Your Work Hours

[sofadoc]

I forgot to mention one item that consumes a lot of my time and that is quotation follow up calls.................  In my business now, I'm making phone calls after about a week or two to find out what the doctor has decided and many times it's either, "He hasn't made a decision yet" or "She's decided to put this on the back burner"

Takes more of my time than I would like to spend on it, but it does result in more work, so I do it.

This comment arouses my curiousity. When you guys do a 'follow-up', do you ever try to find out if they went with another quote, and if so, what that quote was?

I've never done follow-ups. But if I did, that would be the main reason. If they decided to use someone else, I don't really care who?     All I want to know is.......how much?

I seem to always get under-bid on large jobs, mainly because I can't (won't) compete price-wise with shops that employ minimum wage workers.

[Rich]

This comment arouses my curiousity. When you guys do a 'follow-up', do you ever try to find out if they went with another quote, and if so, what that quote was?

I've never done follow-ups. But if I did, that would be the main reason. If they decided to use someone else, I don't really care who?     All I want to know is.......how much?

I seem to always get under-bid on large jobs, mainly because I can't (won't) compete price-wise with shops that employ minimum wage workers.

I do follow up calls to GET the job. Many of my customers aren't going with another shop, they're just big procrastinators and if I don't follow up, they may end up doing nothing.
As far as how much, I've asked that question on occasion, but like you I'm not concerned about people who don't know how to price their work, so what good would it do me to find I was much higher than the shop that's working for peanuts?
Rich

[Mike]

Somtimes i here we went with a lower guy. But i dont ask just if they had  oncidered going ahead with the job.
Maybe im goig to put in a. Order and wanted to see if they could be added

[gene]

If you are in a situation where the prospect is shopping for price only, then a follow up call will not make a difference. You either have the lowest price or you don't.

If you can invite the prospect to your upholstery shop to meet you and look at your portfolio of pictures, (or your up-to-date web site), if you provide a professional appearance and presence, that may help to get them away from 'price only', if you happen to be a few dollars higher.

A MAJOR goal of mine is to return all phone calls within 24 hours.  If I don't call you back today I will call you back the first thing in the morning. This helps me get business and makes my paperwork easier.

Emails asking for Estimates I get done within 48 hours.

This works for me, subject to change if I find that something else will work better..

gene

[Mojo]

I have to up-sell all of my customers because I am more expensive then my competitors.  I know that they have probably got quotes for Carefree awnings from RV dealers or maybe a canvas shop and are now shopping me with their quote. I know I will come in higher but I refuse to cut my prices to compete. Instead I compete on quality and when your dealing with coach owners quality is everything.

When they come to me for a quote my job is to educate the customer and make him/her understand why I charge more and why it is wise to spend the extra dollars for my product. I do not trash my competitors but simply point out the facts:

1. ) I use the highest quality PTFE thread that has 20 times or more the life expectancy of a bonded poly. Bonded poly loses almost 50 % of its strength after 3 years. ( I back these up with scientific research and reports ).

2. ) I use nothing but premium fabrics woven and imported from Europe that will not stretch or distort like Sunbrella. ( This is also a known fact that Sattler and Recacril have a special weave process and also buy the best yarns on the market ).

3.) I double stitch the entire perimeter of each awning. Almost all awnings/toppers in the RV industry are single stitched.

4.) I offer the best warranty in the industry - 3 years on my work, 5 years on fabric and lifetime warranty on thread. ( My competitors offer 1 year period on everything ).

Just by pointing out these details I end up closing 98 % of my quotes. Because of the tight network that coach owners associate in it doesn't take long before the word gets out. My prioduct is aplttered all over RV forums and now coach owners compare my product against all the rest and because so many are still using bonded poly and sunbrella I get the jobs. What is really a bonus is the customers I have taken the time to educate have gone out and educated other coach owners which brings me more business.

My job is not to only make the products I sell but to educate the buying public. I do this through e-mails, over the phone as well as through my seminars. I make sure they know why I charge more in a professional manner and without trashing my competition.

I really do not know how the furniture sector operates to be honest. If I started doing furniture I would probably be out of business in a month. I just do not know what you furniture guys know. But there is a common thread ( no pun intended ) that binds all of us together regardless of what sector we operate in and that is customer service and support and this includes education.

Chris

[Eric]

I went through this today, in referance to gene's post. Customer was price only, I called to follow up, but price won. He would not tell me there price, I did extract that they were a $1000.00 less, if not more. Saw the new frame work for job, welded and then ground off no polish. Even stainless will rust if not polished to a fine surface finish. So, I can't wait to see canvas. It should be just as spectacularly craptacular.

[Mike]

Eric do you weld SS?  and polish? I have many people tell me im the only shaop that called them back or came out so I get the job I get price shopper to and I try to walk a line  to charge as much as I can to make a profit but not price myself out of the customer wallet in my area  and doing so  tend to judge my customer  if its a wealthy looking guy or if its a old fixed income or young family man. but if they go for a lower price well I hope the other guy needed the work but I don't want to work for fun of it .
some just don't know what this stuff cost,  I can understand that when I had to have a dock built when I moved to my new place I had no idea I thought maybe 20K

I ended up having a guy do it under my being the contractor for  price I and he could live with and luckily  did a great job
so some that call are shopping price and realize they cant afford it and buy a tarp for a cover or a cheap catalogue cover