On Day 3, as a sales rep (I believe I was wasted after an onboarding party for the first 2 days), fresh out of uniform, I could clearly read the disdain on my senior account manager's face after I shared a quote he had requested. Grinding me down, he named the issue the “trust problem,” which I didn’t understand at all back then. Well, it’s just an Excel file with basic SUM functions!

Quote is NOT a Back-Office Chore. It’s a Living Sales Document

With that skeleton in the closet, I should have realized that the quote I ruined contained all the essential sales data, ranging from product lines and discount rates to terms and conditions. In the now gradually expanding world of quote-centric sales, this is where your war and peace takes shape. 

Fortunately for sales newcomers and SMB owners, Google search results are inundated with basic quoting guidelines with nice sample screenshots. But what does each of these items matter for my sales?  

Let’s further dissect the following nitty-gritties:

• Who your customer is
• What this quote is about
• What is being sold & how much
• Additional information that still matters
• What to do next

Customer Information

This is where your quoting journey begins; above all, what’s the point of quoting without our (sometimes angry) recipients? This is just like the Address section on the letter envelope, so it apparently includes: 

• Customer/company name
• Address
• Contact information

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And a few others depending on the context.

Why It Matters

As minor as this section may seem, this is where many sales reps make one of the most trust-damaging mistakes: misspelling words. 

Ever since I launched LazSales, I have received multiple sales emails and quotes, several of which put:

• LAZYSales instead of LazSales: pretty close. 
• Jun Kim instead of Jun Park: maybe she had a lead named “Jun Kim,” but I’m unfortunately from the Parks - long shot. 

Those were trivial mistakes, but enough to erode my trust.  

Quote Details

The customer needs to grasp what this quote is about at first glance, so this section usually includes:

• Quote Title
• Version
• Expiry and Validity Date

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Why it matters

• Versioning: In many B2B scenarios, the customer is likely to request different parts, deeper discounts, or new services, and vice versa. Unless you want to get bogged down in the “versioning chaos,” pay close attention to this part.
• Expiry and Validity Date: You may not be able to sell Item #3 next month, or you may need to increase the price by 10% in the next quarter. Prices, availability, and terms change all the time, so this section defines your commitment to the customer…with boundaries. 

Products and Services

The peak of our journey, at last. Though what to put in this section usually varies by industry and company, some example items include:

• Category
• Description
• Unit Price
• Quantity
• Final Price

Why It Matters

Self-evident, isn’t it? This is where all your ups and downs come from, your battles and armistices begin, and your work-life balance is determined. 

Every line item here affects the deal - or your chance of winning. So double-check accuracy and track how items change across versions (Unfortunately, you will have to stitch that history together from spreadsheets, PDFs, and email threads unless you have dedicated software).  

Additional Information

We’re almost there! This is not always required, but you may need to explicitly state disclaimers, payment terms, or any additional information (e.g., additional installation work will cost $70 per hour). 

To strictly identify future variables that may affect the deal, for example, late payment settlement and payment terms, I recommend you create a “Terms and Conditions” section separately. 

Wrapping Up

Rather than reiterating the components and details above, I briefly want to highlight the following two takeaways:

• Trust: Quote is a living, reliable, and transparent sales dataset where you forge or break trust with your customer.
• Tracking: Quote generation is merely a piece of your sales machine. The real challenges begin as you revise the first version. 

So if you still feel confused or deal with quotes with manual spreadsheets, come and check how we can help you through your sales journey!

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