How to write a quote your client will accept

A quote has one job: to make it easy for your client to say yes. They might read it on their phone between meetings, forward it to whoever approves spending, or put it next to two other quotes. Everything below is about making yours the one that’s clearest to accept.

What to include

Every quote, whatever you sell, needs the same core parts.

1. Your business details. Name, logo, address, phone or email, and a tax ID if your clients need one for their books.
2. The client’s details. The person’s name and company. If someone else will approve it, the company name matters more than you think.
3. A quote number and date. A sequential number (0041, 0042…) lets both sides refer to it without confusion, especially once there’s a revised version.
4. Line items. One line per product or service, with quantity, unit price and line total.
5. Discounts, tax and a total. Shown separately, in that order, so the client can see how you got to the final number.
6. A “valid until” date. How long the price holds. Without it, a client can come back in six months expecting last season’s prices.
7. Terms. Delivery or start time, payment terms, deposit, and anything that isn’t included.

Write line items your client understands

Line items are where most quotes lose people. Use the words your client would use, not your internal codes. “Stoneware mug, 12 oz, Oat glaze” beats “SW-MUG-12-OAT”. If a line covers several things, say what they are: “Installation, two technicians, one day” tells the client what they’re paying for.

Keep setup fees, shipping and one-off charges on their own lines. Hiding them inside unit prices makes the quote harder to compare, and clients notice when the numbers don’t add up the way they expect.

Show discounts instead of quietly lowering prices

If you’re giving a wholesale rate, a volume discount or a first-order deal, show the regular price and the discount. “15% wholesale discount: −$192.75” reminds the client they’re getting something, and makes it easy to explain why the next order is priced differently if the volume changes.

Set an expiry date, and mean it

Thirty days is a common default; use less if your costs move quickly, like materials or freight. An expiry date protects you from honoring old prices, and it gives the client a gentle reason to decide. When a quote expires, you can simply reissue it with the same or updated prices.

Keep the terms short and plain

Three or four sentences usually cover it:

• When you can deliver or start, counted from acceptance.
• How and when you get paid: deposit, balance, accepted methods.
• What’s not included, such as installation, shipping to remote areas or extra revisions.

Anything longer belongs in a contract, not a quote.

Make accepting easy

End with a clear next step. “Reply to this email to confirm” works. A link the client can click to accept works better, because it removes the back-and-forth and gives you a record of exactly what they agreed to. Either way, don’t make them guess how to say yes.

Follow up

Most quotes that don’t close aren’t rejected; they’re forgotten. A short, friendly note two or three days after sending (“Any questions about the quote?”) recovers a surprising number of them. Put a reminder in your calendar when you send each quote.

Quick checklist

• Business and client details are complete and spelled right.
• The quote has a number and today’s date.
• Every item has a clear description, quantity and price.
• Discounts and tax are on their own lines, and the total adds up.
• There’s a “valid until” date.
• Delivery, payment and exclusions fit in a few sentences.
• The client knows exactly how to accept.

Not sure if you should be sending a quote or an estimate? See quote, estimate or invoice.