How to Quote Like a Professional
Written for the UK tradesperson, but the principles apply in most English-speaking countries.
Your quote is often the only thing a customer has in front of them when they decide who gets the job. They may not remember your van or your handshake, but they'll compare your quote side by side with everyone else's.
A quote does two jobs. It sells your work, and once the customer accepts it, it becomes the agreement you'll both be held to. A scribbled price in a text message does neither job well. It makes you look like the cheaper option and gives you no protection when something goes wrong.
This post sets out how to produce a quote that wins work at the right price and protects you once the job starts.
Step 1: Survey the job properly
A professional quote starts with a proper site visit. You can't quote accurately for something you haven't looked at properly.
• Measure everything you'll need to price, and write it down.
• Take photos, so you can check details later without going back.
• Check access, parking, and where materials and waste will go.
• Look for anything that could make the job harder: the age of the property, existing faults, other trades working on site.
• Ask the customer what they expect, including finishes, timescales and anything they want left alone.
Most arguments on site come from something that wasn't spotted or discussed at the survey. Ten extra minutes on the visit can save you days of dispute later.
Step 2: Know your numbers before you write anything
Work out your price before you start writing the quote, and work it out from your real costs: labour, materials, van and travel, overheads and profit. Our guide on how to price a job properly takes you through each part.
Then check the profit before you send it. If the job leaves you with less than you need, change the price or change the scope. Don't send it and hope. TradeProfit shows your forecast profit on a job before you quote so you know whether the job is worth taking on before the customer sees the price.
Step 3: Use the right word: quote or estimate
A quote is a fixed price for a defined piece of work. An estimate is your best guess at what the work will cost, and the final bill may be higher or lower.
Customers treat a quote as a firm price. If you call something a quote and then charge more, expect an argument. If you genuinely can't fix the price, for example because you can't see what's behind a wall until you open it, call it an estimate, or quote a fixed price for the parts you can see and explain clearly how the unknown parts will be charged.
Step 4: Include everything a professional quote needs
Every quote you send should contain:
• Your business name, address, phone number and email
• The customer's name and the job address
• The date and a quote reference number
• A clear description of the work (see Step 5)
• What's included and what isn't (see Step 6)
• The materials or specification you've allowed for
• The price, with VAT shown clearly if you're VAT registered
• The expected start date and how long the job will take
• Payment terms, including any deposit and stage payments
• How long the quote is valid for
• Your terms and conditions
• Guarantees, certification and insurance details
• How the customer accepts the quote
Use the same layout every time. A consistent, well-presented quote tells the customer you run a proper business before they've even read the price.
Step 5: Write a clear scope of work
The scope of work is the description of exactly what you'll do. It's the most important part of the quote, because it decides what the price covers.
A vague scope causes arguments. Compare these two descriptions:
• Vague: "Supply and fit new bathroom."
• Clear: "Remove and dispose of existing bath, basin, WC and wall tiles. Supply and fit customer-selected bath, basin and WC (supply price allowance £1,200). Tile walls to full height around the bath and to 1.2m elsewhere, approximately 14m². Connect to existing supply and waste pipework. Silicone seal and leave clean."
With the first description, the customer can argue that anything bathroom-related is included. With the second, both of you know exactly what the price covers, and anything extra is clearly extra.
Step 6: State exclusions and assumptions
Say clearly what isn't included and what you've assumed. Common exclusions and assumptions include:
• Decorating and making good after the work
• Hidden defects discovered once work starts, such as rot, damp or faulty existing wiring or pipework
• Asbestos or other hazardous materials, which must be dealt with separately
• Work by other trades
• Building control or other fees
• Access being available at the agreed times
Exclusions aren't small print to catch the customer out. They prevent misunderstandings and make it clear when a change needs to be priced as extra work.
Step 7: Set clear payment terms
Don't leave payment to be sorted out at the end. State in the quote:
• Whether a deposit is required, and how much
• Stage payments for larger jobs, and what each stage covers
• When the final payment is due
• How the customer can pay
Also state how long the quote is valid for. Thirty days is common. Material prices change, and an open-ended quote can leave you doing the job at last year's prices. Our guide on pricing materials correctly explains how to protect yourself against price rises.
Step 8: Present it professionally
Send your quote as a properly laid-out document, ideally a PDF with your business name and logo, not a price in a text message. Check the spelling, the customer's name and the figures before you send it. Mistakes in a quote make customers wonder what mistakes you'll make on the job.
Use a template, so every quote has the same layout and you never forget a section. It also cuts the time you spend writing quotes.
Step 9: Explain it, don't just send it
On larger jobs, go through the quote with the customer by phone or in person. Explain what's included, why you've recommended a particular approach, and what makes your quote different from a cheaper one that leaves things out.
Consider offering two or three options, such as a standard specification and an upgraded one. It gives the customer a choice between your options rather than a choice between you and someone else.
Step 10: Follow up
Contact the customer a few days after sending the quote to check they've received it and to answer any questions. Many jobs are won simply because the tradesperson followed up and the others didn't. Our guide on how to win more profitable work covers follow-ups and other ways to turn more quotes into jobs.
Step 11: Put changes in writing
Once the job starts, customers often ask for extras. Never agree to extra work verbally. Write down what's being changed and what it will cost, and get the customer's agreement before you do the work. This is called a variation.
Without written variations, the customer can later claim the extra work was included in the original price. With them, you get paid for everything you do.
The short version
Survey the job properly. Work out your price and check the profit before you write anything. Use the right word: quote or estimate. Include everything a professional quote needs, write a clear scope of work, and state your exclusions. Set payment terms and a validity period. Present it professionally, explain it, and follow it up. Put every change in writing.
Know your profit before you send the quote
A professional quote is only worth sending if the price makes you money. TradeProfit shows your real profit on a job before you quote, with labour, materials, van, travel, overheads and labourer costs all included. When the job's done, log the actual figures and see whether it came in as you planned. It's free for your first 10 jobs, and no credit card is needed.
Know your real profit on every job.
Want to go further? The Complete Guide to Running a Profitable Trade Business has a full section on producing professional quotations. Its free profit toolkit includes a Professional Quotation Template, a Quotation Checklist and sample terms and conditions.