How to Follow Up on a Proposal (Without Sounding Pushy)
You sent a great proposal. Now comes the hard part: following up without being annoying.
Why following up feels awkward
You don't want to seem desperate.
You don't want to annoy them.
But you also can't just sit there and wait forever.
The solution? A simple process you can follow every time.
The follow-up process (step by step)
Wait 3-5 days after sending
Give them time to actually read it.
Don't follow up after 24 hours.
Most people need a few days to review a proposal, discuss it internally, or just find the time.
Send a helpful follow-up
Don't just say “checking in.”
Offer something useful:
- “Do you have questions about the timeline?”
- “Want me to walk through the scope?”
- “Happy to adjust pricing if needed.”
If no response, wait another week
Send a second follow-up around day 10.
Acknowledge the silence:
“Haven't heard back — totally fine if this isn't a priority right now. Just wanted to close the loop.”
Final follow-up after 2 weeks
Give them an easy out.
Say something like:
“I'm going to assume this isn't moving forward — which is fine. If things change, feel free to reach out.”
Common mistakes to avoid
What actually works
Be brief. Long emails get ignored.
Be helpful. Offer to clarify or adjust.
Be direct. Don't dance around the ask.
Know when to quit. Three attempts is enough.
Or just automate it
SecondPing handles all of this automatically — perfect timing, perfect wording, from your own email.
Stop doing this manually