Create Your First Quote

Who This Is For

New users ready to create their first quote in QuoteBuilder. This guide walks through the complete process from start to finish.

What You'll Accomplish

By the end of this article, you will be able to:

  • Create a new sales quote
  • Add products to the quote
  • Add a customer
  • Save and review your quote

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

  • Completed your account setup
  • At least one product in your catalog (or plan to add one)
  • The create_orders permission (most users have this by default)
Note: If you don't have products yet, you can still create a quote and add products manually.

Step 1: Start a New Quote

  1. Click the + button in the top navigation bar
  2. Select Sales Quote from the dropdown
  3. A new quote editor opens with a blank quote

Alternatively:

  1. Go to Quotes > Sales Quotes in the sidebar
  2. Click + New Sales Quote at the top

Step 2: Review the Quote Editor

The quote editor has several sections:

  • Header — Quote number, date, and status
  • Customer — Who you're quoting (left side)
  • Cart — Products and line items (center)
  • Totals — Subtotal, tax, shipping, total (right side)

Step 3: Add Products to the Cart

  1. Click Add Product or the + button in the cart section
  2. The product search modal opens
  3. Type a product name or SKU in the search box
  4. Click on a product to view details
  5. Set the Quantity (default is 1)
  6. Click Add to Quote

Repeat to add more products as needed.

Tip: You can adjust quantities directly in the cart after adding products.

Step 4: Add a Customer

  1. Click Add Customer or click in the Customer section
  2. The customer search modal opens
  3. Search for an existing customer by name or email
  4. Click on the customer to select them

If the customer doesn't exist:

  1. Click + New Customer in the modal
  2. Enter the company name and contact details
  3. Click Save
  4. The new customer is automatically added to your quote

Step 5: Review Totals

The Totals section automatically calculates:

  • Subtotal — Sum of all line items
  • Discount — If any discounts are applied
  • Shipping — If shipping cost is added
  • Tax — Based on your tax rate settings
  • Total — Final amount

Step 6: Save Your Quote

  1. Click Save in the top right corner
  2. The quote is saved with status Open
  3. You'll see a confirmation message
Important: Always save your quote before leaving the page or generating a PDF.

What Success Looks Like

When you've successfully created your first quote:

  • The quote has a quote number (e.g., #QB0001)
  • Products appear in the cart with correct pricing
  • A customer is assigned to the quote
  • The totals calculate correctly
  • The status shows Open

Next Steps

Now that your quote is created, you can:

  • Generate a PDF to preview the quote
  • Email the quote to your customer
  • Apply discounts or adjust pricing

Troubleshooting

Problem: Can't find the New Quote button

Cause: You may not have the create_orders permission.

Solution: Contact your administrator to grant quote creation permission.

Problem: Products don't appear in search

Cause: No products in your catalog, or search term doesn't match.

Solution: Add products to your catalog first, or try different search terms.

Problem: Customer not found

Cause: Customer doesn't exist yet.

Solution: Click + New Customer to create them during the quote process.

Problem: Save button is disabled

Cause: Required fields may be missing.

Solution: Ensure you have at least one product in the cart.

See also