There’s nothing worse than spending hours on a quote and then getting radio silence from a potential customer.
In many ways, silence from a prospect is something that’s even worse than rejection. Rejection means that you can move on, while silence gives you a false sense of hope and delays your next business move.
Let’s say you’ve sent an email that forwards a quotation to relevant parties for consideration, but haven’t heard anything back for a while. What should you do in this scenario?
Since you’ve already put stock into the idea that this prospect will convert, it won’t hurt to schedule a friendly reminder that follows up on a quotation request to try and break the silence.
Unsure of how to craft such an email? Keep reading for some tips on how to write a reminder email for quotations that will get you responses fast.
What is a reminder email for quotation?
A reminder email for quotation is a type of follow-up message that reminds recipients about a pending quotation that you’ve recently sent them.
This is distinct from when a business that resends a quotation email for clarity or confirmation — it is an entirely new message that reminds and points towards the original quotation delivery.
These messages are short as their sole purpose is to notify people about the quote sitting in their inbox.
Benefits of sending quotation reminder emails
There are a number of benefits to sending quotation reminder emails to your prospects.
The top benefit is that they increase your conversion rate. Time gets the best of all of us. Chances are good that a prospect is still interested in your services but forgot about the quote request. In these cases, a follow-up email serves as a much needed reminder that expedites the processing of a quotation.
Another scenario is when a prospect is unsure about whether they want to purchase your services. In this case, a reminder email gives them a gentle nudge in your direction and demonstrates that you’re serious about the job.
A reminder email is also an opportunity to start a dialogue and let your prospects ask any questions that they have about the quotation. Write an email that provides assistance or answers questions regarding a quotation on top of just requesting payment.
If your prospect responds to a quotation with feedback or acceptance but doesn’t accept the quote just yet, you’ve still made good progress with them and can follow up again with a response.
Overall, the main benefits of a reminder email are to turn leads into customers and improve your bottom line.
With the importance of reminder emails now clear, let’s take a look at how to craft an effective reminder email for quotation requests.
Preparing for the gentle reminder email for quotation
A business that issues a follow-up email for a quotation needs to make sure that it’s friendly and to the point. To guide you, here are some things to think about when crafting the perfect reminder email.
Gathering necessary information
Before starting your follow-up email, it’s important to have all of the necessary information available so that you know how to proceed. This will help you during the invoicing stage, as you won’t have to go looking for any details again.
When you have the right information at your fingertips and put it into good use, you significantly increase the chance that your recipient receives and reviews a quotation.
Here’s the main information you should have on hand:
- Your initial email.
- Your prospect’s contact information.
- The quote with an estimated total price.
- Information on the job requested.
The more prepared you are, the more likely your email will get a reply.
Determining the perfect time to send out a reminder
Next, you must figure out the right time to send out your reminder email.
You don’t want to issue a reminder too soon or your prospect may feel overwhelmed. At the same time, you don’t want to wait too long, as your prospect may find someone else to do the job within that time frame.
As a rule of thumb, you should send a reminder 3 – 5 days after your initial email. This gives your prospective customers enough time to look over and discuss your quote without feeling rushed.
If your lead acknowledges receipt of a quotation request but expresses disinterest, it’s probably not worth your time to pursue them.
Writing an attention-grabbing subject line
Subject lines often determine whether or not your email will be opened at all. Knowing this, it’s important to put effort into nailing that first impression.
Your subject line for a reminder email should tell your recipient exactly why you’re emailing them. Keep it short and to the point, and be sure to include the words “quote” and “reminder” or “follow-up.”
To ensure your quote email doesn’t get lost among others, include the name of your company in the subject line as well.
Using a friendly tone in the message
No matter how annoyed you may feel about having to send a reminder email for quotation, you never want to have that come across in your email.
Your tone should be friendly and approachable, as the point for the email is to reopen the line of communication between you and the recipient.
One of the best ways to soften the tone of your email is to tell your recipient that you’re open to answering any questions and assisting with anything they might need. Closing your email with a line such as “Looking forward to hearing from you!” is also a great way to remain friendly.
