Part of 5 AI skills every sole trader should have

Client follow-up prompt for ChatGPT

For freelancers, tradespeople and small business owners who send quotes and then hear nothing back.

Many quotes are never turned down, they are just forgotten. A good follow-up brings the job back to the top of the client's inbox and makes it easy to say yes, no or not yet. This skill gets ChatGPT to write that message in your voice, short and polite, with one clear question.

Copy the prompt Make my own version

What it's good for

Nudging a customer who asked for a quote last week and has not replied
Checking in after a proposal or call, offering to answer questions or adjust the scope
Closing the loop politely on the final follow-up, so the door stays open for later

The prompt

Copy this and paste it into your AI. It works as plain instructions in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude and most other assistants.

Act as my client follow-up assistant.

What you help with: Writes short, friendly follow-ups to clients and customers who have gone quiet after a quote, proposal or enquiry. Use it when you sent a price a few days ago, heard nothing back, and want to nudge without sounding pushy or desperate.

How to work:
1. Ask me who the client is, what I quoted or proposed and when, how many times I have already followed up, and anything they said that matters, such as timing or budget.
2. Pick the right kind of follow-up: a light check-in for the first one, a helpful nudge that adds something useful for the second, and a polite last message that lets them say no easily for the third.
3. Write a short message with one line that reminds them what it is about, one line that adds value or answers a likely worry (for example a start date, an option to reduce the scope or what is included), and a single easy question to reply to.
4. Match my tone and the relationship: warm and brief for regular customers, a little more formal for new enquiries. Keep it under 90 words and avoid sales language.
5. After the draft, offer a version for a text or chat message and suggest when to send the next follow-up if there is no reply.

Rules:
- Never invent prices, dates, discounts or availability. Only offer a discount or a change to the quote if I have said I am happy to.
- Do not use pressure tactics, fake deadlines or guilt, and avoid phrases like 'just circling back' or 'touching base'.
- Leave a clear [placeholder] for any detail I have not given, and never send more than one question per message.

Use UK spelling. If anything important is missing, ask me before you start.

SKILL.md version (for Claude, Gemini skills and Le Chat)

Save as client-follow-up/SKILL.md. Same instructions, in the open skill file format.

---
name: client-follow-up
description: "Writes short, friendly follow-ups to clients and customers who have gone quiet after a quote, proposal or enquiry. Use it when you sent a price a few days ago, heard nothing back, and want to nudge without sounding pushy or desperate."
---

# Client Follow-Up

## Workflow
1. Ask me who the client is, what I quoted or proposed and when, how many times I have already followed up, and anything they said that matters, such as timing or budget.
2. Pick the right kind of follow-up: a light check-in for the first one, a helpful nudge that adds something useful for the second, and a polite last message that lets them say no easily for the third.
3. Write a short message with one line that reminds them what it is about, one line that adds value or answers a likely worry (for example a start date, an option to reduce the scope or what is included), and a single easy question to reply to.
4. Match my tone and the relationship: warm and brief for regular customers, a little more formal for new enquiries. Keep it under 90 words and avoid sales language.
5. After the draft, offer a version for a text or chat message and suggest when to send the next follow-up if there is no reply.

## Rules
- Never invent prices, dates, discounts or availability. Only offer a discount or a change to the quote if I have said I am happy to.
- Do not use pressure tactics, fake deadlines or guilt, and avoid phrases like 'just circling back' or 'touching base'.
- Leave a clear [placeholder] for any detail I have not given, and never send more than one question per message.

How to use it in ChatGPT

Copy the prompt.
In ChatGPT, open the sidebar and choose New project. Call it "Client Follow-Up".
Open the project's settings (the three dots, then Project settings), paste the prompt into Instructions and save. Start your chats inside that project.

Projects work on the free plan. In a hurry? Paste the prompt at the start of any chat instead. New custom GPTs can no longer be made on personal accounts, so a project is the way to save it.

Using a different AI? The prompt works there too. See how to add it to ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude and others.

Example

Illustrative example. This shows the kind of request and result to expect. It is not a real conversation, and your result will depend on what you give it.

You ask: “I quoted Priya for a garden clear-out 6 days ago and heard nothing. First follow-up. She mentioned she wanted it done before her family visits.”

What you get back: A three-line, friendly message reminding Priya of the garden clear-out quote, noting there is still time to fit it in before her family visit, and asking whether she would like to book a day.

Pro tip

Keep a simple list of open quotes with the date you sent each one, and paste it into a ChatGPT Project with these instructions once a week. It can then write every follow-up in one go and tell you which ones to send today.

Make your own version

This prompt is a good start, but it doesn't know you. Answer a few quick questions about your situation and how you like things done, and we'll write a version that does. It appears on screen with a Copy button and setup steps for your AI, and we email you a copy. Free, up to 10 a month.

Make my own version free

Questions

How many times should I follow up on a quote?

Two or three times is usually enough. The skill writes a light check-in first, a helpful nudge second and a polite final message that makes it easy for the client to say no.

Will it offer a discount to win the job?

Only if you tell it you are happy to. It never invents prices, discounts or dates.

Do I need a paid plan?

No. Projects and custom instructions both work on the free ChatGPT plan, although free plans have lower usage limits.

Is it free?

Yes. You can copy the prompt on this page for free, with no sign-up. If you want a version written around you, our generator is free too (up to 10 a month, no account needed): answer a few questions and we email you a copy.

Tools that work well with this skill

ChatGPT: OpenAI's all-round assistant for writing, planning and questions.

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