Drugdu.com expert's response:

 

When doing pharmaceutical foreign trade, many suppliers have encountered this situation: A buyer sends an inquiry asking about products, specifications and prices. The sales team sorts out materials, checks costs, and sends out a quotation. After the email or WhatsApp message is sent, three days pass with no reply.

At this point, many people will write their second follow-up like this: "Any update?" Or: "Have you checked our quotation?"

These lines are not completely useless, but their effect is usually limited. There are many reasons why a buyer does not reply: they may still be comparing prices internally, waiting for confirmation from an end customer, feeling that some information is missing from the quotation, or contacting multiple suppliers at the same time.

If the second follow-up only presses for a reply, the buyer has no new information to respond with, and the communication can easily come to a standstill.

For the second follow-up, it is more advisable to share a piece of useful information rather than simply ask "is there any progress".

First, Check if Your Initial Quotation Is Too "Barebones"

Some non-replies after sending a quotation do not necessarily mean the customer is not interested. It may just be that the quotation lacks sufficient details.

In pharmaceutical and medical device procurement, buyers rarely only look at the unit price. They also pay close attention to:

Whether the specifications match their requirements

What the MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is

Whether the packaging method is clearly stated

How long the lead time is

Whether payment and shipping terms are clearly defined

Whether relevant document support is available

How long the quotation remains valid

Whether documents such as certificates, COA and Specification can be provided.

If your first quotation only states a price, the buyer will have to follow up with many additional questions later. When a buyer is comparing multiple suppliers at the same time, they are likely to prioritize replying to the one that provides more complete information.

Therefore, in the second follow-up, you can supplement the details that were not clearly explained in the initial quotation.

For example: "Following up on our quotation sent earlier. To make it easier for your review, please also note that the quoted product can be supplied with COA and specification. The regular package is XX, lead time is around XX days after order confirmation."

This type of message is far more likely to keep the buyer engaged than simply pressing for a reply.

Add a "Specification Confirmation" Question

Some buyers do not reply because they find the quotation may not fully match their needs.

For example, for an API product, the buyer wants the USP standard, but the supplier quotes an enterprise standard; for a peptide product, the buyer cares about purity and salt form, but these details are not specified in the quotation; for a medical device buyer, they need a specific model, but the quotation only mentions the product series.

In the second follow-up, do not rush to ask about orders. Instead, first confirm the product matching degree:
"May I confirm if the quoted specification matches your requirement? If you need another grade, package size or standard, we can check again for you."

This line is more natural than "Please reply" and gives the buyer a reason to continue the conversation.

If the buyer does find the specifications mismatched, they may share their updated requirements; if they are still comparing suppliers, they will know that you are willing to double-check details for them.

Offer an Alternative Solution

Another common scenario for non-reply after quotation is that the price is not the most suitable one, but the buyer does not say so directly.

At this point, suppliers can appropriately provide alternative solutions instead of immediately cutting the price.

For example:

If the buyer thinks the price is high, you can ask if they need a quotation for a larger quantity

If the lead time of the stock product is too long, you can offer other specifications or similar models

If the product standard requirements are unclear, you can provide different grade options

If the packaging is not suitable, you can explain the available packaging alternatives.

Your follow-up can be written like this: "If the current offer does not fully match your project, we can also check alternative specification, package size or quantity-based price for your review."

This kind of reply will not make you look overly anxious, nor will it narrow the entire communication down to just the question of "can you lower the price a little".

Clarify Document Support

Before a pharmaceutical buyer decides to move forward with communication, they often first check whether the supplier can provide the required documents.

Buyers of APIs, excipients and peptide raw materials may ask for COA, Specification, GMP, DMF status and stability data; medical device buyers may need CE certificates, ISO 13485, instructions, labels, test reports and registration support documents.

If your first quotation only includes the price without mentioning document support, you can add this line in the second follow-up:
"For documentation review, we can provide COA, specification and related quality documents upon request."

For medical devices, you can write: "Product certificates, instructions, labels and related technical documents can be provided for your review if needed."

This is not forcing attachments on the buyer. Instead, it tells them that you are fully prepared to cooperate if they move to the next step.

Stop Sending the Same "Any Update?" Repeatedly

Many salespeople will send consecutive follow-ups like:

"Any update?"

"Any feedback?"

"Waiting for your reply."

If the buyer has no new progress to share, this type of follow-up will only make them find it harder to reply.

The second follow-up should revolve around a specific question:

Whether the specifications are a match

Whether supplementary documents are needed

Whether the quantity needs to be adjusted

Whether samples are required

Whether they have a target price

Whether other product recommendations are needed.

For example: "Would you like us to prepare a sample offer for your testing?" Or: "May I know if this project is for trial order, registration or commercial purchase? We can prepare the suitable information accordingly."

These questions help suppliers judge which stage the customer is at, and are far more likely to get a response than simply pressing for an update.

Keep the Second Follow-up Short

The first follow-up after sending a quotation is recommended to be brief.

Since the buyer has already received your materials, the second message only needs to supplement one key piece of information or raise one specific question. Do not resend your company introduction, product catalog and all certificates all over again.

You can refer to this structure:

Remind the buyer of your previous quotation

Add one piece of useful information for them

Ask an easy-to-answer question

Leave an opening for continued communication.

For example: "Hi XX, just following up on the quotation we sent for [product]. The quoted product can be supplied with COA and specification, and regular lead time is around XX days. May I confirm whether this specification matches your requirement, or do you need another grade/package for review?"

This type of reply is not long, but it is far more informative than just saying "Any update?".

Do Not Give Up Immediately If the Second Follow-up Still Gets No Reply

The procurement cycle in the pharmaceutical industry is usually not very short. A buyer not replying for three days does not necessarily mean the project is over.

Some customers need to wait for internal confirmation, some need to forward the quotation to end users, and some are still comparing multiple suppliers. Some projects may even restart after several weeks.

However, suppliers can judge the quality of a customer through their follow-up interactions. If a customer only asks for prices all the time, never provides specifications, quantities or usage scenarios, and never responds to any confirmation questions, you can reduce your follow-up frequency later.

If a customer has ever asked about COA, specifications, samples, target markets, lead time or document support, even if they do not reply temporarily, it is worth maintaining a proper follow-up rhythm.

Conclusion

When you get no reply three days after sending a quotation, do not only focus on "pressing the customer" in your second follow-up.

A better approach is to give the buyer a new reason to reply. You can supplement the missing information in the initial quotation, confirm the specifications, provide alternative solutions, or clarify your document support capabilities. A good follow-up is not just a repeated reminder to check the quotation. It helps the buyer easily judge whether your supplier is a suitable partner to move forward with.

Many projects in pharmaceutical foreign trade cannot be advanced with just one quotation. By making your second follow-up more specific, you are far more likely to get the customer to share their real needs and questions with you.

By editor