Why turnaround matters
Contractors usually ask more than one distributor for the same material. When prices are close, the quote that arrives first — complete and accurate — often wins the order. A slow quote doesn’t just risk the sale; it teaches the contractor to send their next request somewhere else first.
Step 1: Get every request into one place
Requests arrive by email, phone, text, the counter and outside sales. When they land in personal inboxes, some wait and some get lost.
- Use one shared quote inbox or queue for the branch.
- Ask outside sales and counter staff to forward requests there rather than working them alone.
- Record when each request arrived, so you can see how long it waits.
Step 2: Sort by size and urgency
Not every request needs the same treatment.
- Quick quotes — a handful of stock items — should go out fast, often the same day.
- Larger lists and bid packages need more time, but the contractor should know when to expect them.
- Check the contractor’s deadline, especially bid dates. A quote that arrives after the bid closes is worth nothing.
Step 3: Ask for better requests
Much of the time spent quoting goes into working out what the contractor actually wants. Encourage contractors to include:
- Catalog numbers where they have them, and clear descriptions where they don’t
- Quantities and units for every line
- Whether substitutes are acceptable
- When and where they need the material
- The job name, so quotes and orders can be matched later
A simple request form on your website, or a standard email template your team sends to regular customers, makes this easier for everyone.
Step 4: Stop retyping lists
Retyping is slow and introduces errors.
- Keep cross-references between contractors’ common descriptions and your part numbers, so repeat items are matched instantly.
- Save lists for repeat customers and repeat job types.
- Use tools that read requests directly from emails, spreadsheets and PDFs instead of rekeying them line by line.
Step 5: Price from one source of truth
Hunting for the right price slows every quote.
- Keep current manufacturer price sheets in one place, and retire old ones as soon as new sheets arrive.
- Keep special pricing agreements where the quote desk can see them, with their expiry dates.
- Keep each contractor’s pricing tier attached to the account, not in someone’s memory.
- Know in advance which items need pricing from a manufacturer or rep — such as switchgear or lighting packages — and request it the moment the quote comes in.
Step 6: Quote what you can, flag the rest
If a few lines need manufacturer pricing or availability checks, don’t hold up the whole quote.
- Send the lines you can price now, clearly marked as partial.
- List the pending items and when you expect to have them.
- Show lead times and availability on every line, not just prices.
Step 7: Measure turnaround
You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
- Track the time from request received to quote sent, by quote size.
- Set simple internal targets for quick quotes and for larger packages.
- Review the slowest quotes each week and ask where the time went — waiting in the inbox, matching items, finding prices or waiting on a manufacturer.
Step 8: Follow up
A fast quote still needs a follow-up. Set a follow-up date on every open quote, and record whether it was won or lost — and why.
Common mistakes
- Letting requests sit in individual inboxes
- Treating a three-line quote and a three-hundred-line bid package the same way
- Pricing from an outdated price sheet
- Holding a whole quote for one item that needs manufacturer pricing
- Sending quotes without lead times or availability
- Never following up