Quality quotes that win work

Do you get frustrated when your building company presentations don’t look as good as your competitors’, especially when you know they are not necessarily better builders? Here are some tips to give your quotes a more professional look

Unlike in many other service sectors, most residential building clients can’t ‘try before they buy’. They can’t simply get a replacement if they are unhappy with the product or service, so they need to choose a builder carefully.

Your clients are likely to base a large part of their decision on their experience during the quoting process. The real question then changes from ‘who is the better builder?’ to ‘who looks like the better builder?’

Here are seven simple things you can do to improve the presentation of your quotes:

Do it in person

Emailing your quote is the best way to tell your client they are not really important. It may seem like the faster way, but it is far less personal and, unless it is a small job, less likely to gain a favourable response. It is much better to go through your quote with them; this way, you can answer their questions face to face and on the spot.

Present professionally

Present well. Make sure you dress as a building professional, but don’t go overboard. Dress as your clients would expect someone to dress, who is advising them on investing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Remember, at this stage you are not the guy on the tools.

Use presentation aids. Get a nice satchel to carry all your documentation and use a nice pen. Make sure your quote is clear and easy to read and make use of the white space around text.

Don’t over-crowd the page and beware of simple mistakes, spelling etc. If using photos, ensure they are of a good quality and resolution. Your eye for detail is important here.

Include company promises

Your best promotional materials should provide answers to the ‘pre-sale’ qualifying questions that clients may or may not ask, but need to have answered in order to be happy to move ahead. Key amongst these are who you are, whether you can be trusted and why they should chose you.

Make sure that your documentation includes some information about you, the specific guarantees you provide and four to five good reasons for choosing you.

For example, it might be that, because you have lived in the area all your life, you understand the weather patterns and can advise on appropriate materials and guarantee better results.

If you have built in a number of other places, then you bring a national or international perspective that ensures best practice. If you don’t tell your client why they should choose you, nobody else will!

The purpose here is to overcome any emotional resistance to purchasing, so your client can focus on making a logical decision.

Introduce your people

Renovation clients in particular will want to know who is going to be working on their project, since they may well be living and working together for several months. They will want to know that their property will be respected and their needs recognised.

Introduce your prospective client to your team leader and allow them to connect on a personal level. Explain communication and security arrangements, and highlight what the team leader brings to the job. If you can’t introduce your team leader personally, then include a personal bio and photo with your proposal.

Showcase with photos

It can be difficult for new customers to imagine what their finished project will look like from plans and elevations, so an astute builder will include renders, photos of details and product brochures to make it easy for their new clients to see what they’ll get for their money.

Explain the process

Because your prospective client may complete only one major renovation or build in their entire lifetime, they are likely to have very little idea of what to expect.

It may be just another job to you, but for them it is a major part of their life. Take the time to explain the build process to them and what they should expect during construction, as this will help reduce misunderstandings and disappointments. A simple one-page flowchart can help to settle nerves and reassure them that you have the whole process in hand.

Clarify provisional sums

People new to construction contracts don’t fully understand why some works cannot be accurately priced and are included as provisional sums (PS).

Prime cost (PC) sums are clearer, since their choices affect the outcome (eg, an allowance of $30,000 for the kitchen), but PS sums can be a minefield. A careful builder will ensure that multiple quotes are properly compared in these areas to prevent client disappointment.

Because your client will judge the professionalism of your building business by the standard of your presentation, improving your presentation skills increases your chances of getting jobs.

Take a look at your building estimates and proposals and ask yourself, what can I do right now to raise the professional image of my building estimates?

Graeme Owen is a builders’ business coach at thesuccessfulbuilder.com. Since 2006, he has helped builders throughout New Zealand get off the tools, make decent money, and get more time in their lives.  Grab a copy of his free book: The 15 Minute Sales Call Guaranteed To Increase Your Conversion Rate: http://thesuccessfulbuilder.com/book-15-min-sales-call/ or join Trademates and connect with builders who are scaling too: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1832794793692377/