A good follow-up email after a proposal answers what the client actually did with it. If they never opened it, you resend it. If they opened it but never reached the price, you bring the price to them. If they keep rereading the price, you ask for a closing call. Below are nine templates, each with a subject line.
Which follow-up email fits which situation?
Pick the email by what happened to the proposal, not by how many days have passed. "It's been a week" tells you nothing about the client. "Nobody reached the price" tells you what the next email has to carry.
- Nobody opened it. Resend the link through another channel.
- They opened it but never reached the price. Put the number in the email.
- They opened it but nobody stayed. Offer a 20-minute walkthrough.
- It was opened on several different days. Offer help for whoever else is deciding.
- Opens suddenly spiked. Write the same day, and keep it short.
- The price keeps getting reread. Ask for a closing call.
- One visit was a long, careful read. Ask for the decision.
- The client's message is still unanswered. Reply today.
- The proposal was accepted. Confirm the start date.
These nine situations come from the Nepfy Assistant card on each proposal's detail page in Nepfy. It reads the visits to the proposal and writes one signal per situation, from a fixed catalog of ten. Its Next step footer turns the highest-priority signal into one recommendation. The card does not use AI: it is a fixed rule over real visits, so every number it shows comes from a visit that happened.
Without that data, the calendar decides: for timing and cadence, read how to follow up on a proposal. The templates below are for when you already know what happened.
What should a follow-up email never say?
Never tell the client what you saw on your dashboard. "I noticed you opened it three times" reads as surveillance, and it can be wrong. Visits are anonymous: the app knows the proposal was opened, not who opened it. Three opens can be one person or a colleague they forwarded the link to.
Let the signal pick the topic and the timing. The email itself talks about the work: price, scope, timeline, next step. Each template below ends with one question that can be answered with yes, no or a time slot.
Every template uses the same example: Studio Arco sent a "Brand system" proposal to Helena Prado at Northline, for $24,000. Swap in your own names, sections and numbers.
What do you send when the client hasn't opened the proposal?
Resend the link and assume the first email never landed. In Nepfy, the card reads "Nobody has opened it yet" before the first visit. After a few days of silence, the signal counts the days since you published, and the next step is to resend through a channel the client actually checks. If the first send was email, a short text or LinkedIn message works for the second.
Subject: Brand system proposal (direct link)
Hi Helena, resending the proposal in case my first email got caught by a filter: arco.nepfy.com/northline. It opens in any browser, no login needed. Could you let me know it came through?
Text: Hi Helena, I emailed the Brand system proposal on Tuesday and want to make sure it reached you. Here's the direct link: arco.nepfy.com/northline. Could you take a look by Friday?
The "no login" line holds in Nepfy: the client doesn't need an account to open the proposal.
What if they opened it but never reached the price?
Fix the proposal first, then bring the price to them. On the card, the signal says nobody reached Investment across a number of visits, and the price has never been seen. The next step is to move Investment higher, with a Reorder sections shortcut that opens the editor.
Then the email does the rest. It states the number and what it covers, so nobody has to scroll to find it.
Subject: Brand system: investment and what's included
Hi Helena, here's the short version of the investment section: $24,000, with a 50% deposit to start and the balance on delivery. That covers the logo, typography, color palette and brand guidelines, delivered in eight weeks. Does that fit the budget you have for this quarter?
If the signal points to the closing section instead of the price, the fix is the same: the client never saw where to say yes. Move that section up, and tell them in the email that they can accept by signing on the proposal page itself.
What if nobody stayed long enough to read it?
Offer to present it instead of asking them to read it again. This signal shows up when there are visits, but every one of them was short. The next step is to open the proposal with your strongest section, because the first screen has to hold attention. The email takes the reading off their plate.
Subject: 20 minutes to walk through the proposal
Hi Helena, I know this week is busy. I can walk you through the Brand system proposal in 20 minutes over video and answer questions as we go, so you don't have to read it all first. Would Thursday at 10 a.m. or Friday at 3 p.m. work better?
In Nepfy, the same proposal opens as a slide presentation, one section per slide, so you don't build a separate deck for the call.
