How to reply to "can you send me a quote?"
"Can you send me a quote?" is one of the best messages a service business can receive. The person has a real need, has found you, and is ready to compare. It is also one of the easiest messages to fumble. Some owners send a price too early and get it wrong. Others ask so many questions that the enquiry goes cold, or wait until they have time to write the perfect quote and arrive third. This guide covers the first reply to send, the questions worth asking, when a range is better than a fixed figure, a worked email thread, and a quoting note you can hand to an AI agent so every enquiry gets a fast, useful answer.
The short answer
Reply quickly, thank them, and say when they will have the quote. Ask only the two or three questions you truly need to price the job, and if you can, give a rough range straight away so they know you are in their budget. Send the written quote by the time you promised, with what it includes, how long it is valid for and one clear next step.
Replies you can adapt
Change the details to match your business. Names, prices and times are examples.
| When | Reply |
|---|---|
| First reply, you need details | Thank you for getting in touch, Priya. I would be glad to quote for this. So I can price it properly, could you tell me roughly how many staff the training is for, and whether you would like it on site or online? I will send the quote within one working day of hearing back. |
| First reply, you can give a range | Thank you for asking. Most office deep cleans of that size come to between £600 and £900, depending on the state of the carpets and how many kitchens there are. If you send me a few photos, I can give you a fixed price by tomorrow. |
| They sent everything you need | Thank you, that is everything I need. I will send your written quote by 4pm tomorrow. If anything changes in the meantime, just reply here. |
| The job needs a visit or a call | This is the kind of job I would rather see before I quote, so the price is right first time. Could we do a 20-minute call or a short visit this week? I have Tuesday at 10am or Thursday at 2pm. |
| Sending the quote | Please find your quote attached. In short: £2,400 for the full brand refresh, including two rounds of changes, delivered in four weeks from approval. The quote is valid for 30 days. If you would like to go ahead, just reply "yes" and I will send the booking details. |
| They want a price today | I understand you need a figure quickly. Based on what you have told me, it will be between £1,800 and £2,200. I can confirm the exact price by midday tomorrow once I have checked the site plans. |
| It is outside what you do | Thank you for thinking of us. This is not something we do well, so I would rather not quote for it. You might try a specialist in commercial signage. I am happy to suggest someone if that would help. |
| They ask on LinkedIn | Thanks for the message, Tom. Happy to quote. It is easiest to keep the details in one place, so could you send the brief to hello@example.co.uk? I will reply with a quote within a working day. |
| You are too busy to take it on | Thank you for asking. We are fully committed until March, so I would rather not quote for a January start. If March or later works, I would be glad to price it now so you have it ready. |
What to avoid
- Waiting until you have time to write the full quote before replying at all. A short first reply holds the enquiry.
- Sending a list of ten questions. Ask only what changes the price, and find the rest out later.
- Giving a single exact figure for a job you have not understood. It is hard to raise a price once you have said it.
- Sending a quote with no end date, no list of what it includes and no way to say yes.
- Letting an AI agent invent a price for work that is not on your price list.
What to tell your AI agent
- Give it your quoting note: the services you quote for, the questions that change the price and any ranges you are happy to share.
- Tell it to send the first reply within minutes, with the questions and the time the customer can expect the quote.
- Tell it never to send a fixed price unless the job matches a line on your price list exactly.
- Ask it to draft the written quote for you to check, rather than sending it itself.
- Tell it to pass anything unusual, very large or outside your services to you straight away.
When a person should take over
- Every final quote for custom or high-value work, before it is sent.
- Any request to change your standard terms, scope or price.
- Jobs that need a visit, a call or a judgement about whether you want the work.
What the person asking really needs
Someone asking for a quote usually wants to know three things. Can you do this? Roughly what will it cost? And how soon can they have something in writing to compare or take to their boss? Your first reply should answer the first and third questions, and the second too if you can.
In business-to-business work, the person writing is often not the person who decides. They may need your quote to sit next to two others in a spreadsheet, or to send to a finance team. A quote that is clear, dated and easy to forward helps them, and helping them is how you win.
Speed matters more than polish at the start. Many people send the same request to several firms and start with whoever replies first and sounds like they understood the job.
The questions that change the price
Before you reply to any quote request, it helps to know which details really move your price. For most service businesses there are only a handful. Write them down once and reuse them.
| Type of business | Questions worth asking first |
|---|---|
| Cleaning or facilities | Size of the space, how often, any specialist areas such as kitchens or carpets. |
| Design or marketing | What is being made, how many versions, the deadline. |
| Training or consulting | How many people, on site or online, how many sessions. |
| Trades and building | Photos or plans, access, when they would like it done. |
| Accounting or admin | Size of the business, number of transactions, which services. |
Two or three questions is usually enough for a first reply. If the person sends photos or a brief as well, you may not need to ask anything at all.
