How do you all quote?

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windy

windy

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i dont mean big jobs, i mean the domestic side of the market. Say you were quoting a simple re skim of a living room.

experience tells you it can be done in 1/2 days and you know from experience what the mats cost are before you have finishedc looking around.

Do you verbally quote there and then so you can test facial reaction of customer?
Verbally quote there and then then negoatiate if required?
Follow up quote with quote in writing?
Follow up with tel call?


Whats your preferred and most sucessfull system?
 
I never discuss the price on the job always email a quote coz a lot of the time they might not get back to you for a few weeks and you forget, also once the job starts there are no disagreements about what you quoted for and in my opinion looks more professional
 
I quote by all methods you mentioned except I never negotiate a price unless they cut the amount of work they want done. If its simple I quote on the spot as you can get them booked in straight away or if you don't get it you can forget them and move on. Verbal quoting over phone is my most common method as you can have a think about job a bit more and at least you can gauge a vocal reaction. Email quotes that are a little more complex where you might me using materials that other plasterers may not. I.e. using bond-it/blue grit, thermal boards, limelite etc . Only prob emailing you cant get a reaction. If I emailed every quote I do I'd be on computer longer than the trowel!
 
I like to get back to the client with the quote as I always seem to forget something if I quote on the spot. Like flynny said it also gets everyone on the same page.
 
When you quote them on the spot, note down, name address date, what the job involves and the price quoted, that way if they call you up a week later to book in you can refer back to your notes.
 
most jobs i quote on the spot,bigger jobs i phone up and quote, i always explain what the price includes unibond/plaster etc,give an approximate idea of how long job will take, and always but always say to the customer thats my price have a think about it talk it over and if price is okay give me a call,after all this if i dont hear anything back after a week i move on forget about it,,price the next job and repeat above, but on many occasions over the years customers have called me weeks later and given me the go ahead, two important tips i have found which helps is if i say to somebody i will call round at say 7pm i make sure i am there for 7pm, and also i always tell people when i can do job whether it is a week or 2 weeks at least they know i will be there.
 
Wezly said:
When you quote them on the spot, note down, name address date, what the job involves and the price quoted, that way if they call you up a week later to book in you can refer back to your notes.
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dont you write it down anyway??? how do you remember what ya need to do and how much shite ya need?

i very very rarely tell them the price there and then
 
Yes of course, keep a record of every job I look at, bigger ones/more involved will get a quote on headed paper sent.
The point I was making is keep a note of there details, even when you price on the spot, so if they call up a month later, you havent forgotten who they are and what you quoted. 9 out of 10 times the job is booked there and then though.
 
Wezly said:
When you quote them on the spot, note down, name address date, what the job involves and the price quoted, that way if they call you up a week later to book in you can refer back to your notes.
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Do you not need the address anyway so you know where the job is that ya quoting on Ron??
 
whats the difference in quoting on the spot or going away telling them later??? surely its the same info you write down
 
NPS said:
whats the difference in quoting on the spot or going away telling them later??? surely its the same info you write down
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Of course it is, if you go back up the page, someone said they forget what price they quote if they give them a price on the spot, im saying keep a log of where you been and what you quoted, so you can refer to it later if need be. That guy obviously dont.
 
Ive never negotiated the price is what it is, if they drop you down there and then then id either feel weak or feel like they thought i was trying to rob them in the first place.

Ill look at the job explain what the crack is and tell them an estimated price, going off my day rate plus the kit. I then follow up with a written quote either emailed or dropped through the door. Ill gauge threir response when i tell them the estimate, if they look shocked i leave it as it is never dropping it, if i dont get it im not that bothered, if they look like " Oh thats pretty reasonable" then i chuck a bit on the written quote and squeeze a bit more out of them.
 
Its all good writting it down so you know, but if they havent got a copy, what you wrote down doesnt mean s**t. Thats when the arguments start and its a bit late once youve started the job or worse finished it.
 
Like i said, on something bigger or more involved, id type a quote out, but not usually for anything upto about £500.

Flynny, Your now talking about being bumped, which isnt the same thing as you forgeting what you quoted.

