Quotes
A quote is an estimate you send a customer. It commits you to a price for a period but does not demand payment.Creating a quote
1
Open Sales, then Quotes
Choose New quote.
2
Select the customer
From your directory, or create them as you go.
3
Add your line items
Exactly as on an invoice — products from the catalogue or typed descriptions, with quantities,
prices and tax rates.
4
Set an expiry date
How long the price holds. Without one, a customer can accept a quote a year later at a price
that no longer works for you.
5
Add your terms
Lead time, what is included and excluded, payment terms on acceptance. Ambiguity in a quote
becomes a dispute in an invoice.
6
Save and send
Download the PDF or email it directly.
Converting to an invoice
When the customer accepts:1
Open the quote
From Sales → Quotes.
2
Choose Convert to invoice
A new sales invoice is created with every line, price and tax rate carried across.
3
Check the dates
The invoice date is today; the due date comes from the customer’s terms. The quote’s dates do
not carry over.
4
Adjust if the scope changed
If the customer accepted a modified version, change the lines now while it is still a draft.
5
Send the invoice
As normal. See Create and send an invoice.
Quote statuses
Getting more quotes accepted
- Send them quickly. A quote sent the same day beats one sent next week.
- Set a realistic expiry. Fourteen to thirty days creates useful urgency.
- Be specific about what is included. And explicit about what is not.
- Follow up before expiry. Most quotes are lost to silence, not to price.
- Review declines. A pattern of declines at a particular price point tells you something.
Purchase orders
A purchase order is your formal order to a vendor. It records what you agreed to buy at what price, before the goods arrive.Why use them
Raising one
1
Open Purchases, then Purchase orders
Choose New purchase order.
2
Select the vendor
From your vendor directory.
3
Add the items
What you are ordering, quantities and agreed prices.
4
Set the expected delivery date
So you know when to chase.
5
Add delivery details
Where the goods should go, and any special instructions.
6
Send it to the vendor
Download the PDF or email it directly.
When the goods arrive
1
Check what arrived against the order
Quantities and condition. Note any shortfall or damage before signing anything.
2
Open the purchase order and convert it
Choose Convert to purchase invoice. All the lines carry across.
3
Adjust for what actually arrived
If you ordered ten and received eight, change the quantity before saving.
4
Enter the vendor's invoice details
Their invoice number and date, so you can match it later.
5
Check it against the vendor's bill
Prices and quantities should agree with the order. If they do not, query it before paying.
Purchase order statuses
Delivery notes
A delivery note documents goods dispatched to a customer without charging for them. Use it when goods go out before the invoice, or where the customer requires a signed delivery record. It carries the items and quantities but no prices. The invoice follows separately.Related: Purchases for vendor bills and debit notes.