What the customer is really comparing
When someone gets three quotes, they usually can't assess the technical work. So they judge what they can see: how quickly you replied, whether the quote is easy to understand, whether it looks like it came from a real business, and whether you seem likely to turn up.
Speed matters more than most people think. Being first with a clear, professional quote often beats being cheapest a week later.
A structure that works
- A one-line summary of the job in the customer's own words, so they know you understood
- Itemised costs — labour, materials, anything separable — rather than a single number
- What's explicitly not included, to prevent the awkward conversation later
- Timescale: when you could start and roughly how long it takes
- Payment terms, including any deposit
- A validity date
Itemise, don't just total
A single figure invites one question: can you do it cheaper? A breakdown invites a better one: what does each part involve? It also lets a customer reduce scope rather than reject the whole job — dropping an optional item instead of going elsewhere.
Follow up once, properly
A short message a few days later — checking whether they have questions, rather than asking for a decision — recovers a meaningful share of jobs that would otherwise go quiet. Once is professional; three times is pressure.