Table of Contents. STEP 1: First Contact - Receive Inwards Phone Call / Making Outwards Call returning their message STEP 2: Site visit...

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2 Table of Contents STEP 1: First Contact - Receive Inwards Phone Call / Making Outwards Call returning their message... 6 STEP 2: Site visit... 8 STEP 3: Send Quote STEP 4: Follow Up Quote...12 STEP 5: Ask for Referrals...13 Appendix 1.1 Incoming Phone Script...14 Appendix 1.2 Returning Their Inquiry Script from HI Pages, Website, Other...15 Appendix 1.3: New prospect checklist...16 Appendix 1.4 Information To Send...17 Appendix 2.1 Sample Questions for Site Visit...17 Appendix 2.2 Script For Quoting On The Spot...18 Appendix 2.3 Script for sending quote to them Appendix 3.1 Covering Letter Appendix 4.1 Follow Up Script...21 Appendix 4.2 Another visit...22 Appendix 4.3 Script for visit...22 Appendix 4.4 Objections / Stalls...23 Appendix 5.1 Script To Ask For Referrals...25 ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 2

3 INTRODUCTION A lot of Landscapers I talk to and work with tell me that they never have enough time, and when I dig a little deeper I find that one of the main reasons is that they spend a lot more time than they d like on quoting. They win fewer quotes than they need to and that means they have to spend more time doing more quotes. And I know that quotes can take from a few minutes up to a few weeks. Spending too much time on quotes takes you away from what you really want to do, get on with the work, then enjoy your time away from work. The sort of things I hear include ; They re just tyre kickers They waste my time Can t make up their mind They went for the cheapest quote They want more changes They re going to do it themselves I think I m just a price check Well, at last there s a way to change all that! What you are reading is a complete 5 Step How To Guide to show you, step by step, how to make sure you have a better than even chance of winning your quotes, AND, as a result spend less time quoting, AND more time on the job and enjoying your weekends and nights. What you re going to learn is 1 The importance of the first contact with a prospect. How to handle that first call, how to ask qualifying questions to make sure that you spend your time on real live prospects and NOT with tyre kickers. 2 How a successful site visit should go, how to build great rapport, the questions to ask to ensure you know exactly what they want done and WHY. 3 How to present your quote so that you absolutely stand out from the crowd and have a terrific chance of winning the job. For smaller jobs, that you can quote then and there how to ask for the job on the spot. ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 3

4 4 How to follow up with your prospect and what to say to progress their decision in your favour. 5 And lastly, how and when to ask for referrals from your customers so that you get the best leads available. After all, isn t referral business the best business? But let s get one thing out of the way quickly. The reason most Landscapers spend a lot of time on quotes is not because the prospect is difficult to deal with or wants everything for nothing etc etc. The reason is you. What I mean is, you see, you can t control how other people process and behave. You can only control what you do. As Jim Rohn says Don t wish live were easier, wish you were better When you have better skill and more knowledge, life gets easier.in practical terms that means you spend less time on quotes and win more, meaning more $$ in your business. This guide will give you better skill and more knowledge. A final point this guide is not about generating leads, it s about how to handle and convert those leads. Except for the last section on referrals, generating leads is a whole other subject. Also the guide is not about how to put the quote together technically, there is already lots of great software on the market that does that, and we recommend you get a package to help in that area. We can recommend a few if required. What follows are all the scripts, checklists, templates, letters you need to improve your sales skills and stand out from the rest. A word about price In my experience there is a general belief that all decisions are made on price. Whenever I am told that I respond with Great, so all we have to be is the lowest price to win the job to which I then get a whole host of reasons as to why they DON T want to be the lowest price and can give me examples where the lowest price didn t win anyway. Now I know that some people in this world will always pick the lowest price, AND, we don t necessarily want to work for them, as they also don t value quality, or the skills you and your team have built up over the years that you deserve to charge for. Studies have shown that most buying decisions are made EMOTIONALLY and backed up LOGICALLY. What this means is most people buy from people they know and trust. ie. Your relationship with them. And the bigger the job the stronger the relationship needs ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 4

5 to be. That s why building great rapport can be the difference between winning and losing the job. This guide is going to teach you HOW to build that winning relationship. You see, if the relationship between you and the prospect isn t what THEY want it to be, all they have to focus on is the price. It makes the job a commodity. And commodities are bought and sold on price. It s your job to build sufficient rapport so that they feel good about working with you, show them why you re different from the rest AND the right people for this job. Now as good as we are going to help you become, I d like to add that your price can t be out of this world, there are limits on everything! Let s go. ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 5

