The inquiry is already on your phone: “Can you do a couple of spots in the kitchen?” The slow part is not thinking. It is opening a laptop, hunting last month’s quote, and retyping your address. Two minutes is a prepared template plus the photos they just sent.
Clock
| Seconds | Do |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | Ask for board / room / count. If they already sent photos, skip |
| 20–70 | Open skeleton. Name the job. Quantities |
| 70–100 | Materials if you know them; else labour + “materials TBC” or estimate |
| 100–120 | Export PDF, caption with total, send |
If you do not have a skeleton, you do not have a two-minute quote. Build one on a quiet evening: your name, what a yes means, a labour line, a materials line, VAT sentence, validity. Reuse it.
Thanks — photos help. Quote attached for 4 downlights in the kitchen, plasterboard ceiling, existing lighting circuit. Labour £220, materials £85, no VAT. Reply YES to accept. Valid 14 days. If the ceiling is lath or the circuit is shot I’ll recost before I cut.
Itemised means the customer can see labour vs materials vs optional extras. It does not mean a merchant receipt. Two or three lines beat a blob, and beat a 40-line novel you will not type in the van.
What people miss
Typing the quote in the chat with no file. Totals get lost. Partners screenshot the wrong bubble. Attach a document.
Waiting until you are home. The two minutes only work if you do it when the photos arrive. Tonight they have already asked someone else.
A 20-line spec for a pendant. Itemised is not an essay. Count, labour, materials, out-of-scope.
Calling it a quote when you still need a visit. Then it is an estimate. The two-minute send can still go — with the right word.
Related guides
FAQ
- What if they have not sent photos?
- The two minutes start after the photos, or you send an estimate range and ask for them. Do not invent a board.
- Voice notes?
- Fine for your workings. The customer still needs a written total they can accept. Type the caption.
- Can I reuse last month’s PDF?
- Reuse the skeleton, not the last customer’s address and figure. That mistake is expensive.
- Under two minutes every time?
- Extras and repeats, yes. A kitchen and a rewire, no. Do not fake speed on a job you have not seen.
