A quote that gets accepted answers the three questions on the customer's mind without being asked: what exactly am I getting, how much will I pay in total, and until when is this price valid? To do that, the quote states the scope of work clearly, shows the price line by line, lists discounts and VAT on separate lines, and specifies the validity date, payment terms, delivery time, warranty and anything that is out of scope. After the quote is sent, it is followed up according to a plan. The validity date is not just a courtesy: under the Turkish Code of Obligations, an offer you make with a stated deadline binds you until that deadline passes.
Why do customers reject quotes or leave them waiting?
Quotes usually stall not because of the price but because of uncertainty. If customers cannot find the answers to questions like "Is installation included?", "Is VAT added to this price?" or "When do we pay?" in the quote, they either come back to you or turn to a quote that is easier to understand.
A good quote is a document the customer can use to defend the purchase decision inside their own company. The accountant, manager or partner who reads it should understand what is being bought even if they do not know you.
The skeleton of a quote: which sections should it have?
1. A clear scope
Summarize the work in one or two sentences at the top of the quote, then list the deliverables concretely. Instead of "website development," use measurable wording such as "5-page corporate website, contact form, content entry in two languages." The more concrete the scope, the fewer "wasn't this included?" arguments you will have when the work is done.
2. Line-by-line pricing
A single lump-sum price pushes the customer to haggle, because they cannot see what pays for what. Give each product or service its own line: description, quantity, unit, unit price and line total. That way, when the customer wants to remove or reduce an item, you do not have to renegotiate the whole quote; you discuss only that line.
3. Show discounts and VAT clearly
If you are giving a discount, do not hide it inside the price; write the list price, the discount rate or amount, and the discounted price separately. Customers only appreciate the value of a discount when they can see it.
The same rule applies to VAT. The subtotal, VAT rate, VAT amount and grand total should each be on their own line. A "Prices exclude VAT" note squeezed in small print at the bottom of the page leads to a loss of trust when the invoice arrives.
4. Validity date
Write the date until which the quote is valid as a day, month and year: "This quote is valid until October 15, 2026." Relative wording like "valid for 30 days" can lead to arguments about when the quote was received. We cover the legal side separately below.
5. Payment terms
Payment up front, a deposit plus balance, or deferred payment? State the deposit rate, the stage at which the balance is due, the payment methods you accept and, if installments are available, their terms. If the payment plan is left vague, it becomes the hardest topic to discuss once the work has started.
6. Delivery time
State the delivery time along with what it depends on: for example, "10 business days from receipt of the order and deposit." If the timeline depends on something outside your control (the customer sending content, a supplier's shipment), say so explicitly.
7. Warranty and support
State the warranty period of the product or service, what the warranty covers and how support requests should be submitted. Uncertainty about after-sales service is the biggest source of hesitation, especially for a customer working with you for the first time.
8. What is out of scope
This is the most frequently skipped section of a quote, yet the one that saves the most trouble. List one by one the items not included in the price, such as shipping, installation, software licenses, on-site training or additional revisions. If the customer knows about these from the start, an extra invoice later is not a surprise but something already discussed.
Quick checklist: Is the scope concrete? Is each item on its own line? Are discounts and VAT visible? Is the validity date written as a calendar date? Are the payment plan and delivery time clear? Are the warranty and out-of-scope items written down? Is there a record of to whom and on what date the quote was sent?
Why does the validity period matter legally?
The Turkish Code of Obligations (TBK, Law No. 6098) calls a quote an "offer" and sets out separately how long an offer binds you, depending on whether you state a deadline.
- Offer with a deadline (TBK Art. 3): A person who proposes a contract and sets a deadline for acceptance is bound by the offer until that deadline expires. If the acceptance does not reach them within the deadline, they are released from the offer.
- Offer without a deadline, between parties present (TBK Art. 4): If an offer made without a deadline to a person who is present is not accepted immediately, the offeror is released. The law also treats an offer made during direct communication by means such as the telephone or a computer as one made between parties present.
- Offer without a deadline, between parties not present (TBK Art. 5): An offer made without a deadline to a person who is not present (for example, by email) binds the offeror until the moment when a reply sent in due time and in the proper manner could be expected to arrive.
The practical consequence is this: with a quote sent without a deadline, how long it binds you is left to the interpretation of a "reasonable time." When you write a validity date, both you and the customer know the limit clearly. If your costs depend on the exchange rate or raw material prices, a short and clear validity date protects you from having to take on work at an old price.
Two more details are worth knowing. Under TBK Art. 8, if the offeror expressly reserves the right not to be bound by the offer, the offer does not bind them; the same article says that sending a price list or tariff counts as an offer unless the contrary is clearly and easily understood. In other words, a price list you send to a customer can also bind you if you have not stated otherwise. In addition, under TBK Art. 12, contracts are not subject to any form unless the law provides otherwise; for contracts where the law requires a specific form, that form must be followed.
How should the customer accept the quote?
Make acceptance as easy as possible. Saying "If you approve, sign, scan and send it back" places a burden on the customer that requires a printer, a scanner and time. State in one sentence at the end of the quote how acceptance works.
A multi-line quote you prepare in Collobr is generated as a PDF with its discount and VAT lines; the customer can approve the quote from the link sent to them or sign it with an e-signature. Which method is sufficient for your business depends on whether the contract is legally subject to a particular form. Under TBK Art. 15, a secure electronic signature produces all the legal effects of a handwritten signature. We explain in detail which documents an e-signature is sufficient for, and which it is not, in our article where an e-signature is valid and where it is not.
After the quote is sent: follow-up discipline
Sending the quote is only half the job. A quote that is not followed up ends up buried under other work in the customer's inbox. Tie follow-up to a system, not to personal memory.
- Set the next step when you send it. When you send the quote, agree with the customer on when you will call and put it in your calendar.
- Ask questions in the first follow-up; do not pressure. A question like "Have you had a chance to review the quote? Is there any item you would like me to clarify?" helps you understand where they are in the decision process.
- Send a reminder before the validity date. A short reminder a few days before the deadline gives the customer a concrete reason to decide.
- Do not let an expired quote fade away silently. If the customer is still interested, send a new quote with current terms; keeping the old quote going as "still valid" blurs the legal framework described above.
- Record why a quote was lost. Price, delivery time, scope? These notes help you prepare your next quote more accurately.
Keeping the status of every quote (sent, in negotiation, accepted, rejected, expired) in one place becomes even more important as the team grows. Otherwise, two different people may send the same customer two different prices.
Common mistakes
- Copying a previous customer's quote and forgetting to change the name or an item.
- Calculating the total by hand, so that the line totals and the grand total do not match.
- Not using quote numbers and dates, and later being unable to tell which version was accepted.
- Not writing into the quote a discount promised on the phone.
- Starting work on the basis of an expired quote without updating the price.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. For questions specific to your contract, consult a lawyer.
To prepare multi-line quotes with clear discounts and VAT as PDFs and let your customer approve them via a link, you can try Collobr free for 14 days; no credit card required. Get started now.