What’s the difference?

The words may seem very similar, but the difference is anything but.

Did you know that an estimate is what the builder thinks the work will cost – this is based on their past experience.

A quote is an offer to do a job at a certain price. Basically, if a customer accepts a quote, the builder can't charge them any more than the price quoted.

This is where PriceAJob.co.uk comes into its own. You are literally staging your quote in so many different steps, and this goes to provide a really outstanding quote – and it’s a quote that you are guaranteeing not to stray from.
Every customer would love a low estimate from a tradesperson – who wouldn’t? But the sad fact is, that tradesperson is really only trying to win the job by going in so low, chances are they’ll never be able to bring the job in with such a low estimate. Customers know that – so treat them with the respect they’ll be looking for and create a proper, step-by-step quote, using our software.

Does It Really Matter if I Issue an Estimate and not a Quote?
In a word: YES! You need to know that a quote is a legally binding document. If you call a rough guide of a price, or an estimate, a quote, then you will be asked to provide the job at that precise figure. And things are never that simple in life. Will you have accounted for your overheads within an estimate, or any profit at all? What about extra days on the job that you need to account for, or the customers needing to change their minds at any given point?
It pays to think ahead and plan a proper quote, rather than a dashed-off and misjudged estimate. You truly will be doing yourself no favours if you estimate and don’t quote.

Will My Customer Know The Difference?
They will be highly delighted to get a low quote, but once the job commences and the bills pile up, they will be equally as unhappy and they’ll think that they’ve hired an amateur instead of an expert. Who could not fail to be impressed by a proper, step-by-step created quote? We at PriceAJob believe in just that – pricing every element of a job so that nothing is left to chance.

What If I Just Give An Estimate Verbally and Don’t Write It Down?
Well, that is your choice, but will you even remember what you’ve said when the customer rings up in a month’s time to book your firm for the work? You need to look as professional as you really are, so make sure that your quote is always provided in writing. We know that you have not got hours to complete paperwork, so in minutes, you’ll have a detailed quote to send to your customer as a PDF, or a Word document, or to print off and hand/post to them. We’ve got you covered for all eventualities. We also back-up all of your quotes in the cloud – you can never forget what you’ve quoted.

Can’t I Get Away With a Handwritten Quote?
Well, a handwritten quote is still a legally binding document, but how professional will that look? What if your competitors are using PriceAJob and are handing in finely detailed printed documents and yours have coffee stains on them and are on out-of-date letterheads, as you forgot to have your stationary reprinted after you’d moved premises. Always put yourself in your customers’ shoes – what would you like to receive:

1. A roughly written ‘guesstimate’ that is not legally binding;
2. A well thought out quote that covers all eventualities, lists Terms and Conditions and enables both Customer and Contractor to agree on the set price.

It’s a no-brainer really – professionalism wins every time.