Problem guide
Open quotes never get followed up
Open quotes never get followed up because once a quote is sent, it leaves everyone's to-do list and sits in a sent folder where nobody can see how old it is or who should call next. Keep every open quote on one visible list with an owner and a next follow-up date, and work that list on a fixed rhythm.
What it usually looks like
An estimator sends a quote for a new electrical service to a manufacturer on a Tuesday and moves on to the next one. The customer's buyer means to reply but gets pulled into a production problem. Two weeks pass. The estimator assumes sales is chasing it. The sales rep never saw it go out. A month later a competitor's truck is in the customer's lot. When the owner asks how many quotes like that are sitting out there, nobody can answer without digging through three people's sent mail.
Signs you have this problem
- Nobody can say how many quotes are out right now or how old they are
- Customers go with a competitor and mention they never heard back
- Follow-up depends on each salesperson's memory and habits
- Quotes are only reviewed when business is slow
- The team cannot tell which quotes were lost, which were won and which are still open
What usually causes it
- Sent quotes live in inboxes and folders with no shared view of their age or statusThe invisible queue
- Once the estimator sends a quote, nobody is clearly responsible for the next contactThe handoff gap
What to try this week
- Build a list of every open quotePull every quote sent in the last few months from sent mail and your estimating system. For each one, record the customer, the date sent, the amount and whether you know the outcome.
- Give every open quote an owner and a dateAssign each open quote to one person and set the date of the next follow-up. A quote without a next date is a quote nobody is going to call about.
- Work the list on a fixed dayPick one time each week to go through open quotes, oldest first, and make the calls or send the notes. Record what the customer said.
- Close quotes out on purposeMark each quote won, lost or dead, and ask lost customers why when they will tell you. A short list of real open quotes is more useful than a long list of maybes.
Where do-it-yourself stops
These steps recover some quotes and show you how many were going quiet. They depend on someone keeping the list current by hand, which is the first thing to slip when the team is busy. A lasting fix is a tool built around your own estimating system and sales process, so every sent quote shows up with its age, its owner and its next step without anyone copying it over. That is what a Workflow Spec designs.
Questions people ask
Why do open quotes never get followed up?
Because sending the quote feels like the end of the task. After that it sits in a sent folder where nobody can see its age and nobody is clearly responsible for the next call.
Who should follow up on quotes?
One named person per quote. It can be the estimator or a salesperson, but it must be clear to everyone who owns the next contact.
How often should we follow up?
Set a rhythm that fits your customers' buying cycle and stick to it. The consistency matters more than the exact interval.
Does our CRM already do this?
It can, if every quote is entered and kept current. If quotes live in your estimating system and email while the CRM is updated by hand, the CRM will show an incomplete picture.
What are unfollowed quotes costing us?
Work you priced and could have won. Build the list of open quotes, follow them up for a month, and compare the result to the month before.
Next step
Want this fixed for good?
This guide is how to find it and work around it. If it keeps coming back, the fix is usually a tool built around how your crew already works. Start with a free twenty-minute fit call.
Fox & Santiago, Genesee, Idaho. Home territory: the Inland Northwest, where we respond fastest. We fly anywhere in the United States for paid engagements.