Do you quote in person or over the phone? Why?

I do in person because most homes are on hilly land with minimal landscaping with lots of trees and bushes in the way.

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Unless the house is over 5k sq ft we do phone estimates.

I have created a ā€œnew customer informationā€ sheet that I use asking for the pertinent info:
how many floors?
Window type: Double Hung, Crank Out, Slide (and yes I often have to explain the difference)
Are they divided? true/false/rem grates?
Screens? want screens washed? Storms? (I usually ask about storms a few times during the phone call)
obstacles infront of windows? last time windows washed? (to give an idea of how filthy they might be)
how old are the screens?
how many sliders? skylights? do you want the front and back door done? do you want garage windows done?

I try to do that all a bit conversationally donā€™t want them to feel like they are taking a test.

And yes most people have no idea how many windows lol. Most will either walk thru their house and give it to me room by room or try to do that mentally.

Before even giving them my estimate I reinforce that this is based on the information they have provided, that when we come out the first thing we do is verify the estimate numbers, over counted we drop the price, under count we will talk to you about the change Before we start the work.

Raising a price once you are out there is tough but they know and agree ahead of time that the estimate is based on what they tell us.

Also i donā€™t just give the estimate, i reiterate that 'this estimate is based on 12 dh, 2 sliders etc then name the price.

This has worked out very well. We have expanded the information sheet since we first started to include some of the most over looked windows, I also think keeping things friendly and chatty helps.

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I always do my quotes in person. I am 99% residential. Every house varies so much in our area. I rather take the time to look at each job in person.

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We do estimates over the phone. Quotes are done in person or when we arrive on site to do the job. If the house is under 3500 sq. Ft or so then its not too hard to give an estimate. But it turns out that most people domt know how to count so explain where your pricing per window starts and give them an estimate with a price range and find all quote when you show up to do the job.

Can you call me, I have trying to get in touch with you. When I put your number in my phone I put an extra digit. Thanks

Itā€™s nice to quote in person, not so much to see the condition of the windows but more so to check out the condition of the mentality of the person whose house Iā€™ll be at for at least a couple of hours. Iā€™ve dodged some lunatics using the in-person method and bidding offensively high. The money spent on gas was well worth it.

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Likewise, seeing the job first-hand letā€™s you bid higher if itā€™s going to be a really involved job due to the level of cleaning involved. Also, as you say, some people have expectations for a cleaning job yet will only be willing to pay you a pittance.

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What things do you see that requires the higher price?

Itā€™s mostly just intuition that there may be an undesirable situation that could arise. I like to assess the situation in person. This past Spring, I was doing a bid and I could tell the lady was going to be really nit picky and I gave her a higher price and she replied the last guy did it for a ā€œbuck and a quarterā€, these are the people I just donā€™t want to clean windows for. I was so happy that I didnā€™t get the job.

If the job is close by, or on my way home from an upcoming job, Iā€™ll take a look in person.

Otherwise, I ask them to send pics of each side of their home, with a close-up of one or two windows. Since many new customers find us online, theyā€™re typically tech savvy enough to send a few pics by email or mms.

This has cut out 90% of the issues of bidding over the phone or trying to get to every quote in person.

How much do you add for a picky person?

Enough to make them gasp and walked me out. Whatever it takes.

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1 million dollars

In person for my self. Bidding over the phone/pictures has never worked out in my favor, so I do not those.

Iā€™ve done a variation of all mentioned above. Itā€™s difficult to pinpoint which scenario is the most effective for every potential customer; as there are so many different customer personalities, experiences, and budget types. Most want excellent quality, but at the lowest price in their budget. Basically they donā€™t want to feel like ā€œa suckerā€ (someone who pays a premium price for not that great quality and/or customer service. Make sure you cover your but by saying itā€™s a Ballpark Quote, and a true one would be done before the work.