Pricing - too high?

[skyhuck]

Last year I think I did 3 written quotes and 2 of those were emailed.

 

All my other quotes were verbals, I hate paper work.

[nailer]

Last year I think I did 3 written quotes and 2 of those were emailed.

 

All my other quotes were verbals, I hate paper work.

 

That's the best way I reckon. Nothing in writing. No terms and conditions. Open ended quotes. Pay when you want. Everything built on trust and respect. If you can get it like that its a dream. Regards pricing, in my experience people stop messing you about as soon as you stop trying to be cheap.

[Taupotreeman]

Really? Most of the places I've worked in NZ people expect a written quote. I had some books made up with my logo etc on them and terms and conditions. I look at the job but give myself time to think about the price rather than giving them a price there and then. Usually I write them up the same night and post them out. Quotes are valid for 30 days and I have the book copy I can refer too if there's a query over the work that's been carried out. Very rarely do I get someone who says "oh, don't bother with a written quote". Might be different for the other kiwis but it was the same when working for Treescape. All quotes had to be written out. Most people seem happy to wait a few days for the quote to come through and if it's all on nice headered paper it looks proffesional. It can make a huge difference if someone sends through a quote on a generic cheapo quote pad and someone else sends it through on nice logo'd paper, especially if the prices are reasonably close. As for prices; I found it doesn't matter how cheap you are there will always be somebody cheaper. The real cheap guys can't keep it up for long and often go out of business pretty quickly so if you can keep ticking over while the others shoot emselves in the foot you should be OK. We have one fella here who is purposely undercutting everybody, no matter how cheap they may be, just to get his clientel list that much bigger. Eventually he will have to put his prices back up to survive so the rest of us just have to wait it out. Don't cut your nose off to spite your face.

[atree]

All written qoutes here to.Do give phone qoutes but thats just for returning clients based on hourly rate.

[Taupotreeman]

Talking of phone quotes; wish I had a buck for every person who rings up and asks how much it is to chop a tree down.

[Mesterh]

Last year I think I did 3 written quotes and 2 of those were emailed.

 

All my other quotes were verbals, I hate paper work.

 

I've read a couple of times that you don't like doing written quotes but is that just domestic? With commercial I always have to provide a written quote.

[Adam]

i always provide written quotes now , with another quotation/acceptance form for the customer to sign and send back. that way they cant argue that you didnt do what you quoted for or you quoted them less. some customers just seem to try their luck all the time. not all mind. but just makes it easier i think.

[skyhuck]

I've read a couple of times that you don't like doing written quotes but is that just domestic? With commercial I always have to provide a written quote.

 

If they want one I will do them one, the 3 I did last year were all commercial clients.

 

Most clients that I've worked before are happy to just have shake hands.

 

I get very, very few problems with people arguing about the price after the jobs done, I've had 1 in 15 years of trading.

 

I just trust people and they seem to live up too that trust.

[Ty Korrigan]

Hello,

Jan '10 I grossed... Zero

Jan '11 I expect to turn over 1000€

In fact, I'm planning on taking next Jan as holiday and going cycling in N.Z

Things are looking up though.

I just won 5 days of work for a well off ex-pat second home owner.

Proposed 2000€ for 2 of us and a CS100.

We do a day a week for a Countess on her estate in Normandy for 400€ cash plus 25€ per hour for chipping.

This year I've a new stumpgrinder which already has 3 clients booked.

Yes, I lose work all the time to gardeners on ladders but hey...

I also win jobs by chatting to these guys and giving them my card.

They can't do every tree now... can they?

Oh... my insurance, this year I can choose between a basic third party for 354€ or one which pays me a pension for life if I get injured and can't work for 975€

No talk about insured for 10million etc.

No lola to pay although I check our gear frequently.

Just the 60% tax rate for businesses to cope with.

Have a good start to 2011 guys!

[Taupotreeman]

You might want to up your insurance if you're coming to NZ on a cycling holiday. Plenty of idiots on the road here and they don't give two hoots about cyclists.