How to Follow Up on Estimates (Without Being Pushy)

To follow up on an estimate without being pushy, agree on a decision date before you send it, check in a few days later to confirm it arrived and answer questions, follow up again with something useful rather than "just checking in", and send a last message before the estimate expires. Each message should be short, mention the estimate by number, and make it easy for the client to say yes, ask for changes or say no.

Before You Send: Agree on a Decision Date

When you discuss the job, ask when the client plans to decide and who else needs to approve it. Put an expiry date on the estimate so both of you know how long the price holds. Your follow-up schedule then works back from that date.

When to Follow Up

A simple schedule has three touchpoints before the estimate expires:

• A few days after sending: confirm it arrived and offer to walk through any line items.
• About a week later: add something useful, such as an answer to a question they raised or a lower-cost option.
• Shortly before the expiry date: ask directly whether they'd like to go ahead, need changes, or have decided against it.

Stretch the gaps for large jobs with long approval chains, and shorten them if the estimate has a short validity period.

What to Say in Each Message

These are templates to adapt, not scripts:

• Arrival check: "I sent estimate #1042 on Monday. Did it come through? I'm happy to go through any of the line items."
• Useful follow-up: "You mentioned the budget was tight. If it helps, phase 2 could move to next quarter, which would lower this estimate."
• Before expiry: "Estimate #1042 is valid until April 1. Would you like to go ahead, change anything, or should I close it for now?"

Handling Price Questions

Clients compare estimates. The US Federal Trade Commission's consumer guide How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam (July 2022) tells homeowners: "Get multiple estimates." It adds: "Don't automatically choose the lowest bidder. And ask for an explanation if there's a big difference among the estimates."

So expect to be asked why your price differs from someone else's. Be ready to explain what's included line by line, and offer to adjust the scope rather than cutting your rate. For revising an estimate, see how to handle estimate revisions.

When to Stop

If the client hasn't replied by the expiry date after three messages, close the estimate and note why. A closing message that leaves the door open ("I've closed this estimate for now. If the project comes back, I can send an updated price.") ends the sequence politely.

Sample Follow-Up Schedule

This is a sample with invented dates for a fictional estimate #1042, sent on March 2 and valid for 30 days.

• Expiry: March 2 + 30 days = April 1
• Follow-up 1 (arrival check): March 2 + 3 days = March 5
• Follow-up 2 (useful follow-up): March 2 + 10 days = March 12
• Follow-up 3 (before expiry): March 2 + 24 days = March 26, six days before the April 1 expiry
• No reply by April 1: close the estimate and send the closing message.

Tracking Estimates in Billed

Billed's estimating software page says you can "monitor estimate acceptance through the intuitive estimate dashboard", see the "complete history of an estimate from the moment it is created" with "Estimate History", and share estimates by "Shareable Link". Its FAQ says "Your clients can easily approve or reject the estimates you send via link." The estimate generator page says "You can set the validity date on each estimate".

Once the client accepts, the estimating software page says you can convert "approved estimates into invoices with just a few clicks".

Related Guides

• Estimate vs quote vs proposal
• How to create a project estimate
• How to handle estimate revisions
• How to write a winning estimate
• Estimate vs invoice best practices
• Estimate templates

FAQ

How long should I wait before following up on an estimate?

A few days is enough for the first check-in. In the sample on this page, the estimate is sent on March 2 and the first follow-up goes out on March 5, three days later.

When should I stop following up on an unanswered estimate?

After three messages and no reply by the expiry date. Plan for an arrival check, a useful follow-up and a final question before the expiry date, then close the estimate with a short message that leaves the door open.

What should I say when following up on an estimate?

Mention the estimate by number, keep the message short, and give the client something to respond to: an offer to explain a line item, a lower-cost option, or a direct question about whether to go ahead.