Range first, fixed price second
A range is not a dodge. It tells the person whether you are in their budget before either of you spends more time. If your answer is "between £600 and £900" and they were expecting £200, it is better for both of you to find out now.
- Give a range when the job is familiar but the details are not yet clear.
- Give a fixed price when the job matches something you do every week.
- Give neither, and ask for a call or visit, when the job is unusual or the risk of getting it wrong is high.
Keep your ranges honest. A range of £500 to £5,000 does not help anyone. If the spread is that wide, say what it depends on and ask the one question that would narrow it.
A worked example
Here is an email exchange for a small corporate training company. The AI agent sends the first reply from the quoting note and drafts the quote, which the owner checks before it goes. Names and details are examples.
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Customer, Monday 9.05am | Hi, could you send me a quote for first aid training for our team? Thanks, Priya |
| Business, 9.07am | Thank you for getting in touch, Priya. I would be glad to quote. Could you tell me roughly how many people, and whether you would like the training at your office or at our centre? Most one-day courses for a group of up to 12 come to between £900 and £1,200. I will send a full quote within one working day of hearing back. |
| Customer, 11.40am | 10 people, at our office in Leeds. Ideally in the next month. |
| Business, 11.42am | Thank you, that is everything I need. You will have the written quote by 11am tomorrow. |
| Owner, Tuesday 9.30am | Hi Priya, this is Sam. Your quote is attached: £1,050 for a one-day course for 10 people at your Leeds office, including certificates and all materials. It is valid for 30 days, and we have dates on 14 and 21 November. Reply with the date you prefer and I will book it in. |
Priya had a range within two minutes and a dated quote by the next morning. The owner only had to read and send one email, and the agent never guessed at a price it did not know.
A quoting note for your AI agent
Your AI agent can handle the first reply to almost every quote request if you give it a short note. Keep it plain and update it when your prices change.
Quote requests, updated 1 November
We quote for: first aid courses, fire marshal courses, mental health first aid.
We do not quote for: forklift, food hygiene. Suggest a specialist instead.
Ask only:
1. How many people?
2. At their office or at our centre?
3. Rough dates.
Ranges you may share:
- One-day course, up to 12 people: £900 to £1,200
- Half-day course, up to 12 people: £500 to £700
Rules:
- Promise the written quote within one working day of the answers.
- Draft the quote and hold it for Sam. Do not send it yourself.
- More than 30 people, or anything not listed: hand the email to Sam.If you would like to read every reply before it goes, ask your AI agent to hold replies as drafts, and nothing goes out until you approve it.
How Spaces fits in
Spaces connects your own mailbox and LinkedIn account to the AI agent you already use, so it can read quote requests and reply from your address, in the same thread. It sends one email at a time to one person and is not a tool for bulk mail. On email it waits at least 30 seconds between messages, and a reply to an email that arrived in the last week is never held back by the daily limits.
If you want the agent to chase a quote later, keep that to people who asked you for one. Our guide to following up after a quote covers how to do that without being pushy.
Sum up and next step
Reply fast, ask only what changes the price, share a range if you can and promise a time for the written quote. Then send a quote that is clear, dated and easy to say yes to.
Write your quoting note once, hand the first reply to your AI agent, and keep the final figure for yourself.
Pricing
FAQ
How quickly should I reply to a quote request?
Within a few hours in working time, and sooner if you can. The first reply does not need to be the quote itself. A short message that thanks them, asks your questions and says when the quote will arrive is enough to keep the enquiry.
Should I put prices on my website instead?
Starting prices or typical ranges on your site help people decide whether to ask at all, which saves you time. Most service businesses still need to quote each job, but people arrive at that conversation already expecting your price level.
How long should a quote be valid for?
Thirty days is common, and some businesses use 14 for anything that depends on material costs. Choose a period that suits your costs and always write it on the quote, so nobody tries to accept an old price months later.
Should I send the quote as an attachment or in the email?
Both work well. Put the headline figure, what it includes and the next step in the email itself, then attach the full quote. Many people read on their phone and will not open the attachment straight away.
Can an AI agent write my quotes?
It can draft them well from your price list and the customer's answers. Keep the final check for yourself, especially for custom work, so a mistake in scope or price never reaches the customer.
What if someone asks for a quote on LinkedIn?
Reply on LinkedIn first, so they know you saw it, then move the details to email if that is easier for you. A quote is easier to forward and file as an email than as a LinkedIn message.
What if I do not want the job?
Say so kindly and quickly rather than sending a very high price. Thank them, explain in one line that it is not a good fit, and suggest someone else if you can. It leaves a good impression and they may come back with work that suits you.
Should I follow up if they do not reply?
Yes, once or twice, a few days apart, and only because they asked you for the quote. Keep each follow-up short and helpful, and stop as soon as they reply or say no.