How to write a quote that wins the job (Irish trades, with examples)

By Paddy Darcy, founder of Grafta · 6 min read · Last reviewed July 2026 · Always confirm current rates on revenue.ie

Two quotes for the same job at the same price: one is a number in a text message, the other is an itemised, branded document that arrived the same evening. The second one wins — not because the work is better, but because the customer can trust what they're agreeing to. Here's the anatomy of a quote that gets accepted.

Speed beats polish — but you can have both

The single strongest predictor of winning domestic work is being the first proper quote in the customer's hands. Most tradespeople quote days later, at night, when the enthusiasm has cooled on both sides. If you can walk the job and send the itemised quote from the van, you're usually competing with silence.

The structure that wins

• A one-line scope summary in plain English: 'Full rewire of 3-bed semi at 14 Oakfield Drive, including consumer unit and certification.'
• Itemised lines splitting labour and materials — customers accept numbers they can understand, and it protects you when they ask to trim scope.
• What's INCLUDED that they might not expect: certs, waste disposal, making safe.
• What's EXCLUDED: making good plaster, painting, customer-supplied fittings. Every dispute you've ever had lives in this section — write it.
• Validity: '30 days' protects you from pricing this autumn's job at last spring's copper prices.
• Deposit and payment terms: when, how much, how to pay.

Show VAT properly

If you're VAT registered, show the rate per line and the VAT total — it signals an established business and it's what Revenue expects on the eventual invoice anyway. If you're not registered, don't mention VAT at all; a quote with '+VAT' from an unregistered trader is a problem waiting for an audit.

Price presentation tricks that actually work

• Give one clear total. A quote that requires arithmetic gets set aside 'for later'.
• Offer a good/better option where it's genuine ('standard fittings vs brushed chrome') — customers who choose feel in control and cancel less.
• Round numbers read as estimates; specific numbers read as calculated. €2,847 outperforms €2,850.
• Never apologise for the price in the quote. 'I know it's a lot but…' invites negotiation you didn't need to have.

The follow-up nobody sends

Somewhere between half and three-quarters of unanswered quotes were never rejected — the customer got busy, the email sank, life happened. One polite follow-up after 3–4 days ('Just checking you got the quote — happy to talk through any of it') wins a meaningful share of them with zero awkwardness. Put a reminder in your system the moment the quote goes out, or use software that follows up for you.

Make accepting effortless

Every step between 'yes' in the customer's head and 'confirmed' in yours loses jobs. A quote they can accept by tapping a link — rather than printing, signing, scanning or ringing you back — closes the gap while the intent is hot. It also timestamps the agreement, which matters the day a job goes sideways.