SignAndGoGetting quotes and proposals accepted in writing.
Builders, electricians, designers and agencies across New Zealand lose time to quotes accepted with a quick text message, then argued about later. Asking the client to sign the quote itself gives you a clear record of what they agreed to, including which options they chose.
Prepare the quote as a document
Export the quote or proposal from your quoting tool as a PDF, or write it in Word. Include the scope, any exclusions, timing and your standard terms. If your terms live in a separate document, add both to the same envelope so the client accepts them together.
For quotes you send often, such as a standard heat pump install or a monthly retainer, keep a template so only the job details change.
Let the client choose the options
Many quotes have optional extras. Put a Yes or No choice beside each one, so the client picks in the document instead of in an email thread. For extras the client simply needs to confirm, a tick box works well.
- Yes or No: upgrade to the higher-spec fittings.
- Yes or No: include removal of the old unit.
- Tick box: I have read the exclusions.
- Text field: preferred start week or site access notes.
Ask for the acceptance signature
Add a signature, name and date field at the acceptance block. If the client is a company, add a text field for their role so you know who has authority behind the yes. Where a client's own manager has to approve spending first, add that person as an approver before the client signs.
Use the message help to write a short, friendly note explaining what the client is accepting and when you could start.
Follow up without nagging
Quotes go cold quickly. Watch whether the client has opened the envelope, and set automatic reminders a few days apart. If they decline, the reason they give tells you whether it was the scope, the timing or something else. A quote that has sat unopened for a week often just went to an old address, so check that before assuming the client has lost interest.
If your quotes carry an expiry date, say so in the message and set the last reminder a day or two before it, so the client hears from you while the numbers still stand.
When the quote is accepted
The signed quote goes to you and the client with a completion certificate. If you work in Xero, connect it and the signed document can be filed there automatically, and the client added as a contact, ready for the first invoice.
Common questions
- Can the client pick which extras they want?
- Yes. Add a Yes or No choice beside each option and they choose as they sign.
- Can I send the quote and my terms together?
- Yes. Put both documents in one envelope so they are accepted at the same time.
- Can a client's manager approve before the client signs?
- Yes. Add them as an approver at the start of the envelope.