1. Setting up your products

Products are the foundation of your TailorQuote calculators. They represent the items or services that customers can select when requesting a quote.

Understanding Products

In TailorQuote, products are the individual items that appear in your calculators. Each product has:

• A name and description
• Dynamic pricing through formulas and variables
• Cost calculations for profit tracking
• Custom variables for complex pricing scenarios
• Association with your team account

Creating Your First Product

Step 1: Navigate to Products

From your team workspace sidebar, click on Products. You'll see a list of any existing products (empty at first).

Step 2: Create a New Product

Click the Create Product button to add a new product to your catalog.

Step 3: Enter Product Details

Fill in the product information:

• Product Name - Clear, descriptive name customers will see
• Description - Brief explanation of the product
• Configuration - Set up pricing, cost, and amount formulas
• Variables - Define custom variables for calculations
• Additional Details - Any other relevant information

Step 4: Save Your Product

Click Save to add the product to your catalog. It will now be available to use in calculators.

Managing Products

Product List View

The Products page shows all your products in a table with:

• Product name
• Description preview
• Pricing formula preview
• Created date
• Actions (Edit, Configure, Delete)

Product Configuration

Click Configure to access:

• Formulas Tab: Edit price, cost, and amount formulas
• Variables Tab: Manage product variables
• Preview Tab: Test formulas with sample inputs

Testing Your Formulas

1. Go to the Preview tab in product configuration
2. Enter sample input values
3. See calculated results for price, cost, and amount
4. Verify calculations are correct

Editing Products

To modify a product:

1. Click on the product name or edit button
2. Update basic details or click Configure for formulas
3. Test changes in preview
4. Save your changes

Changes to products will affect all calculators using them.

Deleting Products

To remove a product:

1. Click the delete action
2. Confirm the deletion

Note: Deleting a product removes it from all calculators.

Product Organization

Naming Best Practices

Use clear, customer-friendly names:

• ✅ "Premium Website Design"
• ✅ "Standard Lawn Mowing Service"
• ❌ "PRD-001"
• ❌ "Service Type A"

Description Guidelines

Write helpful descriptions that:

• Explain what's included
• Highlight key features
• Set customer expectations
• Keep it concise (1-2 sentences)

Using Products in Calculators

Once created, products can be:

1. Added to calculators during calculator creation
2. Selected by customers when requesting quotes
3. Included in quote calculations

Common Product Types

Service Products

• Consulting hours
• Maintenance services
• Installation work
• Design services

Physical Products

• Materials
• Equipment
• Supplies
• Finished goods

Project-Based Products

• Complete packages
• Bundled services
• Fixed-price projects

Product Variables and Formulas

Understanding Variables

Product variables are reusable values that make your pricing dynamic and maintainable. They use the V_ prefix and can represent:

• Material costs: V_MATERIAL_SQFT = 12.50
• Labor rates: V_LABOR_HOUR = 85
• Markup percentages: V_MARKUP = 1.4 (40% markup)
• Standard measurements: V_COVERAGE_PER_GALLON = 350
• Fixed costs: V_SETUP_FEE = 150

Adding Product Variables

1. In the product configuration, find the Variables section
2. Click Add Variable
3. Enter:
   • Variable Name: Must start with V_ (e.g., V_BASE_PRICE)
   • Value: The numeric value
   • Description: What this variable represents

Using Formulas for Pricing

Instead of fixed prices, use formulas that can:

• Reference product variables (V_ prefix)
• Use calculator inputs (I_ prefix from customer inputs)
• Perform calculations
• Apply conditional logic

Price Formula Examples

Simple multiplication:

V_UNIT_PRICE * I_QUANTITY

Area-based pricing with labor:

(I_WIDTH * I_LENGTH * V_MATERIAL_SQFT) + (V_LABOR_HOUR * 2)

Tiered pricing based on quantity:

I_QUANTITY <= 10 ? V_RETAIL_PRICE * I_QUANTITY : V_WHOLESALE_PRICE * I_QUANTITY

Cost Formulas

Track your actual costs to understand profit margins:

(V_RAW_MATERIAL_COST * I_QUANTITY) + V_SHIPPING_COST

Amount Formulas

Dynamically calculate quantities needed:

MATH.CEIL(I_AREA / V_COVERAGE_PER_UNIT)

This automatically determines how many units are required based on the area to be covered.

Available Formula Functions

• Math operations: +, -, *, /, %
• Comparisons: >, <, >=, <=, ==, !=
• Conditional: condition ? true_value : false_value
• Rounding: MATH.ROUND(), MATH.CEIL(), MATH.FLOOR()
• Min/Max: MATH.MIN(), MATH.MAX()
• Power: MATH.POW(base, exponent)
• Square root: MATH.SQRT()
• Absolute: MATH.ABS()

Best Practices

Variable Naming

• Use descriptive names: V_GRANITE_SQFT not V_PRICE1
• Be consistent: If you use V_LABOR_HOUR, don't mix with V_HOURLY_LABOR
• Group related variables: V_MATERIAL_COST, V_MATERIAL_MARKUP

Formula Testing

• Test with minimum and maximum expected values
• Verify edge cases (zero quantities, decimal inputs)
• Check formula results match your manual calculations

Maintenance

• Document complex formulas with comments
• Update variables centrally instead of hardcoding values
• Review formulas when costs change

Performance

• Keep formulas as simple as possible
• Combine related calculations
• Use variables for values that appear multiple times

Next Steps

With products created, you're ready to:

1. Create a calculator using your products
2. Configure calculator appearance
3. Share or embed your calculator

Products are the building blocks - calculators bring them to life for customers!