Tutorial 3 · 15 min read · Uses Zapier or Make (free plans), or your job app's built-in follow-ups

Automate quote follow-ups

Lots of quotes aren't lost — they're just forgotten. A polite nudge three days later wins a surprising amount of work. Here's how to make that nudge happen every time, without you remembering.

What you'll need

Somewhere your quotes live: Xero, Tradify, ServiceM8, Jobber, or even a Google Sheet
A free Zapier or Make account (only if your quoting app can't do follow-ups itself)
A follow-up message (we'll write it with AI)

Step 1: Check what you already have

Before building anything, look in your quoting app's settings for 'quote reminders' or 'follow-ups'. Tradify, ServiceM8 and Jobber have options for this. If yours does, turn it on and skip to Step 3.

Step 2: Build a simple follow-up (Zapier example)

If your app can't do it, a basic Zapier automation can:

Trigger: 'New quote' in your quoting app (or a new row in a Google Sheet called Quotes).
Action: 'Delay for' 3 days.
Action: check the quote is still not accepted (a 'Filter' step).
Action: send an email (Gmail or Outlook) using your follow-up message.
Test it by sending a quote to yourself.

Step 3: Write the follow-up with AI

Keep it short and helpful, not pushy.

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

Write a short, friendly follow-up email (under 60 words, NZ English) for a customer who received my quote for [job] 3 days ago. Ask if they have any questions, offer to talk options, and say I can book them in for [timeframe]. Not pushy. Sign off as [name].

Step 4: Add a last nudge, then stop

Add a second message at day 10: 'Just closing off my quotes — let me know if you'd like to go ahead.' After that, let it go. Two nudges is polite; five is annoying.

Step 5: Review monthly

Once a month, look at how many quotes were accepted after a follow-up. Most people are surprised.

Checklist

☐ Built-in reminders checked first
☐ Follow-up at day 3, last nudge at day 10
☐ Filter stops follow-ups once a quote is accepted
☐ Tested on yourself before going live

Common mistakes to avoid

Chasing customers who already said yes (always add the filter)
Sending too many nudges
Building a complicated automation before trying the app's built-in option