the same Gmail thread?

Not with these blueprints: they send a new email with the quote in the subject. Replying in the thread needs the original message id in the sheet, which most people do not have when they log a quote.

Next step

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AUTO WELCOME

New client → welcome email → onboarding checklist → alert

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