James
Founder, PayReady
James spent 20 years developing software and apps for Johnson and Johnson, Disney, and Eli Lilly before building PayReady for the tradesmen he saw drowning in paperwork.
Most tradesmen are losing jobs not because their price is wrong, but because their quote arrived two days after someone else's.
Speed is the first filter customers apply. If you quote fast and look professional, you are already ahead of most of the competition.
The real cost of slow quoting
Every hour between “customer asks for a price” and “customer receives a quote” is an hour in which they might get a price from someone else, decide not to do the job, or simply forget they asked.
Quote response time is the number one factor homeowners cite when choosing a tradesman
Source: Federation of Master Builders - State of the Trade Survey
A job you could have won at full price becomes a job you lost for free.
Why tradesmen quote slowly
The most common reasons:
- No system. Every quote starts from scratch. You open WhatsApp, type a rough price, feel unsure about VAT, and either send something unprofessional or do nothing.
- Evening admin. You are too busy on the job to quote during the day. By evening you are tired and the quotes pile up.
- Tools that were not built for this. Word templates and accounting software designed for businesses with admin staff were not built for a plumber quoting from a van.
A faster quoting system
Here is what the fastest-quoting tradesmen do:
1. Quote on the same day, ideally at the site
If you can describe the job while it is still fresh, you quote faster and more accurately. Do not wait until you are home.
2. Describe, do not itemise
For most trade jobs, a clear description is better than a spreadsheet. “Supply and fit new Ideal Logic 30kW combi boiler, remove old back boiler, flush system, 2 days labour including materials - €1,800 inc VAT” is faster to write and easier for a customer to read than a 12-line spreadsheet.
3. Use a tool that handles VAT automatically
If you have to look up the VAT rate every time, you slow down. A good quoting app has the correct VAT rate for your trade pre-set and calculates it automatically. In Ireland, most trade work on buildings is charged at 13.5% - not 23%. In the UK, it is 20%. Getting this wrong erodes your margin or overcharges the customer. See our guide to VAT for sole traders in Ireland for the full breakdown.
4. Send a link, not a PDF attachment
PDF attachments do not always open cleanly on phones. A link to a professional-looking quote that works on any device is faster to send and easier for the customer.
5. Set a validity date
“This quote is valid for 30 days” creates a natural deadline. It also protects you if material prices change.
How long should a quote take?
For most standard trade jobs, a professional quote should take under 5 minutes from description to send. If it takes longer than that, you have a process problem, not a pricing problem.
Job pricing estimator Free tool
Work out labour, materials, markup, and VAT for common jobs in seconds, so pricing is never what slows your quote down.
PayReady and faster quoting
PayReady was built specifically to cut quote time. You describe the job in plain English, PayReady AI structures it into a professional quote with the correct VAT rate, and you send it by WhatsApp in one tap. The target is under 30 seconds from description to sent.
Want to see what a professional trade quote looks like? Download a free quote template for your trade, or get early access to PayReady- it's free.
Sources
- State of the Trade Survey - Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
- VAT rates in Ireland - Revenue.ie
- VAT rates - UK - GOV.UK / HMRC
Have a quick question?
Browse our FAQ for short, direct answers on VAT, invoicing, quoting, and getting paid.