Quoting a job

[mountianrider]

How many of you quote jobs on email without seeing it?

I'm referring to wireless installs, customer picks how many detectors they want and you turn up and fit.

I am sick of surveying and not winning. 

[PeterJames]

It depends on the customer we.re a bit fussy who we take on, so quite happy to give people a price on the phone just to sort the wheat from the chavs

[james.wilson]

wireless installs remove all skill so no need for a survey

[whistle]

Had one today asking for a price for wire free tat. Once I gave the fixed price he says can you come and have a look so you can quote me.

oh and while you are looking could you power down my old alarm as we are having new flooring and there are cables in the way.

 

 

[jammin31]

Being honest i always try to survey a site. 1. Because it is always good to be professional and meet your possible client, 2. If you dont and then get the job and turn up its sods law that you will hit a problem which ends up costing you more time and money, obviously on the bigger jobs more than small domestics.

better to be safe than sorry plus whilst on site you can ensure there getting whst they need rather than what they think they need from reading posts on google !

[james.wilson]

too many think it

[secureiam]

I always do a site survey I have only ever had the odd home that couldn't take wireless due its construction/ environment that just wouldn't have been picked up over the phone.

 

Wireless certainly seems more popular these days, what I don't get is this with working hardwired systems that want to upgrade to wireless (as the customer would say) and insist on it over upgrading there hardwired system or making it hybrid.

 

Been and done a site survey and done a quick check with a test plug on the electrics and I refused to quote on the job, because of the electrics being self installed (wrong) and he was trying to tell me how to do my job so I told him to do it himself I am not interested thank you.

 

Have you tried to find out why your not winning?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mountianrider]

Yes I try, once customer was like i'll get back to you next week next thing I know someone else installed the alarm.

 

I get some you win, some you loose but I'm driving 40+ minutes to look at a job, customer wasn't in, then drove back again, surveyed, never heard a thing...

[ElecTech]

In my opinion the residential market is saturated - you only need to google "house alarms" & prices of £100 - £150 pop up so the customer already has that in there head before you go through the door - I bet majority of the time you are just a price comparison. Commercial work is the way forward as you'll always be up against house bashers or multi nationals doing finance deals!

 

Easier said than done but worth while if you can make it...

 

edit* as above - don't waste your time too much and try to weed them out from the initial phone call

Edited April 24, 2016 by ElecTech

[mountianrider]

You speak truth, but how do you get the commercial work?!