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Understanding Sales Quotes

This guide explains how to use Sales Quotes to propose prices and products to your customers before finalizing a sale. Written for sales teams and business owners, it covers creating quotes, sending them to customers, and converting them into orders.

What is a Sales Quote?

Think of a Sales Quote like a specialized "menu" you create for a specific customer. It lists the items they want and the price you're offering, but it's not a final bill yet—it's an invitation to do business.

The Three Key Players:

  1. You (The Seller): You create the quote with your best offer.
  2. The Customer: They review the quote and decide whether to accept it.
  3. The System: Tracks the quote's validity and status so you don't forget to follow up.

Why does this matter?

  1. Professionalism: Sending a formal quote looks better than a quick email or phone call.
  2. Accuracy: Ensures both you and the customer agree on exactly what is being sold and for how much.
  3. Workflow: Easily turns into a Sales Order or Invoice without re-typing everything.

How It Works in Kezi ERP

1. Quote Statuses

Every quote moves through a specific lifecycle to help you track its progress.

Status Color Description
Draft Gray You are still working on it. Not sent to the customer yet.
Sent Blue You've sent it to the customer. Now waiting for their reply.
Accepted Green Great news! The customer said "Yes".
Rejected Red The customer said "No".
Expired Orange The validity date has passed without a response.
Converted Primary The accepted quote has become a Sales Order or Invoice.
Cancelled Gray You decided to stop this quote manually.

2. Validity Periods

Quotes often have an expiration date (e.g., "Valid for 30 days"). This protects you from price changes.

  • The system monitors the Valid Until date.
  • If that date passes, the quote logic considers it Expired.
  • Best Practice: Always set a validity date to create urgency!

The Workflow: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Creating the Quote 📝

Navigate to: Sales → Quotes → Create Quote

  1. Customer: Select the customer who requested the quote.
  2. Quote Date: Today's date is automatic.
  3. Valid Until: Set a date (e.g., 2 weeks from now) for when the offer ends.

Step 2: Adding Products/Services

In the Lines section, add what you are selling:

  1. Select a Product.
  2. Check the Quantity.
  3. Verify the Unit Price (it pulls from the product list, but you can adjust it).
  4. Add a Discount if you want to apply a special deal.

Step 3: Sending to Customer ✉️

Once you are happy with the draft:

  1. Click Mark as Sent.
  2. This changes the status to Sent.
  3. You can now print the PDF or email it to the customer.

Step 4: Customer Confirmation ✅

When the customer replies:

  • If they accept: Click Mark as Accepted.
  • If they decline: Click Mark as Rejected. You can add a reason (e.g., "Price too high") for future analysis.

Step 5: Converting to Sales Order 🔄

After acceptance, you don't need to re-type the data.

  1. Click Convert to Sales Order.
  2. The system creates a new Sales Order with all the same items and prices.
  3. The Quote status changes to Converted.

Visualizing the Quote Lifecycle

[Draft] │ ▼ [Sent] ───┐ │ │ ▼ ▼ [Accepted] [Rejected] │ │ │ └─ [Expired] ▼ [Converted]

Best Practices

  1. Set Realistic Validity Periods: Don't leave quotes open forever. Prices change! 15-30 days is standard.
  2. Use Notes: Add a personal note in the "Notes" field (e.g., "Includes free installation") to add value.
  3. Follow Up: Check your Sent quotes weekly. If one is about to expire, give the customer a friendly nudge.
  4. Track Rejections: If a customer rejects a quote, mark it as "Rejected" instead of just deleting it. This helps you understand your win/loss rate later.

Troubleshooting Common Questions

Q: Why can't I edit a Sent quote? A: Once a quote is Sent, it's locked to ensure what you see matches what the customer has. If you need to change it, create a Revision or revert it to Draft (if permitted).

Q: What happens to Expired quotes? A: They stay in the system but are marked as Expired. You can still open them and propose a new, updated quote if the customer comes back later.

Q: Can I skip the Sales Order and go straight to Invoice? A: Yes! If you have a simple workflow, you can use the Convert to Invoice action directly from an Accepted quote.