How to Write a Trade Quote That Customers Accept

A trade quote that customers accept is clear, fast and comparable. Clear means the customer understands what is in the price without calling you. Fast means it arrives before they pick someone else. Comparable means the line items are split so the customer can set them next to a competitor's quote.

After a site visit, the tradesperson has usually done the hardest part: estimating the work, the materials and the time. Then the quote waits until the end of the day, the evening or the weekend. Meanwhile the customer gets two other quotes. This post covers what a quote must contain, how to lay it out and when to follow up after sending it.

Why speed matters in trade work too

A Harvard Business Review study (2011) of 2,241 US companies found that those that tried to contact the lead within the first hour were nearly 7 times more likely to qualify it than those that tried an hour later. The average time to first reply was 42 hours, and 23% of companies never replied at all.

The Lead Response Management study (Oldroyd, MIT and InsideSales, 2007) found, across more than 15,000 leads, that making contact within five minutes rather than 30 made a lead 100 times more likely to be reached and 21 times more likely to be qualified.

Both studies measure the first reply, not the quote, and both were done on US companies. It doesn't follow that a trade quote must be ready in five minutes. It does follow that a customer who doesn't even get a confirmation that you saw the enquiry will soon be talking to someone else. More in Speed to lead: what the research says.

What a trade quote must contain

A good quote follows the same order every time. The customer reads it more easily, and you write it more easily.

1. Customer name, site address and one sentence on what they asked for. They see at once that you listened.
2. Description of the work. What you will do, in which rooms, with which materials.
3. What is not included. Waste removal, cleaning afterwards, repairs to hidden damage. Most disputes start here, so write it down.
4. Line items with quantity, unit and price. Materials and labour separately.
5. The total on the first page, not the fourth.
6. Completion time: start date and approximate duration.
7. Validity period, for example 14 days. Material prices change, so a quote can't stand forever.
8. Payment terms: when the deposit is due, when the balance is due.
9. The next step in one sentence: "If you agree, reply to this message and we'll set a date."
10. Name and phone number of the person who answers questions.

How to split the quote so it gets compared fairly

Customers often end up comparing totals. If you have one line saying "Bathroom renovation: total", you'll be compared with someone who forgot the waterproofing. With line items, the customer can see why you're dearer or cheaper.

Format	Advantage	Risk
One total	Quick to write	Customer can't see what they're paying for, compares only the amount
Line items, materials and labour	Clear, easier to justify a difference	More writing if you have no template
Options (basic, better)	Customer chooses instead of declining	With more than three options, the decision takes longer

For most jobs the middle path works best: line items by section (preparation, materials, execution, finishing) and one total at the top.

When and how to follow up after sending a quote

A customer often doesn't reject the quote. Nobody simply replies to them. So follow-up should be part of the process, not an awkward extra.

• First, after two to three working days. Short: "Hello, is the quote clear? If you like, I can adjust the scope or prepare a second option."
• Second, a few days before the validity date. The reason for the message is natural: "The quote is valid until 24 October. If you need more time, let me know."
• Then stop. Two specific contacts are enough. A third and a fourth feel like pressure.

If the customer says they've chosen someone else, thank them and ask if you could know what decided it. Sometimes it's price. More often it's timing or something unclear in the quote.

What you can improve this week

1. Take your last ten quotes and write down the site visit date and the date the quote was sent. The difference is your real response time.
2. Make one template from the ten points above and use it for the next quote.
3. Write three follow-up sentences and save them so you don't write them from scratch each time.
4. For every quote, note the date of the first and second contact.

If you send many similar quotes, a system can build the template and line items from your price list. How that works is in Quotes in 10 minutes instead of three days. What it looks like for tradespeople is on the tradespeople page. To see what waiting for a quote costs you, use the calculator.