Ballpark the little jobs
- Thread starter Jerseydaze
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mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
No, not at all. You want a ballpark, you're gonna get an educated ballpark. I don't like to deal in ballparks anyhow, but I will oblige if you ask. Bear in mind that the customer will not be ambushed with a higher price. They are well aware this could happen ahead of time.satcom said:
When I was in college, Sears was advertising 4 tires for 99 bucks. Needing tires, and being a poor college student, I headed right over. My bill was almost 250. Why? Most sizes were 99 for 4 but not mine. Plus, after they added in disposal, mount and balance, valve stems, etc. the price was way over 99. I had no clue (well, I would have if I read the fine print). At least the people I ballpark to are aware of the possibility.
Every bid you will ever construct will be based on your best educated guess, more or less, with much lanugage to protect you against the unforseen, to see that you get paid more. The matter in this thread is absolutely no different. I'm plenty busy too. What this comes down to, perhaps, is a guy's lack of sales skill or timidness or being generally unwilling to justify an upward movement in the price.
- Location
- Massachusetts
aline said:
Without a doubt and my experience is not in residential service.
I agree they are different but not so different a bid that is 4 times the time that should be reasonably expected would get you the job.
I have been out of large projects for a while.
- Location
- Massachusetts
celtic said:
Not that I run a business anywhere but NJ seems like a very tough and costly place to try to.
BTW, I am glad you took my other 'camp' comment in the way it was intended.
I have a lot of respect for all of you that make the leap and run a bussiness.....I could not do it.
With ceiling fans I break the price out into two prices. I give the customer an upfront price for installing the fans with existing boxes and another price for installing fans and replacing the box with a fan rated box. Then I invoice them for which ever one it ends up being. This way they know how much it will be in either case before I start. I also put an exclusion in for wiring repairs or replacement of wiring.celtic said:
That's why I don't give free estimates.celtic said:Little jobs like this....you get the free estimate over the phone....it costs too much to drive around in circles
Estimates aren't really free anyways. The customer pays for all free estimates. It's just a question of which customers pay for them. The ones that give you the job or the ones that don't.
celtic said:
Marc, that is why, over the years we kept actual data on job costs, we have jobs going back to the 50's and the data is kept current, we have used labor data, from different groups over the years, every sheet, has the job conditions, to keep estimates in line, remember all this information was kept in binder books, before the computer.
BryanMD
Senior Member
Jerseydaze said:
The ideal situ is someone who knows and/or has reason to trust you...
which is why they called you in the first place.
EC:Yes ma'am we can take care of that for you tomorrow.
HO: How much will it cost?
EC:If everything goes well we should be done by lunch and if so it should be about $500 or so including the material we'll be using... but with an older house like yours we'll often run into something that requires more time.
HO: Hmmm, how does that work?
EC: Until I open up the old fixtures I can't know what I'll find in your walls.
HO: Thats kinda vague...
EC: What I can do ma'am, is come out and look it over to give you a firm price (pause) but I need to charge for my time to do that (pause) $75.
EC:My policy ma'am is simple. "I won't cheat you but I won't cheat me either"
(edit: that is my best closing line feel free to borrow)
EC:We'll do what is needed to do it right (pause) so, is 8am good for you?
Another thing to keep in mind is that not all customers are looking for the lowest price. The idea behind small service and repair jobs is not to be the lowest price but to provide the best value for the price you're charging.
It seems as if most electricians main goal is to be the lowest price. There's one electrician in my area that advertises he'll beat anyones price. Wouldn't it be better to advertise the professional and timely service you provide instead?
As electrical contractors our goal shouldn't be to see how little we can charge for a job but rather how much more can we charge for a job. Instead of being happy that we were lower than the other guy and got the job we should be dissapointed that we were unable to charge more than the other guy and still get the job. Some say I don't want to be the highest but I also don't want to be the lowest. Why wouldn't you want to be the highest priced as long as you're getting enough work?
I'm in business to make as much money as I a possibly can in an honest and ethical manner and I would love to be the highest price guy in town if I can pull it off.
If a contractor gives a price of $500 for a job I don't want to try to figure out how I can get the job by charging less him. I would rather try to figure out how I can still get the job by charging more than him. I try to ask myself what can I do to convince the customer to pay more for me to do the work than the other guy.
