Why do I keep getting these calls?

[Lowcountry Lawn Care]

Today I got what is becoming a normal days phone call for me. I got a call from a lady interested in lawn care and she wanted me to give her a quote over the phone. Does anyone do this? This is just ridiculous. By the way when I give them the normal answer of ,"I would love to come over and give you a quote, but I cannot and will not give you a quote over the phone without seeing the yard in question"; I am told no thank you.

[procut]

Happens to me from time to time. My theory is they are just price shoppers.

[crawdad]

And the funny thing about the people who want to know, "How much for an average lawn?"
They never have an "average" lawn, it's either huge, full of trees, too steep for a goat, or three feet tall.

[RICHIE K]

I never give quote over the phone

Richie K

www.kulakandcompany.com :blob3:

[proenterprises]

And the funny thing about the people who want to know, "How much for an average lawn?"
They never have an "average" lawn, it's either huge, full of trees, too steep for a goat, or three feet tall.

Yep, its usually their way of sucking you into giving them a low rate over the phone, you go and look at it and its a disaster, and your held to the 30 dollars you quoted over the phone!

[Kelly's Landscaping]

Yep, its usually their way of sucking you into giving them a low rate over the phone, you go and look at it and its a disaster, and your held to the 30 dollars you quoted over the phone!


Not this year if I screw up I am not going to continue or even start. I am here to make money not lose it and I have dumped a few this season that found ways to get a lower price then they should have. My rep is built on the quality of my work not how well I take a beating and I do not play those games any more. I am drowning in work to take on a lower profit job makes no sense when I cannot get too all the work I have now.

[HOOLIE]

I actually have found it helps to give them a price range over the phone...weeds out the cheap-o's. Saves me a wasted trip over to their property. I know what the average lot sizes are in most neighborhoods (most are around the same anyway), I just look it up on the map while I have them on the phone, and give them a ballpark. Of course, first time edging and tall grass are extra.

If they think the price is reasonable, I'll go over and give them the "official" estimate.

[nocutting]

Surely if they wont let you come over, just a price shopper!........As a rule I dont price over the phone, but if they persist I give them some rediculiously high quote and just laugh as they comlain how expensive my services are.....Oh well :waving:

[Tn Lawn Man]

I quite often give phone quotes.

It saves ME a ton of time and gas and weeds out price shoppers.

Whenever, I plan on advertising in an area I pre-bid each neighborhood.

For the neighborhoods that I have not advertised in I usually know them well enough to get them in the ballpark and determine if they are price shoppers or serious inquiries.

Customers really like the instant response and it works well for me.

If I get out there and it is nothing like I expected I just tell them and adjust the price. I have found out that the people don't really get upset about the price adjustments because they were really expecting it all along because they knew they had a pita lawn.

[sheshovel]

Yea but your gonna find that most people will want you to stick to the quote over the phone,that's why they want you to give them a price over the phone,they know it's gonna be less than if you looked at it.My rule,never give a bid without looking at and walking the property and talking with the potential client in person to find out just what they expect for the price I quote them

[crawdad]

If they want a ballpark" figure, I tell them I don't mow ballparks. :waving:

[Davis Lawn Mowing, LLC]

If you give a price over the phone, you best call it an estimate. Dont call it a quote because you could be held to that amount. But if you give a price over the phone, you are asking for trouble unless you know the person and their property personally. But the better question is, why on Earth would you give a price over the phone? Go see the damn property first so you know how to bid and aren't stuck with a disaster on your hands.

[Remsen1]

I'm starting to give my estimates over the phone. I stress that it is just an estimate. It helps weed out price shoppers. I ask them general questions to try to paint a picture of the yard in my mind. So far I have only landed one, but I have saved many fruitless trips. I try to get the following over the phone.

Drive time, yard size, grass type (good grass or weeds), obstacles, kid/pets, number and size of buildings, amount of trimming, desired results, potential for more accounts in the neighborhood, additional services, last time mowed.

I've found that I can draw a really good picture of the potential customer. PITA or somebody nice to work for?