Including contact details and product demo information (if applicable)
Even if your initial email had all of your contact information in it, it’s a good idea to include this information again in your reminder email for quotation.
A follow-up email is also a great way to further market your business. It’s an opportunity for you to provide additional materials that might help your lead convert.
Depending on your business, offering a free trial or product demo link is another effective tool to use in your reminder email for quotation requests. You could even go as far as offering promotions like discounts or free shipping.
Making sure your recipient knows what you want from them
Finally, your reminder email must be clear on what next steps are for your recipient. A few next steps that you can include in your email are:
- Setting up a meeting or phone call.
- Confirming an appointment date.
- Getting their availability.
- Communicating payment terms (due date, deal expiration) and methods (cash, card, check, etc.).
- Requesting an initial payment.
- Providing other ways to reach you (phone number, fax, LinkedIn, etc.).
Example of reminder email for quotation
An effective follow-up email differs from a cold email for potential clients in that you’ve already started communication with your lead and they’ve shown a strong interest in your business.
Here’s an example of a short and concise reminder email template that effectively chases or follows up on a quotation for timely response.
Basic template for quotation follow-up emails
Subject line: Quote reminder — [Company name]
Hi [Contact name],
I’m just following up to see if you’ve received my quote for the [job or services] you requested. If you want to move forward, we can set up a call to finalize everything.
Please let me know if you have any concerns. I would be more than happy to answer questions.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
[Email signature]
While this email template is short, it’s a lot of work sending several of these a day to every lead you make a quote for. But there’s an easier way to follow up with all of your leads and improve your bottom line: automation software.
Close more deals with Method
Method is sales automation software that makes sending reminder emails for quotations a breeze.
With Method, you can automate the delivery of your emails so that you and your team don’t have to resend the same emails over and over again. For example, Method schedules a reminder for a quotation response that notifies recipients of an upcoming quotation deadline based on parameters that you set.
Method also makes keeping track of your quotes easy. You can create quotes in your Method account and send them off directly thanks to email integrations with popular platforms like Outlook and Gmail.
It also confirms receipt of a quotation and tracks and monitors the progress of a quotation, so you always know how many quotes you’ve sent and when. And so do your customers, as Method also updates recipients on the status of a quotation.
You can also track how many quotes you’ve sent and when to provide you with useful data for future decision making.
What’s more, Method tracks when your emails are opened, which you can review to gauge whether your lead is ready to convert or not.
Key takeaways
If your sales strategy doesn’t already include quote follow-ups, then you’re leaving money on the table.
Used effectively, a reminder email closes the loop on a quotation by finalizing or closing the deal. Knowing how to draft a reminder email for quotation and when to send it out are important skills that increase your customer base and strengthen your revenue.
It never hurts to give a lead a friendly nudge in the right direction!
Reminder email for quotation FAQs
How can I write a reminder email for a quote?
To write a reminder email for a quote, you must first ensure that you have the relevant information, including:
- Customer details, including the right email address.
- The quote.
- The project description.
A quotation reminder is short and sweet and always prompts action on a quotation. An exemplary follow-up email directly requests a response to a quotation, such as making a deposit or setting up a phone call.
How can I politely send a reminder email to my client?
The most polite way to send an email reminder is to wait at least 3 days. No one sends a reminder email for a quotation immediately after delivering the initial quote.
You should then approach the email as providing a chance for your prospect to ask you any questions they might have.
This strategy ensures that the recipient doesn’t feel pushed to make a final decision right away while still encouraging them to respond or at least keep you in mind.
Should I use a template for reminder emails for quotations?
Just as you may have an invoice template in Excel that you use for your invoices, you should also have a reminder email template. Email templates are a great tool to save time on writing reminder emails for quotations.
While email templates are great for structure, it’s important to personalize and update the content of each email. For best results, be sure to customize whatever template you use so you can effectively acknowledge each individual recipient.
Streamline your email reminder process with Method. Start your free trial today!
Image credit: Ivan Samkov via Pexels
