How to write a quote clients actually read

A lot of small business quotes lose the job before price even comes up. They're long, vague, or arrive as a PDF nobody opens on their phone. A short, clear quote gets read and answered faster.

1. Start with their problem, in their words

One sentence: "You want the shop's online orders sorted out before the Christmas rush." It shows you listened and makes the rest easy to follow.

2. Offer two or three options

A basic version, the one you recommend, and maybe a bigger one. People like choosing between options more than saying yes or no to one price. Mark the one you recommend.

3. Say exactly what's included

Short bullet points. What you'll do, what they need to give you, and what's not included. Most later arguments come from that last part being missing.

4. Give a start date and an end date

Clients often care about timing as much as price. A clear "I can start on the 18th and finish by the 2nd" helps them decide.

5. End with one simple next step

"Reply with the option you want and I'll book you in." Not a list of ways to proceed. One action.

6. Put the follow-up date in your list

The moment the quote goes out, note the client and a follow-up date three days later. Quotes without a follow-up are the ones that go quiet.

I'm a co-founder of Conecto, a pay-per-use CRM you can use from Claude or ChatGPT. You can say "log the quote for the bakery, three options, follow up Friday" and later ask which quotes are waiting. Changes cost $0.01, reads are free, no subscription, and new accounts get $1 of credit. conecto.chat

A spreadsheet works for the tracking too. The short, clear quote is what wins the work.