What is a Sample Quotation?
A quotation is a document that freelancers and independent contractors provide to their clients to outline specific services and their costs. A quotation can also be referred to as a:
- Quote
- Price quote
- Sales quote
- Service quote
Who Should Use a Sample Quotation?
Any freelancer who provides quotes to clients before starting a new project should use a quote template, regardless of the industry you’re in. For example, you can use a quote template if you’re a professional who offers:
- Graphic design services
- Writing and editing services
- Software development services
- Photography or videography services
- Digital or social media marketing services
- and many more
When to Use a Sample Quotation
The best time to send a price quote to a prospective client is after an initial meeting or phone call where you had a chance to determine which services they want to hire you for. This information is used to create your quote, where you outline your services, their associated costs, and the total price for the project as a whole.
Price quotes are sent before the client signs a contract and are used to inform your invoices, as you can base your pricing details on the services and costs you initially quoted.
What to Include in a Sample Quotation
All of your price quotes need to be customized for a specific client and project. However, each individual quote will contain the same elements. Here’s what you should have in each of your quotation templates.
1. A quote number
Every quote you create using a quotation template should have a unique number. This will make it easier for you to track, retrieve, and follow up on in the future.
You can use any naming or numbering system you like for your quote number, just make sure it’s consistent across all of your quotes and that it’s easy to understand.
2. Sent date and expiration date
There are two important dates to include in every quote that you create: a sent date and an expiry date. While the sent date refers to the date you provided the quote to a prospective client, the expiration date refers to when the quote will no longer be valid.
Outlining this date helps to ensure that a client doesn’t respond to you six months down the road expecting the same price. After all, inflation, the cost of materials, and your availability all play a role in the total cost of a job, so an expiry gives you a chance to reevaluate your initial quote and make any necessary adjustments.
3. A list of services, their prices, and the total cost
Many quotation templates include a pricing table that outlines each individual service, its associated cost, and the total price of the proposed freelance work as a whole.
This section is the most important one for most prospective clients since it tells them what to expect in regards to total costs and budget. It lays out all the details of the services you have been asked to provide and how much each one costs. This helps to break down the total cost, showing clients exactly what they’ll be paying for.
And, if it’s outside of their budget, they’ll have a better idea of which services they would like to cut or adjust.
Remember to calculate and include any additional amounts that may affect the total, like taxes, fees, or discounts in your final price as well.
4. Payment terms
Relevant payment terms can also be included in your quote templates, such as:
- Whether deposits are required
- When payments are due
- The payment methods you accept
- Late fees or interest charges for nonpayments
While not all quotation forms cover payment terms, you should discuss them with prospective clients at the very least. This is especially important if you require a certain percentage down before starting work.
5. Client and contractor information
Last but not least, each time you create a quote it needs to have information about both you and your potential customer, such as your:
- Contact details, like your professional phone number and email address
- Company logo or company letterhead
- Business address, if applicable
The Benefits of Quotation Templates
Using a quote template for each of your clients comes with a number of benefits to everyone involved. For example, use quotes to:
1. Boost your professionalism
Quotes help to give your freelance business a professional edge. Providing potential customers with a well-designed, easy-to-understand quote adds to your legitimacy and quality as a small business. And, it’s a great way to stand out from the competition. You can even add your branding to Bonsai quotations to look even more professional.
2. Organize your clients into different categories
Clients require different documents depending on where they are in terms of their relationship with you. For example, where an existing client needs a monthly invoice, a new client requires an initial quote.
Using a price quote template helps you to keep your clients organized and helps to inform your responsibilities and obligations to each one. Clients who had quotes sent to them within the last 7 days with no response will likely benefit from a quick follow-up.
Then, when a customer accepts your quote, they move into your new client folder, where you can provide them with a contract and invoice.
Just like invoices help you to track partial, full, and non-payments, quotes help to track where a client is in your sales funnel, and which action you should take next.
