The home visit went well
You spent an evening at the client's home, measuring the alcoves, talking about timber and looking at their inspiration photos. Back at the workshop, you drew up a design and a proposal with a price. You sent it with a friendly note. Then nothing. A week passes. You do not want to seem pushy. Another week. You assume they have gone elsewhere or decided against it.
Months later you bump into them. They were waiting for a decision from a partner, forgot, and ended up buying something else because nobody got back in touch.
Makers are not salespeople
Most furniture makers dislike chasing. They would rather the work speak for itself. So proposals go out and the follow-up depends on how confident the maker feels that week.
- No follow-up is planned when a proposal is sent.
- Chasing feels pushy, so it is avoided.
- Proposals are not tracked, so nobody knows how many are open.
- Reasons for not going ahead are rarely asked or recorded.
- Design time spent on proposals that go nowhere is not measured.
What quiet clients cost
A design consultation and proposal take real time: travel, measuring, drawing, pricing. Each one that goes quiet without a follow-up is time spent for nothing, even if the client might have said yes. Without reasons, you do not know whether proposals are too expensive, too slow or simply forgotten. And you have no sense of how full the pipeline is, which makes planning the workshop harder.
Proposal tracking with gentle follow-up
- When a proposal is sent, it is logged with the client, the piece, the value and a follow-up plan you set once, such as a message after a week and another after three.
- Each follow-up is a short, friendly message you have written, often with something useful: a photo of the timber you suggested, a similar piece you have made, or an answer to a common question.
- You can review and personalise each message before it goes, or let them send automatically.
- Clients can accept the proposal and pay a deposit from a link, or reply with questions that come to you.
- If the client decides not to go ahead, a short optional question asks why, and the answer is recorded.
- A simple view shows open proposals, their value and their stage, and how many convert over time.
| Stage | Today | With proposal tracking |
|---|---|---|
| After sending | Wait and hope | Follow-up plan set |
| Follow-up | Depends on confidence | Friendly message with something useful |
| Acceptance | Email or phone | Accept and pay deposit from a link |
| Not going ahead | Silence | Reason recorded |
| Pipeline | Unknown | Open proposals and value |
Follow-up that does not feel like selling
Clients who were simply busy are reminded, kindly, and some of them go ahead. Clients who have decided against it tell you why, which helps you adjust proposals and prices. You stop spending energy wondering whether to chase. And you can see the work coming, which helps you plan timber, time and help in the workshop.
Recording outcomes can change how you run consultations. If proposals often stall on price, a rough range given at the enquiry stage may save both sides a visit. If they stall on timing, being clearer about the order book early might help. You will not know which until you ask, and the tracking makes asking a normal part of the process.
Do proposals disappear?
- Clients go quiet after the design visit.
- You avoid following up because it feels pushy.
- You do not know how many proposals are open.
- You rarely learn why clients did not go ahead.
- Design time on lost proposals feels wasted.