What to put in a quote, the mistakes that lose work, and how to lay it out so the customer can say yes. With a free quote generator.
Most small businesses lose quotes they should have won, and not on price. They lose them because the quote arrived late, was hard to understand, or left the customer unsure what they were actually getting. A good quote is a sales document: it should make saying yes easy.
In the UK these mean different things, and mixing them up causes arguments later.
Put the word at the top of the document. If parts of the job genuinely cannot be priced until you start (what is behind that wall, how many hours the data clean-up takes), quote the parts you can and give an estimate, clearly labelled, for the rest.
| Part | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Your business name, address, phone and email | they need to be able to find you again in three weeks |
| The customer's name and the job address | it shows the quote was written for them, not copied |
| A quote number and the date | so both of you can refer to it, and you can find it |
| Valid until (usually 30 days) | prices move; it also gives you an honest reason to follow up |
| The scope, in plain words | what you will do, room by room or step by step |
| What is not included | the single best protection against disputes |
| The price, broken into lines | labour, materials, extras. People trust a breakdown more than a round number |
| VAT | if you are VAT registered, show the net, the VAT and the total. If you are not, say "no VAT to add" so nobody wonders |
| Payment terms | deposit, stage payments, when the balance is due, how to pay |
| When you can start and how long it will take | often the deciding factor |
| How to accept | "reply to this email" or "sign and return" - one clear action |
1. Sending it late. The customer asked three people. The first credible quote sets the benchmark, and the third often is not read. Aim for the same day for simple jobs, and within 48 hours for anything you had to visit.
2. One big number. "Bathroom refit: £6,400" invites the question "why so much?" The same total shown as strip-out, first fix, tiling, second fix and making good answers it before it is asked.
3. No exclusions. "Price excludes decorating, flooring and any remedial work to existing pipework" costs you nothing and saves the conversation where the customer thought it was included.
4. Jargon. Write it so their partner, who was not at the visit, can understand it. They are usually part of the decision.
5. No next step. A quote that ends with the total leaves the customer to work out what happens now. End with how to accept and when you could start.
Where it is honest to, give two or three options rather than one price: the basic job, the job done properly, and the job with the extra they mentioned wanting. People find it easier to choose between options than to decide yes or no, and the middle option wins most of the time. Do not pad the list; each option should be something you would be happy to deliver.
State them on the quote, not on the invoice afterwards. A common pattern for jobs with materials is a deposit on booking that covers the materials, a stage payment for longer jobs, and the balance on completion within seven days. Whatever you choose, putting it in the quote means accepting the quote is accepting the terms.
Send it as a PDF, not an editable document, with a two-line covering message: thank them for their time, say the quote is attached and valid for 30 days, and say when you will check in. Then actually check in. Most quotes that go quiet are not a "no": they are a busy person who meant to reply. Our guide on how to follow up a quote without being a pest has the timing and three messages you can copy.
Confirm in writing what was accepted and the start date, take the deposit, and keep the quote with the job. When a customer asks for something extra halfway through, price it as a short written variation before you do it. It feels formal for a small job, and it is the difference between a happy final invoice and a disputed one.
Build the quote in the free Quote & Invoice Generator - it prints or saves as a PDF and nothing is uploaded - then book the chase in Sheetsmith CRM.
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