Why You Should Never Quote a Gig from Memory — and What to Do Instead
Quoting from memory is how musicians end up undercharging. A systematic approach to quoting means you never forget a cost, never undercharge a client.
The band inquiry comes in on a Friday afternoon: "What would you charge for a four-hour wedding next October?" You're in the middle of something else, you remember what you charged for a similar gig last year, you add a little, and you send the number. Sound familiar? This is how most musicians quote — and it's how they end up consistently undercharging.
What You Forget When You Quote from Memory
When you quote from memory, you're recalling a number that felt right in a different context. You forget: the travel to this specific venue, the extra hour of standby for the ceremony, the PA hire they've asked for, the fact that your rates have gone up since last October, and the GST that comes out of whatever you charge.
Each forgotten item shaves margin off the booking. Add them all together and a gig that should have paid $2,400 ends up netting you $1,600 after costs.
The Case for a Systematic Quoting Process
A systematic quoting process starts with fixed inputs — your rates, your standard add-ons, your travel calculation method — and then applies those inputs to each specific job. The only variables you need to fill in are the ones that change per gig: hours, location, add-ons requested.
This approach means you never start from zero, never forget a line item, and always know exactly what your margin is before you send the quote.
Building a Quote in Under Two Minutes
Dashplan's Quote Helper is designed for exactly this. You set your playing rate, standby rate, travel rate and custom add-ons once in settings. For every new quote, you enter the variables — playing hours, standby hours, distance, any extras — and the total calculates instantly with GST included. A complete, accurate quote in under two minutes.
When you reply to that Friday afternoon inquiry, you're sending a number you know is right — not one you guessed at.
Quote, Confirm, Invoice — in One System
The other advantage of a systematic approach is the paperwork trail. Once a client confirms the quote, you want that booking in your gig log and an invoice ready to send. In Dashplan, confirmed quotes push straight to the Gig Manager — the client, date, fee and all line items carry across with one click. Read more on why every musician needs a gig log.
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