Request More Information Enquiry Email: 4 Templates That Get Answers Without Annoying the Buyer

BOTrento Team12 October 20269 min read

What you actually need before you can quote

Before writing to the buyer, split the details into two groups. Must-haves are the ones that change the price or decide whether you can deliver at all. Nice-to-haves can be sorted out after the quote, or covered with a stated assumption.

Typical must-haves by sector

• Equipment rental: dates and times (including set-up and collection), delivery address, quantity, and whether they need an operator or just the kit. There's more on handling these on our page for equipment rental firms.
• Events and production: date, venue (or whether you're finding one), number of guests, and which parts you're expected to cover: technology, catering, staff, or the whole thing.
• B2B services: scope in one sentence, deadline, and who makes the final decision.

Usually nice-to-haves

• Exact budget (useful, but many buyers won't give it in the first email)
• Colour schemes, brand guidelines, detailed run-of-show
• Invoicing details and purchase order numbers

If a question doesn't change the number on the quote or your yes/no on the job, leave it out of the first reply.

How many questions is too many?

There's no magic number, but in practice you should aim for three to five questions in one email. Go past that and the email starts to feel like a form, so the buyer puts it off until "later". Often that means a competitor who asked for less gets the job.

Some rules that help:

1. One question per line, numbered. The buyer can then reply "1. next Saturday, 2. Lyon, 3. a few dozen guests" without writing an essay.
2. Make questions easy to answer. "Indoor or outdoor?" beats "Please describe the venue."
3. Offer options where you can. "Half-day or full-day hire?" is quicker to answer than an open question.
4. Replace a question with an assumption when the answer is probably obvious. "I've assumed delivery within the city. Let me know if that's wrong."
5. Move everything else to a call if the job is genuinely complex (see template 3).

Speed matters as much as wording. If you want to shorten the time between the enquiry and your first reply, see how to reply to sales enquiries faster.

4 templates to copy

Template 1: Short numbered questions

When to use it: what the buyer wants is clear, but a few concrete details are missing.

Subject: Your enquiry about [service/equipment] – a few quick questions

Hi [Name],

Thank you for getting in touch about [what they asked for]. We can help with this. To send you an accurate quote, I just need a few details:

1. [Date(s) and times, including set-up and collection]
2. [Location or delivery address]
3. [Number of guests / units / scope]

Feel free to reply with just the answers next to each number. Once I have them, you'll have the quote by [day].

Best regards,
[Your name]
[Phone]

Don't leave out: the line confirming you can help, and a specific day for the quote. Without them the email reads like a hurdle rather than progress.

Template 2: Quote based on stated assumptions

When to use it: you could price the job with sensible guesses, and the buyer seems in a hurry.

Subject: Quote for [service] – based on a few assumptions

Hi [Name],

Thanks for your enquiry. So you don't have to wait, I've prepared a quote based on these assumptions:

1. [Assumption, e.g. one-day hire, delivery and collection within the city]
2. [Assumption, e.g. number of guests as mentioned in your email]
3. [Assumption, e.g. no on-site technician needed]

If any of these are different, just reply with the correct details and I'll update the quote the same day. The price is valid until [date].

Best regards,
[Your name]

Don't leave out: the numbered list of assumptions and a validity date. They protect you if the scope grows later. For the rest of the email that goes with the attached quote, see the cover email structure for a quote.

Template 3: Offer a short call

When to use it: you'd need more than five questions, or the answers depend on each other (a multi-day event, a bespoke service package).

Subject: [Project name] – a short call to get the quote right

Hi [Name],

Thank you for the detailed enquiry. A few things affect the price quite a lot, mainly [topic 1] and [topic 2], and they're quicker to clarify by phone than by email.

Would [day, time] or [day, time] work for a short call? If you prefer email, please let me know these two things and I'll take it from there:

1. [Most important question]
2. [Second most important question]

Best regards,
[Your name]

Don't leave out: two concrete time slots and an email fallback. Some buyers won't take a call, and you don't want to lose them.

Template 4: Gentle chaser when there's no answer

When to use it: you sent your questions a few working days ago and have heard nothing.

Subject: Re: Your enquiry about [service/equipment]

Hi [Name],

Just checking whether you're still planning [event/project] for [date]. I'm holding off on the quote until I have:

1. [Question 1]
2. [Question 2]

If plans have changed, a one-line reply is perfectly fine, and I'll close the enquiry on our side.

Best regards,
[Your name]

Don't leave out: the questions themselves, repeated, so the buyer doesn't have to scroll back. Also give them an easy way to say "not now". If they do answer and you send the quote, carry on with three follow-up templates after a quote.

Common mistakes that slow the buyer down

• Asking for something the buyer already told you. Re-read the enquiry and any earlier thread first. Nothing says "we didn't read it" faster.
• Hiding questions in paragraphs. If the buyer has to hunt for them, they'll answer one and miss the rest.
• Asking for the budget first. It can come across as sizing them up. Ask it last, or give a range in the quote instead.
• No next step. Always say what happens once they reply, and when.
• Forgetting your own promise. You wrote "quote by Thursday", the answers came in on Tuesday, and then Thursday passed. This is where a lot of deals go quiet.

For other first-reply situations, like an acknowledgement, a provisional price or a handover, see five templates for replying to sales enquiries.

How BOTrento handles incomplete enquiries

The templates above work fine by hand. What usually fails is the process around them: noticing that an enquiry is incomplete, sending the questions the same day, chasing when nobody answers, and keeping the "quote by Thursday" promise. BOTrento Chief of Staff runs that process for you, and a person approves every step.

What it looks like during your trial

1. You connect your data. Mailboxes on IMAP connect directly. Gmail, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 work via forwarding or import for now. You can also upload enquiries from your CRM or a spreadsheet as CSV/XLSX. The 14 days only start after the first successful upload, and someone from our team gets in touch within 24 hours on working days to help with the setup.
2. Each working morning you see the Today 1+3 overview in the app and by email. An enquiry with missing dates or quantities shows up there with a draft ready: a short email with numbered questions, in English, Czech, German or French.
3. You edit and approve. Nothing goes out without your approval, and BOTrento never sends anything on its own. Prices, dates and bookings stay your decision.
4. Promises are tracked. When you write "you'll have the quote by Friday", BOTrento picks up the promise and reminds you. If the buyer goes quiet, it prepares a chaser like template 4 for you to approve.

One honest limitation: BOTrento works from the email text and doesn't read attachments. If a buyer sends the brief as a PDF, check it before you approve the questions. To see the flow step by step, look at the process walkthrough. Plans are listed on the pricing page, with AI usage included. The trial needs no card and no API key of your own. Start your 14-day free trial on your real enquiries.