Know who has opened your quote, and when to call.

The hardest part of quoting isn't the pricing. It's the silence after you press send.

Did it arrive? Did they open it? Is it sitting with the right person, or did they go with someone else a week ago? Most firms chase blind: a polite "just following up" email ten days later, sent to every quote at once.

What Redpen shows you

When you send a quote for online acceptance, Redpen records when the client opens it. On the quotes page, every quote that's out with a client shows:

• when it was sent
• whether it has been opened, how many times, and when it was last viewed
• how many times you've followed it up, and when

Quotes that have been viewed but not decided are pulled together into one list at the top, because those are the ones worth a call today.

Reading the signals

A few rules of thumb:

• Opened seven times in two days: it's being passed around and discussed. Call now, while you're part of the conversation.
• Not opened after a week: it probably went to the wrong person, or into a filter. Check the address before you chase.
• Opened once, weeks ago: they looked, and something stopped them. Ask what it was.

The follow-up button logs every chase against the quote, so nobody chases the same client twice in a day, and the client can accept online from the quote page itself.

Warm, not cold

None of this makes the phone call for you. It just tells you which call to make first.

The screens above come from our demo workspace, where the firms and projects are invented. Request early access to see it on your own quotes.