Estimates
How to write an estimate that actually gets accepted.
What to put in, what to leave out, the exact wording for deposits and revisions — and what to do with the silence after you hit send.
Why they stall
Most quotes don’t lose on price.
It’s tempting to think a quote gets turned down because the number was too high. Usually it’s something quieter: the client couldn’t quite tell what they were getting, wasn’t sure what happened next, or simply felt a flicker of doubt and put it off. A quote isn’t a price list — it’s the thing that helps someone feel confident enough to say yes.
So the goal of every line isn’t to justify your rate. It’s to remove doubt. A clear, confident quote at a fair price beats a cheaper one that leaves the client guessing — because the guessing is what kills it.
People don’t say no to the price nearly as often as they say “let me think about it” to the confusion.
What to put in
Four things, and one most quotes forget.
A quote that gets accepted answers four questions before the client has to ask them: what exactly they’re getting (scope, in plain terms), how much and what’s included in it, when it’ll be done, and what happens next. Name what’s included so the price reads as value, not just a figure. If you’re weighing whether to show pricing publicly at all, that’s its own decision — we cover it in should you put your prices on your website?
The one most quotes forget is the fourth: a single, obvious next step. A client who’s ready to say yes shouldn’t have to figure out how. Tell them exactly how to accept.
Copy & use — the accept line
To move forward, just reply “approved” and I’ll [book you in / send the invoice / get started]. This quote is good through [date].
What to leave out
Everything you add is another reason to hesitate.
The instinct is to be thorough — itemize every task, list every possible add-on, spell out every term. It backfires. A quote crowded with line items reads as expensive and complicated, and a wall of fine print reads as a business bracing for a fight. Both invite the “let me think about it.”
Leave out the granular breakdown of your own labor, the menu of extras they didn’t ask for, and the paragraph of legal terms that belongs in a contract, not a quote. Keep it to the four things that help them decide. Scannable in thirty seconds beats comprehensive every time.
The two lines that protect you
Deposits and revisions, word for word.
Two short lines save most of the trouble that comes after a yes: how you take payment, and what counts as a change. Said plainly and early, neither scares anyone off — they read as a professional who’s done this before.
Copy & use — the deposit line
A [30]% deposit holds your spot and covers materials; the balance is due on completion. I’ll send a simple invoice as soon as you approve.
Copy & use — the revisions line
This price covers the scope above, with one round of revisions included. Anything beyond that I’m glad to do — I’ll just quote it separately first, so there are never surprises.
After you hit send
The hardest part is the waiting.
You send a good quote and then… nothing. Did they read it? Are they comparing? Did it land in spam? Guessing is miserable, and it’s where a lot of would-be jobs quietly die. One warm, brief follow-up a few days later — “just making sure this reached you; happy to talk anything through” — is almost always welcome and often all it takes.
The rest is not having to guess. Quote’d builds the quote from your details, sends it as a clean link, and shows you where it stands — opened, read, accepted — so you follow up at the right moment instead of into the dark, and you know the second they say yes.