What if the proposal was opened on several different days?
Send a short follow-up that helps whoever else is weighing in. A proposal opened on different days is under real review, and it may be passing through more than one person. You don't know who they are, so offer help without guessing.
Subject: Anything your team needs before deciding?
Hi Helena, if the proposal needs sign-off from others at Northline, I can help two ways: a one-page summary with scope, timeline and investment, or a 20-minute walkthrough for the group. Which would be more useful?
What if opens suddenly spike?
Write the same day, while the proposal is being discussed. This signal appears when several opens land within a few hours after a quiet stretch. Turn on Notify me on every open to get an email each time it's opened, so you see the spike as it happens and not the next morning.
Subject: Around this afternoon if questions come up
Hi Helena, I've kept this afternoon open. If anything comes up about scope, timeline or payment terms for the Brand system, reply here or call me. What's the best number to reach you?
What if they keep rereading the price?
Ask for a closing call, because a price that gets reread is a price being decided. This signal appears when the investment section was read across several different visits. Offer a way to change the scope, not the price. A discount nobody asked for tells the client the original number wasn't firm.
Subject: Brand system: two ways to start
Hi Helena, if it helps the decision, there are two options. The full project at $24,000, or a first phase with the logo and typography, leaving the palette and guidelines for next quarter. Could we take 15 minutes tomorrow to look at the first phase?
Put the phase-one price in the proposal once you have it. Don't make up a number in the email just to keep the conversation moving.
What if one visit was a long, careful read?
Ask for the decision, with a date. This signal reports the length of the longest visit when it was a real read, not a glance. Someone who read that closely already has what they need to answer.
Subject: Starting the Brand system on December 1
Hi Helena, to start on December 1, I need to hold the team's schedule this week. If the proposal works for you, you can accept it on the proposal page itself with your name and signature. Shall we go ahead?
What if the client's message is still waiting on you?
Reply today, because this time the late follow-up is yours. The signal reads, for example, "2 messages from the client are still waiting for a reply." An unanswered change request is where deals go quiet. The reply has to carry a decision, not "let me check."
Subject: Adding stationery to the Brand system
Hi Helena, about adding stationery: it fits for an extra $3,000 without moving the delivery date. If that works, I'll update the proposal today with both options side by side. Sound good?
On the Pro and Studio plans, Nepfy suggests a reply to client messages. Review it before you send: price and timeline are your call.
What do you send after the proposal is accepted?
Confirm the start date and send anything that needs a signature while the yes is fresh. When the client accepts in Nepfy, you're notified right away. The acceptance records their name, signature and time, but it is not a legally binding e-signature, so if your work needs a contract, send it now.
Subject: Next steps for the Brand system
Hi Helena, thank you for accepting. To start on December 1, I've attached the contract for signature and the invoice for the $12,000 deposit, due on receipt. How does Tuesday at 10 a.m. look for the kickoff?
What if you can't see what the client read?
Then only the calendar decides, and the email tends to come out generic. The templates above still work, but picking one becomes a guess. To see what changes when the proposal goes out as a link, read how to know when a client opens your proposal and what online proposal software does that a PDF can't.
In Nepfy, the proposal goes out as a web page, and the Nepfy Assistant turns its visits into a signal and a next step on each proposal's detail page, so you don't open visit after visit. Start free with 14 days of the Pro plan, no card required.
Frequently asked questions
Should I tell the client I saw them open the proposal?
No. Visits are anonymous, so you know the proposal was opened but not by whom, and the line reads as surveillance. Write about what the signal points to, like the price or the timeline.
How long should you wait to follow up after sending a proposal?
If you can see reading signals, send when the signal appears: a spike in opens calls for an email the same day, and an unopened proposal calls for a resend after a few days. Without signals, follow a cadence by days.
What subject line works for a proposal follow-up email?
Name the project and the one thing the email adds, like "Brand system: investment and what's included." A subject the client can act on beats "Just checking in."
Are the signals written by AI?
No. A fixed rule reads the proposal's visits and fills in a sentence template. No number is made up.