3. Price accurately
Pricing your freelance work is one of the toughest aspects of being an independent contractor. Making a quote for each new potential job is a great way to keep your pricing consistent and accurate.
For example, if you provide a quote to write a blog post for $250, but after the job is done, find that you actually spent significantly more time on it than you had anticipated, you can refer back to your original quote and price higher next time.
It’s also a useful method of keeping track of your prices over time, which can indicate when you need to increase your rates or freelance offerings.
4. Be upfront with clients
Quotes are one of the best ways to make sure that you’re clear and upfront about pricing from the getgo. Your clients want to know exactly what they’ll be paying for. They don’t want halfhearted guesstimates that turn into unexpectedly high bills once the project is done.
Using a price quote allows your customers to plan a specific budget and anticipate the cost of your invoice. They’ll appreciate your transparency because it means they can plan ahead.
5. Prevent scope creep
Scope creep is when a project starts to expand beyond the borders of its initial description, typically resulting in additional work. For freelancers, this sometimes means stretching a budget beyond its limits or even working for free because they didn’t set boundaries early on.
Quotes are essential for protecting you from scope creep because they outline specific services and their prices from the beginning. If a client requests extra work, all you have to do is refer back to your original quote and inform them that any services outside of the accepted quote are subject to an additional charge.
Be as specific as possible in your quotes so that you and your customers are on the same page in terms of expectations, services, and costs.
Creating a Sample Quotation is Simple with Bonsai
With Bonsai’s quotation template, you can:
- Customize your colors and add your logo
- Describe each service you plan to provide
- Add individual pricing to each line item
- Digitally send completed quotes to clients
- Collect digital signatures and sign-offs from clients
When your client hires you, don’t forget to send a thank-you note.
Use Bonsai’s quote template to create quotes that will impress clients, keep you organized, and land you more jobs. Sign up now for free to get started.
Sample Quotation FAQs
What’s the difference between a quote, proposal, and estimate?
Quotes, estimates, and proposals have a number of key differences.
A quote is what you send to a client after they reach out to inquire about your services and their costs. The price in a quote is relatively set in stone, meaning that if your quote is accepted by the client, the amount you listed is what you can expect to invoice them for — barring any extraneous or unexpected issues, where additional costs will need to be preapproved.
An estimate is more of a general ballpark number for a potential project, excluding taxes, fees, discounts, and any materials or supplies. It’s useful when clients haven’t provided specifics about what they’re looking for but have still asked you to give them a loose budget.
A proposal is like a quote in that it has detailed pricing information, but unlike a quote in that it’s also a sales pitch. A proposal is used when you are trying to convince a client to work with you on a specific project and it can include market research, a portfolio, and testimonials from previous clients.
READ MORE: Proposal vs quote explained
Why should I use a quote template?
A quote template helps to ensure that all of your quotes:
- Include the necessary elements
- Have a consistent design
- Are properly formatted
- Are saved and stored properly
- Look professional
If you don’t use a template, you’ll be creating and sending quotes individually each time. Unfortunately, that leaves a lot of room for error. Using a template will save time, freeing up your schedule and taking some of the admin work off your plate.
Should I send digital or paper quotes?
Most quotes are sent digitally unless otherwise requested by a client. If a client does request a paper quote, make sure to send an emailed copy as well.
Physical quotes can get lost in the mail and are easy to overlook and misplace. Digital quotes are instant, can be accepted online, and can be easily adjusted based on a client’s feedback.
Related Documents
- Quote Templates: Looking for a specific quote template? Take a look at our industry-specific templates, including mobile design, digital marketing, photography, and software development.
- Invoice Templates: Already had a quote accepted and ready to send a bill? Take a look at our invoice templates to find one that will work for you.
- Proposal Templates: Think a proposal makes more sense for your situation? Browse our proposal templates instead.
- Contract Templates: Did a client already accept your quote? Then it’s time to make a formal contract. Find one that matches your industry, from construction and modeling to personal training and landscape design.
