Quoting

[Philmypower]

Just been reading a thread on hear about people asking you to chip their garden waste and someone added that they put the option of stump removal on their quotes. This got me thinking, what do you guys include in your quotes?

Normally I go see a customer, they tell me what they want and I give them a price.

Just ordered a log splitter may be I should add that as an option.

[Hodge]

I used to give the the option of splitting the logs, it seemed to me people only saw the final figure. It happened a couple of times I have a quote for everything then you see or hear of the job being done totally opposite to what you quoted.

 

 

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[kentjames]

On the quote I would price exactly what was discussed at the site meeting or subsequent emails, all the discussion of extras and options should be taken into consideration before the time the quote is submitted.

 

If there was optional items available to the client, then this would be stated as an optional extra during the original conversations but to write this upon the quote without discussion would just be unprofessional IMO.

 

Within the notes section I would state exactly what is NOT included as discussed in previous conversations - No stump grinding for example.

 

Up selling or cross selling is the way to develop a client relationship and ultimately increase revenue and profits but to remain professional it should be done during the consultation stage.

 

Something I have thought of recently is upon completion of works and submitting the invoice, offering additional services along the line of **check out our website for deals on tree surgery this autumn** for example. This could be applied to a customer to we service for garden maintenance but is unaware of our other services and may be someone we don't meet face to face very often - which is quite common.

 

J

[kentjames]

I used to give the the option of splitting the logs, it seemed to me people only saw the final figure. It happened a couple of times I have a quote for everything then you see or hear of the job being done totally opposite to what you quoted.

 

Very true as well, something I have learnt is keep the text / content simple and the price keen as people do only read the bottom line figure - we lost out to two other companies in the last 3 months due to them having a completely different work method....

 

There will always be someone cheaper willing to do it for less, but its unlikely the job will be as good - but they just dont see that!

[martwizz]

All my quotes are written, and I offer optional extras listed seperately, sometimes allowing them some time to decide if they want to go for them or not.

 

I feel that it often gives people a range of options to suit their budget. That way it looks like you are being considerate and fair, rather than just giving them a massive price for everything.

 

For example, I had a massive windblown stump grind to quote recently, I provided options for clearing to ground level; clearing below ground level, and clearing + replacing with turf. That way I have an increased chance of getting a job, rather than saying £9000 for the bottom line do everything covered in glitter option.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

I used to give the the option of splitting the logs, it seemed to me people only saw the final figure. It happened a couple of times I have a quote for everything then you see or hear of the job being done totally opposite to what you quoted.

 

 

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Absolute classic, but no less frustrating when it happens! Punter says "I want all those stumps doing, all the mess sorted, all looking nice again." So that's what you quote for. As the weeks pass and you don't hear back, next time you're passing you see the jobs been done but still drop in to see how it went. "Yes, another guy did it a bit cheaper than you, I only had to hire a trailer and spent 2 days taking the rubbish to the tip." Reply " but you've only done ½ of what you asked me to quote for, incurred additional expense and lost 2 days of your time - confused?" Punter "yeah but my guy was £150 cheaper....." Thinks "you stupid (add yr own expletive")

[Hodge]

Absolute classic, but no less frustrating when it happens! Punter says "I want all those stumps doing, all the mess sorted, all looking nice again." So that's what you quote for. As the weeks pass and you don't hear back, next time you're passing you see the jobs been done but still drop in to see how it went. "Yes, another guy did it a bit cheaper than you, I only had to hire a trailer and spent 2 days taking the rubbish to the tip." Reply " but you've only done ½ of what you asked me to quote for, incurred additional expense and lost 2 days of your time - confused?" Punter "yeah but my guy was £150 cheaper....." Thinks "you stupid (add yr own expletive")

 

 

Ha,Ha so true.

 

 

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[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Ha,Ha so true.

 

 

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In that particular case, I did laugh last however! The job was at a "diner" which was being refurbed, bloke was bragging about how cheap and the size of the decking unit he was having fitted outside the restaurant. 2 chippies grafting away.... I casually asked if he'd considered planning/building regs.

 

When I saw him a couple of months later he was complaining about the expense of having to change the layout and comply with building regs and file a retrospective planning app!

 

Chimp!

[Philmypower]

I quoted for a job last year to be told by the tree officer that there was a TPO so removal of the tree was out of the question. I explained this to the customer and that was the end of it. A few months down the line I get a phone call asking if I carried out the work. I made a detour on my way home 1 night and someone had dismantled the tree and left a right mess.

[White Noise]

I always offer stump removal , silly not to if you own a grinder ? Although I would never offer log splitting as an additional service as it would seem to expensive for most customer's . I would however offer to remove all timber and sell whatever logs I have later in the year at a reduced rate . Splitting timber on site I find is usually a nightmare .Customers want some big logs and some small logs and even ask for kindling . To much aggro