[Sean Dickinson]

Hi,

I'm just starting out & I had my first telephone enquiry today.  The lady told me how many rooms & stairs etc she wanted cleaning but had no idea of the dimensions of the rooms.  How do you deal with this?  I suggested I come round to look as I couldn't give a quote based on the information she gave me but she seemed a little reluctant.  Did I do the right thing or should I have just thrown a figure out there?  Any help is most appreciated.  Thanks.

Sean

[Craigp]

To get a job yes your need to give a quote first.

[Steven Lawrence]

should of thrown a figure at her, but make sure you tell her its an estimate and not a quotation.

[Craigp]

I agree, give her an estimate, people want to know roughly what kind of money, sometimes even before an on site quote.

Also if they are a long way away I want to put a rough figure to them so I know im not wasting my time

[Helen]

How can you just "throw" a price when you have no idea? You could always ask for the address (house number not needed) Then if you know the areayou have a better idea.
"Oh yes, I know that area quite well, so would be in the region of (give lower and upper price), but I could firm that up by visiting and giving you a written quotation"
or get the full address, say you wouldn't want to get it wrong by rushing  get the phone number, hang up, google the address, street view the house and area and get back to them

[Sean Dickinson]

Thanks a lot for your help guys.  I'll know how to deal with the situation next time

[John Kelly]

There are two ways to go with this. Either quoting in person or quoting over the phone. The guys who quote in person on site will tell you they convert more jobs. Against that you have to consider the additional time used in going out to every quote.
If you are quoting over the phone, which is what I did when I was cleaning, then you need to have either fixed prices or a square metre rate. You also need a script for when a customer rings. If they ring and ask "how much is it to clean a lounge carpet" they are asking that because they can't think of anything else to say. If you just reply with a price they are likely just to hang up as you have answered their question and flumaxed them. Get them into a conversation then drop the price in during the conversation.

[Paul H]

as above

an example i can give was pretty much as yours but a few extra carpets ... customers was pretty much demanding i come out..... which i didnt mind as as above once you're over the treshold the conversion rate is good....

anyways gets to the house and the lady said something like " sorry for getting you out i know you couldve priced over the phone but i just wanted to ask you about this stain gaurd stuff you offer and blah blah....." ....

so foot in the door , face to the name / company... answer her questions.... job booked including stainguard... then gets another 3 referrals alll wanting stain guard....

maybe if i hadnt shown willing to go out and engage with the customer... then that may have been job lost / booked someone else.... or just given up on carpet cleaners altogether as a waste of space.... who knows

[Steven Lawrence]

How can you just "throw" a price when you have no idea? You could always ask for the address (house number not needed) Then if you know the areayou have a better idea.
"Oh yes, I know that area quite well, so would be in the region of (give lower and upper price), but I could firm that up by visiting and giving you a written quotation"
or get the full address, say you wouldn't want to get it wrong by rushing  get the phone number, hang up, google the address, street view the house and area and get back to them

umm you get the info then "throw in an estimate! simples! (she didnt want him to visit)

[wynne jones]

If you are just starting out I'd resist the temptation to just give a price for a whole host of reasons.

Make you're first questions where are they and when they want it done, then give a good reason why THEY should let you assess the work to be done.

Being face to face will up your hit rate by miles, you can price up more accurately and more people see your van outside their neighbours house.

Even though you may feel some pressure and they may be mildly annoyed, by not caving in with a price on the phone, ultimately it will work out better for you, and hopefully for them too.

[Ian Gourlay]

As John says you need to think out what you are going say.

Question question question question question question before you get to price.

Not easy sometimes when you are in the middle of doing something but you do need to get the switch mindset.

 If you had mega funds phone would be ringing off hook all day so you would be switched on.

