An itemized, fixed price for one job, sent to the customer who asked how much.
A customer asked what the job would cost. The example on this page is a made-up painter's answer: two fixed prices, every line item, and a clear way to say yes. Borrow its shape for your own trade. One limit to plan around: a page can't take a signature or a deposit, so the quote itself has to say how the customer accepts.
Who it's for
Tradespeople and freelancers who price one job at a time: painters, electricians, plumbers, photographers, a developer quoting a small fix. You've seen the job or heard the brief, and the customer is waiting on a number, often while collecting two others.
A quote is a firm price for a defined job. If you can't see enough to be firm, send an estimate and call it one. If an insurer or landlord wants a signed document, send that too.
What a good one contains
- The total before the working. The sample sets $3,325 and $6,195 in the largest type on the page. Customers scroll to the bottom hunting for that figure anyway.
- Line items with a sentence each. "Kitchen trim, $340" names the window, two door frames and the baseboards. A customer comparing three quotes can see who really looked at the room.
- Measurements. Kitchen 12 by 14 feet, hallway 22 feet long, 9-foot ceilings. They show the price came from this job, and they're your record if scope is questioned.
- Options priced as add-ons. The cabinets appear as what they add, $2,870, so the customer weighs one decision, not two long lists.
- What isn't included. The sample names the wall above the sink and prices the repair at $65 an hour if it turns out to be soft. A surprise you can predict belongs in the quote.
- How long the price holds. Until Friday, December 18, with the reason: paint prices and the calendar.
- Dates and payment. The earliest start, the number of working days, a $500 deposit, the balance on the last day.
- How to say yes. Reply with the option and the week. One sentence, and nothing to fill in.
Where quotes go wrong
Add every column twice, and again after any edit. A customer who finds a $40 slip in the total starts wondering about the measuring.
Vague lines cause the arguments. "Prep" could mean anything. "Fill nail holes and hairline cracks, sand, caulk the trim" can be checked on the day. Write each line so a stranger could tell whether it was done.
If the job changes after you've sent the quote, change the page and tell the customer what moved. The link they already have opens the new figure, so there is only ever one quote.
How to send it
With a password. A quote has one customer's price and the name of their street on it. Text them the link, and say the password when you call to check it arrived.
Every page you publish gets one link that opens in any browser. You choose who can open it: anyone with the link, anyone with the password, or only the people and company domains you name, who sign in with Google or Microsoft. Change the page later and the link stays the same.
