A cleaning quote template that gets a yes

Most cleaning quotes are not lost on price. They are lost because the quote does not contain a next step, so the person reading it has to invent one — and inventing one is work. Here is a template you can copy, and the six lines inside it that do the deciding.

Why a good quote goes quiet

A quote dies quietly when the client cannot answer it in one read. That comes from three things, and none of them is your hourly rate.

• It is a description, not a decision. A range of prices, a list of tasks, no end date.
• The next step belongs to the client. If the only way forward is for them to call you, most won't.
• It contains homework. What is included, how long it takes, whether the bond depends on it — if they have to look any of that up, the quote waits.

The template

Replace the square brackets. Send it the same way every time, in a message or an email — not a photo of handwriting, which cannot be forwarded, searched or answered with one word.

Hi [Name], thanks for the details. Quote for the [3 bedroom / 2 bathroom] clean at [suburb]: [A$XXX], based on about [3] hours. What's included: [kitchen, bathrooms, floors, dusting, inside windows if accessible]. Not included: [inside oven, inside fridge, carpet steam clean, balcony] — happy to add any of those, just say which. When: I can do [Tue 9am] or [Thu 1pm], and I'll text you about 20 minutes before I arrive. To hold a time I take a [XX]% deposit ([A$XX]), which comes off the final price, and you can move it free up to [24] hours before. If you want one of those times, reply yes Tuesday (or yes Thursday) and I'll send the deposit link. Any questions, just ask.

The six lines that do the work

• One number, not a range. A range reads as "I will decide when I see it", and that is a decision nobody wants to make.
• The hours behind the number. It tells them the price was calculated, and it protects you the first time a job runs long.
• What is not included. This one line prevents most of the disagreements that happen after the clean rather than before it.
• Two times, not a calendar link. Two options get a yes or a no. Twelve options get a browse.
• The deposit, with the amount. "Deposit required" is a surprise later. "[A$XX], off the final price" is a decision now.
• A reply that costs one word. "Reply yes Tuesday" is easier than filling in a form, and it holds the time without a phone call.

Three ways a good template turns bad

• "Approximately" everywhere. Put the number, then say what changes it: an extra bathroom, heavy condition, an oven add-on.
• Options instead of a price. Three packages means you have asked them to do your job. Recommend one and list the add-ons separately.
• Silence after sending. No follow-up at all is the most common reason a quote dies, and it is the cheapest thing to fix.

The day after you send it

The first follow-up is not a chase, it is a service. One short message 24 to 48 hours later, about one thing only: does the quote still look right, and do they want the time.

• Day 2: "Still keen on [Tue]? Happy to adjust the scope if the price is the issue."
• Day 5: remove the decision, not the price. "If it helps, I can do the main areas only for [A$XX]."
• Day 12: close the door politely. "I'll release the time on Friday unless I hear back." A real deadline gets more replies than any discount.

Why keeping the same template matters

If every quote looks different, you cannot tell why one of them worked. The same six lines every time means that when a quote is accepted or ignored, you know which line changed. It also means you can quote in two minutes from your phone — which is usually the difference between quoting first and quoting third.

When the numbers in the template stop being guesses, the next read is how to work out the price behind them, hourly versus flat rate.