Why quoting feels harder than the actual work
Ask most sole traders what keeps them up at night and it is rarely the job itself. It is the quote that went out too low, the customer who went quiet, or the job that grew arms and legs halfway through. Quoting is where the money is won or lost, and for a one-person operation there is no estimator down the hall to check your figures.
The good news is that quoting does not need to be complicated. It needs to be consistent. A repeatable process does two things: it stops you pricing on the hop, and it gives the customer confidence that you know what you are doing.
Start with a proper look, not a phone guess
A quote given over the phone from a vague description is the fastest way to lose money. Where the job allows, get eyes on it. That might mean a quick site visit, or asking the customer to send photos and measurements through.
While you are there, write down more than the obvious. Access, parking, how far the materials have to be carried, whether the power is off, whether the site is occupied, and what the surface or existing work is actually like. These are the details that turn a two-hour job into a full day, and they are the details customers never mention.
Also ask what the customer expects. A rough patch-up and a finished job that has to look perfect are different prices. Getting that clear at the start saves an awkward conversation later.
Build the price from the bottom up
A quote is not a number you pull from the air based on what the last bloke charged. Build it in layers:
- Materials — priced at what you will actually pay, including a little for wastage and the trip to get them.
- Time — your honest hours on site, plus travel, setup and cleanup. Cleanup is work. Price it.
- Consumables — blades, screws, tape, gas, the small stuff that quietly adds up over a year.
- Overheads — insurance, vehicle, phone, tools, accounting. These do not disappear because you are a sole trader.
- Margin — the bit that makes the business worth running. If there is no margin, you are buying yourself a job, not building one.
Once you have the number, sanity-check it against your hourly target. If the job works out below what you need to earn, either the price goes up or the scope comes down. Do not simply absorb it and hope the next one is better.
Put it in writing and make it easy to say yes
A written quote protects both sides. Keep it plain: what you will do, what you will not do, the price, how long the quote stands, and how and when payment works. If the job is likely to change, say how variations will be handled before you start, not after.
Send it while the job is still fresh in the customer's mind. A quote that arrives three days later has already lost momentum, and the customer has probably rung someone else. If you are flat out on the tools and quoting keeps slipping to the evening, that is exactly the kind of admin load the Working Class Aussie crew is set up to take off your hands — calls answered, enquiries sorted, and the follow-ups done so a quote does not go cold in your inbox.
Turn the yes into a clean job and a paid invoice
When the quote is accepted, confirm it in writing with a start date. Then keep the paperwork moving: a simple job sheet for the day, notes on any variation, and an invoice sent promptly with the same job reference as the quote. Customers pay faster when the paperwork matches what they agreed to.
A short follow-up on quotes that have gone quiet is not pushy — it is professional. Many jobs are won simply because one tradesperson checked back and the other did not.
The habit that makes it all work
Quoting well is a habit, not a talent. Look properly, price from the bottom up, put it in writing, follow up, and invoice cleanly. Do that consistently and you stop guessing, stop working for nothing, and start running the business like one — even if the business is just you, a ute and a phone.