How to quote a job faster (and win more work)

Ask any homeowner how they pick a tradesperson and you hear the same thing: they ring three or four, and they go with the one who turns up, seems sound, and gets a proper quote back quickly. Speed is not everything — but a slow quote loses jobs you should have won.

Why a slow quote costs you work

While that quote sits in your head or on a list for "later", the customer is talking to someone else. The longer you leave it, the colder the job goes and the more likely they have already said yes to another firm.

Have your numbers ready

Most of your quotes are variations on the same handful of jobs. Know your day rate, your common job prices and your materials markup off by heart — half the delay is working the price out from scratch every single time.

Quote on site, while it is fresh

The best time to quote is when you are stood in front of the job and the detail is fresh — not at 9pm when you are knackered and half of it is a guess. Even a rough figure on the spot, firmed up later, keeps you in front.

Make it look the part

A tidy, itemised, branded quote wins more than a number scrawled in a text. Spell out what is included and what is not, so there are no awkward conversations later. It tells the customer you are professional and reliable — which is what they are really buying.

Follow it up

If you have not heard back in a few days, a quick, friendly nudge wins a surprising number of jobs. People get busy; a reminder is not pushy.

Or just say it out loud

This is exactly what TradePA was built for. Say "quote Dave £400 for a boiler service" and it writes it, brands it and sends it — before you have pulled off the drive. See how it works.