Quote follow-up without being pushy

You sent a quote eight days ago. They've gone silent. You don't want to seem desperate. You also can't afford to ghost back, because the silence kills more deals than the no. This skill writes the three follow-up emails you've been putting off, each one calibrated to a different stage of the silence.

The setup

1. Open Claude. Start a new conversation.
2. Pull up the original quote and their last message. Compress the quote into one sentence: scope, price, timeline.
3. Decide which one of the three (or all three) you'll save and use over and over.

The prompt

I sent a [quote / proposal / estimate] to a prospective customer
[N] days ago. They've gone quiet.

The quote (one sentence): [e.g. "eight-hour wedding photography
package, $4,200, gallery in six weeks, available on their date"]

Their last message: [paste it, or "they replied 'sounds good,
let me think about it' and went quiet"]

Write me three short follow-up email options:
1. The "soft check-in" (8-10 days after quote, no pressure)
2. The "decision-time" nudge (3-4 weeks after quote, asks them
   to commit or release the slot on my calendar)
3. The "graceful close" (6+ weeks, lets them know I'm putting
   the slot to someone else and the door is still open later)

My voice is direct, friendly, no jargon. Sign with my first name.
Don't start any of them with "Just following up" or "Bumping
this." Don't apologize for following up.

What you'll get back

Three short emails ready to send. The first might read:

Subject: Quick check on the photography quote

Hi Jordan, wanted to make sure the quote landed on your end. No rush on the decision, just don't want it to disappear into the inbox. Happy to jump on a quick call this week if useful.

Jamie

The third (graceful close) might read:

Subject: Releasing your date hold

Hi Jordan, the September 14 date I'd held for you is starting to get inquiry requests from other couples, so I'm going to open it back up. If you decide to move forward on a different date, reach out and I'll check availability. Either way, hope the planning is going well.

Jamie

Adapt it

The decision-time nudge is the one most owners dodge. It feels like pressure. It isn't. You're protecting your calendar AND giving them permission to commit. Save that one and use it monthly.

Where this came from

Comes up in nearly every Scrappy Hour with contractors, photographers, and freelancers. Pairs with vendor-reply-batch for the rest of the email flow.

Jamie at Scrappy Start