Notes for workshops
- About
- Quoting, enquiries and selling fit-outs online.
- Posts
- 12
- Latest
- 15 Oct 2026
How to improve your quoting process
Where the time goes when you quote tray and canopy jobs, and the changes that get a firm price out the door sooner.
4 min readHow to follow up a quote without being a pest
When and how to follow up a tray and canopy quote: a simple schedule, something useful to send each time, three templates, and when to stop.
6 min readShould you put prices on your website?
Whether a custom tray and canopy shop should show prices online, how to use "from" prices and ranges, and what Australian pricing law expects.
6 min readThe questions your quote request form should ask
What a tray and canopy quote request form should ask, what to make optional, and how to get enquiries you can price before the first call.
6 min readThe payload talk: have it before you quote
How to work out ute payload with a tray and canopy before you quote: a worked Ranger example, rear axle loads and when to raise a GVM upgrade.
5 min readMarkup vs margin: pricing custom fabrication work
The difference between markup and margin, both formulas, a conversion table and a costed canopy job, so your quotes earn what you think they do.
5 min readHow much deposit to take on a custom build
How much deposit to take on a custom tray and canopy build: what sets the number, how to stage payments around the ute, and what goes on the quote.
6 min readQuote vs estimate: what your price promises
The difference between an estimate and a quote, when a quote becomes legally binding, and how to label every price your workshop sends.
6 min readHow to answer enquiries when you're on the tools
How fast to reply to tray and canopy enquiries when you're on the tools, with an auto-reply, a missed-call text and a first reply to copy.
6 min readGoogle Business Profile tips for 4x4 and canopy shops
How a 4x4, tray and canopy shop should set up its Google Business Profile: category, service area, services, build photos and the monthly numbers.
6 min readHow to get more Google reviews, and stay legal
How to get more Google reviews for a tray and canopy shop: ask at handover, text the link the same day, and stay inside ACCC and Google rules.
6 min readDo you need an online ute builder on your website?
What the big brands' online ute builders do, when a tray and canopy workshop needs one, and what to check before you pay for a configurator.
6 min read