How this calculator works
The calculator takes three things from you: typical deal size, typical sales cycle length, and roughly how many proposals you send each month. It outputs a five-touch follow-up schedule with specific days (D+3, D+7, etc.) and the purpose of each touch.
The math is grounded in patterns we see across 12,400 tracked B2B proposals. Smaller deals close on momentum, so the follow-up windows tighten. Larger deals close on trust, so the windows widen. Sales cycle length sets the tempo, with the first touch landing at roughly 15 percent of the cycle. Deal size then adjusts the shape of the remaining touches.
Why timing is the whole ballgame
Most follow-ups fail on timing before they fail on wording. A well-written follow-up sent three days too early reads as anxious. The same email sent two weeks too late reads as irrelevant. Reply rates drop noticeably when the first follow-up misses the optimal window. The right moment is the one thing that separates “specific and helpful” from “pushy.”
For the deeper reasoning behind the tiered matrix, see when to follow up on a sales proposal. For the templates that go into each of the five windows, see the seven proposal follow-up email templates. For the full sequence structure with branching, signal responses, and measurement, read the five-touch proposal follow-up sequence.
Who this calculator is for
B2B sales reps, founders, agencies, consultants, and anyone sending formal proposals where the decision cycle includes multiple stakeholders or a meaningful price. The matrix handles everything from $3,000 contractor quotes to $150,000 enterprise SaaS deals. The shape of the schedule changes, but the five-touch structure holds.
If you're running this across a team (20+ proposals a month per rep), the calculator gets you the baseline. The automation and signal-based overrides are where proposal tracking software earns its keep. The calculator stays free and unchanged regardless.
Why we made this free
Short version: it's the math a proposal-focused sales team should already be using, with or without us. The moment a team starts running a real follow-up schedule, they usually want to know which touch to send based on what the prospect actually didwith the proposal, not just the calendar. That's the product. The calculator is the doorway.
We also couldn't find another free interactive version of this online. Existing tools cover proposal cost or ROI, not follow-up timing specifically. If you find one that outputs a schedule like ours does, we'd genuinely like to see it, let us know.