Short answer: most quotes that go quiet were never followed up, and a single follow-up on day ten, in your own words, recovers a meaningful share of them. The fix is a quote log with a follow-up date and the message drafted, not a CRM.
Why it happens
The quote took an evening; chasing it feels like begging; and by the time you remember, three weeks have passed. Meanwhile the client got two other quotes and went with the one that called.
What works
A quote log: number, client, value, sent date, status, follow-up date. A follow-up drafted for every quote over a threshold at day ten, short and specific ("Hi Jason, following up on the Kiama install quote from the 12th; happy to walk through it or adjust scope"). Won and lost reasons recorded in one line, so after twenty quotes you know your real win rate and why you lose.
What Stewart Systems builds
The Quotes and price book module (Register) holds the log and the price book; at the Board the follow-up drafts appear in the morning check and the pipeline shows every enquiry to won or lost.
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Written by Christian Stewart, Stewart Systems, Wollongong. Published 2026-09-29. Records and flags, not legal, WHS or insurance advice; rules change, check the regulator for the current one.