Contractor Cuts
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Contractor Cuts
Coaching Cuts: Write Better Emails Than AI
The perfect email structure can dramatically improve estimate conversions and payment times while reducing back-and-forth communications with clients. Clark Turner breaks down his proven four-paragraph estimate email formula and two-paragraph invoice email approach that builds trust, answers questions before they're asked, and moves clients toward decisions.
• Estimate emails should follow a four-paragraph structure: excitement, explanation, next steps, excitement
• First paragraph creates personal connection and shows genuine enthusiasm for their project
• Second paragraph explains estimate details, addresses potential questions, and clarifies assumptions
• Third paragraph lays out clear next steps and gently pushes for the next decision
• Final paragraph reinforces enthusiasm and personal connection
• Invoice emails should first update clients on project status before explaining invoice details
• Proactively addressing questions saves time by avoiding multiple follow-up emails
• These structured emails build trust by demonstrating professionalism and attention to detail
• AI can help polish language, but can't replace the strategic thinking in crafting these communications
• Two extra minutes of email writing can significantly improve conversion rates and client relationships
For questions on client communication strategies or other business coaching assistance, visit prostruct360.com and use the contact page to get in touch with Clark directly.
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Welcome to Contractor Cuts, where we cover the good, the bad and the ugly of growing a successful contracting company. Welcome to Contractor Cuts. My name is Clark Turner. Thank you for joining us again this week. So this week we're starting a new bonus series called Coaching Cuts, and in these series they're going to be a little shorter episodes and they're going to be one-on-one with me and you, where I'm going through things that I normally cover during coaching with guys Stuff that comes up all the time that I feel like I repeat over and over again.
Speaker 1:Every time I have a different coaching client, and so we're going to be covering those topics. And so today I'm covering how to write an email that's going to convert more estimates, that's going to make a happier customer, and it's an email that AI can't write for you. Now, if you want to run it through AI after we compose it, great. But what we're going to talk about today is how to write the perfect estimate email and then how to write the perfect invoicing email. So let's start with estimates. When I am building an estimate email, what I want to do is I've put together the estimate, I've looked at the way I've structured it, and while I'm building my estimate. Sometimes I'm writing down questions, right? So, hey, I didn't really ask about this. I don't know what they're thinking about this, right? A great example three different levels of cabinets. Right, I can do an off-the-shelf cabinet. I can do a semi-custom RTO cabinet or RTA cabinet and then I can also do a full custom build cabinet. Right, so I can be $10,000. I can be $50,000, depending on what they're wanting. So if I haven't talked about finishes, finish level with them beforehand, this is a time that I might start introducing that Now on the first estimate and on this first email, I don't want to go deep into finishes. I really want finish level for pricing reasons, right? So if I'm putting together this estimate, I've written down questions. What about this? I don't know what they're wanting on this. I'm pulling out maybe some some broad numbers. I'm quoting on materials like hey, for tile, I put you at $3 a square foot for the material cost. Now, that can go up and down depending on your selections. That sort of thing I'm pulling out during the estimate creation. So I'm done with my estimate. I'm ready to send it over by email.
Speaker 1:I have four paragraphs in every estimate email. This is going to take you about two minutes longer to write than your standard email that you write, but it's worth the extra time because this is where we sell ourselves. It's all about the customer service. I mean customer feel like this guy knows what he's talking about. I like working with them. So the first paragraph that I'm writing is an excitement and a personal excitement. So what that means is I've put together the estimate. I sit down.
Speaker 1:My first paragraph is going to be short and sweet two, three sentences. Mr Customer, I'm really excited about this kitchen renovation. After we finish this, you're going to have a beautiful home. I'm really excited to get the opportunity to potentially work with you. That's my first sentence. First, two sentences. First paragraph Excitement, personalization. Hey, it was great meeting you and your spouse at the property on Thursday. Whatever it is, make it personal, make it exciting. Don't don't get into business yet.