Hard when it suddenly rings and you are cooking an egg or something o when you actualy get work you are out on the job and call diverted to your mobile

[Helen]

How can you just "throw" a price when you have no idea? You could always ask for the address (house number not needed) Then if you know the areayou have a better idea.
"Oh yes, I know that area quite well, so would be in the region of (give lower and upper price), but I could firm that up by visiting and giving you a written quotation"
or get the full address, say you wouldn't want to get it wrong by rushing  get the phone number, hang up, google the address, street view the house and area and get back to them

umm you get the info then "throw in an estimate! simples! (she didnt want him to visit)

Umm. OP said she didn't have dimensions and seemed reluctant for visit, based on that info how was he meant to even estimate duh?
Try crystalbalquote.com         could be helpful

[Steven Lawrence]

How can you just "throw" a price when you have no idea? You could always ask for the address (house number not needed) Then if you know the areayou have a better idea.
"Oh yes, I know that area quite well, so would be in the region of (give lower and upper price), but I could firm that up by visiting and giving you a written quotation"
or get the full address, say you wouldn't want to get it wrong by rushing  get the phone number, hang up, google the address, street view the house and area and get back to them

umm you get the info then "throw in an estimate! simples! (she didnt want him to visit)

Umm. OP said she didn't have dimensions and seemed reluctant for visit, based on that info how was he meant to even estimate duh?
Try crystalbalquote.com         could be helpful

dont need a crystal ball, its easy!  eg, 4 rooms £50 per room, 1 staircase inc landing £50 = £250..if she gos for it hes had a result, if she doesnt hes lost nothing! if shes not prep to give him info then shes not worth messing about with....

[Ian Gourlay]

Sean

Just noticed you have an Airfex Storm did you buy it new.

If so you would have had a training course included.

Usually  a course covers how to price in person and what to say on phone.

It may be you are waiting or have already been on one but members always advise do as many courses as you can afford and always continue learning

[Sean Dickinson]

Thanks again for all the advice everyone.  Ian, I did purchase the Airflex Storm new & I do remember Derek Bolton giving advice that you should not give out the price straightaway & should try to engage the potential customer in conversation first.  I don't recall any advice specific to dealing with phone calls but it may have slipped my mind as it was some time ago.  Are there any other courses that anyone would recommend for a newbie?  Thanks.

[wynne jones]

Sean

Save your money for now on courses, the easiest thing to do with any sales situation is to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what had to happen to change the position. Work all these things out in advance.

Most people who 'just want a price' aren't pure price shoppers, they are ditherers who are worried they may get railroaded or pressured into a decision. So it's your job to overcome those fears and give them reasons to worry about NOT getting a face to face quote. Once you are there you are 80% more likely to get the job there and then without any sales patter.

[Craigp]

I agree engage them in conversation before the price, but sometimes you get them ones who give you one word answers, "yes" "no" "yes"  very annoying. It's like they been wound up by the previous people they've called, who may have been pushy ?

[Sean Dickinson]

As far as a script goes, what sort of conversation should I be engaging a potential customer in before dropping a quote in?  Thanks.

[Mike Halliday]

I cannot remember the last time I gave a price to a new customer (rather than a existing or reccomend ) over the phone and got the job,

 I don't care what people say if you are charging high prices then it really hard to get the job with a phone quote

 I think when people say they do all their quotes over the phone they should say how much they charge,

 if you are saying £45 for a living room or stairs then ok you'll get the job over the phone.......but start saying £80 and see how many jobs you get.

Try quoting £160 for a suite and see how many phone quotes you book in.

I've for a long time preached about keeping your work local (within 4 miles of you home) once you achieve this then you will find homes quotes are easy as you are always just around the corner and can pop in as you pass by,

 people can't be bothered do home quotes becuase it often means traveling miles.... Keep it local!

[wynne jones]

As far as a script goes, what sort of conversation should I be engaging a potential customer in before dropping a quote in?  Thanks.

Ask them some questions they are clueless about, like how is it constructed, is it loop or pile, what percentage wool has it got etc, then say you need to see it otherwise you could turn up and the estimate could be wildly out. 5 mins to look at it and the price I'll give you is what you pay.

 Of course when you are there you can do all the professional things and build up some rapport, try to take your time and not be rushed. They will probably just say OK when you give them your price so long as it's reasonable.