Electrical Estimating.

I don't do domestic precisely because it's a cut throat market inhabited by people willing to quote pennies, do a bodge job and then find lots of 'extra' charges that they tactically omitted from the quote.

I do from time to time get asked to inspect and sort out jobs done by these sorts and then it invariably costs even more but I do have a good success rate of convincing the bodger they should contribute to the remedial costs.


Most of my clients know that if they want a detailed quote I have to allow for the worst case, longest time I consider the job might reasonably take and I have to include the cost of quoting and cover the costs of any quotes I don't get.

I simply provide an absolute maximum quote and tell them that if it all goes to plan I'll charge less.  I typically invoice 70 to 80% of what I quoted.  The word soon goes round.


But my answer to the OP question is G:

I highlight the things I'm offering to do that they are unlikely to get from others and remind them to carefully check they are comparing like for like, they never are. 

I also remind them to ask for the qualifications and experience of the person who will actually do the job.  Strangely customers seem to feel it's rude to ask this!

If they are the sort of customer looking for the lowest price I know I'll never get the work but then I've never been short of work so why should I work for them?


I have sometimes said I will match any lower quote PLUS 25%.  That gets a surprised reaction but also gets the job more often than not.



Decide what YOU are worth and don't devalue yourself.

Back in the early 1980s recession  I was working for my Dad's general building firm with three of us on the books as employees. 


I spent over two weeks, fourteen consecutive days working over ten hours a day quoting jobs without getting any work for us. I hand delivered the last quote and the woman I handed to was dismissive saying we aren't going to pay that. 


I just thought sod it, there's no point in this and drove a couple of miles to a local midsized building contractors office and asked for a job. When I got home I told my Dad there was enough work for two people,  but not three, so I had just got myself as a subcontractor working on and extension to the X-ray department at a local hospital. After that I did a few odd bits for my Dad's firm, but it was the start of me going it alone. 


There comes a point where there isn't any point in quoting work and you are better off subbing on a hourly rate or on the lump.


Andy

Paperwork and estimating / quoting for jobs is was a love hate thing for me.

when I was at my busiest rushing round like a lunatic trying to earn as much money as possible for my first house deposit probably about 12-13 years ago now.

i tried doing all my estimates and quotes at the end of each day say between 5-7pm , but often sat up at 8pm still doing quotes,

then someone suggested trying taking a half day every Friday then do all your ‘admin’ stuff between 12-6 on a Friday afternoon 


either way paperwork and admin is a necessary evil and I honestly don’t think customers / potential customers appreciate we don’t earn While sat on the laptop for the 6 hours a week we spend sat at home doing quotes etc 


fortunately I only now do part time so admin is no more than 1 hour a week these days , if that...

I spend more time on forums having a chat :)

They were more than interesting times, I saw the “successful bidders” trash their lives.

They got the work, but bought it and could not make it pay. A couple of firms went bust, people lost their jobs and homes due to financial difficulties and family rows that led to divorce in one case, in one case I think it also contributed to one of the customers eventually committing suicide. We did a lot of work for his father without quoting costs, just supplying detailed invoices, but they had to get several quotes for a grant aided job, then there was a family decision to go with a much lower quote. Years later the guy told me it was a big mistake and they should have just let us carry on doing what needed doing and sending a bill as there weren’t any arguments in his family about what should be done and how, it just happened and they paid the bills without being ripped off. Eventually all the arguments pushed him over the edge.


Apparently trivial things can have huge consequences, that guys family ended up paying out what I said the job would cost to get it finished, but the heartache it caused to the contractors and their families as well as the disputes it caused in the customers family just weren’t worth the supposed savings that could be made.


It was the best thing I ever did walking away rather than suggesting we could lower the quote.


Andy