Pricing and quoting, 29 October 2026
Quotes with options: showing choices without scaring the client
Show one base price for the job, then each option as a complete total the client can accept on its own. Never add every option into one grand total at the bottom. Two or three options is plenty, each with its full price including VAT if the client is a homeowner, and one line saying which you'd recommend and why.
Why do options scare clients?
Because most quote layouts add them up. On a multi-option quote, every choice often lands in one combined figure at the bottom.
The client nearly had a heart attack.
The client never wanted all the options. They wanted to see what each choice cost. A single total of everything reads as the price of the job, and it's usually the biggest number on the page. The fix is layout, not discounting.
How should you lay out a quote with options?
Base job first, options after, each with its own total. The client should be able to point at one box and say "that one".
- Price the base job in full.
The work they asked for, with labour, materials, waste, overheads and margin. This is option A.
- Build each option as a complete alternative.
Option B is "the base job with a better boiler", priced in full, not "+£850". Some clients can't add, and all of them shouldn't have to.
- Show the difference too.
A line under each option saying "£850 more than option A" helps them weigh it.
- Say what you'd pick.
One sentence, honest: "We'd fit B: longer warranty and it suits a three-bed with two bathrooms."
- Keep exclusions and terms once, at the end.
They apply to all options. Repeating them three times makes the quote look longer and harder.
- Ask for one decision.
"Reply A, B or C to accept" or a button for each option.
If you'd rather add-on items than alternatives (a smart thermostat, a magnetic filter), list them as optional extras with a price each, under the chosen option. Keep alternatives and extras apart: one is "pick one", the other is "add any".
Worked example: a combi boiler swap with three options
Three options for a combi replacement, priced to a 20% margin
Like-for-like combi swap in a three-bed semi, two fitters, one day. Costs are illustrations; use your own.
| Option A cost: mid-range combi £1,150, flush and filter £180, flue and fittings £170, labour and overheads £524 | £2,024 |
| Option A price at 20% margin£2,024 ÷ 0.80 | £2,530 |
| Option B cost: as A with a longer-warranty combi, +£420 on the boiler£2,024 + £420 | £2,444 |
| Option B price at 20% margin£2,444 ÷ 0.80 | £3,055 |
| Option C cost: as B plus smart controls £190 and two hours' labour £66£2,444 + £256 | £2,700 |
| Option C price at 20% margin£2,700 ÷ 0.80 | £3,375 |
Each option carries the same margin, so you don't mind which one they pick. If you price upgrades as a bare "+£420" at cost, option B makes you no extra profit for extra risk. To check you're dividing rather than adding, see markup vs margin.
For a homeowner, show each option's price with VAT included if you're VAT registered: option A would read £3,036 including VAT at 20%. For a VAT-registered business client, net prices with VAT shown separately are normal.
The template
Copy this into an email, WhatsApp message or the top of your quote PDF. Change the wording to sound like you.
Hi client name, Thanks for having us round to look at the job at address. Here are your options. Each price is the full cost for that option, including VAT. You only pay for the one you choose. OPTION A: short name 2 to 3 lines: what's included Total: £price A inc VAT OPTION B: short name (our recommendation) Everything in A, plus what's different Total: £price B inc VAT (£B minus A more than A) OPTION C: short name Everything in B, plus what's different Total: £price C inc VAT (£C minus B more than B) Why we'd go with B: one honest sentence Optional extras (add to any option): extra: £price inc VAT What's not included: exclusions This quote is valid until date. We can start from date. To go ahead, reply A, B or C and we'll send a booking confirmation. your name company name, phone
How many options should you give?
Two or three. One option gives the client nothing to compare except the next firm's quote. More than three makes them put off deciding. Three works well when the middle one is the one you'd fit: it's the honest recommendation and it doesn't look like the most expensive.
How do you make the yes easy?
Ask for one action, and make it short. Accepting should take the client no more than a few clicks. A reply of "B" on WhatsApp counts.
Once they pick, confirm the option in writing. What you write about a service can be binding where the consumer relies on it, so the confirmation should name the option, the price and what's included. Changes after that are variations, priced separately: see pricing variations.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
Nexley drafts quotes with options from a voice note: "do me a like-for-like, a better boiler and one with smart controls". Each option is priced from your price list at the same margin and laid out as its own total, with a reply-to-accept line. You check it and approve it, and the client picks over WhatsApp or email.
Common questions
Should I show the price difference or the full price for each option?
Both. The full price is what they'll pay, so it must be there. The difference underneath helps them judge whether the upgrade is worth it.
Should options include VAT?
For homeowners, yes, if you're VAT registered: show the total they'll pay. For trade or commercial clients, show net prices and VAT separately, which is what their accounts team expects.
What if the client wants to mix parts of two options?
Price the mix as a new option and send it as a revised quote with a new reference. Don't agree a combined price on the doorstep from memory.
Is it a quote or an estimate if I give options?
Each option is a quote if it's a fixed price for defined work. If any part depends on what you find, say which part and how it will be priced. The live guide to chasing unpaid invoices shows why clear written prices matter later.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Price transparency (CMA209), summary
- Business Companion (Chartered Trading Standards Institute): Consumer contracts, off-premises sales
- Business Companion: Supplying services
- GOV.UK: VAT rates
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
Topic: Pricing and quoting
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