rock bottom---NO WORK--

[bradleyelectric]

These are my final thoughts. I’d like to clear up any confusion. This thread has gone all over the place and there is a lot I agree with from the “opposing side”. However those things that I agree with may not apply at this time. They are all based on certain assumptions, the main one being that there is plenty of work to go around. There is not and that affects everything that has been discussed here.

The fact is there is little work to get. Those that are vying for what work there is are many. It really is a “buyers market”.

There is not enough work to go around.

There was a newspaper report on county wide single family home starts in the local paper last week. I don’t remember the numbers so I won’t use any but I do remember that it was startling to see how far we’ve fallen in a few years.

This week I am doing nothing. No joke. I have not 1 job to go to, but my yard will be clean.

The bottom line is this; I have to work to earn money to pay the bills. The business bills MUST be paid no matter what. The personal bills MUST be paid no matter what. If this means doing work for less than I would normally do it for than so be it. As long as costs are covered I am still ahead in the game.

This is all based on fact and reality. The fact being there is not enough work to go around, the reality being there are more people vying for this work.

Ignore it if you wish and feel free to make your own assumptions.

I just want to clear up a few things that I may have not convied well. I do not oppose you in any way. I may have a different idea, but I certainly do not oppose you.

Construction here is all but dead. I don't do new houses and haven't since I was a second year apprentice. I quickly realised when I opened my shop there were people doing it for nothing but making up for it in volume, so my concern is not trying to find new houses to wire. There aren't any here at the moment anyway.

Commercial construction there is some work to bid, but it is being bid by everyone and his brother whether they have a clue or not. A lot of decent sized jobs are being taken at a big lose. People are desperate and loosing it. I don't think I've done a single job for a GC this year. I have been getting plenty of ITB's but haven't bothered turning on the plotter in quite some time. There isn't any money there.

There is not enough work to go around. There are weeks when I have more people calling asking for a job than I have people wanting work done. A cheap residential electrician in the area that a couple years ago had over 50 guy is down to 8 and owes 1 supply house 400K and I don't know who else he owes. A 1 truck guy I was talking to Friday let his helper go. He used to be in every book published I knew of, but is having trouble keeping himself busy.

There is 1 guy that does a lot of work for remodel contractors. He added a truck to make it 3 this winter right in the dead of winter. I have been pushing service work, and most of it small residential service.

We have something to do everyday and all day for the most part. I was running 4 crews a couple years ago and am down to 1 right now. My commercial service is picking up some lately, and a swimming pool contractor called and told me he is getting a lot of calls for new pools lately to give me a heads up that it looks like they will start moving. I have no backlog and there is noone in this house that earns an income other than myself.

There has been no backlog all winter, but the only slow week we really had was the last week in February. The work keeps trickling in and I charge a hefty fee to do it. I don't treat it as an oportunity to give a price on a job, I just sell the appointment as an appointment to do the job. If I was bidding work I'd have to start selling vans. I'd have to buy batteries to do it because I know of 3 vehicles outside right now with dead batteries.

I'm not in a position to not make money. I was in a position to scale back and find where the money is at the moment and figure out how to make it. I have everything I need to get back in the game when there is a game to get into, but right now I found what is paying my bills and keeping more coming in than going out.

I got a call from 1 of the GC's we were doing a good amount of work with a couple years ago and he wants me to look at some prints he emailed for a partial floor hospital rehab. I'll probably print them off and look. The phone has been busy today. I stopped worrying. I am doing all that I can and am going to be standing when they call my name. That is a lot more than some.

Don't think that I express a view because I am opposing you. I just want you to have confidence you will also be standing, your worth what you should be getting, and you find how to make that phone ring and get what you need.

 

[electricalperson]

i hope the economy picks up soon. i want to see more threads along the lines of how much money you made this week instead of how much money people didnt make or how everyone lost there jobs

 

[aline]

Four bids on a basement remodel wow things are getting tough.Most people I deal with don't throw out the low bid just because iy was low their are usually other factors involved.I have gotten jobs as high bidder because of salesmanship,I never waste time telling people to look out for lowballers and hacks I simply spend the time telling them what we offer.

This was a couple of years ago.

Another basement remodel I bid on around that same time the guy told me I was the 10th contractor to come out.

A service upgrade I bid on about a year ago the woman told me she had gotten 7 bids.
I was second from the highest. She went with the lowest.

I don't tell people to look out for lowballers and hacks either.

Often when I get the job the customer will tell me I got it because I discussed in detail how I was going to do it and I listened to them about what they wanted and how they wanted it done.

Sometimes we tend to forget to listen to our customers which can be the most important part of making the sale.

 

[iam14sure]

Jobs

Jobs

I just got the result of 2 health care facilities I bid on and I was low bidder on both. One was $500.00 below the next bidder on a $156,00.00 bid. 14 bidders on the project, all in the ball park. Never saw so many bidders though. I did cut my rate some but we are a family business and need to keep working. I was awarded a contract for 16 small pump stations and none of them have started yet. That was 6 months ago. I purchased all the explosion proof material and it sits in my shop. What a bummer!

 

[Ohmy]

This is more likely what I would do in a case like that. I didn't feel like typing out a long scenario with all of the possible dirctions you could go.

I was really trying to drive home the point that if it came down to working or not I would cut the price to the bone if need be.

I sold a 100A service change for $2,400 last saturday. The guy had a copy of an estimate for $1,600 sitting on his kitchen table. Didn't bother me one bit....because my company is worth $2,400 and he thinks soo too.

But hey....if you can make money at $1,500...do it. My question to you would be: "if you can make money at $1,500...why wasn't that your first quote?"

 

[electricmanscott]

I sold a 100A service change for $2,400 last saturday. The guy had a copy of an estimate for $1,600 sitting on his kitchen table. Didn't bother me one bit....because my company is worth $2,400 and he thinks soo too.

But hey....if you can make money at $1,500...do it. My question to you would be: "if you can make money at $1,500...why wasn't that your first quote?"

Who said anything about making money at $1500.00? :-?