There are jobs where an on-site estimate is absolutely the right move. Getting face-to-face with the customer does help with close rates and some jobs are just too complex, require a diagnostic first, or naturally come from a repair request.
So, I’m not talking about those.
I’m talking about a standalone estimate request where you go yourself or send an employee to get eyes on the situation and provide pricing.
Old schoolers will tell you NEVER to give pricing over the phone. Boo, hiss to price shoppers, right?
Eh, I’m going to call bullshit.
We live in a time where information flows freely. Gatekeeping is passe and can end up wasting time and resources.
Time is Money, Baby
It’s relatively easy to do the math on how much an in-person estimate costs you. Gas, employee time, blah blah blah. But that’s not really the cost I’m worried about.
Opportunity cost. That’s the painful one.
A drive across town to stare at the spot in the house, measure a few things, and sit in the truck with the air running is all wasted capacity that could have been funneled elsewhere in your business.
Is the information you are gaining from seeing it in person really worth the trade-off? Sometimes.
A whole-house re-pipe? Bet your ass I’m going over there.
An electrical project in a 100 year old house with some homeowner DIY-special thrown in? Uh, yeah.
Commercial property that requires an upside-down solder joint three stories up in an atrium? (That’s a real example, btw.) Definitely.
But then there are the jobs you’ve done a million times. The ones where there are only so many possible what-ifs and you’ve seen them all.
If you can’t get the right information over the phone, it’s not an estimate problem - it’s an intake problem. And we’re going to fix it.
First, The Basics
Start with the same stuff you get for every appointment. The who, what, when, where, and why of it all. But you’re going to focus on two things as far as effecting the estimate:
Where is the job? What are we doing?
Location narrows down service area and any mileage concerns.
The job type is going to send your customer service person into the right question list for the rest of it. Because unless you do exactly one thing, you might need different information for the next part.
And Then There Are the Nope Jobs
What is an automatic "No, thank you!”?
It would be really nice if the phone only ever rang with perfect jobs. But some jobs, some locations, and some customers just aren’t for you.
That’s okay. Make like a Millennial fresh out of therapy and set some firm boundaries.
Outside the service area.
Equipment you don’t work on.
A customer who says, “I’ve already had four companies out here and none of them know what they’re doing.”
Oh no.
NO. No thank you.
Maybe every contractor in town really is incompetent but still sounds like an exciting adventure for somebody else.
The Stuff That Eats Your Margin
The next list you’ll make is the stuff that isn’t a hard no, but does make you squint real hard or makes your eye twitch.
It’s the stuff that slows down or complicates a job.
“Of course it’s on the third floor.”
“Of course she didn’t move the stuff.”
“Of course there’s nowhere to park.”
“Of course the crawl space is twelve inches tall.”
“Of course the gate isn’t wide enough.”
Whatever your list is, this stuff makes it complicated. Not impossible. Just longer, or more people, or more equipment.
Ask about these qualifiers. Photos help so ask for those if you need them. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Build Your Menu
To recap: you’ve got your service list, your hard no’s, and your squint list. Now price them.
Not every last thing. Focus on the 80% — your bread and butter work. Water heater swap, panel change, disposal, whatever your top ten is. You already know what those cost and what you charge. It’s just never been written down anywhere your CSR can reach it.
Flat price where you can. Build a range where you can’t. Each of the qualifiers is a line item — third floor adds this, crawl space under two feet adds that, no parking adds an hour.
It’s a nice little flow-chart that anyone can read.
Will the estimate still be wrong sometimes? Sure, and that’s where disclaimers come in. Every sight-unseen price goes out with one:
This price is based on information and photos provided by the customer. Your technician will confirm pricing before work begins. If conditions are materially different than as described or provided, invoice adjustments will be made as necessary.
I Don’t Want You to Stop Doing In-Person Estimates
Truly, I don’t. Sometimes sending someone out is the right answer.
I want you to stop doing things automatically because it feels easier to just get it done in the moment than to sit down and do the homework.
The Homework
Pull your last twenty estimates. For each one, ask: did someone really need to be in person to price this job? If not, what would we need to ask to get this information from the customer on the phone or online?
That’s the list! You’ll see the patterns quickly.
You can do this, I’m rooting for you.