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Glossary Shop business & metrics

Live-margin quote

Definition

What makes a live margin quote different?

  • Live-margin quote is a quote that shows projected profit in dollars and percent as you build it, costed from the real material on your shelf — so an underpriced package gets caught before you send it, not at month-end.
  • Service VIN's core difference from a flat estimate.

Why it matters to a shop

Seeing the margin while you build the quote is what turns pricing from a habit into a decision — you catch the underpriced full front before you send it, not after the bay is booked. It is only possible if the material ledger underneath knows what the film actually cost. The product built around it is PPF shop software.

FAQ

Live-margin quote questions, answered

How is a live margin quote different from an estimate?

An estimate is a price. A live margin quote is a price with the profit underneath it, recalculated as you add lines: film feet at the real cost of the roll you would pull, labour at your loaded rate, consumables and card fees. You see what the job earns while you can still change it, instead of finding out when the books are reconciled.

What does a live margin quote need to work?

An inventory that knows what the film cost. Margin computed from a catalog list price is arithmetic, not information, because the roll on your rack was bought weeks ago at a price that may not match. Film tracked to the foot at the price paid is the ledger underneath, which is why the two features are really one.

Can a customer see the margin on their quote?

No. The margin is the shop's own view while the quote is being built. What the customer receives is the quote: the services, the coverage, the price and the terms. The two are the same document from different sides, which is the point of having the profit in the builder rather than in a separate spreadsheet.

Go deeper

Related terms

More from shop business & metrics — The owner-side numbers that decide whether a busy shop makes money.

Gross marginRevenue minus COGS, shown in dollars or as a percentage of the price. It's the number that tells you whether a busy calendar is actually profitable. A wall-menu list price is a revenue number; margin is the profit number underneath it.Film tracked to the footInventory that counts film by the linear foot remaining on each roll, at the real cost you paid, with lot numbers and reorder points — instead of treating a four-figure roll as a single line item. It's what makes true material COGS and reorder alerts possible.Average ticketThe average revenue per completed job. Raising it with upsells (a coating over PPF, a windshield film, a maintenance plan) is often faster than chasing more leads, because it earns more from work you already booked.Close rateThe share of quotes or leads that turn into booked, paid jobs. A low close rate usually points at slow follow-up or unclear pricing more than at price itself — which is why quote follow-up and speed-to-lead move it the most.Speed-to-leadHow fast you respond to a new inquiry. The shop that answers first usually wins the job, so replying in seconds — even with an AI lead responder after hours — beats a polished reply that lands the next morning.DepositA payment collected when a customer books, to hold the bay and commit them to the job — the money you order film against. Deposits turn a hopeful maybe into a committed booking and are the single biggest lever against no-shows.

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