For most trade businesses, a quote is the first real impression you make on a potential client. You've got to get it right.
Put it this way, how would you feel if you received a scruffy quote, with typos, vague estimates and missing information? You'd run a mile. Your quote is a reflection of how professional and organised your business is: how it is presented speaks volumes.
Send a clear, well‑structured quote, and your client sees someone who knows their trade and respects their time. Send a careless quote, and you risk giving the wrong impression, even if your work is top‑quality.
In this guide, we'll show you how to write a quote for a job that is clear, professional, and helps you win more work, with tips for formatting, pricing, and using professional quote templates.
Why Professional Quotes Matter
Quotes are standard practice in lawn care, building maintenance, plumbing, and other field service jobs. They outline the cost of your service to a client and confirm that everyone is on the same page before a job starts.
A professional quote does far more than tell someone how much a job will cost. It builds trust, manages expectations, and keeps your projects running smoothly to save headaches further down the line.
When you include a detailed description of the work, labour costs, material prices, and clear payment terms, your client gets a clear picture of what they are agreeing to. This transparency makes it easier for them to agree to your quote and saves time by reducing the need for back‑and‑forth questions.
What to Include in a Job Quote
If you want prospective clients to take your quote seriously, there are several key pieces of information you should always include.
Experience Smarter Field Service Management
Ready to see how Intrflex can transform your workflow? Book a free demo and discover how easy it is to manage jobs, teams, and tasks from a single powerful platform.
Book a demo1. Business and Client Details
Start with the basics: your business name, address, and contact information. Also, add the client's details, including their name, address, email, and phone number.
Giving each quote a unique quote number keeps your jobs organised and saves time when chasing approvals. It shows clients you run a professional, reliable operation.
2. Job Details and Scope
This section is where you explain what work you'll do. Provide a detailed description of the job and, where possible, break it into line items.
For example, a lawn care quote might include:
- Mow the front and back garden
- Apply fertiliser
- Remove weeds and trim edges
Giving a clear scope means clients understand exactly what they are paying for, which helps you avoid disputes later. It also helps your workforce be completely clear on what work needs to be delivered.
3. Cost Breakdown and Pricing
Nothing frustrates potential clients more than a vague cost. It benefits you to know exactly what’s coming in and out, too, especially with recent reports showing that more businesses are feeling the pressure of labour costs in 2025. Provide a cost breakdown showing:
- Unit price for each item
- Labour costs
- Material prices
- Total cost
If prices vary depending on access or conditions, make a note. Being transparent about how you calculate the total cost gives clients confidence and establishes trust. If you make the process easy for the customer to understand, they'll feel safer choosing you again for repeat jobs.
4. Expiry Date and Proposed Work Date
Including an expiry date is essential. It sets a clear window for the client to accept your quote and protects you from rising supplier prices caused by seasonal demand.
Include a proposed start date so clients can plan ahead and see that you’re ready to get the job done. It makes your quote feel like the first step in a confirmed schedule and keeps things organised.
5. Payment Terms and Additional Details
Spell out your payment terms clearly, such as "50% deposit on acceptance, balance on completion within 7 days." This guarantees that everyone is on the same page.
You can also include additional details, like:
- Site access requirements
- Warranty or aftercare info
- How long the quote is valid for
The more relevant information you include upfront, the fewer surprises later.
6. Discounts and Special Offers
A small seasonal or referral discount can be the push a client needs to say yes. For example:
‘Book before 31 August and get 10% off.’
A simple offer like this will help fill your calendar faster and keep the work flowing. Referral discounts are especially powerful, as they give happy customers a reason to send friends your way, bringing in more jobs without extra marketing.
7. Quotation Format and Presentation
Jobs can be messy, but presentation matters.
A quote written on a scrap of paper or in a scruffy email can cost you work. Use a professional quote template, either in Microsoft Word, a PDF format or a trusted quotation service to keep things consistent. Your quotation format should follow a simple structure:
- Business and client details
- Quote number and date
- Job description with line items
- Cost breakdown and total cost
- Payment terms, expiry date, and additional details
Clean formatting shows professionalism and helps clients approve your business quote faster, which means you get paid quicker.
8. Follow Up to Win the Job
Even the best quotes sometimes sit in an inbox. A polite text message or call a few days after sending the quote can make all the difference. Keep it simple:
"Hi [Client Name], just following up to see if you had any questions about the quote I sent for [Job Description]."
This small step assures that all your hard work in preparing the quote doesn't go to waste, and that the client sees it as soon as possible.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Many small businesses lose jobs because of simple quoting errors. Avoid these when you're putting your quotes together:
- Sending quotes without a detailed description
- Forgetting the expiry date
- Not including payment terms or additional details
- Using a messy or inconsistent quotation template
- Failing to follow up with prospective clients
Fixing these mistakes helps more quotes get approved and keeps your business one step ahead of other contractors competing for the same jobs.
How to Create Accurate Quotes Faster
Writing quotes doesn't need to be a slow, manual process. Here's how to create accurate quotations more efficiently, so that you can focus on your craft:
- Keep quote templates for different jobs ready to go.
- Track supplier prices, labour costs, and past similar jobs to update your cost breakdowns.
- Store business and customer information in one place so you don't have to retype details every time.
- Use tools like Intrflex, which let you generate quotes with pre‑filled line items, total cost, and automatic PDF formats ready to send.
Win More Jobs with Accurate, Professional Quotes
Intrflex helps trade businesses and service providers send quotes that get approved faster, so you spend less time on admin and more time earning.
With our help, you can win over potential customers with professional quotes that look the part. Our industry-topping software means that you can create a detailed quote in minutes using ready‑made templates, complete with editable line items, labour costs, and material prices.
Each quote shows a clear fixed price and cost breakdown, with an expiry date and any other details your client needs to say “yes”.
You can track every quotation number, set follow‑up reminders, and turn approved quotes straight into jobs or invoices, keeping the work moving and the paperwork under control.
Faster approvals, fewer mistakes, and a steady stream of work without chasing paperwork: how does that sound?
Book a demo with Intrflex today and see how easy it is to create accurate quotes that win more jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
For example, a small seasonal offer during quieter months can keep your schedule full, while a referral discount rewards loyal clients who bring you more jobs. Just make sure the discount is clearly shown in your quote letter with any conditions explained.
Your business and customer details
A detailed description of the work
Labour costs and material costs in a clear cost breakdown
A fixed price or clear pricing structure
An expiry date, payment terms, and any other details like site access
Covering these key points helps clients understand the offer and reduces back‑and‑forth questions.
Seeing the location first helps you give a more accurate fixed price and include any other details that could affect the job. Skipping this step can lead to underquoting or unexpected changes later.
A price estimate is more informal and can change once the job starts. Sending a professional quote letter makes a better impression on potential customers and helps establish trust.
