Choose fixed price or day rate and word the quote to match

A fixed price on a job with a hidden problem costs you the day; a day rate on a simple job costs you the customer. Deciding which fits and then saying so clearly in the quote, with what happens if the job runs over or under, stops the row on the day.

A free AI chat tool, then your quote template or Word/Google Docs

Steps

1. After the site visit, write your notes: trees and work, access, what's underneath or nearby, what you can't see (rot, hidden hazards), and your honest guess at the days and crew.
2. Decide for each job: fixed price (the work is clear) or day rate (uncertain, big or awkward). You choose; the AI doesn't.
3. For a day rate, decide your terms: the rate, what a day is, and whether you reduce the rate after a number of days on big jobs, as some Arbtalk posters do.
4. Paste your notes and decision into the prompt below. Ask for the quote wording, including what happens if you find something unexpected.
5. Check the wording against your notes, add your prices yourself, and send it as a PDF.

The exact prompt

I'm a UK tree surgeon writing a quote. Customer: [first name]. Work, from my site notes: [trees and operations in my words]. Access and risks I noted: [list]. Basis: [fixed price £X / day rate £X per day with my crew of N, estimated N days, reduced to £X after N days].
Write the quote wording in plain English: what I'll do tree by tree, what's included (e.g. clearing the arisings, [list]), what's not included, and what happens if I find something unexpected on the day [my rule]. For a day rate, explain how the days are counted and invoiced.
Use only what I've written. Don't add safety claims, don't say a tree is safe or dangerous, don't say whether any tree is protected and don't invent prices.