TreeSurgery.com

Tree surgery is a competitive business and one of the way of getting more business than your competitors is to give a good and professional first impression. That is why it is very important to take a professional approach to win a potential job.

TreeSurgery.com has compiled a list of 10 top tips on Quoting for a Job:

1. Quoting is a customer relations exercise. This means you need   be polite, courteous and professional.
2. A site visit is essential as this gives you a clear understanding of the specifics of the job and the quote you are giving. Mark the trees that need to be felled or worked on. The last thing a tree surgeon wants to do is fell the wrong tree.
3. If you can, get the details of the customer’s request on paper. If everything is documented, both you and your customer have an accurate record.
4. Quote for everything. Be clear on all the specifics of the customer’s requirements and if you don’t understand exactly what is required, talk to your customer until you do. Give the customer an idea of what the ground and area in question will look like when you leave. Quantify any hidden costs such as hire fees for stump grinders or charges to the council for traffic controls. It’s far better to be up front and detailed in your quote before the job starts.
5. Don’t rush your quote. You need to make sure you make a profit on every job so don’t quote beyond your means to deliver, both financially and in terms of timeframes.
6. Make sure you look for any overhead costs you might incur when fulfilling any order. Factor in costs such as chainsaw repair and maintenance, postage charges, petrol and fuel and even the value of the time spent by you, or your staff in preparing for the job.
7. Keep accurate and detailed records of the time you spend on various tasks. It might seem like a hassle at first, but quickly becomes part of your normal routine. The information is invaluable for subsequent quotes and budgeting work.
8. When working out the amount of time required for a job, don’t guess. Refer to precedents, or earlier comparable jobs. Other people’s past work can act as precedents just as easily as your own. Given that the timescale do complete tree surgery work can be weather dependent, it is always best to give a proviso for this.
9. In some cases it’s appropriate to give your customers different options, such as a flat fee or an hourly rate. Make sure a flat fee option states very clearly the scope of the work and allows you plenty of time. Tree surgeons often get caught by clients who have a tendency to keep adding little bits here and there in their garden. We always recommend that tree surgeons keep a bit of extra time up their sleeves for this.

N.B. If in doubt about how much time to allow for a job, remember that most people overestimate how much they can get done in a day. Think of how many times something has taken much longer than you expected. Always be realistic.

Once a customer accepts your quote, there’s a binding legal contract. Even more importantly, your quote is a promise and a guarantee to someone. As people learn they can rely on you, they’ll do more business with you.

Never quote unless you’re certain you can deliver to the customer’s satisfaction. Always ensure that the price you quote is sufficient to get the job done and make you a profit.

Presume nothing. Remember that you’re a person and you’re dealing with people and people make mistakes.

Make sure you’re very clear on the customer’s exact requirements. Make sure the customer is very clear on what you're offering to provide.