Why most tradie quotes lose jobs
Most tradies lose jobs not because their pricing is wrong, but because their quote is rushed, unclear, or unprofessional. A customer with three quotes in front of them will almost always pick the one that looks the most legitimate — even if it's not the cheapest.
Here's the simple truth: the quote IS your sales pitch. If you treat it like a chore, you'll lose work to tradies who treat it like a craft.
The 7 things every winning tradie quote needs
1. Your business header
Looks obvious, but heaps of tradies skip it. Put your business name, ABN, phone, email, and ideally a logo at the top. This isn't optional — customers judge legitimacy in 3 seconds.
2. A personalised greeting
Don't just write "Quote for: John". Write a single line that shows you actually listened during the site visit. Something like:
"G'day John, thanks for the chat on Tuesday. Here's the detailed quote for the hot water service replacement we discussed."
That one line beats 90% of competitor quotes.
3. A clear scope of work
This is where most tradies lose jobs. Don't write "Replace hot water system". Write what you'll actually do, in plain English:
"Remove existing 250L electric hot water system. Supply and install new Rinnai 26L continuous flow gas system. Includes new copper pipework, gas conversion (where required), and disposal of old unit."
Specificity wins. Vagueness loses.
4. What's included AND excluded
This is the secret weapon. Most quotes only list what's included. Smart tradies list what's NOT included (e.g. "Excludes any electrical work beyond connection point"). This protects you from scope creep AND signals professionalism.
5. Itemised pricing with GST
Australian customers expect this. Don't lump it all together — break out each line item, show subtotal, GST (10%), and total. Hiding the GST or just writing "All inclusive" makes you look dodgy.
6. Terms and conditions
Include payment terms (e.g. "50% deposit, balance on completion"), warranty info, and what happens if the scope changes. One paragraph is enough. It massively reduces disputes later.
7. Validity period
"Quote valid for 30 days from date issued." This protects you from price rises on materials and gives the customer a soft deadline.
The follow-up nobody does
Here's the brutal truth: 80% of jobs go to whoever follows up first. Send a quote, wait 48 hours, and if you haven't heard back, send a polite follow-up like:
"Hey John, just checking in on the quote I sent through Tuesday for the hot water system. Happy to answer any questions or come back out if you'd like to chat through it. Let me know either way!"
That single message wins more jobs than any pricing change ever will. (This is exactly what SmokoHQ does automatically, but you can do it manually too.)
Free tradie quote template
Want to skip the typing? SmokoHQ auto-generates professional quotes in 60 seconds using AI — including all 7 of the above. Or grab any free template online and customise it to include the above sections.
The bottom line
Quoting isn't admin. It's sales. The tradies winning the most work in Australia right now aren't necessarily the cheapest — they're the ones whose quotes look like they know what they're doing.
Spend 5 extra minutes on every quote. Watch your conversion rate double.