Free estimates ????

DOOLEY

DOOLEY

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Location
BOZEMAN MT
I am trying to get some feedback on free estimates. We have always provided free estimates, but find that we often spend a great deal of time on the property once we arrive for the estimate. Some companies charge for the estimate, crediting it towards the invoice total when the job is completed. We have found that often we have gotten the job, simply because people did not want to pay for an estimate. Any feedback on this subject, would be appreciated.
 
I hate giving free estimates.
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I wish I could charge for estimates. However, I cannot charge money if my competitors aren't. Potential customers would bi-pass me for the next guy who doesn't charge.
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first off, don't call them estimates

you can't charge for somthing that is not even going to be the correct price in the end..... I think that you give out quotes.... does the price change between the time that you give it and the time that you pick up a check?

at a minumum, call it a quote. it gives your customers a better feeling about the price not changing(some people will tack on lots of extras after starting the job
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next if you want to charge, call it a consultation.... it sounds like that is what you are doing for your customers already.. tell your customers that your consultation includes doing ground inspections on all of their trees... it works! and it will run off the customers that are just shopping around for the best price(not always a good deal though)...
I charge between 75 -125 per consultation, and most of these turn into long time customers
 
yeah, i spend way too much time doing estimates. i call them free bids. i try to set it up so i have all the information i need re: the potential customer's needs/questions etc via phone or email. then i tell them if at all possible i will come look at the property when it fits into my schedule as i can get it done faster that way. this works because i'm a wee little company - wouldn't work for the big guys i'm guessing. mostly people are fine with that. if they insist on meeting me onsite AND they seem to be looking for more than 15 min of my time, i'll offer a consult at my hourly fee with a one hour min. don't do too many of those, as people around here do seem to like the free estimate. lots of competition for tree work in seattle.

it would be nice to get paid for all that drive/note-taking/emailing/calling time though... i just figure it's part of my overhead.

k.
 
ive been on plenty of "quotes" recently just to not get the job and i would love to get paid for them, especially since i end up spending at least 20min on each on, explaining why not to top a tree or why i dont paint my cuts and i dont use spikes and heres a new one, i got asked that if i could use my spikes if the price would be cheaper. what it all comes down to is this, as much as i would love to charge customers for estimates, quotes, whatever, ill never do it, because even if i get 1 out of 10 jobs i estimate on it beats having no estimates to go on because i decided to charge the customers for that time
 
It is a catch 22, isn't it? The only way we could ever start charging for "quotes" is if we all decided to charge on the same day.

Think about it, if there were some way to communicate to all the tree services, we could say (hypothetically) "January 1st will be the day which we will all start to charge for estimates."
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I bet, with the power of the internet, trade mags, word of mouth, etc... We could spread the word.
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Why not? Who (in our industry) wouldn't want to get paid for their time on bids/quotes/estimates?
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Catch my drift? Or, am I just full of
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Jamin,

Your idea has merit but the practical side to consider is the Federal laws that prohibit this. Getting companies to agree on prices edges into racketeering and restraint of trade, seriously, and could run you afoul of the FBI.

The best suggestion that I've ever heard for getting paid for an estimate/consult of whatever you call it is to define what you will give/sell to the client. An estimate would be something where the client knows exactly what they wnat and all that is needed is a price. Simple like a removal. When they don't know what they want and are asking for knowledge then they're getting a consultation. An estimate comes free with a consult.

A variation on this is how Kathy described her process. Doing an estimate at the salesperson's convenience and amounting to a walk through and write up would be free. Meeting and discussing would cost.

Create a value for what they get just like any other value that you create should translate into paid consults.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Jamin,

An estimate would be something where the client knows exactly what they wnat and all that is needed is a price. Simple like a removal. When they don't know what they want and are asking for knowledge then they're getting a consultation. An estimate comes free with a consult.

A variation on this is how Kathy described her process. Doing an estimate at the salesperson's convenience and amounting to a walk through and write up would be free. Meeting and discussing would cost.


[/ QUOTE ]

Tom, that is pretty much how we explain it now. I still do mostly estimates but I seldom have people tell me not to come for consults.

I like the latter approach, if we stop at our convenience with no meeting there would be no charge, to meet and discuss would be billable.
 
When you start charging for site visits, you will stop making as many. This seems bad. But the people who still have you out even when you charge them have demonstrated a sincere interest in having the opinion and services of an expert, and will be less likely to go with some other guy because he is ten bucks cheaper.

Like so many things, you have to make a leap of faith before you discover the safety net below you.

k
 
Question: What about clients with numerous trees? Do you map it out and provide an itemized list or do you just give them a price?
 
The initial site visit is a walkthrough with the client, listening to what they want while looking for what they need. Proposals can take many forms, from a long-term, multi-visit plan to a simple prune on a specific tree.

The nominal fee covers our time and expertise. Tree work is separate and billed as such. Fee is waived for visits to repeat customers and occasionally for new clients if circumstances warrant.

k
 
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Jamin,

Getting companies to agree on prices edges into racketeering and restraint of trade, seriously, and could run you afoul of the FBI.


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Tom, I understand what you are saying, however, I didn't say we would all "agree on a price."
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I said, we would all agree on a specific day to charge for our time. Is that illegal?
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