Some customers feel there must be something wrong with the lowest priced guy. Some customers go for a price right in the middle while other customers will pick the highest price expecting better service and a higher quality job. There are plenty though that just want the lowest price possible.
It seems as if most electricians main goal is to be the lowest price. There's one electrician in my area that advertises he'll beat anyones price. Wouldn't it be better to advertise the professional and timely service you provide instead?
As electrical contractors our goal shouldn't be to see how little we can charge for a job but rather how much more can we charge for a job. Instead of being happy that we were lower than the other guy and got the job we should be dissapointed that we were unable to charge more than the other guy and still get the job. Some say I don't want to be the highest but I also don't want to be the lowest. Why wouldn't you want to be the highest priced as long as you're getting enough work?
I'm in business to make as much money as I a possibly can in an honest and ethical manner and I would love to be the highest price guy in town if I can pull it off.
If a contractor gives a price of $500 for a job I don't want to try to figure out how I can get the job by charging less him. I would rather try to figure out how I can still get the job by charging more than him. I try to ask myself what can I do to convince the customer to pay more for me to do the work than the other guy.
Some customers feel there must be something wrong with the lowest priced guy. Some customers go for a price right in the middle while other customers will pick the highest price expecting better service and a higher quality job. There are plenty though that just want the lowest price possible.
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ItsHot
Senior Member
- Location
- A little piece of heaven!
what you thinkin'
what you thinkin'
Hey Aline! You thinkin' like a plumber!
what you thinkin'
Hey Aline! You thinkin' like a plumber!
Tiger Electrical
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern Illinois
I recently had a job troubleshooting an open circuit, pulling an additional wire into a ceiling fan and installing two switches. It was 3 hours on site plus 3 hours travel and paperwork. There was no 2 hour job to fill in the remaining day. Depending on your point-of-view this could be considered a 3 hour job, or a full-day job.
Dave
Dave
Jerseydaze
Senior Member
mdshunk said:
For the record the building is a condo about ten years old. I have been burned on the proposals when I found the unknown. Id love to know what some of the language you use to protect your self is.I know its piddly chit buy someones got to do it and better me with 8 years of piddly chit under my belt then Mr run #12 because if 14s good 12 must be better or Mr tape the wire nuts because I cant make a simple splice.I take a lot of pride in everything I d
k im off my soap box.
jjhoward
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern NJ
- Occupation
- Owner TJ Electric
How much did the lead cost you?
Just curious, why do you say that since this lead came to you from service magic, that there will be someone who will do this for $50??
Just curious, why do you say that since this lead came to you from service magic, that there will be someone who will do this for $50??
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Because lots of people use S/M (not just sparkies), and because the price-shoppers do too!jjhoward said:
jjhoward
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern NJ
- Occupation
- Owner TJ Electric
Ok, lots of different types of contractors use SM, but will leads for electrical work be going to non-ECs from SM??
I use SM and they do require proof of current NJ state mandated ins. info and they ask for updates every year.
I use SM and they do require proof of current NJ state mandated ins. info and they ask for updates every year.
Jerseydaze
Senior Member
Well I have had mixed results but as stated service magic seems to send me last resorter or cheep skates or people who have no clue how much a job should cost.But I am a one man show.I feel like if I was a big company and little chit came in and my guys were standing around a low bid would keep them busy.I kind of feel like if things are slow its better to make a low rate then no rate at all cant wait to here thoughts on that.
Jerseydaze said:
" a low bid would keep them busy."
That just assures you to loose money on a study basis, always use your cost of operating expenses as a guide, never bid lower then your cost of doing business, If you don't want them standing around, make sure you schedule profitable work for them, keep that phone ringing, it will not ring if no one knows your in business, you need a lot of advertising to keep it ringing, a lot of guys are afraid to invest what it takes to build a business, they rely on word of mouth, and service companies, these all cost money, and will not supply all the work needed, even a one man shop, takes a hefty investment.
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keesha
Member
- Location
- North Of Boston/So.NH
ItsHot said:
IT'S about time we all did!!!!!!!! There only about $20 apart each job!
C'mon. we're pros too. The more you make the more I make.
Lets get together!!!
As Far as the "Craigs list" crap.
Lets start baiting them and turning them in!!
It aint that hard.
This is OUR profession, that WE have worked hard at acheiving!!
Lets keep it.Check for Lic. #s and insurance!!!!
It's realy quite simple. Just takes a little effort. Obviousley we all have computers!
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