Check out what the Customer asked me.....

[SouthernYankee]

I go to this guys house the other day and he wants a bid on trimming some shrubs, weeding his beds(the beds are completly weeds) and putting down 6 yds of mulch.

I bid on it for $535.00 for labor and materials. I listed the services that I would be providing .

He emails me the following;



Thank you for your proposal. Please put a dollar amount for each of
the
items as I may need to omit or do myself to reduce the cost:
A.1
A.2
A.3
B.1
C.1
C.2
D.1
D.2

[topsites]

I'm sorry, I don't understand.

[Smitty58]

I've had the same thing happen before. This are real pain in the butt customers. He really just wants to break it down to exactly how much money you are making. That is why he wants it itemized. I won't do this again, once was all I needed to learn they are not the kind of customers I want. Now if you do this, at least just break it down something like this: $350 for material and $185 for labor. I'm sure you are making more than $185 but he doesn't need to know that. This guy probably makes $100+k a year but he thinks you should be making minimum wage sweating you butt off doing his yard.
btw, your price sounds good to me Icharge $60 per yd installed + the weeding and trimming.

[QualityLawnCare4u]

Last Thursday I went and looked at a job like yours. weed flower bed, edge driveway (way overgrown) and trim shrubbery plus a small amount of mulch.. I est. 9 hours to do it and was thinking "if I quote this guy 9 x 40 =360" he will crap. Big nice house retired from a great paying job (that Ive tried to get on with for years) but I got that "gut instinct right off the bat" and it was right. Before I even quoted him a price he said "I will not go more than a 100 and I want it itemized". I started walking back to the truck without saying a word. He hollered " well, can you do it for that" I never spoke or said a word. Just waved and shook my head and left him standing there as I backed out of drive and left. I have decided that I will not do anymore one time shrub trimmings, period. The guy led me to believe that he wanted the yard mowed to but when I got there told me he would do it himself. Asked me to break down everything for him like yours did to, the edging, shrubs, flower bed "to see what he could afford first". I get so PO with these folks wasting my time and gas :angry: But thats part of this biz.

[gil]

I have a cople of customers that asked me the same question. What I did is I break wathever I could like:
Lawn mowing $50
pruning$250
etc...
It ended up I did all the tasks I listed on the proposal. Sometimes they realize it is not worth it to mow the lawn themselves for to save $50, or $20, or $15. I would go aheah and itemize each work if they want to. I just rather have some work to do than none at all.
Gil

[sheshovel]

Preparing two proposals for work requested-25.00
Shrub work-100.00
Remove debri-30.00
Weeding beds-175.00
Clean-up and remove debri-75.00
6 yards mulch ordered/delivery/installation 400.00

Your total estimate $ 805.00

:D you guys work too cheap!! :D

[Avery]

Break down a $535 dollar bid? Nope. No way. If he is that cheap you do not want to deal with him in the first place.

[dvmcmrhp52]

Break down a $535 dollar bid? Nope. No way. If he is that cheap you do not want to deal with him in the first place.



That would be my thought. At best he'd get maybe two numbers..............cleanup and mulching.

[bohiaa]

Yes and doing it this way, They will look it over and say "WHAT 80.00 to drive from here to there"

The hell with him

[PROCUT1]

In a way its not too wild of an idea.

How many have taken their car to a mechanic and they say it needs brakes, a tune up, an oil change and tires........TOTAL 985.00

You have 500?

No one has ever asked How much for the brakes and tires?

[prizeprop]

break it down and have the total be higher than your previous total. Let him know you gave him a better price before because you were doing all the work. I personally wouldnt break it down any further than a. trimming shrubs and b. weeding and mulching beds.

[DKinWA]

I've broke things down before, and it almost always turns out to be more expensive. If there's 5 tasks to be broke out in the bid and each one requires a skid steer, each one has a seperate move in charge. If everything is consolidated into one bid, there's one move in charge ($400 savings in my case). There's plenty of other examples, but you get the drift.

[topsites]

In a way its not too wild of an idea.

