How to keep a record of how you priced a job

A customer rings back in March about the quote you sent in October. You can see the total, but not how you got there. Here's what to write down while you price, so you never have to guess.

Updated

It happens to every tradie. A lead goes quiet, then rings back months later: "We're ready to go ahead with that quote." Or: "Another quote was cheaper, how did you get yours?" You can find the total. What you can't find is how you got to it: the supplier price you used, how many hours you allowed, whether the tip fee was in.

The fix is simple. Record the working at the moment you price the job, and keep it with the quote.

What to record

Write it down while you're pricing, not afterwards. For each quote:

  1. Every line and its quantity. Including the labour hours, not just "labour".
  2. What each line costs you. At the supplier prices you used on the day.
  3. What the customer pays for each line, and your profit on it.
  4. The options you offered. The better unit, the extra gate, the one they didn't pick, and which option the total was based on.
  5. The totals. Your cost, your profit, the price ex GST, GST, the total inc GST and the deposit.
  6. How much detail you sent. Did they get every line, section totals or just the total? It matters when they quote a line back to you.
  7. A private note. How you measured, what you assumed about access or the existing work, anything they told you on site.

Six months later, those seven things answer almost any question about the price.

Where to keep it

With the quote. A record that lives somewhere else (a notebook in the glovebox, a spreadsheet on the home computer, the back of a docket) is a record you can't find when the phone rings and you're on a roof.

Whatever you use, check you can:

  • Find it from your phone in under a minute, by the customer's name.
  • See the version that matches what the customer was sent, not a later edit.
  • Keep it out of the customer's copy.

How to use it when they ring back

  • "We're ready to go ahead." Check the quote hasn't expired, then compare your supplier prices on the day with today's. If nothing's moved, book it in.
  • "Why is yours more than theirs?" Look at what you included that a cheaper quote might have left out: removal, the better fittings, the certificate. Explain the difference without dropping your price.
  • "Can you do the same again next door?" Copy the job and change the measurements. Your rates and allowances are already there.
  • "What would the upgrade have cost?" The option you offered is in the record with its price.

For what to say on a call, see how to follow up a quote.

It tells you which jobs paid

The same record does a second job after the work's done. Put the actual hours and materials next to what you allowed, and you can see which jobs paid and which ones you underquoted. Over a few months that shows you where your pricing needs work. See how to price a job and what to charge per hour.

How Karven does it

Karven keeps the record for you, on every quote. On the quote page, Your private breakdown (PDF) downloads a one-page sheet. It has every line with its quantity, what it costs you, what the customer pays and your profit, and the options you offered and which one started selected. It also has the totals, the deposit, what the customer was sent (full breakdown, section totals or total only) and your private note. It's built from the quote as it's saved, and it never goes to the customer. See the quote breakdown guide for what to show on the customer's side.

Checklist

  • Record every line, quantity, cost, price and profit while you price
  • Note supplier prices on the day, labour hours and the options offered
  • Note how much detail the customer was sent
  • Add a private note on measurements and assumptions
  • Keep it with the quote, findable from your phone
  • Use it to re-quote, explain a price and see which jobs paid

Common questions

What should I record when I price a job?
Every line with its quantity, what it costs you, what you're charging and your profit on it, plus the hours on labour, the supplier prices on the day, the options you offered, the deposit and a short note on how you measured and what you assumed.
Why keep a record of how I priced a quote?
So you can answer the customer who rings back months later, re-quote the same job quickly, explain a price difference without guessing, and see which jobs actually paid once the work is done.
Where should I keep my pricing records?
With the quote itself, in one place you can find from your phone. A separate notebook or spreadsheet works if you're strict about it, but notes that live apart from the quote tend to go missing.
Should the customer see my pricing record?
No. The customer gets the quote: what's included, the options and the total inc GST. Your costs, hours and profit are your working and stay with you.
What if my supplier prices have gone up since I quoted?
Your record shows the prices you used on the day, so you can see exactly what's changed. If the quote has expired, re-quote with today's prices and tell the customer which lines moved.

Write and send the quote from your phone

With Karven, your customer gets a clear quote, you keep a private breakdown, and a follow-up is ready when a quote goes quiet.

  • A clear quote on their phone
  • Your private breakdown, kept for later
  • Follow-ups Karven writes for you

Free for 21 days, with no card needed.

Start free, no cardFree quote templates

Related guides