Quotation follow-up email: templates for industrial and MRO distributors

Set it up once (10 minutes)

1. Save these three notes as the follow-up text. In Outlook, open the Message tab and use My Templates (or Apps). In Gmail, save them as templates.

Day 2

Hi [first name],

Quote [number] for [items] is in your inbox. Pricing on it holds until [date].

Is the quantity the one you want?

[your name]

Day 7

Hi [first name],

Quote [number] is still open here. If a different pack size or a split shipment would help, name the line.

Should I hold the quote as it stands?

[your name]

Day 14

Hi [first name],

Quote [number] has been open for two weeks. I can keep it open, or I can close it.

Which should I do?

[your name]

2. When the quote email goes out, fill the blanks on that same thread and schedule all three. In Gmail, use the arrow beside Send and choose Schedule send: day 2, day 7 and day 14. In new Outlook and in Outlook on the web, Schedule send works the same way. The message waits in Drafts and goes out at the time you picked.
3. In classic Outlook, use Delay Delivery for those three times. The message waits in the Outbox. Outlook has to be open and running for it to leave.
4. After the buyer accepts, open the estimate in QuickBooks Online and create the invoice from it. Then turn on reminders: Gear, Account and settings, Sales, Reminders, Edit, Automatic invoice reminders. On QuickBooks Online Advanced, use Manage workflows.

What runs by itself afterwards

Day 2, day 7 and day 14, the note you wrote on day 0 goes out on its own. You write it while the quote is in front of you, and the mailbox holds the send. After you email the invoice, QuickBooks sends the invoice reminders you turned on.

Limits. If the buyer answers before a later note is due, cancel the messages still waiting. In new Outlook and on the web they are in Drafts. In classic Outlook they are in the Outbox, and they leave only while Outlook is running. In new Outlook, Schedule send is unavailable on IMAP or POP accounts. Gmail sends in the time zone you scheduled, sometimes a few minutes after the time you picked, and an account can hold up to 100 scheduled emails. Automatic invoice reminders apply only to invoices you email. Creating the invoice from the estimate is the step you take when the quote is accepted.

FAQ

When do I write the three follow-ups?

On the day the quote goes out. Schedule day 2, day 7 and day 14 before you leave the thread.

Where does Outlook keep a scheduled note?

New Outlook and Outlook on the web keep it in Drafts and send it on time. Classic Outlook Delay Delivery keeps it in the Outbox, and Outlook must be running.

What does Gmail use?

Templates for the text, and Schedule send for day 2, day 7 and day 14.

What happens in QuickBooks after a yes?

Create the invoice from the estimate. Automatic invoice reminders (Gear, Account and settings, Sales, Reminders, Edit) then cover invoices you email. QuickBooks Online Advanced uses Manage workflows.

Keep these

1. Save the three notes once, in My Templates or in Gmail templates.
2. Schedule day 2, day 7 and day 14 when the quote goes out.
3. New Outlook and the web hold the send in Drafts. Classic Delay Delivery holds it in the Outbox.
4. After a yes, invoice from the estimate, then automatic reminders on emailed invoices.

If you want the schedule kept inside the mailbox you already send from, Deeplathe can set that up once.

Sources

• Microsoft: Delay or schedule sending email messages in Outlook
• Gmail Help: Schedule emails to send
• QuickBooks: Send invoice reminders automatically or manually

Related reading

• Part of Quotes and leads you never followed up
• Summarize a long email thread with AI before you reply
• Project status update email template for customers
• Estimate follow-up emails for landscaping companies
• Turn on QuickBooks automatic invoice reminders