Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Jamie Lindsay on July 12, 2011, 12:18:45 pm
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Hi all,
have took a step back in the cleaning side of things to evaluate where I am going.... currently I am pricing over the phone but after taking a long good think haha... I think I should be quoting face 2 face rather than phone estimates as do not upsell if I have under estimated
Just would like to see how you guys go about quoting/estimating as I think I am losing more than I am winning with the phone estimating
main question is how do yous go about it ?
Thanks
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I never quote over the phone. If pushed I estimate a bit high, but advise this is +/- 20%
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Owing to lack of time, I tend to quote over the phone. In an ideal world I'd be turning up with a nice little portfolio of my work and build a rapport with the customer and sell it to them. I know for a fact I could charge a higher price if I did, but until my children are a bit older, I'll have to carry on quoting over the phone and getting at least 80% of the work I do quote for. I'm usually spot on with the quote too, but admittedly I do sell myself short sometimes...
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Jamie
This might sound ill mannered or offensive, but.........if anyone comes onto my phone and uses the English language as you do in your posts ( and you're not alone ) they would be listened to politely but forgotten as soon as the phone went down.
If you are in sales or marketing you MUST be able to sound or appear literate or MANY prospects will simply switch off.
There's really no excuse for not knowing that the use of certain words in spoken or written communication particularly with potential clients is wrong and creates a barrier to successful business building.
This is intended as good advice ...........ignore it at your peril.
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Jamie probably talks completely perfectly on the phone. I must admit, I can't see what you're getting at Robert... ???
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If you speak " properly " and I don't mean " posh " you are unlikely to write yous when you mean you or took when you mean taken.
It's just an observation, but something that could mean the difference between success and failure.
Much of a carpet cleaner's life is selling and marketing and to get that wrong could be disasterous.
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lol I get your point robert but this is just a forum dont really look at what im saying.... I think quoting face to face seems difficult to do but it must win every time
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If you speak " properly " and I don't mean " posh " you are unlikely to write yous when you mean you or took when you mean taken.
It's just an observation, but something that could mean the difference between success and failure.
Much of a carpet cleaner's life is selling and marketing and to get that wrong could be disasterous.
do people want him to clean carpets or teach them to spoke proper england like wot we was teached when we was childrens ??
;D ;D
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i quote ove "T" phone on "t" regular basis and get mesell a lorra lorra work, eeee bye gum tis easy wen "t" knows hoo.
only jokin bob
i swore blind about 2-3 years ago that quoting face to face was the only way. eeee bye eck ow times av changed. 80% over the phone now.
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i quote ove "T" phone on "t" regular basis and get mesell a lorra lorra work, eeee bye gum tis easy wen "t" knows hoo.
only jokin bob
i swore blind about 2-3 years ago that quoting face to face was the only way. eeee bye eck ow times av changed. 80% over the phone now.
;D Ya daft bugga! ;D
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A lot of people don't want a salesman calling, they just want a quote which most are happy to give OTP and that makes them suspicious of those that want to call. That's one side of it. The other is that you can get better price with FTF but in my view it is questionably whether all of that driving about is cost effective in the long run.
I'm far too busy during the day and so can't be bothered using up my evenings doing quotes, I might miss Emmerdale ;D
Simon
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A lot of people don't want a salesman calling, they just want a quote which most are happy to give OTP and that makes them suspicious of those that want to call. That's one side of it. The other is that you can get better price with FTF but in my view it is questionably whether all of that driving about is cost effective in the long run.
I'm far too busy during the day and so can't be bothered using up my evenings doing quotes, I might miss Emmerdale ;D
Simon
I'm an EastEnders man myself.... Riiiiiickyyyyyy! ;D
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me thinks knocking on the door than handing them a flyer works 10x betta than just putting it through the door
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the last thing you wana talk about over the phone is price
1st question what is it they would like you to do
2nd question where are they
then you ask yourself where am i working in the next few days and if you can go round and give them a written quote . you find you will get most jobs at a better price ticket and people appreciate your time (on the whole ) you can price accurately .
if i am forced to rice over the phone i give a lowest possible price figure and a highest eg lounge diner plus hall /stairs landing madam its diff to give you an accurate price over the phone bu your looking between £85 -£130 but if you would like me to pop out and have a look i would be more than happy to do so. i like quoting because i enjoy selling if you dont enjoy selln then is this job your doomed
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If you quote over the phone they're only interested in the price
If you quote face to face then they're interested in you
I find its a rarity to go out and quote and they dont book, they've invested their time already and will have made a friend of you already so not likely to start looking elsewhere if they like what they see & hear.
