How to write a quotation clients say yes to

The essentials

• Your details: business name and how to reach you.
• Client details: a name or company name.
• Quote number and date, so you can refer to it later without confusion.
• A valid-until date. Without one, a client may hold you to the same price six months later.
• Line items: a clear description, quantity, unit price and a total for each line.
• Any discount, then tax, then the grand total.
• Notes: delivery time, payment terms and what the quote does not cover.

The right order for the math

The discount applies to the subtotal before tax, then tax is worked out on the amount after the discount. Doing it the other way round gives a different number and confuses the client.

How to do it

1. Open the Quotation generator.
2. Fill in your details, the client's, the quote number, date and valid-until date.
3. Add the line items, then any discount and tax.
4. Check the preview and download the quote as a PDF in Arabic or English.

Each line total is rounded to the currency's smallest unit and the rounded lines are added up, so what you see on screen never differs from the PDF by even one cent. Three-decimal currencies such as the Kuwaiti dinar are calculated to three places.

Tips that raise your chances

• Describe items in the client's words, not your internal ones. “Photographing 20 products on a white background” is clearer than “Package B”.
• If you give a discount, show it as its own line so the client sees its value. If discounts are stacked, check their real effect with the Discount calculator.
• Set a sensible validity period, two weeks or a month, and state it clearly.

After the client agrees

When the client accepts, create the invoice with the same figures using the Basic invoice generator. If you need to check the tax inside a price that includes it, use the VAT calculator.

The tool lays out the quote and calculates its amounts only. It does not make a quote legally binding and gives no legal or tax advice. It also saves nothing, so if you close the page you will need to enter the details again.