How to Prepare Quotes that Get Accepted - The Ultimate Guide for 2022

First impressions are everything

Open up the last quote you sent to a customer. Now imagine you’re that customer opening it for the first time. What are the first 3 things that catch your eye?

Even better, show it to someone who’s never seen your quote before and ask them this same question. Take their feedback on board. It’s so important to get this right. If you don’t, your customer might not even read the rest of your quote. 

The 3 things you want to immediately stand out when your customer opens your quote are your…

1. Company name & logo (it looks professional and increases your brand awareness)
2. Headline (drive home why they need this service from you)
3. Customer’s name and address (make every quote feel personal)

You’d be surprised by just how many quotes are won or lost just by the way they look. So set your quote out in an engaging way and maximise your success.

Highlight the problem & pain points, then your solution

People are more responsive to the avoidance of pain than the motivation of gain. So address your customer’s problem and the impact it’s having on them. For example:

• ‍Drafty windows >>> High energy bills, cold living space, having to buy extra blankets to stay warm
• Boiler breakdown >>> Cold showers, having to shower at work
• Faulty electrical wiring >>> Electric shocks, dimly lit rooms, having to buy extra lights for the kitchen

‍Ideally, you’ll have already visited their home and learned about their issue first-hand. So use their own words to summarise it when you write your headline and job summary. 

It helps your customer relate to what you’re saying. It shows you’ve taken time to understand their situation too - they’ll appreciate that

Now you’ve established the key problems and pain points, it’s time to (briefly) summarise your solution. This should be something you’ve already agreed with your customer. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to them.

‍“We’re going to fit double glazed windows as quickly as possible to make your lounge warmer, your home more habitable and reduce your high energy bills.”
“We’re going to replace your condemned boiler as soon as you can, so you can shower at home again and get your daily routine back on track.”

‍And keep it short and sweet - a sentence or two will do the job. You’ll want to save space for this next part -

Upsell & maximise your profits

You’ve brought your customer this far. And you’ve worked hard to do so by personalising your quote journey for them. This is the part where your hard work pays off - upselling. There are two ways you can do this - multiple choice and optional extras.

Ideally, you want to offer options that you’ve already discussed with your customer. They’re more likely to choose options they’re already familiar with. And stick to the power of 3. By offering a ‘value’, ‘standard’ and ‘premium’ option, you can appeal to each type of customer and encourage a decision, without overwhelming them with choice.

Your multiple choices should address your customer’s key problems and pain points. 

After this, include (relevant) optional extras. This can significantly increase your revenues. You could bolt on useful maintenance products, like a boiler care kit or insurance. And useful tech add-ons, like a Hive smart thermostat, or garden security cameras. The waste removal of an old product. 

Whatever service you’re offering, think about the job from start to finish and what opportunities there are to stack out your quote. 

To maximise your profits - check out these 9 upsells you can implement right now and increase your revenues by up to 29%.

Personalise everything

Make your products and services as appealing as possible. You also want to drive home the key issue and pain points at hand. So when you’re onsite at the customer’s home - take lots of photos of any problem areas you want to fix. 

Even ones they haven’t noticed/mentioned - it gives you a much better chance of upselling later when you create your quote.

You can get a few quick snaps in seconds (e.g. broken pipe, leaky roof, broken boiler) and upload them to your quotes in a few more. It makes your quote look more professional, demonstrates a clear understanding of their problem and saves you time writing out the issue in full.

Now you’ve personalised the customer’s issue, it’s time to personalise all your products and services. Upload photos of each boiler you’re offering. Do the same for your services too. Whether you build conservatories or fences - showcase your finest work within your quote. Now your customers can see what they’re getting. They can visualise how it’ll look in their home. These images will win you so much more business than words on a page ever could.

Pro tips:

• Write a brief description for each product/service, bullets are best
• Sell the benefits, and not the features (more on this next)
• Use emojis to help make your quotes stand out

Sell the benefits (not the features)

Your customers aren’t choosing your combi-boiler for its “Smart Electronic Modulation System”. They’re choosing it because it saves them money on their household bills. Because it gives them hot water instantly. They’re buying the benefits, not the features. 

So whatever product or service you’re selling, make sure you highlight all the key benefits in your product descriptions.

Make it easy for your customers to accept your quote

Pay close attention to this section. Losing focus here can cost you the entire job. 

You’ve taken the time to address your customer’s problem and create a professional-looking, bespoke quote. And your customer’s happy with it. You’ve done the hard part and won their business. Now it’s just a case of seeing it over the line.

You want to make it as easy as possible for customers to accept your quote. And this is where job management software comes into play. 

By using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool, you can send your customers interactive quotes. These quotes let your customers click through and accept them in seconds.

But don’t sit back and relax yet - you need to seal the deal. Take a small deposit from your customers if they accept your quote. Asking for 20-30% of the quote up front is a much more manageable request than all the money upfront. And it gives you peace of mind - your customer is less likely to back out of the deal later on when their money's on the line.

And when you take a deposit from your customers - make it easy for them to pay. With interactive quotes, customers can pay you instantly by card in just a few clicks. Just like paying for any other product or service online. 

It’s a much better experience than making manual bank transfers and one which is now seen as an expectation by customers. So, if you haven’t already done so, bring your business up to speed with instant card payments. You’ll win more business and get paid quicker. Everybody wins.

And if that’s not enough - here are 6 key reasons why your service business should take instant card payments.

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