Wasted quotes: how tradesmen can stop wasting time quoting

Wasted quotes are one of the biggest hidden costs in a trade business. You drive 40 minutes to look at a job, spend half an hour with the customer, write the quote that evening, and never hear from them again. Do that a few times a week and it adds up to a full day of unpaid work.

You’ll never get rid of wasted quotes completely, but you can cut them down a lot by finding out more before you go.

1. Talk about price before you visit

Most wasted visits come down to budget. The customer had $390 in mind and the job is $1,150, and neither of you knew until you were standing in the garden.

Giving a rough range up front fixes this. You can do it on the phone (“jobs like that are usually between $780 and $1,300”), or let customers do it themselves with an instant quote calculator on your website. People who still want a visit after seeing the range are far more likely to go ahead. Our guide to giving a ballpark price explains how to set the range.

2. Ask for photos

A couple of photos tell you most of what you need: the size of the job, access and what’s nearby. Ask for them on the phone, by WhatsApp, or as part of your enquiry form. For simple jobs you may be able to give a firm price from photos alone and skip the visit.

3. Ask the questions that change the price

Make a short list of the things that make the biggest difference to your price, and ask them every time. For a tree surgeon:

• What work do you need, and how many trees?
• Roughly how tall?
• Is it near a building, road or power lines?
• Can a vehicle get close, or is everything carried through the house?
• Do you want the waste taken away?

Asking the same questions every time also makes your quotes more consistent.

4. Group visits by area

If you quote in one town on Tuesday mornings and another on Thursday afternoons, you spend less time driving between visits. Letting customers book a visit from the times you offer makes this easier: you choose the slots, they pick the one that suits them.

5. Set a minimum charge, and say no politely

Some enquiries aren’t worth a visit: the job is too small, too far away, or not your kind of work. A minimum charge, stated up front, filters out very small requests. See call-out charges and minimum charges. For work you don’t do, a polite “that’s not one for us, but you could try…” saves everyone time.

6. Consider charging for detailed surveys

For big or complex jobs that need a long visit and a detailed write-up, some firms charge a survey fee, refunded if the customer goes ahead. We weigh up the options in should you charge for quotes?

The jobs you should still visit

Some jobs need eyes on them: anything near power lines, anything structural, anything where safety depends on what you find. Don’t let a form or a phone call talk you into a price you haven’t checked. The aim isn’t to stop visiting. It’s to only visit people who are likely to go ahead.

Know your numbers

Keep a simple count for a month: how many quotes you gave, how many went ahead, and how long each took. If fewer than a third turn into work, qualifying enquiries better will probably make a bigger difference than finding more leads.

Questions

How many quotes should turn into jobs?

It varies by trade and how you get your leads. More useful than a benchmark is your own trend: if the share of quotes that go ahead is rising, your qualifying is working.

Can I quote from photos alone?

For simple, low-risk jobs, often yes, as long as the customer understands the price assumes the job is as shown. For anything risky or complicated, visit first.

What should I say when a customer just wants a price “roughly”?

Give a range, explain what would move it up or down, and offer a visit to confirm. That answers their question without promising too much.