Why You’re Wasting Time on Quotes — and How to Fix It with Simple Automation

Let’s talk about quoting — and why it’s eating up your day.

If you run a small business — especially in landscaping, kitchen design, or architecture — quoting is probably one of those things that:

• You have to do to win work

• Takes longer than it should

• Often gets pushed back because you’re too busy

• Sometimes never gets sent at all (be honest)

And here’s the problem:
Delays in quoting = lost jobs.
Rushed quotes = missed details.
Manual quoting = admin overload.

So how do we fix it?

We break it down in our post on 5 Admin Tasks You Shouldn't Be Doing Manually in 2025, but quoting deserves it own spotlight.

⏱️ The Problem: Quoting Takes Too Long (and Costs You Work)

Most of the designers and trades we talk to are:

• Rewriting the same email over and over

• Manually pulling together prices

• Chasing basic details before they can even quote

• Forgetting to follow up after sending the quote

The result? You’re spending 30–90 minutes per quote, and even then, clients go cold because they haven’t heard from you.

✅ The Solution: Automate the boring parts of quoting

We’re not talking about removing your judgment or creativity. We’re talking about using automation to speed up the admin around quoting — so you can respond faster and win more jobs.

Here’s what that can look like:

🔹 1. Pre-Qualify Leads Automatically

Before you waste time quoting a tyre-kicker, use a smart lead form — just like the one we outlined in How One Workflow Saved a Landscaping Firm 10+ Hours a Week. Name, budget, type of work, timeline — all filtered before they hit your inbox.

Bonus: You can even auto-decline leads that don’t fit your criteria.

🔹 2. Use Templates + Auto-Filled Fields

Rather than starting from scratch every time, use a templated quote system that:

• Inserts client details automatically

• Offers pre-written scope descriptions

• Pulls prices from your product/service list

You review it, tweak it, and click send — no more copy-paste chaos.

🔹 3. Set Up Quote Follow-Ups on Autopilot

One of the biggest wins?

Automated follow-up emails that check in if a quote hasn’t been accepted after 3 days, then again after 7.

You don’t have to chase — your system does it for you.

“Hi Sarah — just checking in to see if you had any questions about the quote. Let me know if you’d like to jump on a quick call.”

Simple. Professional. Consistent.

💡 Real Example:

One of our clients — a kitchen designer — went from sending 2–3 quotes a week to 7+ quotes a week, with follow-ups automatically built in. They’ve since doubled their conversion rate — and finally feel on top of things. You can read more about we build out these simple systems in What a Small Business Automated (And What They Didn't)

🚀 The Best Part? You Don’t Need to Be Techy

All of this can be set up with simple, no-code tools. And if you don’t want to build it — that’s where we come in.

🧠 Ready to Save Time and Win More Work?

We’ll show you where quoting is slowing you down — and how automation can fix it without adding more to your plate.

👉 Book your free AI audit today

If this helped, pass it on. If it sparked questions, I’m all ears.
– James