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Printing businesses · Follow up systems

Chase the rate you sent on WhatsApp and the proof nobody approved.

Most print enquiries die quietly: a rate sent on WhatsApp with no reply, a proof sitting unapproved, a sample posted and never mentioned again. GullySales builds the list of what is open, the wording that gets a reply, and the point at which a job is written off instead of chased forever.

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Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

Realistic editorial illustration of printing businesses at work in India

What follow up systems means

A follow-up system is the set routine for calling, messaging or emailing an enquiry more than once, since most buyers do not decide on the first conversation. GullySales sets the number and timing of follow-ups so an undecided buyer keeps hearing from you until they decide either way.

Also for printing businesses

Sales and marketing for printing businesses, the overview.

Last updated 5 Oct 2026.

For printing businesses

Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.

  • “Any update sir is why your rates go unanswered”

    The buyer has three quotations open and cannot tell them apart. Send the specification again instead: size, GSM, board, lamination, the quantity slab and when you can deliver. A buyer can act on that.

  • “The unapproved proof is your problem even though it is their delay”

    Your press slot is blocked and the delivery date is still the one you promised. Somebody has to ring the customer, find out who actually signs off, and get it in writing.

  • “A sample sent to a purchase department disappears into a drawer”

    It was not rejected. It went into a cupboard and nobody circulated it. A call that asks whether the sample reached the person who decides is worth more than three messages asking for an update.

What we do

What we deliver for printing businesses.

Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.

  1. One list of everything open, by stage

    Rates sent, samples out, proofs awaiting approval and confirmed jobs waiting on artwork, kept in one place rather than in four people's chat histories.

    Result: You can see the whole shop's pending work in one screen.

  2. A second quotation that restates the specification

    The size, stock, finish, quantity slab, rate and delivery written out again and sent as a document, not as another message asking for a decision.

    Result: Your quote is the one the buyer can put on the file.

  3. Proof approval chased to a named person

    Who signs off at each account, recorded once, with a call rather than a message when a proof has been sitting and the press slot is booked.

    Result: Approvals come back from the person who can actually give them.

  4. Sample follow-up aimed at the decision maker

    A call that asks whether the sample reached the person choosing the supplier, and offers to send a second one directly to them.

    Result: Samples get in front of the buyer instead of into a cupboard.

  5. A written stop rule for dead quotations

    How many contacts a rate gets, what each one carries, and when it is closed, so nobody is still chasing a tender that was awarded last season.

    Result: Your staff work the live enquiries and drop the rest.

  6. Reason lost recorded against every closed enquiry

    Rate too high, delivery date, went to their regular printer, job cancelled: a word or two entered by whoever spoke to the buyer last.

    Result: You find out whether you are losing on price or on delivery.

  7. Recovered orders counted against the baseline

    Work that came back from a second quotation or a chased proof, measured against the enquiry figures recorded before this started.

    Result: You can see what the chasing is worth in orders.

How the result is measured

  • Follow-up completion rate
  • Average number of follow-ups before close
  • Enquiries closed after repeat follow-up

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

Read the full lead response and follow-up page

Follow-up routine for print shops

Every open rate, sample and proof is listed by stage with a person to call and a line to say.

Rate sent on WhatsApp, no reply
Send the specification again as one message: size, GSM, board, lamination, quantity slab and delivery. Ask which quantity they are leaning towards and record it.
Sample posted to a packaging buyer
Ring a few days after dispatch to ask if the sample reached the right person, and what they will test it for. Note the courier docket and the decision date.
Proof sent, not approved
Ring the person who has the file, ask who signs the proof and when. Tell them what date the press slot is held until and record the answer.
Repeat customer's usual job due
Look at the last order date and the run size, then message the buyer with the old specification and ask if anything changes. One reply should confirm the reorder.
Wedding card enquiry
Send two or three samples of paper and finish, and ask for the invitation wording and the date of the function. Record the delivery date and the family's budget comment.
Quote never answered
After the second message, mark the job lost with a reason if you have one, such as rate, delivery or sample. Keep it for the next season's reminder.

Who it is for

This is written for these printing businesses.

  • Commercial offset printing businesses
  • Digital and quick-print shops
  • Packaging and label printing businesses
  • Large format and signage printers
  • Wedding and event stationery printers
  • Corporate stationery and print suppliers
  • Textile and garment printing businesses
  • Print-on-demand and personalised merchandise printers

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • Nobody owns open quotations, so a system of reminders would show a list that nobody works.
  • Your rates are not fixed for the common jobs, so a second quotation would restate a number that may change.

How it works

How the follow up systems work runs

The work itself, in order. How an engagement starts, from your brief to a written scope, is set out on our method page.

  1. 1

    Measure today's reply time

    From your recent enquiries, we set the time each arrived against its first reply, using the call log, chats, form entries and portal panel. We also count the follow-ups each one got.

  2. 2

    Agree targets and the sequence

    We set reply targets and the follow-up sequence with your team, based on its real hours and workload.

  3. 3

    Write the templates and first-call questions

    The first reply, the quote follow-up and the last attempt are written in your voice and loaded as quick replies. The first-call questions are agreed with your best salesperson.

  4. 4

    Set ownership, tasks and alerts

    Named owners, cover for leave and CRM or sheet tasks go live. App alerts, such as IndiaMART's, are switched on for the right phones.

  5. 5

    Track and adjust

    Reply time and follow-up completion are reported against the baseline, and the routine is changed where it is not kept. How often you are reported to is agreed in writing.

Where this fits

Three pieces of sales work, in this order.

This work sits inside sales process design, at stage 2, qualification. The audit comes before it, and sales management keeps it running.

  1. Step 1

    Sales audit

    Find where deals are being lost and what to fix first.

    Start here if you cannot say where orders are lost.

  2. Step 2 · you are here

    Sales process design

    One written way to sell, from first enquiry to repeat order.

    Start here if every salesperson sells differently.

  3. Step 3

    Sales management

    A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.

    Start here if the team has targets and no routine.

Tell us what you need Your brief is read before we call. Scope, fee and term in writing.

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Tell us what you need
How many times should we follow up on a quotation?
Two or three, and each one needs something new in it: the specification, a revised slab for a higher quantity, or a delivery date you can hold. After that, close it and write the reason. Chasing a fourth time only tells the buyer you have no other work.
Everything happens on WhatsApp and nothing is written down. Where do we start?
Pull the open enquiries out of the chats once, into a single list with the stage each one is at. It is a tedious afternoon. After that, the rule is that a rate is not sent until the enquiry is on the list, and the list is what gets worked each morning.
Should we ring the customer or just keep messaging on WhatsApp?
Message first, with the full specification, since many buyers reply to text. Ring if there has been no reply after the second message, or if the job has a deadline. Record the call in the same list as the messages, so the whole history is visible.
A customer approved the proof but has not paid the advance. What next?
Ring the person who ordered and ask when the advance can be sent, mentioning the press date you are holding. Put the payment details in writing. If the date passes, release the slot and tell them so, calmly, in a message.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
It depends on the trade, the channel and what is already in place. After we have read your brief and spoken to you, we say what we would expect to move first and how it will be measured against the baseline. Nothing here is guaranteed.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.
What do you need from us?
Your brief, and a conversation. After that, access to whatever this work touches, such as your website, your accounts or your enquiry record, and time with the people who handle your enquiries.
What if we are not happy with the work?
Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

From the blog

Further reading for printing businesses.

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Everything else we would do for you.

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Or start from the overview: sales and marketing for printing businesses.

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