Quotes and client links explained

Most band quotes are last year's PDF with the date changed, and the client reads them on a phone where the table does not fit. expert.band builds quotes from a catalog of the services you sell and gives the client a link to a clean page in their language, with a PDF if they want one.

This article explains the whole feature: the catalog, the sections of a quote, VAT, sharing, statuses, and what the client can and cannot do with the link.

Who writes quotes

The band leader and managers. Members see gigs and their fees but do not write or see quotes. An agency or a booking manager invited with the manager role writes quotes in every band they manage; see expert.band for managers and agencies.

Step one: the service catalog

Before the first quote, build the catalog. Each entry is a reusable building block with:

• a category (Music, Sound and lights, Travel, Extras),
• a name and a description,
• a default length (45 min, 2 hours) and a default price,
• optional translations of the name and description per language.

Examples that most working bands end up with: Live set 45 min; Evening party 2 x 60 min; Ceremony music, acoustic trio; DJ set between sets; Sound system for up to 150 guests; Lighting; Travel beyond 50 km; Overtime per 30 min; Second sound engineer.

A dozen entries cover most enquiries. Prices in the catalog are defaults; every quote can override them. The thinking behind a good catalog is in your service catalog: package what you sell.

Step two: writing the quote

Create a quote from scratch or from a previous one. Set the header:

• Client name, event date and venue.
• Currency (the band's default, changeable per quote).
• Language of the quote, which can differ from the band's; six are available (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian). Catalog items appear in that language if you translated them.
• Valid until: the date after which the offer lapses.
• An optional linked gig.

Then the sections, each optional:

• Schedule: the timeline of the event as you propose it. 15:00 ceremony, 16:00 drinks set, 20:00 first dance, 20:15 party set one.
• Services: catalog items with quantity, length and price. Lines can be grouped under a label ("Evening", "Options"), and any line can be excluded from the total, which is how you show an optional saxophonist or an extra hour without inflating the price.
• Coverage: what is included. Sound, lights, travel within 50 km, a break DJ, the band's own catering needs stated.
• Pricing: the totals, computed from the services.
• Summary and text: free paragraphs. An introduction that speaks to this client, payment terms, what happens with overtime, a note on the deposit.

Writing that converts is a separate craft, covered in writing a quote clients accept.

VAT

Set a VAT rate on the quote if you charge it; the pricing section then shows net, VAT and total. Leave it empty and the quote prints "VAT where applicable", which is the honest wording for bands below a registration threshold or in a country where it depends. If you enter your VAT number in band settings, it is printed on the quote. The app does the arithmetic; whether you should charge VAT is a question for your accountant, see VAT, invoices and receipts for bands.

Step three: the client link

Every quote has a private link. Copy it and paste it into your email or message. The client opens a clean web page: the band's name, the event, the sections you filled in, the totals, the validity date, all in the quote's language, with a Download PDF button. They never see the app, a login, or your other quotes.

Two properties of the link matter:

• It is unguessable, a long random token, but not password protected. Anyone who has it can open it. Do not post it publicly; if it went to the wrong person, click New link, which invalidates the old one.
• It is live. Edit the quote after sending, and the page shows the new version the next time the client opens it. Useful for fixing a typo, dangerous for changing a price after the client has printed the PDF, so re-send with a note when you change anything material. The argument for links over attachments is in why a quote link beats a PDF.

Statuses

A quote moves through four states:

1. Draft: you are writing. The link shows nothing yet.
2. Sent: you shared it. The page is live.
3. Accepted: the client said yes. Link the quote to the gig; the gig then shows the quote's total.
4. Declined: keep it for the record and for your numbers.

The client tells you their decision by email, phone or a signed contract; there is no accept button on the client page. You set the status. That is deliberate: acceptance of a band booking normally comes with a contract and a deposit, which happen outside the app.

Quotes and gigs

The gig record and the quote are linked but separate. Create the gig as a request when the enquiry arrives, send the availability request, then write the quote and link it. When the client accepts, set the status and confirm the gig; the gig page carries the total. Members see the gig's fee field, which you fill in by hand with what the band gets. The full sequence is in from request to confirmed gig.

Duplicating

The fastest way to write a quote is to duplicate an accepted one for a similar event and change the header and one or two lines. Most wedding bands end up with three or four "template" quotes they duplicate all season.

What it does not do

• No contract, no e-signature, no invoice, no deposit collection. The quote is the offer; the paperwork lives in your documents and accounting.
• No agency letterhead across bands; the quote carries the band's name and VAT number.
• No client accept or decline button on the page, and no notification when the client opens the link.
• No automatic expiry action; the validity date is printed, and you decide what happens after it.

A worked example

A corporate client asks for a 5-piece band at a company dinner for 120 guests, 90 minutes of music after the meal, with the band's own PA. The quote: header with client, date, venue, English, valid 14 days. Schedule: 19:00 load-in, 21:30 set one, 22:30 set two. Services: Evening party 2 x 45 min (1), Sound system up to 150 guests (1), Travel beyond 50 km (80 km, priced per km), and under a group "Options", excluded from the total: DJ set between sets, Overtime per 30 min. Coverage: sound, lights, load-in and setup, a 20-minute break. Pricing with 20% VAT shown. Text: two sentences of introduction, payment terms (30% deposit on acceptance, balance 7 days before), the overtime rule. Client link sent the same afternoon; PDF attached to their internal approval; accepted on Thursday; quote linked to the gig, gig confirmed.

Do this today

• Write your catalog from your price list: 8 to 12 entries with descriptions a client understands.
• Enter your VAT number in band settings if you have one.
• Rebuild your last accepted quote in the app and open the client link on your phone.
• Duplicate it as a template for your most common booking type.

Full reference in the quotes documentation. Quotes are part of every plan; start the 30-day trial to try them with a real enquiry.