If you’re tired of chasing deals with clunky PDFs, endless revisions, or quoting tools that make things harder, you’re in the right place. This guide is for anyone who sells B2B—whether you’re in IT, managed services, SaaS, hardware, or anything that requires a formal quote. I’ll walk you step by step through how to create, customize, and send professional quotes using Quoter—and I’ll be blunt about what’s worth your time and what’s not.
Why B2B Quotes Matter (and Why Most Are Terrible)
A good quote isn’t just a price sheet. It’s a sales tool. But let’s be honest—most B2B quotes look like they crawled out of Excel in 2006. They’re confusing, ugly, or impossible to update when the client inevitably changes their mind. Worse, they slow down deals.
Quoter aims to fix this. It’s built for speed, clarity, and making you look like you have your act together. But tools don’t sell for you. You still have to know what you’re doing.
Here’s how to use Quoter to send quotes that get approved, not ignored.
Step 1: Set Up Your Quoter Account Properly
Before you send your first quote, get the basics right. If you skip this, you’ll just be redoing things later.
- Sign up for an account and verify your email.
- Add your company info: Logos, legal business name, address, and contact details. Yes, it’s boring, but clients notice when it’s missing.
- Set up your tax settings: Get this right early, especially if you sell across multiple states or countries.
- Connect your CRM or PSA: If you use HubSpot, Salesforce, or a PSA like ConnectWise, integrate them now. Otherwise you’ll be stuck copying data by hand.
- Branding: Upload your logo, set your brand colors/fonts, and add any legal disclaimers you always want at the bottom of quotes.
Pro Tip: Don’t overthink your branding—clean and simple beats “fancy” every time. If you wouldn’t show it to your accountant, don’t show it to a prospect.
Step 2: Build Your Product & Service Catalog
This is where most people get lazy. Don’t. Setting up your catalog now saves hours later.
- Add products and services: Enter everything you sell (hardware, licenses, managed services, etc.). Include descriptions, SKUs, costs, sell prices, and vendor info.
- Group similar items: Use categories (like “Workstations” or “Cloud Services”) so you’re not scrolling through a massive list every time.
- Set default pricing: If your pricing changes a lot, you can override it per quote—but having a baseline helps avoid mistakes.
- Upload images or datasheets: Only if they actually help the buyer. Nobody needs a 30-page PDF on a mouse.
What doesn’t work: Trying to build your catalog on the fly, mid-quote. You’ll waste time, forget details, and look disorganized.
Step 3: Create a New Quote
Now the fun part. Here’s how to actually build a quote that doesn’t suck.
- Click “New Quote” in the dashboard.
- Select the customer: If your CRM is connected, just search and select. No CRM? Add contact details manually.
- Add products/services: Search your catalog and add items. Adjust quantities and pricing as needed.
- Include a summary or intro: Explain what the quote covers and (briefly) why. Don’t just dump line items—give context.
- Set terms and conditions: Use your default, or tweak for the deal (payment terms, delivery time, warranty, etc.).
- Attach files: Only if needed—don’t overload with PDFs unless the client asked.
- Preview: Always check the PDF/web view. Typos or weird formatting make you look sloppy.
Pro Tip: Feature only what’s relevant. If you’re quoting managed services, don’t tack on hardware unless they asked for it.
Step 4: Customize the Quote for the Client
A little effort here goes a long way. You don’t need to rewrite your entire quote for every deal, but some customization shows you’re paying attention.
- Personalize the intro: Mention something specific about the client’s needs or situation. “As discussed on our call, this quote covers 20 new laptops for your sales team.”
- Highlight key benefits: Instead of just listing features, call out what matters: “Includes 24/7 support and same-day replacement.”
- Bundle items if it makes sense: Group services or products into packages if it simplifies things for the buyer.
- Optional items: If the client might want extras (like installation or training), list them as options, not hidden fees.
What to ignore: Don’t clutter the quote with your full company history, awards, or generic sales fluff. Keep it focused.
Step 5: Send the Quote (Professionally)
You’ve built the quote—don’t blow it at the finish line.
- Choose your delivery method: Quoter lets you send quotes as a branded web link or PDF. Web links are more interactive and trackable, but some old-school buyers still want a PDF.
- Write a short, clear message: Avoid templates that sound robotic. “Hi Alice, attached is the quote we discussed. Let me know if you have any questions or want to tweak anything.”
- Double-check recipient details: Sending to the wrong person is embarrassing, and it happens more than you think.
- Enable notifications: Quoter can alert you when the client views the quote. Useful, but don’t use it as an excuse to “follow up” five minutes later.
Pro Tip: Don’t send quotes at 5pm on a Friday. They’ll get buried.
Step 6: Track, Revise, and Get Approvals
Real talk: Most quotes don’t get signed on the first try. Quoter makes it easy to manage revisions, but don’t let it turn into an endless loop.
- Track activity: See when the quote is viewed, and by who. Don’t assume silence means “no”—sometimes it’s just stuck in someone’s inbox.
- Revise quickly: If the client asks for changes, duplicate the quote, make edits, and resend. Don’t start over from scratch each time.
- Version control: Quoter keeps a history, so you don’t lose track of what you sent.
- Get approval: Quoter supports electronic signatures—faster, less paperwork. But some companies still want a PO or signed PDF. Ask what works for them.
What doesn’t work: Chasing approvals without understanding the client’s internal process. Ask who actually signs and what their steps are.
Step 7: Follow Up Without Being Annoying
Nobody likes getting hounded. But a little polite persistence goes a long way.
- Wait at least 24 hours after sending before following up (unless it’s truly urgent).
- Reference something specific: “Just checking if you had questions about the support options we included.”
- Set reminders: Quoter can nudge you if a quote hasn’t been viewed after a certain time.
- Know when to move on: If someone ghosts you after a few follow-ups, don’t keep pestering. Focus on the next deal.
Pro Tip: Sometimes deals stall because of internal politics or budget cycles—don’t take it personally.
What Quoter Does Well (and What It Doesn’t)
The Good: - Fast, professional quotes that look good on any device. - Easy product catalog setup and reuse. - Simple to revise and resend. - Decent integrations with most major CRMs and PSAs. - E-signature and approval tracking built-in.
The Not-So-Good: - Custom layouts are a bit limited—if you want wild designs, you’ll be disappointed. - Product catalog setup takes time (but you only do it once). - Integrations are only as good as your data. Garbage in, garbage out.
Don’t expect Quoter or any tool to magically close deals for you. It just makes you look professional and saves you from administrative headaches.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
Quoting doesn’t have to be hard. Get your basics right, focus on what the client actually cares about, and use the features in Quoter that save you time. Skip the bells and whistles unless they genuinely help close deals. If you mess up, fix it and move on. The goal is to make buying from you easy—not to impress people with your quoting software.
Now, go send some quotes that actually get approved.