Proposal follow-up templates for day 3 and day 7
Follow up on a proposal twice before changing tactics: a gentle day-3 note that invites questions, then a firmer day-7 note that asks for a decision or the real blocker. After that, pick up the phone. Every unsigned proposal needs a dated next touch, or it quietly becomes a dead deal.
Template 1: the day-3 gentle nudge
Use this three days after sending the proposal. Low pressure, and it opens the door for objections you can actually fix, like scope and phasing.
Subject: questions on the proposal?
Hi [Name], the proposal went over on [day], so a quick check-in: anything unclear, or anything you'd change? Happy to walk through it in 10 minutes.
If a piece doesn't fit, say so. Scope is adjustable; silence is the only thing I can't work with.
Template 2: the day-7 firmer ask
Use this a week after sending, when the gentle nudge got nothing. Direct, respectful, and built around a three-way question that is very easy to answer.
Subject: where do we stand?
Hi [Name], I want to respect your time and mine, so a direct question: is this a yes, a no, or a not-yet?
If it's a not-yet, what's the blocker? Budget timing, another stakeholder, scope? I can probably help with any of those. And if it's a no, that's genuinely fine, just tell me and I'll close the file.
Template 3: the honest deadline note
Use this only when the deadline is real: a start date you are holding, pricing that expires, a calendar that fills. Fake urgency reads as fake within seconds.
Subject: holding your start date until [date]
Hi [Name], a heads-up rather than a push: I've been holding [the start week] for this project. I can keep holding it until [specific date], after that the slot goes to the next project and we'd be looking at [later timeframe].
If you need more time to decide, that's fine too, I just didn't want the calendar to surprise you.
Template 4: the clean breakup
Use this around day 21 to 30, after the day-3 note, the day-7 note, and a call attempt. It ends the chase with the door open, and it regularly revives deals precisely because it stops pushing.
Subject: closing this out
Hi [Name], I haven't been able to reach you since sending the proposal, so I'll assume the timing isn't right and stop following up. No hard feelings at all.
The proposal stands through [end of quarter] if things change. If the problem resurfaces after that, reach out and we'll re-scope. Good luck with [their project] either way.
Let the team run this for you
In Orbit, unsigned proposals belong to Wes the closer. He nudges every unsigned proposal on day 3 with a gentle note and on day 7 with a firmer one, and he flags deals where nothing was ever sent at all. Each nudge lands as a card you approve, edit, or dismiss, so the chasing happens on schedule without a single proposal slipping your mind.
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Frequently asked questions
How long should you wait to follow up after sending a proposal?+
Three days. It is long enough for the prospect to have read the proposal and short enough that momentum from your last conversation is still alive. If the day-3 note gets nothing, send a firmer note at day 7, then switch to the phone.
How many times should you follow up on a proposal?+
Two emails, then a phone call, then a breakup note around day 21 to 30. The day-3 email invites questions, the day-7 email asks for a decision, the call surfaces the real blocker, and the breakup ends the chase politely while leaving the door open.
What do you say when a prospect keeps saying "still reviewing"?+
Offer the not-yet frame and ask for the blocker directly: "is it budget timing, another stakeholder, or scope?" Then propose a decision date: "can we put 15 minutes on [date] to land this one way or the other?" Endless reviewing usually means an unspoken objection that a direct question can surface.
Should proposals have an expiration date?+
Yes, when the reason is real: pricing you can only hold so long, a start date you are reserving, a calendar that fills. State it plainly in the proposal and remind once near the deadline. Invented countdown-timer urgency damages trust the moment it is recognized, and it usually is.
Why do proposals go quiet after the prospect seemed excited?+
Usually one of three things: the price was higher than imagined and they are embarrassed to negotiate, a stakeholder you never met raised objections, or priorities shifted the week after your call. Follow-up exists to find out which, because each has a different fix.
No proposal slips through the cracks
Wes drafts the day-3 and day-7 nudges for every unsigned proposal in Orbit. You approve each send. Free plan, no credit card.
Free forever plan. No credit card. No spam.