Usually after I get the location and yard size I say, "the price will start at $xx.xx. Would you like me to continue with the estimate?" Some have said "no." This saves me a lot of time.

I haven't had any where I could confirm that my estimate was too low, but like I said I have only landed one since starting this recently. For the one that I did get, I told her that I was giving her my "best" estimate based on the conversation and that the price could change.

[txlawnking]

I quite often give phone quotes.

It saves ME a ton of time and gas and weeds out price shoppers.

Whenever, I plan on advertising in an area I pre-bid each neighborhood.

For the neighborhoods that I have not advertised in I usually know them well enough to get them in the ballpark and determine if they are price shoppers or serious inquiries.

Customers really like the instant response and it works well for me.

If I get out there and it is nothing like I expected I just tell them and adjust the price. I have found out that the people don't really get upset about the price adjustments because they were really expecting it all along because they knew they had a pita lawn.




You and me are thinking the same... I used to go for the common response ( every other response to this thread almost ) of " I'd never give a price over the phone!!... But If you do your homework and know your market and the specific neighborhoods, you should never have a problem with this... The heck with wasting my very valuable time and $$$ driving around just to give a squirrel a nut...

[Tn Lawn Man]

Yea but your gonna find that most people will want you to stick to the quote over the phone,that's why they want you to give them a price over the phone,they know it's gonna be less than if you looked at it.My rule,never give a bid without looking at and walking the property and talking with the potential client in person to find out just what they expect for the price I quote them


I have been doing this for 2 years now with great success!!!

Of course I emphasize that the price can change once I get out there and look at it. And, it has in fact changed many times in the past for various common reasons.

People are just happy to get a general figure on how much they are looking at.

Let me give you an example.

I recently signed up for pest control service. I had no clue as to how much it was going to cost and how often the visits were etc...

If I were to call up the "bug man" and he responds "I can't tell you anything until I see your house, how many wasp's nests, ant hills, cockroach nest etc... you have" I would not have been happy. After all, I have an idea of how much I am willing to spend but I don't know what the going rate is for pest control. So, if I have a budget of $50 bucks a month and he wastes HIS time and more importantly MY time to come out, walk through the house/property, give me his sales pitch/speel to give me a price of $75 a month (which I cannot afford) just to have me turn him down when he could have told me something close to that over the phone then I would have been upset.

However, if he was to spend a little time on the phone and find out a little more about me and my needs then he could say something like "Sir, based upon the information you are telling me I think that you may fit in the category of a $25 to $40 per month visit. However, I would like to emphasize if I come out and discover other circumstances such as termites then that may affect the service and the the price might go up."

I would say come on out, you are at least worth my time to see if I want to go further.

This is how I handle phone quotes.

Know your neighborhoods.

Know your property sizes.

The average home owner lives on less than an acre. If you can't give them a rough estimate for cutting then you will waste a lot of your time, gas, money and patience dealing with dead end customers.

[J&R]

The best way . tell them your min price to cut a lawn is X amount of dollars and it goes up from there. This will weed out the price shoppers.

[topsites]

Yep, its usually their way of sucking you into giving them a low rate over the phone, you go and look at it and its a disaster, and your held to the 30 dollars you quoted over the phone!

Yeah, I hate that ... And every once in a blue moon they REALLY push me for a price it's like they will not go away unless I give them SOME dollar-figure on the phone. More often than not I give them a bogus price, generally on the high side...

Then if you accidentally get suckered, once you get there and you realize the problem, you can (and should) just walk away. If they get crappy, flat out tell them that the picture you had in your mind based on what you were told on the telephone is nothing like what is actually here, and thank you.
If they act all innocent (or stupid) at this point, I tell them that I would highly recommend a more honest approach, and good bye.
Peace

[topsites]

The best way . tell them your min price to cut a lawn is X amount of dollars and it goes up from there. This will weed out the price shoppers.

Yeah that works, give them a price-range ... Still, a lot of it is just price-shopping.
One thing I tell them when they ask:
I'd really like to see the yard so I can give you an accurate price. If I could get your address, I can have an estimate for you before the end of the day.

But with some, that doesn't work...
Then it's the above tactic.