Getting undercut - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Jonesey · 07-13-2006, 06:51 AM

Got a call yesterday (first call this week) from some lady asking for a total repaint of a 1300 sq. home. Getting ready to sell it she says. I met her there and she says cheaply as possible, which already gets my hackles up. I mean, she's standing there staring daggers at me with her arms crossed.

I say,"Ok, well ceilings look good, and if it's same color on walls, it shouldn't be too bad."

I ballparked her at a good figure, if not to say cheap. I need the work. She started to get huffy and says, "Well, I've already got an estimate for $400! That's much too high!"

That was almost a THIRD of what my bid was. Heck man, with my markup, my material will come close to that.

She says to me, "Well, I don't know, I'll have to talk it over with my husband." then walks out and leaves me to lock up HER HOUSE.

I wanted to tell her to have fun cleaning her carpet after her $400 paint job got finished and the guy stopped returning her calls.

Time to learn to say, "No." I think.

Downeast · 07-13-2006, 07:03 AM

LOL way , I would have walked.There is a saying "I can go broke sitting on the couch",lol you don't need to work at it.

If I didn't let myself in and the one who opened, I would have left it open less closing the door behind me.

400 bucks material and labor ,bawhahahahahaha,

I had a guy do that once,said oh such and such said he could do it for this much. I said great he is your guy and started to walk away.The guy goes wait,wait, I don't have a price for that much.I said ,so you are lying to me. Bagged the guy in his game. I called the guy later and said he should try and find some neighborhood high school kids to do the job.

Seriously with what you said I would have been out the door not giving her a chance to leave me to close up.She would have felt the draft of my car driving up the street before she could say wtf.

Mike Finley · 07-13-2006, 08:13 AM

At some point there needs to be a selling of your company to the customer. A why you are who you are and what you do in order to build a value and an understanding.

When she said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonesey

She says to me, "Well, I don't know, I'll have to talk it over with my husband."

I would have asked her "Wait a minute, I thought you said you had a bid for $400 and you said I was too high?"

Depending on her response it would have been either time to thank her and depart, or discuss a few things.

I find asking questions is a really valuable tool in getting to signing a contract at your prices.

**Teetorbilt** · 07-13-2006, 08:22 AM

You got to know when to hold'em and know when to fold'em,
Know when to walk away, know when to run

A woman with an attitude AND cheap?

copusbuilder · 07-13-2006, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Finley

At some point there needs to be a selling of your company to the customer. A why you are who you are and what you do in order to build a value and an understanding.
.

She was oviously convinced $400 was high or she wouldn't be getting other prices! I would have been back in my truck before she could leave and ask me to lock up. Then I would have dry humped her leg for shytes and giggles

People like that are never going to be happy with a $1200 dollar paint job when they could have gotten one just as good for $400.
Even if Allah himself did it.

Downeast · 07-13-2006, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by copusbuilder

She was oviously convinced $400 was high or she wouldn't be getting other prices! I would have been back in my truck before she could leave and ask me to lock up. Then I would have dry humped her leg for shytes and giggles

People like that are never going to be happy with a $1200 dollar paint job when they could have gotten one just as good for $400.
Even if Allah himself did it.

Ya even if that 400 price be real,you think she gonna pay the full 4.She will nit pick that guy to death ,as to why she should pay less.

copusbuilder · 07-13-2006, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downeast

Ya even if that 400 price be real,you think she gonna pay the full 4.She will nit pick that guy to death ,as to why she should pay less.

Life is too short to pay any attention to people like that.
But I bet she thinks she is worth a lot of money for what she does?
But then Hooking does pay well

**slickshift** · 07-13-2006, 12:18 PM

...I smell something funny...not haha funny either
Even your favorite CrackHead with with a Brush couldn't do 1300 for 400
(not that he'd ever get past painting around the medicine cabinet anyway)

I think she just thinks it should be $400 so she made that up
We should get Officer Barbrady to declare shenanigans on her

**slickshift** · 07-13-2006, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downeast

There is a saying "I can go broke sitting on the couch"...you don't need to work at it.

Lol
Funny because it's true

1Painter · 07-13-2006, 01:11 PM

I would tell her that this isn't a high school project, and I sure don't need the practice. Hang in there!!!!

Mike Finley · 07-13-2006, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickshift

...I smell something funny...not haha funny either
Even your favorite CrackHead with with a Brush couldn't do 1300 for 400
(not that he'd ever get past painting around the medicine cabinet anyway)

I think she just thinks it should be $400 so she made that up
We should get Officer Barbrady to declare shenanigans on her

Exactly Slickshift, you're about the only other guy here that sniffed that out too. Everybody is so quick to thumb their nose and whip out the indignant attitude with glee so they can give the canned speech about cheap customers.

Something wasn't right in mudville based on the conversation posted here. It wouldn't have taken more than 2 minutes to find out exactly what was going on with a few specific questions, but I know it's more fun to blame the customer.

Downeast · 07-13-2006, 06:59 PM

I

Quote:

had a guy do that once,said oh such and such said he could do it for this much. I said great he is your guy and started to walk away.The guy goes wait,wait, I don't have a price for that much.I said ,so you are lying to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downeast

Ya even if that 400 price be real,you think she gonna pay the full 4.She will nit pick that guy to death ,as to why she should pay less.

