The Art of Writing Quotes That Sell

Even though you may have collected their details and are ready to prepare the quote, you aren’t ready to get to work just yet. Before you can provide your services and deem the sale to be closed, the client has to accept the quote.

The best way to do this is by crafting an effective, personalized quote cover letter to include with your detailed quote. So what is the magic formula for a compelling quote cover letter that sells?

Build Your Relationship

Your quote isn’t just a list of what you’re selling them. It’s also an opportunity to make sure the client’s expectations are being met and serves as the first step to building a positive work relationship with the client.

Your ongoing conversation with every client is going to be different, and being able to pick up where you previously left off with your quote is a great way to show clients that they are important to you. Being able to relate to their business, their needs, or previous conversations creates a connection between you in the client that will benefit your business in the long run.

The Greeting

Always open your quotes with a friendly greeting that aims to establish or maintain this connection. It does not need to be lengthy or overly complex. In fact, simplicity and a straightfoward approach are valued at this point in the communication.

Hi Andrea,

I am excited to be working with you! I know your salon is really going to take off with your creative ideas and a little help from our experts.

The client’s needs are why they came to your business in the first place, so make sure you never leave your client second-guessing whether or not your product or service will meet those needs. The above example shows the client that not only do you care about the project, but that your product is what their business needs to ultimately succeed.

Be Confident & Keep It Simple

Your client could change their mind at any second. Staying confident is key to ensuring that the client keeps their attention on you, while faltering could make the client second guess or lose interest in working with your business. Maintaining their interest at this stage is vital. You’ve dedicated a lot of time to get to this point, and losing your sale now means time and money wasted.

Build confidence in your ability to deliver by crafting your quote as if you’ve already won their business. One way to do this is to make the client feel like they’re already your partner. Simple phrases like, “I’m excited to start on your project,” or “We’re ready to start working with you as soon as possible,” keeps the ball rolling and maintains client engagement. Here’s an example:

We enjoy working on projects for new businesses like yours and are dedicated to crafting your sign to be expressive and memorable.

This doesn’t have to be personalized, it can be as simple as:

Our team has gone through and detailed everything you need so that we can accommodate your budget and timeframe.

Define the Value

All too often, a quote will fail because it undersells itself to the client. Remember, there is a lot more that goes into selling the product than the mere product itself.

If you’ve got to go install the product or gather specific measurements from the job site, then be sure to include that on the quote. Adding these details adds value to your product, and can make you stand out from your competitors.

Plus, the client is much more likely to accept a quote that looks like this:

Rather than a quote that looks like this:

Item: Neon Sign with Barber Logo – Price: $5000

Cross-Sell For Increased Revenue

Your quote is also a great opportunity to sell your other products. Even just referencing your other products may make that client eager to buy more from you. This process is called cross-selling, which can lead to clients purchasing more of your products than what they initially came to your business for.

Being able to point out specifics shows the client that you have an interest in their needs, and are willing to take the initiative when it comes to providing a quality product. Below is a great example of cross-selling:

We have a lot of products, and have a lot of ideas for how our signage will make your business boom. We provide full signage for every aspect of your business, including indoor signage, wayfinding signage, promotional signage, and more.

If you need anything else, such as a banner to promote your grand opening, pricing boards, ADA signage, or any other sign and graphic elements, just give me a ring and I can prepare you another quote.

To find more information on up-selling, down-selling, and cross-selling, read our article on 3 Strategies for Selling More!

Tell Them What’s Needed Next

Making it easy for them to understand the next steps in the process helps to build momentum and cuts down on redundant communication.

Setting your expectations and responsibilities with the client makes it not only easier for them to work with you, but also makes the client feel involved in their project, and in you as a provider. This should always be presented in an easy to identify and easy to follow fashion so that the client doesn’t brush over it.

What We Need From You
Please respond to this email to approve your quote. We’ll also need any reference logos you have and some photos of the storefront so that we can begin designing the best sign for you as soon as possible.

Define the Deadline

At the end of the day, you don’t have time to waste. Setting deadlines keeps your project moving forwards and cuts down on wasted time and energy.

Not having deadlines in place allows the client to meander or otherwise take their time in replying to your quote. Over time this waiting period will diminish your relationship with the client and give them time to second guess whether or not to work with you.

Be sure to also have follow-up calls in place with your client. This keeps the pace going, and gives you the opportunity to get a response from the client during the follow-up call.

I will be following up with you on Wednesday to either brief you on the project progress or to further review the quote with you and answer all of your questions.

Closing Your Quote

Never forget that your closing is just as, if not more, important than your opening. This is your last chance to leave an impact on your client, and a poor closing could unravel all the good work you did building up to it.

Construct your closing to be friendly, and to leave an impression on your client. It’s advised that the quote includes a personalized message from the salesperson who communicated to the client, so that he or she can further build the client relationship and improve customer satisfaction.

And finally, be sure that you insert a signature with your contact and business details on your quote to make it easy for the client to reach back out. You never know when a client might lose your business’ phone number or email, so keeping them in touch is key to keeping their business.

Thank you so much, Andrea, for entrusting us to deliver the best product possible. Our passion is in creating impactful and effective signs that help support your business goals. We look forward to working with you on this and any future projects you may have, just reach out to me at any time.

All the best,
[Name, Business, Email, Phone #]

Streamline Your Quotes with Templates

Creating a quote cover letter template is highly recommended. It allows you to quickly construct and personalize your quotes for clients. Below we’ve constructed an example quote for you to gather inspiration from:

Final Thoughts

Quotes are an essential part of the sales process, and failing to craft a quote that is friendly, comprehensive, and motivating can cost you the sale after dedicating a lot of hard work. No matter what product or service you provide, quotes should be designed to be much more than just another bill to pay.

To recap, your quote should be:

• Personalized for the Client
• Friendly and Motivating
• Relationship Building
• Maintaining and Raising Client Retention
• Comprehensive and Defines Product Value
• Leading the Client to Take the Next Steps

For A No-Pressure Conversation With a Lead Generation Expert
Call Move Over Media at (727) 291-7273