Win More Quotes: An Engineer's Guide to Smarter Quoting

You’re losing jobs your prices should have won, because the quote took three days, arrived as a text message, or never got followed up.

The engineer who wins the job is rarely the cheapest. They’re the one who replies first with something the customer can show their partner.

Speed Wins Jobs

The first trade to quote gets the job around 60% of the time.

Look at it from the customer’s side. The boiler has packed in, so they message three or four firms. The first clear quote to land gets a yes. By the time the others reply, the job is booked and the customer has stopped reading.

Aim to quote within two hours of the enquiry, and same day at the outside.

What Makes a Winning Quote

1. Professional Presentation

“Yeah mate, about £800” doesn’t win work any more. A quote needs your business name and logo, a clear breakdown of what’s included, materials and labour listed separately, a timeline, payment terms, and your contact details.

2. Clear Scope

Spell out what’s included and what isn’t. It prevents arguments later and shows you’ve thought the job through.

“Full bathroom refit, £4,500” tells the customer nothing. This does:

• Strip out existing bathroom suite and tiles
• Supply and fit new bath, toilet, basin and shower
• Full re-tile, walls and floor
• New lighting, 3x downlights
• All plumbing and waste connections
• Excludes structural work, underfloor heating and bespoke joinery

3. Options and Upsells

A single price is a take-it-or-leave-it. Three prices turn the question from “shall I?” into “which one?”.

• Essential: the basics done well, £3,800
• Standard: essential plus upgraded fixtures, £4,500
• Premium: standard plus underfloor heating and an LED mirror, £5,800

Most customers take the middle option, which lifts your average job value.

Common Quoting Mistakes

Quoting low to win the job costs you halfway through, when the price stops covering the work. A quote with no follow-up is a wish. Leaving out payment terms removes the protection both sides need when a job runs long. And vagueness breeds arguments, every time.

Tools That Help

Templates for common job types save twenty minutes a quote. Digital delivery by email or text tells you when it’s been read. Quoting from a voice description means the quote leaves site before you do. Follow-up reminders stop quotes falling down the back of the sofa.

The Follow-Up Formula

Sending the quote is half the job.

1. Same day: send it with a brief personal message.
2. Day 3: check they received it.
3. Day 7: offer to pop round and talk through the options.
4. Day 14: remind them the quote is valid for 30 days.

Respond fast, look professional, follow up properly. Do those three better than the firm down the road and you’ll win more work at the price you meant to charge.