What should a follow-up email after a proposal say?
Name the proposal and its date, give one reason to reply now, and ask a question that is easy to answer. Good reasons: a validity date in the proposal, a question they asked that you have now answered, or a short summary for a stakeholder who will not read the full document. Avoid "Did you get a chance to review?"; it asks them to admit they did not.
Template 1: confirm it arrived and open the door to questions
Use this two to three business days after sending, before any silence has set in.
Hi [Name],
I wanted to make sure the proposal from [date] reached you and did not land in a filter. It covers [one-line summary of scope] at [amount or range], with the detail on page [number].
Most people have a question about [the part people usually ask about: the timeline, the assumptions, the payment schedule]. If that is on your mind too, I am happy to walk through it on a 15-minute call, or answer by email.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Template 2: check-in after a week of silence
Use this when the first follow-up got no reply. It asks about the process rather than the decision.
Hi [Name],
Checking in on the proposal I sent on [date]. I do not need a decision today; it would help to know where it sits.
Is it with you, with [procurement or a committee], or waiting on budget? And is there a date you are working towards?
If anything in the scope or pricing is the sticking point, tell me and I will send a revised version rather than leave you with one that does not fit.
Best,
[Your name]
Template 3: answer the objection they have not said out loud
Use this when you suspect why they have gone quiet, usually price, timing or a competing option. Address it directly.
Hi [Name],
Rereading the proposal, I realised I only offered one way to do this. If [the likely objection, e.g. the full scope is more than this quarter's budget], there is a smaller first phase: [reduced scope] for [reduced amount], starting [date], with the rest as a second phase once it has proved itself.
I have attached a one-page version of that option.
If the hesitation is something else, I would rather hear it than guess. What would make this an easy yes?
[Your name]
Template 4: the deadline nudge
Use this when the proposal has a validity date or a start date that is about to slip. State the consequence without threatening.
Hi [Name],
A quick note on dates. The pricing in the proposal holds until [date] because [the honest reason: our rates change on 1 April / the team is booked from May / the supplier quote expires].
After that I can still do the work, but I would need to requote, and the start would move to [later date].
If you want to hold the current terms, a reply saying "go ahead" by [date] is enough and I will send the agreement. If you need more time, say so and I will see what I can hold.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Template 5: the close-out
Use this as the last email, three to four weeks in. It leaves the door open and often gets a reply.
Hi [Name],
I have followed up a few times on the [date] proposal and have not heard back, so I will assume [the project] is on hold and close the file on my side.
No hard feelings at all. If it comes back onto your list, reply to this thread and I will update the numbers and pick it straight up.
Thanks for considering us.
[Your name]
What to change before you send
Proposal follow-ups fail on specifics. Fix these before you hit send.
- Put the proposal's date and amount in the email. The reader may have three proposals open and should not have to search for yours.
- In Template 3, the smaller option must be real and priced. Do not invent a phase you cannot deliver to get a reply.
- In Template 4, the reason for the validity date has to be true. If your prices do not actually change, do not say they do.
- Copy the same people who received the proposal. If a new stakeholder has appeared, ask before adding them.
- Replace "walk through it" with a real call length and two time options if you want the call to happen.
- If the proposal was sent as an attachment, attach it again in the first follow-up. Links to a portal expire; PDFs do not.
How long to wait
Two to three business days for the first follow-up, since a proposal usually needs to be read by more than one person. A week after that for the check-in, another week for the objection or deadline email, and the close-out a week or two later. That is roughly four emails over a month. If the proposal was requested with a stated decision date, send the first follow-up the morning after that date instead.
Large organisations and anything that goes through procurement take longer; stretch each gap to two weeks and ask about the process, not the decision. How to follow up on an email with no response covers when to stop.
Let Momo AI chase it
Most proposals go quiet not because the answer is no but because the follow-up never happened. Momo AI's follow-up tracking lists every sent thread still waiting on a reply, including proposals, and drafts the next email in your voice to Gmail Drafts after the number of days you set. You review it and tap Send; nothing is sent without that. The sales page shows how it keeps a pipeline moving without a CRM ritual.
