How can I track proposal email opens and follow up when prospects go silent?

Hi! The most email‑marketing‑friendly way to get visibility on proposal emails is to (1) send proposals through a system that can record bounces/deliveries, opens, and—more importantly—clicks, and (2) structure your proposal so the “view proposal” action requires a tracked click (because open tracking is helpful, but it’s not fully reliable).

A practical setup that works well

1. Send the proposal email with tracking enabled (open + click tracking).

• Open tracking uses a tiny tracking pixel; it can tell you “likely opened,” but it’s not perfect (some clients block images, and privacy features like Apple Mail Privacy Protection can make opens look inflated or delayed).
• Click tracking is usually a much stronger engagement signal. If they clicked “View proposal” or “Approve quote,” you know they saw it.

1. Host the proposal behind a tracked link instead of attaching it (when possible).
   Attachments don’t generate click events and can hurt deliverability in some cases (especially big PDFs). A better approach is:

• Email: short summary + one clear CTA button/link like “View proposal”
• Destination: your proposal page/PDF viewer/e‑signature page
  Then you can follow up based on click-through rate behavior, not just open rate.

1. Use delivery signals you can trust: bounces + replies.
   To avoid pestering people who never received it, make sure you’re capturing:

• Hard bounce/soft bounce events (this is the clearest “didn’t deliver” signal)
• Spam complaints (if your sending tool exposes them)
• Reply detection (even a “got it” reply is your best confirmation)

If you’re sending from your regular inbox (Gmail/Outlook), consider using a tool that supports one‑to‑one sending with engagement tracking while still sending “as you” (so it feels personal), and that logs bounces/engagement.

Deliverability basics that make tracking more meaningful
If you don’t have solid deliverability, tracking won’t help much because messages may land in spam/promotions:

• Ensure your domain is authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (these are table stakes now).
• Keep proposal emails simple: minimal images, no URL shorteners, avoid heavy HTML, and don’t include lots of links.
• If you must attach a PDF, keep it small and still include a tracked “View online” link.

A simple follow‑up cadence that won’t feel pushy
Here’s a cadence that works well for warm inquiries, using engagement signals to adjust:

• Day 0 (send proposal): Clear CTA + “Reply with questions” option
• Day 2 (follow‑up 1): Light nudge + ask a simple question
• Day 5 (follow‑up 2): Offer a quick call or two choices (A/B)
• Day 10 (final touch): “Should I close the loop?” permission-based close

How to time it based on engagement

• Clicked the proposal link but no reply within 24 hours: follow up sooner (they engaged).
• Opened only (no clicks) after 48 hours: follow up, but assume they may not have gotten to it—restate the one-line value + CTA.
• No opens/no clicks after 48–72 hours: follow up with a deliverability-friendly line like “Just checking this didn’t get buried—want me to resend?” (And include the link again.)

Two follow‑up templates you can copy
Follow‑up #1 (gentle + easy response)
“Hi [Name] — quick nudge in case this got buried. Did you get a chance to review the proposal? If you want, I can also resend it or answer any questions here.”

Follow‑up #2 (give options)
“Hi [Name] — happy to tailor this if helpful. Are you leaning toward (A) [option 1] or (B) [option 2]? If neither fits, tell me what you’d like to optimize for and I’ll revise.”

One important note on “open tracking”
Open tracking is useful directionally, but don’t treat it as truth. For proposal follow-ups, build your workflow around bounces + clicks + replies, and treat opens as “maybe.”

If you tell me what you’re using today to send proposals (regular Gmail/Outlook, a CRM, or an email marketing platform), I can suggest the cleanest way to set this up without making your emails look “mass marketing” and without hurting deliverability.