Essay
The Quote That Lives in a Tradesperson's Head
A chatbot can turn a spoken quote into a written one. It cannot know today’s materials price.
You already know the job. You have walked the site, you know which board is rotten, and you know what you charged last month. The quote fails when it stays in your head and the customer hears a different number from the one you remember. Writing it down is the whole task.
You write
The work, what is excluded, the price, how long it lasts, and when you are paid.
The tool writes
Those notes as a one-page quote. It must not invent a figure or a customer.
You bring the numbers
Section titled “You bring the numbers”Before you open a chat, write:
- The work, in one sentence.
- What you are not doing.
- Your labour price and your materials price, as figures you are willing to stand behind today.
- How many days that price lasts.
- When you expect to be paid.
If you do not know the materials price this morning, go and check it. Do not ask the tool. It will answer with a confident, wrong figure. That is the failure described in what a weekend leaves out.
A prompt that cannot invent a price
Section titled “A prompt that cannot invent a price”Turn these notes into a one-page quote. Use only the numbers I typed. If a number is missing, write “[price]” and stop. Do not add a customer’s name or address.
Work: Replace one exterior door, labour only. Not included: The door itself, locks, painting. Labour: 800 dollars. Price holds for: 14 days. Payment: Half before, half on the day.
Put your real currency and your real figure in. Mine is an example, not a rate.
Read every number back against your notes. Then copy the quote into the message or the paper you actually send, and only then add the customer’s name and phone. Those do not belong in the chat. What never to paste applies to a client’s address the same way it applies to a bank number.
What you can show on Monday
Section titled “What you can show on Monday”A quote a customer can accept or refuse without calling you to ask what “around there” meant. If they argue the scope, the “not included” line did its job. If they argue the price, that is your price, not the tool’s.
Do not add a logo, a terms-and-conditions novel, or a fake company registration number. One page, your numbers, your name.
Discussion
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