The first message that converts, the four questions to ask, and what changes when the client is abroad.
Speed counts more than perfection
Three reasons, and they all work in your favour.
Brands often write to several people at once: the first structured reply shapes the brief.
A reply within the hour, even incomplete, is worth more than a perfect quote sent the next day.
And simply answering fast settles half the comparison: in this category, perceived reliability comes before price.
The method: a short message acknowledging receipt, asking the useful questions, and saying when the quote will arrive.
The four questions to send back
They fit in four lines and save three rounds of exchanges.
Where the video will run, on which channels, for how long.
How many videos, in which formats, with how many hook variants.
What the desired delivery date is, and when the product will be sent.
And whether there are imposed mentions or wordings to respect.
One remark: those four answers determine your price far more than the length of the video. Until you have them, any figure you give will be wrong.
What changes when the client is abroad
Four points, and they are all settled before starting.
The contract currency and the payment currency, which are not always the same.
The payment channel, with its real delays and fees.
The documents needed to be listed as a supplier, which sometimes take longer than the production.
And the calendar gap: public holidays, closure periods, the client's payment cycles.
Write those four elements into the quote, in four lines. That is what distinguishes a professional reply from an enthusiastic one.
What not to do
Five mistakes, all common.
Giving a price before knowing the rights requested.
Sending an hourly rate: nobody buys hours, people buy deliverables.
Attaching a portfolio of forty videos: two examples close to the request are worth more.
Accepting exclusivity without pricing it.
And promising a date without knowing when the product arrives.
What plays out in the first reply
| Delay | What you send | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Within the hour | An acknowledgement and a precise question | The brand moves forward |
| The same day | A price and a date | The decision gets made |
| After agreement | A written confirmation of scope | No misunderstanding |
What a useful reply contains
One sentence restating the need in your own words, the closest sample, the price, the lead time, and a question about the intended use. Five lines are enough.
What loses an order already won
A lead time announced with no margin, a question asked three days later, and a delivery in a format the brand never asked for.
The tone
Three principles, and they hold for every client.
Write as to a colleague: neither casual nor solemn.
One idea per sentence, lists rather than paragraphs: your message will be read on a phone, between two meetings.
And always end with a precise question or a date. A message ending on a polite formula calls for no reply, and it will sit three days in an inbox.