How many have taken their car to a mechanic and they say it needs brakes, a tune up, an oil change and tires........TOTAL 985.00

You have 500?

No one has ever asked How much for the brakes and tires?

It is an interesting point, I don't like people questioning my prices but as in the above example with auto-repair, I have asked your question AND:
It's 90 each for the tires, plus 3 each valve stem fee, 10 each mounting, 5 each balancing, 3 each tire disposal fee, plus tax, total: 460.20 for 4x $90 tires. So withOUT tearing it ALL apart piece by piece, tune-up for a 6-cylinder $100, oil change $35, brakes $375 ... well gee, 970.20

This brings two things to light: WHEN a customer asks to itemize thusly, it is possible you made a mistake and even if it's only 15 dollars in the end, maybe itemize and add it all up just so you can sleep knowing you really DID give them your best price. We are, after all, only human.

But yes the other guys are also right, the customer asks this type of question has a problem with the price and chances are somewhere between fair to excellent they still say no. In the case someone wants it itemized in such excruciating detail, I'm just as likely to start working on forgetting the entire affair but I might add it again just to see (at least for myself). IF a new total comes up, you can always let them know but again, you could play take it or leave it, I don't take kindly to this kind of crap from a new customer anyhow (regulars are a different story, for one of them I'd likely do it one time).

[PROCUT1]

Unless youre overcharging unfairly....What is there to hide?

Do you not want the customer to see that youre charging $ e.x. $150 for a yard of mulch installed????

I just dont understand why these prices are such a big secret or a huge hassle to break down.

I develop my final price from using a breakdown first.

Unless youre just eyeballing it and throwing out a number...

Granted there are crazy people out there...... I dont itemize every little thing such as my specific markup on materials etc......

WOULD YOU RATHER THE CUSTOMER CALL YOU OUT FOR 5 DIFFERENT ESTIMATES ON THE FIVE ITEMS SHE WOULD LIKE DONE?

[PROCUT1]

Dentist tells you you need a root canal and 4 fillings? The root canal can wait a little while he says......

You wouldent dare ask him how much for just the fillings?

Look at a real commercial or construction bid.......Every fixture is broken down and the LABOR number is broken down even into number of hours at x per hour.......

If you wanted your house built except for a kitchen sink and toilet in the bathroom you could easily recalculate the total.......

[Itsgottobegreen]

My current minimum pricing is $35 to drop the gate to mow, plus my $2.50 fuel surcharge. $250 minimum for any type of landscape project unless you have a lawn contract with us. Then its $200. I am sick of these little BS jobs that take you more time to go look at and estimate then it does to do the work. I got a friend that has a $75,000 project start level. Now thats how to make money.

[Shawns Lawns]

I have a new customer that i got mid summer. She asks me prices on everything, and seldom takes the price. So now instead of giving a itemized quote that usually takes time with no payoff, i shoot off with a high number and if she takes it good if not no big loss.

[prizeprop]

Unless youre overcharging unfairly....What is there to hide?

Do you not want the customer to see that youre charging $ e.x. $150 for a yard of mulch installed????

I just dont understand why these prices are such a big secret or a huge hassle to break down.

I develop my final price from using a breakdown first.

Unless youre just eyeballing it and throwing out a number...

Granted there are crazy people out there...... I dont itemize every little thing such as my specific markup on materials etc......

WOULD YOU RATHER THE CUSTOMER CALL YOU OUT FOR 5 DIFFERENT ESTIMATES ON THE FIVE ITEMS SHE WOULD LIKE DONE?Will your customer realize your overhead when looking at you charging $100.00 an hour ,no of course not. If your employees knew you were making $40.00 an hour per man off their work, would they realize your overhead? No of coarse not, they think your putting it all in your pocket,Thats why you must keep the truth from them! The more you itemize, the more they think your making attorney fee equivelent.

[SouthernYankee]

Decided not to take the job when the guy said that he had to be home on a certain day for me to do the work. I dont work around someones scheduale so that they can tell me when I can come onto their property to do work for them.

[Avery]

No. Because brakes and tires are something I cannot do without.