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Posts
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You want a free estimate…come to shop with plans or some other dipstick who spent ten hours making cutlists and including the drawer features of hardware and where the seams will be and how much he or she will do it for after they invested all that time..
.let me see the confidential bid and Ill see if i can do it it ten bux cheaper…cause someone else did all the real work for me…even drove to customers house and showed the whole family samples three times…then they wanted them to open up on saturday to bring the flooring guy to match it up…hmmm Oh and then actually wrote down the materail MFG number of the material…yeah I guess than I do free estimates…
Plus customers always tell why do i charge estimates…and they say everyone is free…I say if all estimates are free …why do they hafta write the word free then?
also I telll them people who do that run around town 100 times and drawing up plans like a bootleg designer also…how are they going to recoup that money…its on the next victim..i mean customer who buys off them..
Gene:
Guys who spend inordinate amounts of time estimating for potential customers and not getting their share of jobs are not properly qualifying potential customers. If you can’t get a budget number out of a customer and assess whether or not they are buyers or shoppers, you deserve to have your time wasted until you can.
Joe
Posted By Kowboy on 21 Aug 2011 08:41 PM
Gene:
Guys who spend inordinate amounts of time estimating for potential customers and not getting their share of jobs are not properly qualifying potential customers. If you can’t get a budget number out of a customer and assess whether or not they are buyers or shoppers, you deserve to have your time wasted until you can.
Joe
How do you get a budgeted number out of a customer? Are you suggesting I ask a commercial contractor what they have budgeted for the countertops? I doubt they would tell me, but would be interesting if you have some experience doing so.
Posted By Kowboy on 21 Aug 2011 08:41 PM
Gene:Guys who spend inordinate amounts of time estimating for potential customers and not getting their share of jobs are not properly qualifying potential customers. If you can’t get a budget number out of a customer and assess whether or not they are buyers or shoppers, you deserve to have your time wasted until you can.
Joe
Sounds like going to a car dealership and telling the salesman that you have $$$ to spend. How much will you sell me that car for?
Johnny C
Posted By Andy Graves on 22 Aug 2011 11:43 PM
How do you get a budgeted number out of a customer? Are you suggesting I ask a commercial contractor what they have budgeted for the countertops? I doubt they would tell me, but would be interesting if you have some experience doing so.Andy:
I was speaking of retail customers, not commercial. Sorry I was not more clear.
When I’m speaking to a potential retail customer I may say “The last job I did similiar to yours was $2,000.00. Are you comfortable in that range?”
Now shutup. I don’t care how long or uncomfortable the silence. First one to speak loses.
If they don’t have a realistic budget, move on.
Joe
Posted By Kowboy on 24 Aug 2011 06:03 PM
Posted By Andy Graves on 22 Aug 2011 11:43 PM
How do you get a budgeted number out of a customer? Are you suggesting I ask a commercial contractor what they have budgeted for the countertops? I doubt they would tell me, but would be interesting if you have some experience doing so.Andy:
I was speaking of retail customers, not commercial. Sorry I was not more clear.
When I’m speaking to a potential retail customer I may say “The last job I did similiar to yours was $2,000.00. Are you comfortable in that range?”
Now shutup. I don’t care how long or uncomfortable the silence. First one to speak loses.
If they don’t have a realistic budget, move on.
Joe
I agree, that may work. I have a real resistance to asking people about their budget because I feel that if I educate them, give them a price and be nice, I have a great chance of selling a top.
Posted By Andy Graves on 22 Aug 2011 11:43 PM
Posted By Kowboy on 21 Aug 2011 08:41 PM
Gene:
Guys who spend inordinate amounts of time estimating for potential customers and not getting their share of jobs are not properly qualifying potential customers. If you can’t get a budget number out of a customer and assess whether or not they are buyers or shoppers, you deserve to have your time wasted until you can.
Joe
How do you get a budgeted number out of a customer? Are you suggesting I ask a commercial contractor what they have budgeted for the countertops? I doubt they would tell me, but would be interesting if you have some experience doing so.
Andy, we do this all the time, especially with on going relationships. I most cases when a customer wants you to be the one doing the work they will talk about the budget openly. This has been key for us on large install projects and building long term relationships. On smaller install projects we often find that commercial contractors have already budgeted a number, so the only question is can we meet / beat their budget.
Try it you may be surprised what you can find out.
Posted By Andy Graves on 24 Aug 2011 10:30 PM
I agree, that may work. I have a real resistance to asking people about their budget because I feel that if I educate them, give them a price and be nice, I have a great chance of selling a top.Andy:
You have no problem using proven fabrication techniques. They make you money. Why the problem with proven sales techniques? I have NEVER had a customer regret my asking qualifying questions. I have had potentials take a hike and it saved us both a lot of time.
Joe
I DON’T get what I DO ask for everyday, oh, wait a minute, we were talking about countertops, my bad.
Posted By Norm Walters on 25 Aug 2011 09:40 PM
I DON’T get what I DO ask for everyday, oh, wait a minute, we were talking about countertops, my bad.
maybe you should check into renting?… oh wait, I don’t think anyone rents countertops…
you got me sidetracked for a moment Norm…
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