A quote follow-up process for teams that quote by phone

Write every quote down

Quotes given in writing usually end up in the ERP or CRM. Quotes given on the phone often don’t, especially the quick ones: a price on a pallet of material, a rate on a lane, a day rate on a machine. Those are the ones nobody follows up on, because nobody else knows they exist.

For each quote, record at least:

• the customer and the person you spoke with
• what was quoted and the total
• the date
• anything the customer said about timing, budget or other bids
• the next step and the date for it

The customer’s own words matter more than a category. "Comparing with one more bid, deciding Friday" tells the next person exactly when to call and what the call is about.

When to follow up

Let what the customer said set the date. If they said they’re deciding Friday, call Thursday. If they said the job starts in March, call in February.

When the customer didn’t give a date, a simple default works for most small teams:

1. A first follow-up within two business days, from the person who gave the quote.
2. A second call about a week later if the first one didn’t settle it.
3. After that, a monthly check-in or a decision to close the quote with a reason.

Larger quotes can justify more attention. Some teams set a dollar amount above which every quote gets a call from a manager as well.

What to ask on the follow-up call

Start with the quote itself so the customer knows why you’re calling, then ask one direct question. "Is there anything that would keep you from going ahead?" works for most quotes. If they mentioned another bid, ask whether they’ve heard back from it. If they mentioned timing, ask whether the date has moved.

Listen for the reason behind a slow answer. A customer waiting on their own customer, a project that slipped, a price that came in high and a delivery date that didn’t work each need a different next step.

Record why quotes are lost

When a quote doesn’t turn into an order, write down the reason in the customer’s words, then put it in a simple bucket: price, lead time or delivery, project delayed or cancelled, went with their usual supplier, or no answer. After two or three months the buckets show where business is going, by product line and by rep.

Measure quote-to-order rate

Quote-to-order rate is the number of quotes that became orders divided by the number of quotes given in the same period. Measure it two ways:

• By count, which shows how often you win.
• By dollar value, which shows whether you’re winning the quotes that matter.

Measure a period that ended at least a few weeks ago, because quotes from last week may still close. Compare reps and product lines, and watch the trend from month to month.

Work from one list on Monday morning

Keep every open quote on a single list sorted by dollar value, with the customer’s last words and the next step date. Work it from the top. A long list sorted by date tends to get worked from the oldest quote, which is rarely the one most worth a call.

Our free sales call report template has a follow-up section with columns for the customer, what they said, the value, the next step and the due date.

What Morning Tally does with quotes

The daily page picks out the quotes given on yesterday’s calls and matches them to quotes and orders in your system. Open quotes are listed by value with the customer’s words and one next step. When a quote doesn’t book, the report takes the reason from the last call about it, so the lost reasons build up without anyone typing them.

Common questions

How many times should we follow up on a quote?

Two calls is a reasonable default for most quotes, one within two business days and one about a week later. After that, check in monthly or close the quote with a reason so it stops cluttering the list.

Should follow-ups be calls or emails?

Email is good for sending the written quote and confirming details. For anything quoted on the phone, or anything large, a call usually gets a clearer answer.

What is a good quote-to-order rate?

It varies too much by industry, order size and how quotes are counted for one number to mean much. Track your own rate by rep and product line and watch which way it moves.

Who should make the follow-up call?

The person who gave the quote, when possible, because the customer remembers talking to them. If that person is out, whoever calls should mention the original conversation.