The price becomes a secondary consideration and its much easier to upsell if your in the house.
Regards
Steve
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I rarely lose a quote face to face.
I sometimes lose a quote over the phone.
I often lose a quote via e-mail.
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Just had an awkward so & so. Only lives 3 muntes away (which was pointed out) no matter what I tried I couldn't get him to agree to a "visit". He insisted on a price, so I gave him a from and to price (based on I know the style of house he has) and followed up ....again....with, I can firm that price up for you, with a visit that would take no more than 5 minutes of his time......... he answered no thanks, but can you e-mail the details of the conversation we have just had? I said of course I can, but as I am just about to go out of the office to provide some written quotations, (hint hint again) please could you e-mail me on....... and I'll answer on my return this evening.
He also asked if we would hire our machine out to him and I said of course, but it does come with experienced operators and that would be included in the guide price as given ;D
To be honest I was bored with this enquiry and after spending time on the phone, no offense meant, with someone that can barely speak English, I was not going to spend another second typing it all out for no job at the end.
1.5 hours ago and no e-mail yet :)
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Always over the phone unless customer demands survey.
Sell myself short on occassions and sometimes it goes in my favour.
I simply do not have the time to go quote every job, i would rather spend my time cleaning and making money than sat in peoples houses or travelling half the day.
Mark
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what percentage off jobs would you say you win from face to face quoting ?
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what percentage off jobs would you say you win from face to face quoting ?
Today:
Late this afternoon I clocked up 25 miles driving around but got 5 out of 5 jobs
Still waiting on one to come back to me by phone (Asian) so that'll be a no then, another couldn't wait 10 days, and an e-mail enquiry didn't come back after giving a price.
Face to face sells better.
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over the phone prob 50 %
email 30 %
in house quote 90 %
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over the phone 100%
my leaflets have prices on so any calls are just to book the work... ;D
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Commercial,visit to price,price shoppers over the phone,potentially valuable jobs,visit
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I had a nice telephone quote yesterday came to £645.00 from Yellow Pages, if you sell yourself properly it can be done obviously speaking the Queens English helps ;D
Shaun
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over the phone prob 50 %
email 30 %
in house quote 90 %
Roughly same as above
Chris
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over the phone prob 50 %
email 30 %
in house quote 90 %
Roughly same as above
Chris
Which of course is 170% of customers! ;D
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thanks for noticing that jason, i hadn't but now it's given me a good giggle start to the day!!
colin ;D
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see how different people see different things ;D
I read it as converting 50% of over the phone enquiries
30% of e-mail enq's
90% of in house enq's
Not as a grand total ;D
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ok helen but it still made me laugh ;D
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over the phone prob 50 %
email 30 %
in house quote 90 %
Roughly same as above
Chris
Which of course is 170% of customers! ;D
it actually equates to 56.6% convertion rate providing all enquiries are of equal amount.
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Hi Guys
If you are newish you will get fewer enquiries and have less experince in picturing the job/person over the phone and a visit is the best option.
As you get busier there simply isn't time to quote all the time unless you want to spend your evenings working.
I quote over the phone 90% of the time and am nearly always busy.
Cheers
doug
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I quote around 80% of domestic work face to face with all commercial work face to face.
Works for me!
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Would those who prefer face-2-face still do a visit to an existing client who rings you and wants a quote for some more work to be done. You as the cc know the house, you may have already done the exact job for them a couple of years ago?
I find in these circumstances they are going to book you but want a ball park figure in order to be mentally prepared and ensure they have sufficinet money available. A visit would be a waste of time.
Rog
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No i wouldnt do a visit to regular customers as all the info is in the database so no need really, unless they had a specific problem or were doubtful about booking, then may go to reassure them,
Although I do get the odd one that will still insist on a visit and I know fully well they will book, I guess its a comfort thing for them, I just go as part of my customer relations exercise :)
And have tea & biccies ;D
Steve
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Probably 95% of the time over the phone.
Too busy to go and visit, and I can sell snow to the Eskimos. ;)
Actually its being professional, knowledgable and tell the customer exactly what I do for the money. Seems to work most of the time.
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I always prefer to visit as the conversion rate is much higher than over the phone. You can meet your potential customer and, importantly, they meet you so they know who they are going to be letting into their home.