How to Write Quotes That Win More Trade Jobs

Silence is the hardest reply a quote can get, because it tells you nothing. A week after sending it, you assume you were too expensive, mutter something about cowboys, and move on.

Maybe you were too expensive. But you don't actually know that. The customer might be waiting for a partner to get home, might not have understood what "make good" meant on line four, or might simply have forgotten, because your quote arrived two days after someone else's and got buried under it.

Price matters, and this guide won't pretend otherwise. But price is the one part of a quote you can't change quickly without costing yourself money. Three other things decide what happens to a quote, and you control all of them: how fast it arrives, how easy it is to say yes to, and what happens when it goes quiet.

Speed: the first clear quote sets the frame

When a customer asks two or three businesses for a price, the first clear quote they receive often becomes the one they measure the others against. It doesn't guarantee you the job. It does mean you're the reference point rather than the late arrival.

The practical fix is to stop writing quotes from scratch. Build a price book of your common items once: standard labour units, the fittings you use every week, your call-out or minimum charge. Then a quote becomes picking items and adjusting quantities, which you can do on your phone before you've left the driveway.

Jobber includes quotes from its Core plan, with customisable templates and signature approval. Housecall Pro includes a price book on its Basic plan, and adds flat-rate pricing on Essentials.

Options: give them a choice, not a cliff edge

A single price is a yes-or-no question, and "no" is the easy answer. Two or three clear options turn it into a "which one?" question.

That doesn't mean inventing tiers for the sake of it. It means showing the real choices the customer already has: repair now or replace, standard fittings or better ones, the essential work alone or with the extra they mentioned. Keep it to three at most. More than that and people put the decision off.

Some tools make this easier. Jobber lets you add optional line items that the customer can tick on or off, on its Grow plan. Housecall Pro's sales proposal tool, with side-by-side comparisons and images, sits on its MAX plan.

Clarity: remove the reasons to wait

A lot of quiet quotes aren't rejections. They're questions the customer didn't want to ring you about. Most of those come from the same few gaps.

• Scope. Say exactly what's included, in plain words. "Supply and fit one mixer tap, remove old tap, test for leaks" beats "tap replacement".
• Exclusions. Say what isn't included. It's much easier to explain now than on the day.
• Timing. When could you start, and how long will it take?
• How long the price holds. A validity period is fair to you and gives the customer a gentle deadline.
• How to say yes. One clear action: sign, pay a deposit, or reply. Jobber and Housecall Pro both support digital signatures on quotes, which turns "yes" into a tap rather than a phone call.

The follow-up: one polite nudge

This is the step most tradespeople skip, and it's the cheapest one to fix. If a quote has had no reply after a few days, send one short, friendly message. Something like:

"Hi, just checking the quote came through OK. Happy to answer any questions, or adjust anything if the scope isn't quite right. Thanks."

It isn't pushy. It gives the customer an easy way back in, and it often surfaces the question they were sitting on.

You don't need to remember to do it, either. Jobber sends automated quote follow-ups from its Connect plan, and Jobber also lists alerts for high-value quotes so the big ones don't slip. Housecall Pro promotes a pipeline view with automated follow-ups for turning leads into jobs; check which plan you'd need. If your software doesn't do it, a calendar reminder three days after sending works fine.

The mistakes that lose quotes you should win

• "Miscellaneous" lines. Unexplained items read as padding. Name the thing, or fold it into a line that's explained.
• Discounting before you're asked. Knocking money off up front teaches the customer your first number wasn't real.
• Pricing from memory. If your price book doesn't match what jobs actually cost, you'll win the jobs you shouldn't and lose the ones you should. Our job costing guide shows how to check.
• Too many options. Three is plenty. Five is homework.

Put it into practice this week

1. List the ten items that appear on most of your quotes and put them, with prices, into your software's price book.
2. For your next quote, add one genuine option alongside the main price.
3. Add a scope line, an exclusions line and a validity period.
4. Set a follow-up for three days after sending, automatic or in your calendar.
5. Send it the same day you measure up, if you possibly can.

When a quote turns into a job, the next thing that matters is getting paid for it. Our guide to invoicing and getting paid faster picks up from there, and Jobber vs Housecall Pro compares where each puts these quoting features.