When Should You Follow Up on a Proposal?

Understand the situation before responding

Find the last buyer-confirmed commitment. A promise to read a proposal on Friday differs from a promise to decide on Friday. Check the time zone, leave arrangements and any information you still owe. If the agreed date is ahead, prepare what you need rather than sending a premature chase. When no timing was discussed, acknowledge that gap. Your own month-end target does not establish urgency for the buyer.

An example message to adapt

Hi [Name], I sent [proposal] on [date], but we did not agree when you would review it. What is a realistic time for that, and what needs to happen before you can decide? If you need something from me first, please let me know which question it should answer.

Illustrative teaching example. Replace the prompts with buyer-confirmed facts; this is not a client conversation, claimed result or message to send automatically.

Prepare a useful next action

Choose one communication channel the contact already uses with you. Ask a timing question and give them enough context to identify the project. If they confirm a review date, record what will happen then and whether you should reconnect afterwards. If they mention an event such as a board meeting, ask whether that meeting can actually approve the work. Avoid running a daily chase while waiting for a milestone they have already explained.

Record the decision and its limits

Keep separate fields for your next follow-up date and their decision date. A date you set in your CRM is an internal reminder, not a buyer commitment. If the contact cannot give a realistic review point, record timing as unknown and examine whether the project belongs in your active forecast. Respect requests to stop contacting them.