Re: Acceptable time from walk-thru to quotation delivery

["tourman" <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

Excellent post....you hit the nail on the head IMO. Guess it takes
some people quite a time to learn these "truisms", and a lot never do
learn. Add to this...."refine your client base to lose the non
payers"...and "learn what business to take on and leave the rest to
the competition"....and "make EVERY job a profitable one (or don't do
it simply on the promise of more to come"...

Yah just cant be all things to all folks.....

R.H.Campbell
Home Security Metal Products
www.homemetal.com
(Ducking tornadoes in northern Florida....)
>
> "Jim" <alarmi...@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
>
> news:1172815734.526942.239230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> On Mar 1, 10:59?pm, "Crash Gordon" <webmas...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> > IMO a week is pushing it...but it depends, if client says "no hurry" then
> > I'd say you'd have more time.
>
> > Couple of weeks ago I was given the bums-rush to get a bid in. I told them
> > I
> > needed to see the plans. Took them a week to get the plans to me, and then
> > I
> > got ONLY one sheet...just the electric plan. So I said well I better get
> > out
> > there and take a look because it's gonna be an upscale mex
> > restuarant...and
> > sometimes they do funky things - like no ceiling so you have to wire tie
> > and
> > paint your wires black (stupid designer shit). In the mean time they're
> > calling me everyday for a bid. Dood!... So I run out there...45 miles one
> > way on surface streets. Now I'm looking for the restaurant, I see
> > something
> > that looks like it on the corner so I stop and go in and theres a zillion
> > people working..but the building doesn't match the plans I have. Sheesh.
> > So
> > I check the permit for the address and it's not it. I'm looking around and
> > there's only finished stores and empty dirt...nothing else under
> > construction. So I call the electrician who we are subbing for...where the
> > hell is this building. OH...it's not in the ground yet. Its not fucking in
> > the ground yet and you're calling me everyday for a freekin bid? I KNOW I
> > won't even get this one too...cause there's two middle men; the woman who
> > gave me the lead and the electrician and my price was 4500.00 based on
> > plans
> > only...waste of freekin time. In the end they'll end up with a 2 door 1
> > motion system in a 9000 sqft restaurant for 300 smackers.
>
> > I hate the bidding game, half the time dunno why I bother when I have
> > clients that just say...do it and send me the bill.
>
> That's why I stick with mostly residential now. All come from
> referrals from previous clients. You don't have to deal with the non
> concerned contractors, and third party owners who really don't even
> want to meet you in the first place. They're looking for the cheapest
> system that only "looks" like it works. And even after the fact, if
> you're lucky enough that someone from the customers office knows or
> even tries to get in contact you for monitoring service, they'll still
> not  know who you are and probably will never know. There's no loyalty
> or direct communication. You're dealing with a "entity" who will
> probably wind up being a series of ever changing managers. No one will
> know how to operate the system and eventually they'll change alarm
> companies because the system will have a service problem and no one
> will call you for service, then some corporate honcho will vist
> someday and see what a "poor alarm system they have" which equates to
> you being a poor alarm company.
>
> Sorry, but I need some gratification when I do an installation. I'm
> not an "entity" doing business with another "entity". That's what the
> Nationals are for.
>
> However, when I go on an estimate, if I don't give them a price on the
> spot, it's usually because I have to check on availability of parts or
> check out a product or technical question. Usually no longer than a
> few (working) days. If the price is a little bit higher, I'll make an
> appointment to sit with them again to point out the cost of items.
> This way, I can negotiate whats important enough to keep and what can
> be cut to meet their budget. Once that's done, you can ask for a
> deposit check and get the paper work out of the way.  If you don't go
> for the second meeting on an expensive system, and you just sent them
> a quote or give them a quote over the phone, they'll not make the
> decision then. They'll "want to think about it" which puts it on the
> back burner. When it gets to be important again, they'll call in
> another company because "you were really expensive". But when the next
> guy gives them about the same figure, they'll go with him, just
> because he's there.
>
> I've discovered that if you really want to increase your percentage of
> successful sales calls, ...... if you don't get it on the first call,
> go on the second one. You'll likely get it..... even if for no other
> reason but your show of concern and your follow up, that the
> competition wont do.
>
> Sales people who make a sale approximately 60% of the time are
> considered successful. It's true however, that it only takes about 5%
> more effort to fall into a category comprised of people that are
> successful 80 to 90% of the time. That goes for life in general .....
> too.