Speaker 1:Paragraph number two that we're writing on that estimate is going to be explaining what the estimate has in it, all right. So attached is your estimate. If you go through it, you'll see that I added this, this and this. For the cabinets I put a budget of $20,000. Now I can get that way lower or way higher, but from our conversations on site. This feels about the price point you want to be at. I love to hop on a call, explain to you kind of what the different price points that we have and what you're sacrificing for a lower price point and getting extras on the higher price point. Next I'm going to explain anything else that I had questions about in this paragraph. Or price points on tile, like I mentioned, I budgeted $3 a square foot for tile, but that is up to you on what you select. This is just kind of rough numbers that get us a quoted price point on this estimate.
Speaker 1:And then any other questions I had. Hey, I missed this. Are we doing any flooring while we're doing this renovation? I know that we're taking a wall out. What are we doing about the floors, stuff like that that? I'm asking those questions and really diving into where, as they're reading my estimate, these are the questions they're going to have automatically in their brain, right? So instead of me saying, dear Mr Customer, here's your estimate, thanks, let me know, they're going to reply to that email and say, hey, clark, what about this? What about the pricing on this? Hey, that looks really expensive, tell me more about that. And so we're going to have five or six emails that go back and forth over the next three days discussing this estimate, where I know the questions are going to have. It's the same questions every customer has.
Speaker 1:So that paragraph I'm going to be explaining anything that they might have a question about of the estimate on that second paragraph that they might have a question about in the of the estimate on that second paragraph. All right, let's move on to the third paragraph. I've laid out the estimate. Everyone knows what we're doing, what we quoted all the questions I have. The third paragraph is next steps.
Speaker 1:If everything looks good with this estimate, the next steps on this would be blank. I want to lead them down, lay out the next two to three steps so they understand where we're going. When they know where we're headed, it makes it easier for them to make a decision and there's also some sort of a oh, they need to know if we're doing this. So let me respond back to them. Right, that's, that's what we want their mind to be feeling. So in that it's a hey. If everything looks good with this estimate, the next steps would be getting on a Zoom. We can walk through our client engagement agreement. We can discuss the final revisions on the estimate and then we'll have signatures and get materials ordered. Or it might be, hey, if everything looks good, because it's a desk estimate. The next steps will be scheduling an on-site inspection of the property. Can we get that set up for Friday? I'm putting out dates. I'm trying to push to the next decision. I'm not trying to get a signature yet. I want them to say yes to the next steps.
Speaker 1:So that third paragraph is probably the most important one, where we're laying out and asking can we take the next step with you? This is a dating relationship. I'm trying to get them to marry me. I'm not going to ask them to marry me on the first date, but I am going to ask for a second date. I'm going to keep trying to push and lay out the next two to three dates. Hey, if you're ready to go, this is what we do next. After that, we will do this and then we'll get started with the job. What's your timeline on this anyway? So if you're looking to get started in the next two months, what we need to do is meet by next week to discuss X, y and Z. Right, I want to cause some urgency as well as let them know. Okay, this is what we should do next. Yes, let's go ahead and do that.
Speaker 1:And the last and final paragraph in that estimate email is going to be excitement. Hey, again, thank you so much for letting me have the opportunity to bid this job. I'm really excited. I'm really. You know, a house like yours is something that I love putting my name on because it's going to end up looking so beautiful. Whatever you want, I just want them to know that I'm personally excited that they're just not a number and an estimate. I'm pushing out the door. So that's it Excitement, explanation of estimate. Next steps excitement.
Speaker 1:I'm not looking for a long three-page letter. What we want is, normally you're writing one to two paragraphs. We're going to four with those four paragraphs, and that will convert your estimate a lot higher of a percentage than just hey, here's your estimate. Let me know if you have any questions. Right, they see the detail, they see your connection, they see your care for their job, they see your forethought and answering their questions before they have them. So all of these micro, little subconscious things that we're doing in an email like this is making them think this guy's going to be great to work with. He knows what he's talking about, and it's building their confidence in you. So it's more than just I'm getting them their numbers. Instead, what I'm trying to give them is yeah, they're getting a number, but also they're getting the self, the confidence in me, they're getting the confidence in our company. They're building the trust between me and them with this email. All right, so that's the first thing.