Also i agree, dont back down on price. All my work comes word of mouth so i get 99% of it.
 
i never give a written price because most want it doing asap and most jobs are only a room so its only £350ish only time i ever write a quote out is if its for the insurance!! Most of the time when they pay me i shuv it in my pocket (YES CASH!!!!!!!) and they say count it and i always say 'nar ya oright i trust you, i cant imagine ya gonna rob me' and if they robbed me of £20 id be still robbing them for charging £350+ for a room anayway :RpS_lol: never been robbed yet but I have rung up plenty of time saying that they have paid me a tenna/twenny too much (feel bad then for not counting it infront of them and for not saying thankyou face to face)
 
I never do a written quote only estimates. a quote is a price set in stone or paper, but an estimate is what it says, an estimation of the price, which leaves you room for abit of movement on the price. Unexpected things that happen on the job. Im sure ill have some feedback on this comment...........:RpS_thumbup:
 
Think whats Flynny is trying to say is if its written down and the customer wants other stuff done its there in writting, so then becomes an extra, likewise if theres something youve missed then theyre within theyre rights to pull you up on it, as its all down on paper.
 
Yes, something more involved gets typed, not for the average bed / lounge / kitchen skim though. I must be lucky, I never had a disagreement with a customer.
 
Only price there n then if its half a days work or something, but everything else, I tell them Ill email them with a price in the next few days, and I NEVER negotiate, a price is a price, if you drop it because they haggle all that looks like is you were charging more than you need in the first place, and at the end of the day the price I give em, I give em for a reason, if I wanted to be paid £50 less Id have said Ill do less ******* work then.
 
I also take the camera with me to the job, ask them if i can take some pics, you would be surprised how many people ar eimpressed with that, then i know what im looking at when i get home also i can go back to the pics a few weeks later and see what gear i need, also if i do the job there are before and after pics :)
 
flynnyman said:
I also take the camera with me to the job, ask them if i can take some pics, you would be surprised how many people ar eimpressed with that, then i know what im looking at when i get home also i can go back to the pics a few weeks later and see what gear i need, also if i do the job there are before and after pics :)
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For real? :RpS_lol::RpS_lol::RpS_lol:
 
I do the same flynny, and the simple reason is so that I spend less time in their house & onto the next one or straight home.
As most the jobs I quote are on the way home and I don't want to be out all night.
So it's a quick measure few snaps then email them within the next couple of days in detail.
 
Whatever happened to plain old conversation??

Texting, emailing, faxing it's all shite.

Arrive at job...shake customers hand and look them in the eye.... measure up and explain/discuss what you plan on doing to their house (pride and joy normally)...

Tell them you'll phone them later with a price....phone them with price and ask them if thats ok for them (gather reaction)....COMMUNICATE AND FIRM UP A PRICE AGREEABLE TO YOU BOTH!

It's easy, I very rarely don't get a job that I go to price.

It's about being confident, nicely manored and knowing what you are looking at and talking about!

If someone came to price a job for me and went around taking pictures I would be thinking WTF is going on here, doesn't he know what he's doing? Why the need for pictures??
 
I sometimes bring my quals and pictures from previous jobs and sit down with a brew having a chat how we are gonna go forward, i dont do that as much coz ive got it all on disc with music in the background so bang it in the dvd player, happy days always wins them over.
 
DannyMac said:
Whatever happened to plain old conversation??

Texting, emailing, faxing it's all shite.
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Is it? That's funny because that's how half of my customers contact me in the first place by email :RpS_thumbsup:

DannyMac said:
If someone came to price a job for me and went around taking pictures I would be thinking WTF is going on here, doesn't he know what he's doing? Why the need for pictures??
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Obviously I wouldn't take a picture of 1 ceiling or a square room lol.
But there are some jobs where it's either spend half an hour writing it all down, or i explain why I want to take a few photos so that i can refer to the photos instead of notes later on when i'm working out their quote.

Things change & move on mate.
People don't look in the paper or yellow pages now it's google this & google that either from a laptop or a smartphone.

So if a customer emails me I email them back :RpS_thumbup:
 
flynnyman said:
I sometimes bring my quals and pictures from previous jobs and sit down with a brew having a chat how we are gonna go forward, i dont do that as much coz ive got it all on disc with music in the background so bang it in the dvd player, happy days always wins them over.
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That is funny flynny, but I know a tiler who actually takes a portfolio of his work round to quote. I assume you were taking the Michael?
 
flynnyman said:
I sometimes bring my quals and pictures from previous jobs and sit down with a brew having a chat how we are gonna go forward, i dont do that as much coz ive got it all on disc with music in the background so bang it in the dvd player, happy days always wins them over.
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FFS, you show them a portfolio of past jobs with you "quals" in?

Then you show them a DVD enhanced by music......??

I just don't know what to say really, actually I do but can't be bothered.
 
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