How to stop wasting evenings on quotes that go nowhere

Why so many quotes go nowhere

A quote that doesn't turn into work usually fails for one of a handful of reasons:

• The budget was never there. The customer wanted a new kitchen and had the budget for new doors.
• They were collecting prices. Three quotes is common advice, and some customers ask for five.
• They weren't ready. Planning for next year, or waiting on a mortgage or a house sale.
• It took too long. By the time your quote arrived, someone else had already said yes.
• The job wasn't for you. Too small, too far, or not your kind of work.

Most of these can be spotted before the visit. The trick is finding out sooner.

Ask the qualifying questions before the visit

Before you agree to a visit, find out:

• What the job is, in enough detail to know if it's for you.
• Roughly what they expect to spend. Many customers won't say, but some will, and their reaction to a ballpark figure tells you a lot.
• When they want it done.
• Where it is.
• Whether they are the person who decides.

Some trades do this on the phone, some with a short form on their website, some by text. It costs a few minutes and saves the visits that were never going to work.

Give a ballpark early

The fastest way to find out whether the budget fits is to give a rough price before you visit: "jobs like this are usually between £… and £…". The customers who were never going to spend that tell you, or just stop replying, which costs you nothing. The ones who stay are worth the visit.

Charge for surveys, or don't

Some trades charge for a survey or design visit, often refunded against the job. It puts off customers who were collecting prices. It also puts off some genuine customers, so it suits trades with a full diary more than those looking for work. There is no right answer, but it is worth deciding on purpose rather than by habit.

Make writing the quote faster

If quotes take an evening each, look at how you build them:

• A price book. Standard jobs and extras with your prices, so each quote is assembled, not worked out from scratch.
• Templates. The same wording for what's included, what isn't, payment terms and validity, every time.
• Quoting software, if you send a lot of written quotes.

Be faster than the others

Speed matters. A clear quote that arrives the next day can beat a better one that arrives the next week. If you can't price quickly, tell the customer when they will hear from you, and keep to it.

Follow up once

A short message a few days after sending a quote ("any questions about the quote?") turns some silences into jobs. One follow-up is enough. If there's no reply, let it go.

Let the customer see a price before they call

Another option is to let customers get a guide price before they contact you, from a price calculator on your website. The customer answers the questions you'd ask on a visit and sees a price for their own job, on your rates. If it doesn't fit their budget, they don't send it, and you never spend the evening. If it does, you receive the enquiry with all their answers, from someone who already knows roughly what it costs.

That is what Build A Quote does, for the trades listed on this site. It doesn't replace your visit or your final price. Customers who send you an enquiry through it have already seen a number and still want to talk.