Most quotes are now read on a phone, standing in a kitchen, in the gap between two other things. The customer is not going to open a PDF, study it and draft a reply. They are going to read the first line, glance at the number, and decide whether to type “yes” or put the phone down. Word it for that.
Lead with the job, not with yourself
The first line they see is the message that carries the quote, not the document. So the message says what the job is and what it costs, in that order, before anything else.
“Hi Priya, here’s the quote for the kitchen rewire we talked about: £2,976 including VAT, new consumer unit, six double sockets and the under-cabinet lights. Reply yes and I’ll pencil you in for the week of the 21st.”
That is the whole message. The name, the job in their words, the number with VAT already in it, and one thing to do next. No “please find attached”, no “as per our discussion”. Those phrases were written for letters and they make a text feel like an invoice.
Put the number in the message
Hiding the price inside the attachment feels safer. It is not. If the number is only in the PDF, the customer has to open it to find out, and half of them will not do that on the spot. They will “look at it later”, and later is where quotes go to die. The number goes in the message, once, with VAT included, so nobody has to do sums.
Say what is in and what is out, in one line each
Two short lines under the price stop the questions that otherwise arrive that evening:
- “Includes the certificate and the Part P notification.”
- “Doesn’t include making good the plaster. I can price that separately if you want it.”
That is the exclusions list done. The customer knows exactly what they are saying yes to, and you have not written a page of terms nobody reads.
Make yes the easy answer
End with one action, in their power, that takes a second. “Reply yes.” “Tap Accept on the quote.” “Text me a date that suits.” Not “let me know your thoughts”, which is an invitation to do nothing. The document behind the message can have an Accept button on it, and if it does, say so.
The three lines that make people ring instead of accepting
- A range instead of a price. “Somewhere between £2,500 and £3,200” reads as “I don’t know”. If you genuinely cannot price it yet, say that it is an estimate and what would change it.
- A deposit with no reason. “50% up front” with nothing else makes people wary. “A £500 deposit covers the board and the cable, and holds the dates” is the same money and nobody blinks.
- Validity with a threat. “This price is valid for 7 days” reads as pressure. “Price holds for 30 days; copper moves after that” is a fact, and it is true.
The follow-up, two days later
If nothing comes back in 48 hours, one short message: “Morning Priya, did the quote come through OK? Happy to talk it through if anything’s unclear.” Nine times out of ten the reply is “sorry, meant to say yes”. The tenth tells you what the problem is, and you fix that instead of chasing.
What this looks like when you are on the tools
Say the job to your PA in the van: “Quote Priya Patel two thousand nine hundred and seventy-six for the kitchen rewire, consumer unit, six doubles and the under-cabinet lights. Deposit five hundred.” The quote is written with your logo on it, you read it, and one tap sends it by text with an Accept button on it. Priya taps Accept and you are told. That is what TradePA is for, and the wording above is what it puts in the message.
A word on the above. This is general information for UK trades, written to be useful, not advice for your situation. Prices vary by job and by region, and tax and legal rules change. Check the current position on GOV.UK or ask your accountant or legal professional for actual advice.
The TradePA team
TradePA is the AI personal assistant for UK trades. Say the job and it writes the quote, gets the invoice ready to send and writes the reminder when money is late, for £10 a month. About TradePA.