Quote:

Exactly Slickshift, you're about the only other guy here that sniffed that out too. Everybody is so quick to thumb their nose and whip out the indignant attitude with glee so they can give the canned speech about cheap customers.

Something wasn't right in mudville based on the conversation posted here. It wouldn't have taken more than 2 minutes to find out exactly what was going on with a few specific questions, but I know it's more fun to blame the customer.

I have implied that the customer could be blowing smoke on the 4 hun.

Still ,its not a good way to start things off if that be the case. Sure you could ask what the person is going to get for their 4 hun.

But I would stick with my gut feeling after that and, do the Fred Flintstone with the car and beat feet.

Mike Finley · 07-13-2006, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downeast

and, do the Fred Flintstone with the car and beat feet.

Or how about the old "Can you wait one moment? I left my car running, I'll be right back." (-sound of burning rubber-)

Jonesey · 07-13-2006, 10:12 PM

Sales technique is something I need to work on, that's true. And, to be honest, I did try a little, but after I'd already rounded materials, it was fairly obvious she was just trying to beat me down with a phantom bid.

Right now, I'm not even sure if I want to follow-up. To be honest with you, she's shown every single sign that she's going to be a bad customer, and I don't really care to have her as one. I've turned bad customers into good ones before, but I don't honestly think it's worth the hassle with this one. I can just smell a, "Where's my discount?" coming soon if I do follow-up.

My Grandad used to say that the first thing a bad salesman does is lower his price. I think I need to learn from that.

Like Downeast said, "I can go broke on the couch..."

copusbuilder · 07-14-2006, 07:12 AM

So in reality "she was just a bad customer"
Call it a gift.....I could just tell

Even if "something wasn't right" she was still playing games and that "In my opinion' makes her a bad customer...Plus like Mike said. "It's more fun to blame the customer"

lornmastro · 07-14-2006, 09:53 AM

i agree with everyone here...had a cold as ice customer like her a few months ago...but she was even ballsy enough to say i got another price and if you charge me this amount and are willing to do all the painting i asked you to do plus prime/paint all my ballisters and staircase for the same price i will use you....after thinking it over for a day or two i realized that customers like her can leave me flinching for weeks...for the most part love most of my customers..and i like to leave it at that!!! i had one customer from hell many yrs ago when i was just starting out....yiks...the thought of her still sends chills up and down my spine...she was IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!! i left the last job with her more mad than anyone has ever made me before...but in retrospect i learned alot from that whole disaster!!customers like her aren't worth all the money in the world....so now i sniff those kind out and if i think you are a customer from hell....i'll charge you soooo much you will find someone else to do the job.MIKE just curious what kind of questions do you ask to get customers to use you who are looking for a cheap job???

SgtBaldy · 07-14-2006, 03:28 PM

" Can I see that estimate ma'am, Because I don't believe another licensed painter will do it for that."

When she doesn't produce a written estimate:

" I know that I wouldn't want some uninsured painter at my house to slip and fall and sue me no matter how much money I saved."

Mike Finley · 07-14-2006, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lornmastro

MIKE just curious what kind of questions do you ask to get customers to use you who are looking for a cheap job???

Well, you have it a little confused. I ask questions to truly discover if they are only confused, mis-informed or whatever or if they truly are looking for a cheap job. If I discover it is the latter then that is the end of it, we aren't the right company, nor the right fit for the job. Usually I find out it is more the former and a customer a lot of people here would seem to label as cheap only turns out to be mis-informed or confused as to what value really is. If they are the former we have a whole series of things that go into building value in the customers eyes and when the smoke clears they usually realize what a golden opportunity they have in front of them and they better hire us!

AAPaint · 07-14-2006, 07:32 PM

Ok, so....how you do that? Enquiring minds want to know!

Mike Finley · 07-15-2006, 09:11 AM

Do you mean what questions do I ask to "discover if they are only confused, mis-informed or whatever or if they truly are looking for a cheap job."?

If that is what you are asking, there is no secret, the questions are just common sense. The secret is to actually ask some questions which is basically all I ever say here to people who post things about going on estimates and being told something by a customer. There seems to be a lot of people who just take whatever the customers says for granted and leave it at that.

Like I said here already in Jonesy's case when she told him $1200 was too high, she already had a bid for $400 and then later said she was going to have to talk to her husband. She'd never get away with that with me, I would be calling her out on it and asking her point blank something along the lines of "What are you going to be talking over?"

When she answers something along the lines of "your estimate" I would then ask her, "Why are you going to be discussing my estimate of $1200 with your husband if you already told me it was too high and you had another one for $400."

Like I said the general answer she finally gives to that question is going to tell you whether there is any reason to continue talking to her.

I can't give you a ready made script, it all is going to depend on the situation and what the topic is, but just ask questions for anything that doesn't smell right or gives you a clue that there might be some confusion on the customers part in regard to what they are getting or what they need or in some cases don't need, you absolutely have to strip away the BS and get to the actual real objection in order to address it.