Stop Sending Excel Files: Why PDF Quotations Matter

A Fortune 500 marketing director receives 47 emails per day. Your quotation is one of them. It's an Excel file. Three tabs. Formulas. Drop-downs. A map screenshot pasted into cell J14.

They open it on their phone. It looks broken. They don't respond.

Your competitor sends a PDF. Clean. Professional. Opens instantly. They get the deal.

The Excel Problem

Excel is a tool for internal work, not client communication. Here's why Excel quotations fail:

1. They Look Unfinished

Even a well-formatted Excel file screams "I didn't have time to make this look good." Clients interpret this as "This vendor doesn't take us seriously."

2. They Break on Mobile

42% of business professionals review emails on mobile devices first. Excel files are nearly unusable on phones. Pinch. Zoom. Scroll sideways. Scroll down. Give up.

3. They Expose Your Pricing Logic

Your Excel file contains formulas. A savvy client can reverse-engineer your margins, discounts, and markup structure. This weakens your negotiating position.

4. They're Editable

A client forwards your Excel file to their boss. The boss changes a number. Now the total is wrong. You get a confused email asking why the numbers don't match.

5. Version Control is Impossible

You send Quote_v1.xlsx. They request changes. You send Quote_v2_FINAL.xlsx. They reply to the wrong email and reference the old version. Chaos.

The PDF Standard

A PDF is a document, not a spreadsheet. It signals professionalism, permanence, and polish.

How AdGrid Generates Professional PDFs

AdGrid automatically generates quotation PDFs with one click, including company branding, maps, photos, and complete financial breakdowns.

ROI of Professional Quotations

• Excel quotations: 12% acceptance rate (industry average)
• PDF quotations: 22% acceptance rate (AdGrid user data)

If you send 100 quotations per year at an average value of $5,000:

• Excel: 12 deals = $60,000 revenue
• PDF: 22 deals = $110,000 revenue

Difference: $50,000 per year from simply improving your quotation format.

Conclusion

Your quotation is often the first impression a client has of your operation. An Excel file says "We're disorganized." A PDF says "We're professionals."

AdGrid makes it effortless. One click. Professional PDF. Every time.