Why Did This Homeowner Show Me The Bids From Other Companies?

robertpaint

I'm currently doing the paint for a homeowner. I told her I would give her a bid for the drywall if she was still entertaining bids. She said yes. After giving her the proposal, she called me over to her truck one day and showed me the bids from the other companies. Some were lower.

Why would she do this?

Is it because she wants me to match the lowest bid?

neolitic

You've got the word....
bid.
Now look up the term
"Dutch Auction".

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send_it_all

Yes and also because she is a douchebag.

robertpaint

She's crazy if she thinks I'm doing it for that price.

J F

Yep...and she's hoping to beat you down.

J

JumboJack

Sounds to me like she is the kind of customer that is looking for a contractor that pays his guy's 8.00/10.00 an hour and does'nt have to worry about WC.

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in texas with framing and cornish people will do it for 3.00 a foot. What do yall think about that? Just laber

perfect

QUICK STUDY LOL

Mike Finley

I think she is just looking out for you and wants you to raise you price.

I just talked to a lead that must be related to her. She said that what she wanted to do was show me the other contractors estimate, but she was going to remove the prices. I asked her why she wanted to remove the prices in a way that made it sound like that was just the strangest thing I had ever heard. She stuttered a few times, obviously taken aback and then replied well, I don't want you to see the prices so that there is a chance yours will be lower.

Here's where it always gets funny. I always tell them, the other guys prices don't matter and if you're looking for a lower price, you're probably not going to find it with us, on 99% of the jobs we look at we are always the highest number, because we are the best and we are going to do more than anybody else.

When I told her that she then reasurred me that she was going to weigh all the facts and that the price wasn't what she was basing her decision on.

LOL, yeah right! Then what was all that about with showing me the other guys estimate with the numbers missing?

JumboJack

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that.....

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in texas with framing and cornish people will do it for 3.00 a foot. What do yall think about that? Just laber

Kaiser

I will always be happy to look at the other bids. They tell me alot about the competition.

Maybe I could be charging more.

Maybe I missed something they caught.

I'm a big believer in having the best presentation if someones invoice looks more professional, I up mine.

It gives you the opportunity to become the expert in the customers eyes. ie
"At that price i wonder if they missed the fact you will need additional circut for those extra outlets." ect.

If someone completly blows me out of the water on price I used the old. "If you can get it done for that price good for you. There is no way I can match that. Good luck." ( 9 times out of 10 it spurs further conversation)

I'm not saying rip the other guys. That never comes across well. But it gives you time to convince the customer that you have their best intrest in mind.

AtlanticWBConst

About 1 year ago, we did a super high end european kitchen makover in a penthouse in Boston. Unfortunately, my business partner was pricing and running this one, and didn't account for an overage factor (example: All plumbing was moved, Electrical panel moved to the other end of the unit).
(UGH: We didn't even get any "real" pictures of it, and it came out looking like something out of a magazine (just a stupid phone pic shot). When I reviewed his pricing, I had told him it was "off", but his contracts were signed. At least we broke even, no money lost, just alot of his time).

Anyhow, this is my point. This lady was having custom european sliding doors ordered. The job involved removing all doors in this massive penthouse, and installing the new hardware and tracts. Disposal, etc.
We give her a very reasonable price for the door demo, disposal, alterations and installations.
My lead carpenter comes up to me and says:
"She pulled me aside on that job, after you had given her the door estimate, and asked me if I did work on the side, then asked me if I'd be interested in getting paid by the hour to install the doors."

.....Of course he said no (Good guy).

The nerve of some people.

Now, the thing is, she was foreign. I say this, because in many cultures, it's customary to bargain, haggle, & attempt to talk people down in cost, before, and even after a price is determined.

They don't realize how innapropriate, insulting and rude it is, to do that (and the methods they sometimes choose) in this country. It's a cultural difference that they just don't seem to comprehend.

On the other hand, like the OP's "client", some people are just plain morons...

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Any Season

It could really be any reason. More likely that she wants a lower price from you, but I have found that people I am currently working for are more likely to tell me this info. to help me raise my prices or whatever. It is the people I don't know that are kicking the tires usually.

AtlanticWBConst

99.9 % of the time, they are showing you the other bids, for the sole purpose of trying to get you to underbid the other prices.

Their goal is to get the cheapest job they can find.

They are trying to help themsleves, NOT you = FACT

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J F

Yep

J

skylands

I had this happen to me also. So I got some revenge. Not much but I felt better when I left.

While I was sitting at her table discussing the job, she handed me the other two bids. I read them over for content because she claimed she wanted all of us to bidding apples to apples. One bid said "install customer supplied electric fixtures" while the other gave an allowance per fixture. Here's where it got funny.

I asked how these two bids were apples to apples. She said they weren't. She wanted me to choose which bid I wanted copy and sharpen my pencil with. Here's where I twisted it around.

I said that I would take both bids home and study them. Then I said "Thank you and it looks like we're done here today so it's just the matter of the $400.00 estimating fee. My secretary did tell you about the $400.00 fee for today right?"

She got quite nasty so I just smiled and left.

J F

hehehehe

oldfrt

Maybe you should have taken the bids home with you,kept them,and never return her calls,making her start all over,wasting her time ,instead of yours.

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J F

Or mail copies of both of 'em to the original bidders....

J

skylands

I did. I gave each of the estimates back to the bidder when I met up with them at the lumber yard.

I never heard from her again so I don't know what she finally did.

SelfContract

Better yet, pretend/make a faked LOWER bids than them (bidders), then mail YOURS along with a stamp = "ACCEPTED" on it. Guaranteed blow off their roofs next time if they saw your names again.... Let's start the bidding war!. (Da cut-throat way) j/k