6 1 STEP First Contact - Receive Inwards Phone Call / Making Outwards Call returning their message Preamble Answering the phone / First Impression As a sale can be won or lost at Hello, it s important for the phone to be answered correctly and the first impression of you and your business is a positive one. It might not seem a big deal, but correctly answering the phone sets the tone for the entire conversation, and can determine whether you progress to the next stage of the sale or not. People won t buy when they feel there is too much risk, so giving them a great first impression is a terrific start to eliminating the risk of buying from you. The same principles apply if you are returning their call or a website or other lead. The prospect hearing a professionally sounding and acting person at the other end of the phone goes a long way to progressing the sale. Content of the call This first contact is also a great time to take charge of the process. I don t mean for you to behave like a tyrant. What I mean is for you to help them through the process of buying from you. After all, they have some sort of need for what you do, however, you are the expert in your field, and you know what you both need to do for them to be happy at some stage to buy from you. On that call you ll ask for the information that will allow you to decide whether this person is genuine, you are potentially a fit for each other, it is the sort of work you do, and worth your time in the quoting process. The answers to these questions will determine the best way to handle the lead. ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 6

7 See Appendix 1.1 and 1.2 Options will include : Hot lead see them ASAP Good lead job of a size requiring a site visit Good lead job a bit smaller not requiring a site visit, send plans or drawings at this stage Good lead but not ready for any action on your part offer to send them some information, stay in touch, and talk again when appropriate Not for you / they don t sound genuine politely decline the job See Appendix 1.3 ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 7

8 2 STEP Site visit Preamble Most quotes will need a site visit. The purpose of the visit is not only to meet the decision makers, look at the job, measure up, get a feel for the site, neighbours, access, decide whether you can do the job and want to proceed etc, it s also to continue to build the relationship that will make you stand out and win the job. It s important for the visit to go well with you leading the way. And the best way to continue to build rapport and to find out important information is by asking good questions about the technical work involved and questions of an emotional nature. Remember, most buying decisions are made emotionally and backed up logically. To make a success of the visit : Call the day before to confirm that all the decision makers will be present and that you re looking forward to meeting them Arrive 5 minutes early, never be late (this shows you are professional and are focused on them) Dress appropriately Carry minimal baggage. If you walk in with a bag full of stuff they think you re about to unload a sales pitch on them Find something to complement them somehow, it s a great way to start, and make them feel at ease Ask questions that are not oriented to the job. Build the relationship, genuinely. Ask them how long they ve lived here, what they like about the area, ask about a photo or pick a feature of the house to talk about. After this period of relationship building it s time to discuss the job. Again, continue to build rapport by asking good questions, not only about the job, but about WHY they want it. ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 8

9 Also discuss the process, any plans etc. You should know this from your phone call, but a good idea to reiterate what has to be done, people forget quite easily. And, of course, if it s a job for you, you want it at the best time for you, so help them do that. Let Me Explain How We Do Things This part is very important, it shows how you do business and helps the prospect get comfortable that you guys have thought of everything. It builds the relationship more. First we do what we re doing here, having a good look over the site / yard / deck / etc and finding out what is really important to you so we make sure we cover that properly. You would have seen from the photos on our website that we ve done many projects like yours before, so rest assured, we know what we re doing. Then we put a comprehensive quote with investment together, and finally, we ll go over it with you to make sure we ve covered everything and answer any questions you might have. Each job is run by either myself or Joe, my Foremen. I talk to Joe on a regular basis and will be kept up to date with everything that s happening on your house. Does that all make sense to you. Any questions at this stage? ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 9

10 3 STEP Send Quote Preamble The next step in the process is to prepare and send the quote. It s important that the quote be prepared and sent in the timeframe that you gave the prospect and in a professional way and manner to further enhance your relationship with them. Remember, the better you look, the more competent and professional you appear to them, the greater the chances that you win the work. No matter what size of job you are quoting, the quote should always have a covering letter. This is a vital step that I see is a major missing piece with most quotes, and is something that will really make you stand out from the crowd. The purpose of the covering letter is for the prospect to understand that you have really listened to them and incorporated in the quote everything that they said was important to them. They will be saying to themselves, subconsciously, this guy gets me. Your relationship is strengthened. It also gives you a chance to highlight anything you feel is necessary for them to know and understand. Even those quotes that you hand deliver need the covering letter. They need something to refer to after you ve been to present it as they probably won t remember everything that you ve said. , mail or deliver? This is a good question and I believe that answer is that it depends on the size of the quote and your feel for the situation. Smaller quotes can be ed and followed up with a phone call whereas larger quotes need to be delivered first and a meeting booked where the quote can be presented by you so that your prospect understands what you feel they need to understand to make the best decision. What is the definition of small and large is up to you. I asked one Landscaper I worked with this question and without hesitation he said $50,000. It will be different for you depending on what it is you do and the size of the job, location etc. ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 10

