customers want estimates e-mailed

I like to have a low pressure sales approach. I intentionally don't talk pricing (in specifics) on the job site. I want them to be able to look at it and think about it without me there. I want them to be 100% sure about the stuff they are hiring us for.

I have tried this recently: they respond back and only want to book half the stuff on the quote. I'll reply or call and say, "would you be interested in doing more of the items if we invoiced you for those items 60 days after the job was completed?"

It almost always get us more work. A lot of times its the difference between booking a partial day job or a full day job with the crew. I've been happy with the technique.

I've learned that in person, I tend to be TOO kind with the pricing. And sometimes we have 20 line items and it's easier for me to see what it all amounts to and give a more reasonable price. An example: yesterday I walked a nice property with this guy. Lot of trees- but not much that really needed to be done to them, but there were a LOT of little tiny things. My hunch walking back to my truck was that it was maybe $800 in work- aka a VERY light day for our crew. But after writing it all out, I realized that there were some items that I didn't fully consider in my "hunch" price. But seeing them all in a list helped me to realize that this was more like $2,000 in work.

I would've royally screwed the crew if we showed up and I said, "alright- be done in 6 hours" then left them to finish all those little things.
 
Spoken like a true vet. All of these things come into play for sure, and no one tactic is the perfect prescription. The ability to bend and adapt is what keeps us alive and profitable sometimes.

-Tom
 
Well stated Tom and Nick. There have been jobs like Nicks that I need to sit down and process. I will get back to the client once I've sent the list or I arrange a second meeting to review it and then can have the discussion. Prices are firm, we negotiate what is not to be done to reduce the cost. Can't get a Rolls for the price of a Kia.
 
Interesting thoughts. Tom, your market sounds a lot like mine. We are a word of mouth company as well, not that it is the smartest business model, but I close the vast majority of my sales.
Like Nick, I am not a pushy sales guy, but seeing that moment of hesitation in a client when they hear the price can turn a "no thanks, I'll look somewhere else" into an opportunity for me to ask, "did you have a budget in mind for this project?" or "Let's discuss some options that may allow us to work together on this project."

For me it is all about client retention so I am very interested in looking at the clients budget vs needs then wants to create a financially feasible package for them.

I am thinking out loud about these two possibilities:

Either A; It takes a pretty assertive person to counter offer on a type of work that they are completely unfamiliar with, so discussing price with a client in person gives an opportunity to tailor the package to be profitable as well as meet their needs. When receiving a proposal by email, it would be much easier for a non-assertive person to just silently "say no" and look for another company than it would be for them to counter offer.

Or, B: People can be more likely to discuss difficult subjects via emails and texts, so they would be more likely to open negotiating dialogue over email if the original package did not fit their budget.

I have had both of these scenarios play out in the past few months since I have been trying out Email quotes.

One client received the quote to take down about ten Virginia Pines. This was a client that we had worked with before and they were extremely satisfied (their words). After driving by a week later, I noticed that some work had been done but they only had two trees dropped instead of ten. If I had known that ten trees ended up being over budget, I could have dialed back to taking down two trees.

Another client wanted a few trees removed and some pruning done. When he received the proposal for $1900, he emailed back asking what I thought could be done for $1200.00. We agreed to work hourly beginning with the removals and make decisions during the work day that would allow him to get the most for his dollar invested.

Being that we are a word of mouth type of company now and close on 70-80% proposals like Tom, I am hesitant to do some two month experiment with my clients. So, if anybody took the time to read all that...Thoughts?
 
My best results have been showing a typed up estimate on my Ipad to the client directly. It looks much more professionnal and clean. They can then ask questions or negotiate whatever. At the end of the meeting, wether they accept or need time to think about it, I just email if right it front of them. The older folks get a kick out of it...
 
The key to your A or B is people. In qualifying the client one of the elements that is often overlooked is learning how your client processes and what preferences they have to communicating. Here's where I've tried to learn as much about the person to give me a sense of how they think.

In all situations its key to be the one who will follow up. Ask how long is needed to assess the proposal. Then suggest a date you'll follow up, nail down the best time to call as well to ensure they are expecting your call and have the time set aside to have a discussion. Even if they say, we'll call you, get a an idea of when that might be. Once they give you a timeframe they'll get back to you in, then let them know that you understand that they are busy people and if they are unable to call you by then you'll give them a call the next day.

I've used this approach successfully sales proposals big and small and job searching. Getting a follow up time nailed down is just professional and appreciated as it respects both their time and yours.
 
tennarbor... I really like the way you are trying to find out what the customer needs. I can understand were you are coming from with a customer having a certain price in mind to get done with there tree project. Please explain to me how you give a price of ten trees; only two trees get done, and this is a repeat customer. You didnt get the two trees. another company did. are you saying you should have done a better follow up? What makes the customer not call you and discuss options is a question that bothers me a lot also.
 
I itemize every single thing on the estimate. This way we dont negotiate price only work. If they dont want to spend 2K then we omit items 2 and 3. Being extremely detail oriented on the proposal will help maintain the bottom line.
 
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