When you call about a quote, open by asking how it landed, not whether they're ready to buy. Then listen for one of three answers: yes, not yet, or we went with someone else. Each has its own next line, and all three are below along with a voicemail version you can read from a card.
Most quotes go quiet because nobody calls. The customer isn't saying no. They're busy, they got a second estimate, or your number is sitting in an email under forty others. A two-minute call two or three days after you send a quote often decides the job. Here's the script.
Before you dial
Prepare for sixty seconds. Open the quote and note four things: the customer's name, the job in one phrase, the total, and the date you sent it. Check whether you've already spoken since. If they asked a question in an earlier email that you didn't answer, answer it first.
Pick a time. Two to three business days after sending is a good default: long enough for them to have read it, short enough that the job is still fresh. Call during hours that suit them, which for homeowners often means early evening and for businesses means mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Write the goal on a sticky note: find out where the quote stands. You aren't trying to close on this call. You're trying to learn.
The opening line
Take Tara, who runs Oakridge Remodeling and sent a kitchen quote of $18,400 to a customer named Mr. Patel on Monday. On Wednesday she calls:
Hi Mr. Patel, it's Tara from Oakridge Remodeling. I sent you the kitchen quote on Monday and wanted to see how it landed. Do you have two minutes?
"How it landed" is open and low-pressure. It invites an honest answer, whereas "just checking in to see if you're ready to move forward" invites "we're still thinking." Asking for two minutes shows you respect their time, and if it's bad timing they'll say so.
Ask how the quote landed
After the opening, ask one question and stop talking:
Did anything in it surprise you, or raise a question?
Then listen. Surprises are almost always about price, scope or timing. If he says "The cabinets line was more than I expected," you've learned something specific that you can address: show an option, explain the cost, or adjust the scope. If he says "It looks fine," go to the yes branch.
If they say yes, or sound close
Move to the next step right away, while the energy is there.
Great. The next step is a signed copy and a deposit, and then I can get you on the calendar. Our next opening is the second week of November. Would you like me to hold it for you, and I'll send the agreement this afternoon?
Offer a specific date, say what you need from them, and say when you'll send it. Then do it that day. A delay of three days after "yes" is how customers change their mind.
If they say not yet
"Not yet" usually has a reason. Find it without pushing.
That's fine. Is it the timing, the price, or something about the plan? I'm asking so I can help, not to push.
Then respond to what you hear. If it's timing: "When would you like to decide? I can check back the week of the 15th." If it's price: "Would it help if I showed you what you'd save with a smaller scope, say the same layout with stock cabinets?" If it's a second opinion: "That makes sense. Is there anything in the other estimate you'd like me to match or explain?" Always end with a date you will call again, and ask permission: "Is it okay if I call you on the 15th?"
If they say they need to talk to a spouse or partner, offer to help: "Would it be useful if I sent a one-page summary you can share?" That gives the decision something to hold.
If they say they went with someone else
Don't argue, and don't ask for a discount to win it back. Be gracious, and ask one question that is worth more than the job:
Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it. Would you mind telling me what made the difference, so I can do better next time? And if it doesn't work out with them, I'm happy to help.
Most people will tell you: price, timing, a friend's recommendation, a better fit. Write it down. After enough of these you'll see a pattern in why you lose, which is more valuable than any single job. Ask whether you can check back in a few months, since projects get delayed and contractors don't always work out. Many jobs return to the second-choice quote.
The voicemail version
If nobody picks up, leave a short message and say the number twice:
Hi Mr. Patel, it's Tara at Oakridge Remodeling, 555-0173. I'm following up on the kitchen quote I sent Monday. I have two quick questions that might help you compare it, so call me back when you have a moment. I'll also send a short email so you have my number. Again, 555-0173.
Then send that email within the hour, with the quote attached again, so nobody has to search for it. If you plan to text, make sure the customer has given you consent to be texted at that number; a person who asked for a quote and gave you their mobile usually has, but a business texting marketing messages needs prior consent in the US (TCPA), so check with a lawyer if you're unsure.
Write down what they said
Within five minutes of hanging up, record three things: what they said in their own words, what you promised to do, and the date of your next contact. A simple note in the customer's record is enough. Without it, you'll call again in a week and ask the same questions.
This is the dull part, and it matters. Over a month it shows you how many quotes you sent, how many were followed up, and how many closed. Closing without a process and the lead you never followed up both make the point that a missed follow-up is the cheapest loss to prevent. And writing a phone script nobody notices shows how to make it sound like you.
Rocketship keeps the quote, the call and the reminder in one pipeline, and its AI worker follows up on quotes and replies on its own, so a quote doesn't sit quiet for a week while you're on a job. You make the calls that need your voice, like the ones above. See the AI workers page, and for the script about first calls, a sales call script for a local business owner, and for deciding when a call beats an email, cold calling vs cold email.
A quote with no follow-up is a coin flip you didn't need to make. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and every monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required. Answering your existing number is included; a dedicated line is $5 a month.