We get this alot but we don't do it anymore. Customer this morning claims "well I thought it was a free estimate". I told her it was but we ask that they be there. Shoppers don't care that it costs time and money to come out and those who request are usually the shoppers.
I do feel the same way but many are busy working so they can pay us.Unless you want to meet them when they get home at 6 or 7. All costs for estimating for us is figured into our pricing. Not per job though,it is part of overhead.
Dont get me wrong. I will do a drive by but always talk price at least on the phone. You can almost sense the shopper type who will make their decision based on price. I know people are busy. I posted this 5 minutes after a customer told me "I thought it was a free estimate" when I told her we wanted someone there when we estimated. I asked her what was her availabilityand gave every effort to accomadate her schedule. She said she "didnt know it would be so complicated". Sometimes I post from an Ipad at the heat of the moment.
No mailboxes or face to face here. All but a few estimates are done by phone or email. Normally the first time I meet a customer for the first time is when we pull up to the job site. In fact, we have a bunch that we do work for and have been for years and we have never met in person... This is of course for residential customers. All commercial jobs are visited as well as anything out of the ordinary.
i used to leave it in the mailbox but swore that i'd never do it again, sometimes it's inevitable though ... i usually tell them that they don't have to be there for the job but they have to for the estimate, always grab phone # though so i can follow up
it's just kinda tough when dr xyz leaves his mansion on the main line to go to his mansion down the shore for the weekend and he asks that you leave it in the mailbox, like i said, sometimes it's inevitable
No mailboxes or face to face here. All but a few estimates are done by phone or email. Normally the first time I meet a customer for the first time is when we pull up to the job site. In fact, we have a bunch that we do work for and have been for years and we have never met in person... This is of course for residential customers. All commercial jobs are visited as well as anything out of the ordinary.
Same here Larry, stopped doing F2F estimates 2 years ago and made my "Net" jump about 13%.
Knowing your service area is key, sub-divisons are all basicly the same in my area with a few minor diffrences, and I know them all. All I need to know from the customer is what sub-divison they live in.
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Pressure Kleen Roof Cleaning And Power Washing Service 910-876-1594 Roof Cleaning Tar Heel North Carolina Power Washing Fayetteville NC Serving Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Raeford, Lumberton, Whiteville, White Lake, Wilmington NC.
I dont feel like it is necessary to look at 80% of our work in person, but I do feel like it makes the customer feel better knowing that someone was there to look at it (if only for 5 minutes) Since I am normally in the area during the day I will stop by and leave an estimate without meeting the homeowner. I will follow up on this shortly after.
In the past Ive tried to meet with as many homeowners as possible. Thats changed this year. Ive met only a few, saved a ton of time, money and had my weekends and evenings at home.
If Im not going to be in the area very shortly I'll email the estimate.
SIDE RANT: Either way there is one thing that ticks me off more than anything and thats someone who asks me for an estimate and then doesnt return phone calls or emails. This really burns me and at times really makes me want to charge for estimates, to hell with the consequences...
Most of the time a customer has done their homework, they've checked your website, BBB or FB and just want to hear a voice to validate their decision to go with your Company. I close high 60% range on the phone, the only reason I don't close higher is because of price shoppers.
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Pressure Kleen Roof Cleaning And Power Washing Service 910-876-1594 Roof Cleaning Tar Heel North Carolina Power Washing Fayetteville NC Serving Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Raeford, Lumberton, Whiteville, White Lake, Wilmington NC.