More Effective Job Estimate/proposal ?

floor4life

I m always looking to learn new ideas and ways to perform successful estimates. I am good at my skill and what i do....but not too satisfied with my performance when giving estimates at customers' homes.....i get out bidded by other contractors who basically offer free labor....hope you guys could give suggestions and insight.....your opinions count....all suggestions are valuable....thanx guys

MattCoops

You could hire a salesperson who deals with sales.
Landing you more jobs.
And freeing you up to do work, rather than sales.
Do you do your own accounting too?
Delegation is a good thing, and if you adopt it into your practice it will make for smoother days, and a whole lot less stress.
It brings a little more overhead.
But if you're closing more deals, more is coming in.

Salespersons don't come cheap. Well, good salespersons anyway.
You may have some luck with scouting some college students that want to earn while they learn. You'll find that there energetic, and eager to make a sale.
Listen to what they're saying while you interview them. You don't want any car salesman.

good luck

__________________
Matt with Cupan Custom Tile & Paint of Lowell, Massachusetts
Design and installation of ceramic tile and natural stone for floor, wall, and countertops
(978) 601-8774 | cupantile@gmail.com | view tile pictures and more

MattCoops

You could hire a salesperson who deals with sales.
Landing you more jobs.
And freeing you up to do work, rather than sales.
Do you do your own accounting too?
Delegation is a good thing, and if you adopt it into your practice it will make for smoother days, and a whole lot less stress.
It brings a little more overhead.
But if you're closing more deals, more is coming in.

Salespersons don't come cheap. Well, good salespersons anyway.
You may have some luck with scouting some college students that want to earn while they learn. You'll find that there energetic, and eager to make a sale.
Listen to what they're saying while you interview them. You don't want any car salesman.

good luck

__________________
Matt with Cupan Custom Tile & Paint of Lowell, Massachusetts
Design and installation of ceramic tile and natural stone for floor, wall, and countertops
(978) 601-8774 | cupantile@gmail.com | view tile pictures and more

realpurty2

I seriously doubt any one is working for free. That isn't challenging your statement as false, but a prompt to look deeper into why you aren't landing the jobs. Is the breakdown in the estimate process or the sales process?

So we can better help you, how about giving us more details how you are going about things so we can isolate where the problem might be?

__________________
Woman in a Man's World.

floor4life

Thanx for all your suggestions. Well...my written estimates are very detailed and i explain to HO the whole process and every steps of the project/work....and i am flexible with them...i don't suggest or close the sale by having the HO setup a date for the project...i let them think about it and call me back when they are ready to make decisions...this approach only close about 2 sales out of 6 estimates.

There are guys out there that basically offer free labor or insignificant pay for their labor ... many times they offer to refinish stair cases at no cost ... stair case is double work comparing to refinishing a floor....any how, everyone has their own way of doing things

bill r

There's a very fine, wavy line between pushing too hard and not pushing hard enough. Some of the arm-twisting I read on here is much more of a 'hard-sell' than I would ever use personally. But, YOU MUST CLEARLY STATE THAT YOU WANT THEIR BUSINESS, AND THEN ASK THEM FOR IT, at a minimum. How about this approach, (in your own words, of course).

"Well Mr. Jones, I've looked it over very carefully and I know I can do a really good job with your project! I would like to proceed if you will let me! May I?" THEN, DON'T TALK. THE SILENCE WILL CONVINCE THEM TO ANSWER.

At a minimum, you OWE them that kind of close. They're waiting for it I promise. If you're getting 1/3 with what you described, you're obviously selling them. But you've got to ask them for the project or someone else will take it. Nothing to do with price. Look at it this way: When you know you're gonna make them happy, professionalism demands that you help them with the scary committment. It is in their best interest.

When they respond with a delaying tactic, it means they need more of your help to get past the scary "decision time" part. So, give it to them. "OK, I can see why you need to wait till the cows come home, but, well we're booked out 4 weeks now, and I've got three more estimates waiting on me. I don't want to rush you, but you need keep those things in mind as well." AGAIN, SILENCE IS YOUR FRIEND. Now that's pretty soft-shoe, don't you think?

marc

I know for a fact that I didn't buy from Many, Many, Many people because they didn't ask me to. My wife asks me all the time why I didn't get what I wanted to buy. I tell her that if the salesman doesn't want to sell it to me enough to ask me to buy it, I'll buy it from someone else that wants my business.

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Marc

POOLMANinCT

and if a price sticker isnt on it im not going to ask

__________________
......Less with the jaw & More with the paw.....