Speaker 1:Now, again, ai is not going to lay it out like that. I want you to lay it out, and if you want to use a chat GPT, cut and paste it into chat GPT or whatever AI you use, let it make it sound nicer or better or smarter than the way that you wrote it and then put it back into your email and send it out. Either way, though, I want you to follow the four paragraphs on when you're sending an estimate, all right. So let's go on to an invoice email, right? When I'm sending an invoice, it's going to be a little more concise. Normally, it's client attaches an invoice. Let me know if you have questions, right? We're not going to do that on an invoice email.
Speaker 1:The first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to set expectations. The first paragraph is hey, client, hope you're doing well, hope you're doing well, wanted to tell you what's going on this week on the job site. Right, the invoice is not necessarily hey, I need money. What we want is kind of a check-in spot to where this is what we've done, this is what we're doing, and so this is why you owe me this money, right, those are kind of what we're talking about. So the paragraph one is this is what we've done, this is what's happening, this is what's gone wrong, this is what's gone right. We're two days behind on the paint, so that's going to push this, but that's okay, cause this will make up for it. Whatever, whatever information that I'm pushing about the job to them that's paragraph one. I want them because when they see how much they owe you, the first question is well, what about this and what about that? And didn't you say you were going to do this? And Well, what about that? And didn't you say you were going to do this? And the paint's not done, and I thought it was supposed to be done by Wednesday. But now it's all of that stuff I want to diffuse on the first paragraph. So I'm writing out an email saying this is what we're doing, this is what we've done. This is what how your job is going to progress. Well, here's some questions I have. If there's any questions I have for them, I want them to have all of their expectations perfect.
Speaker 1:After the first paragraph, paragraph two is an explanation of the invoice On that. What I want is any changes from the last invoice, right, or really estimate. Remember, we had that change order for the termite damage that was there. So I've added that into this invoice as well. So that's where the extra $2,000 came from, this invoice as well. So that's where the the extra $2,000 came from.
Speaker 1:Um, I'm explaining the anything that I'm invoicing that might need go back work or might not be done well, or, uh, that is halfway done. Hey, I'm I'm only invoicing 50% for the paint, cause we're only halfway through the paint, but I do want to draw requests on the paint because I'm going to pay my painters for the amount of work they've done so far. Right, so I'm explaining the invoice and If it's a final invoice, I'm also explaining stuff that either I took off the invoice, right? Hey, I remember you said that you were doing your own final cleaning and don't want us to do the cleaning at the end of the job. So if you look, it's not on the invoice anymore Explaining what's there, what's not there, why it's changed.
Speaker 1:All of that is helping them understand and not go back and forth, because this email if I can get them to respond to it and say, got it, checks in the mail done, I just paid online through your portal, whatever it is that's giving me my money faster If I send them a. Hey, here's your invoice, thanks. Hey, did you take off the cleaning? Yes, I did. If you look at the bottom, there's not. The cleaning line's now zeroed out. Okay, great, what about? Uh, I thought you were guys were going to do this, right. And so there's a back and forth for three days where they're not paying me. I want to get my money quickly and I want them to enjoy the experience and not have the friction of man.
Speaker 1:Clark won't answer any of my questions. I got to pull stuff out, information out of him, right? So that is how we want those invoice emails to be. I want it mainly two paragraphs. The first one is setting their expectations of the current state and what's going to get done. The second paragraph is explaining any question they might have about the invoice, the variances of the pricing, any changes that we've done, any things we've taken off the invoice. Those are the two main ones. I also, in that final paragraph, I would like to lay out my expectations of getting paid. So, hey, I'm coming by the job site tomorrow. I'd love to grab a check, or you know, as we've discussed, we need payment at the office by Friday. Let me know if you need help with that Right, that sort of setting the expectation of when they're going to pay.
Speaker 1:That the invoice that was attached is kind of my final ending of that email. All right, so that's it. We want two separate emails. The estimating email is going to be four paragraphs excitement, explanation, next steps, excitement. And then the invoicing email. I want setting expectations and then I a explanation of the invoice that's attached. If you can write your emails that way, you are going to get a higher conversion on those estimates. You're going to have actually more time in your week because you're not going back and forth over email with these customers with all their questions, but we're answering them ahead of time. All right, that's it for this episode. If you have any questions, go to proshark360.com, go to the contact us. I'd love to talk you through any, any sort of questions you have about emails or any other coaching questions that you have. Thanks for listening this week and we'll talk to you next week. You.
