Thanks for all the input fellas. I waited it out and eventhough I think I overbid she went with it. Thank you Jesus! I don’t think she got another bid. And to all the people, 97 and counting who responded to my “up front money” post. I got 1/3 up front eventhough it is only a 3k job. It still seems to me that people will have more confidence in your biz if you front the small stuff yourself.
Take it easy,
red
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congratulations!!!!!!!!
you maybe just learned the most important pricing lesson ever.
sometimes you are the ONLY one writing a proposal for the job-----------YOU set the price.
congrats again,
Stephen
he who speaks first ...
loses!
sitting there ... staring at them across the table ...
saying absolutely nothing ...
is sometimes the hardest thing in the world to do.
same with sitting there staring at that damn phone ...
waiting for them to call back.
Here's the next hard step ...
remembering this and doing fighting the urge next time too.
never gets any easier.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Jeff.
Wiser words were never spoken on this or any other forum." If I were a carpenter"
i've got a friend that when he is in negotiations,or handling a customer complaint, when it's his turn to talk he counts to ten and shakes his head in a yes motion before speaking. he says in that time the other guy will usually start talking again and before you know it they have come around to his way of thinking and he has said very little.
i've seen him work it and it's amazing,i can't keep my trap shut for that long. larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
my first round of sale training was at my Dad's knee.
He was and still is good. Very good.
second round was watching a master who ran a carpet cleaning company, Ron . He was and still is the best I ever saw. No doubts he'll never be beat.
third in line is all the guys I watched on various company paid sales seminars. Been to a coupla Zig Ziglar ... I've slept thru several thousand dollars of big time seminars ... they were also good ... but basically said what my Dad shows and Ron preached ... loudly!
it's actually all so very basic.
there are tried and true techniques. And the numbers don't lie.
picking up a tip here and there and actually believing U are now selling the best product out there ... yerself ... and it ain't so hard to get that ever so slight edge.
bet something your buddy also does is mimic their body language. Nothing so severe ... nothing unnatural ... but if they lean in to talk ... U lean in to listen. They sit back wide open ... u sit back wide open. Nothing too obvious. People buy from people they like ... and similar body language translates to similar people.
Some people are a big hug ... some are an arms length handshake. Just respecting natural boundries ...
Jeff
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I used to be in the Optimist and they would this story about a local Optometrist.When ask how much the glasses would be he would say $100 and if they customer did not blink, he add for each lense, and if they still had not blinked he would add, plus frames.
.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
how would you like to play poker with a guy like that.i wouldn't know what hit me.just know my pockets are empty larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
OR, he who blinks first looses. Way to go.
Rule number one, don't sweat the small stuff.
Rule number two, it's all small stuff.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
If you are not booked up at least a few weeks out right now, consider going to a sign company and having signage done for your truck, van ,trailer or if nothing else, just the yard signs you can leave out while a job is in progress--this is my second best way to get jobs, referals and repeats being the number 1.
Most of all I am proud of you for hanging in while she made her mind up and NEVER care or believe them when they say they are getting bids. They may want to or intend to but think of it like your truck is broke, do you even know three mechanics that you will drag it to just to get prices (I would be ashamed to waste peoples time like that). I know I go to this guy and whatever it is it is, if it sounded way of of line I might question it, but I like my truck to run when it needs to and he is the man for that job(I have no idea what the charges should be). You are the man to keep the house running like she wants it to.
Thanks fer the update.
After a lot of advice is given out here on BT, it's always nice to hear how things turned out.
eventhough I think I overbid
Then be sure to put a little extra work into the project ... don't be tempted to cut a corner to save a buck ... make sure they get their moneys worth ... and they will tell their frinds about what a great job you did.
It's the details that count now. Like being on time every day, be anal about cleaning up the area, putting down protection, etc
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
On small jobs I used to tell the customer that I did not need a down payment.
I would couple that with a comment " Let me do something before I get something".
Just pay the delivery of materials when it comes and I'll take care of the job till the end. It would have the effect you speak of but not leave me out the materials if something went wrong. But that's only on small jobs like you mentioned. Better to get that insurance.
The deck I am doing now a 13,000 project , I asked for 50 % down ,25% upon completion of footing and material delivery. 25% on completion.
Way to go on holding out. Do your estimate then trust it!