11 Quote Preparation It is not the intention of this guide to show you how to prepare the actual quote. There are plenty of software packages on the market that help you prepare great looking quotes. In my opinion that is not where most jobs are won and lost, as we ve been discussing so far it s more about the relationship that you ve developed that determines a win. Having said that, as I said before, your price can t be out of this world, there is a market price for everything, and whilst I want you to be near the top, there is a point that you can t go past. I do have an opinion on a few elements of the quote. I believe that a prospect needs just enough information to enable them to make a decision or ask good questions. What I mean is I m a fan of less is more. For the details of your quote give them more of a summary than a line by line statement of everything you re going to do and all the material you re going to use. This is for several reasons. Firstly, their focus is on the end result, NOT the size and shape of all the material. Secondly if there are to be changes made, for example, trim a few items to meet a budget, it s better if that s left up to you, not them. Remember, you are the expert, and know what can be trimmed or adjusted without having an impact on other parts of the job. If they have too much detail they ll think they can chop out sections and save some money. I also think that the delivered quote should not be a voluminous document with all your Terms and Conditions etc. Too much detail just gets in the way of the sale. Get them to a point where you agree to work together and then go through the Tc & Cs etc with the signed contract. At the quote stage just tell them the sort of contract you use, that it s an industry standard one so we don t frighten them, and that you ll go through it later. What Else to Send Even though we want to keep the paperwork down to a manageable size, it s always good to send them information relevant to their project. So with the quote and covering letter it doesn t hurt to make sure they have details of past jobs you ve done that are similar to theirs. More social proof that you guys are good and the best business for them. That may mean a written testimonial, a case study of a past project or remind them to go to your website and have a look at a certain job. See Appendix 3.1 ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 11

12 4 STEP Follow Up Quote Preamble It s vital to follow up your quotes in a professional and timely manner. I m still amazed at how many quotes are not followed up for a week or more and some Landscapers tell me that they don t follow them up at all! I ve seen quotes accepted merely because the person who called was the only one to follow up. The prospect felt comfortable with that builder due to their professional approach and gave them the work. Your follow up will be determined by the size of the job and your understanding of the way the prospect will make their decision. This information would have been found out on your previous conversations. For smaller quotes that are ed and don t require any further visits I suggest a call the following day to confirm that they have received it and ask them what their next step is. This call is only a short one, however, I ve seen situations when the quote was ed and went to junk mail, or was not received for some reason, so this can be a very important call. For quotes that will be hand delivered I suggest a call when it s ready to confirm the delivery day and time for the visit to run through. One item that s covered at the follow up stage is if they have received multiple quotes. All quotes generally will not look alike so the prospects are not comparing apples and apples and will probably need some assistance to understand them all. Without understanding them properly they have a tendency to go for the lowest price. As a rule, I don t want you to be the lowest quote, they often don t make any money other than wages. Therefore following up to ask whether they understand everything is very important. Also, you are not being a pest, not if you follow up in a nice, polite and professional way. After all, we want to help them make the best decision, and who could refuse some help doing that. If you rang them every day though, that would become annoying. See Appendix 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 12

13 5 STEP Ask for Referrals Preamble A great way to increase your chances of getting the sale is to be referred by someone who has already benefitted from your services. There are 2 types of referrals, passive and active, let me explain : Passive is what is generally referred to as Word Of Mouth. That s when someone contacts you without any involvement from you. That s great when it happens, and a lot of businesses rely heavily on this type of lead. Active we can increase the number of referrals received by asking clients who else they know might be in the market for what you do. Now for a planned purchase like landscaping is a little easier to do. They put the thinking cap on and come up with a friend or colleague that has said something about it. Best to have a few cards, magnets etc to give clients so they can hand them out when appropriate. To generate active referrals, you have to ASK for them. It s important to ask at the right time. I suggest that is when they are most in love with you or what you have done for them. For a Landscaper that might be at the start of the job or it might be at the end. When you think about past customers you ll come up with the answer for your business. Why do customers give passive referrals and how can we generate more of them? They must feel comfortable with you and your employees. That means you all behaved in a manner that they liked. Turned up on time or called ahead, dressed appropriately, cleaned up, spoke to them with respect, explained the fix etc. See Appendix 5.1 ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 13

14 APPENDIX 1.1 INCOMING PHONE SCRIPT This is a suggested script to use when talking to a domestic prospect for the first time. Smile before answering the phone John: Good morning / afternoon, thanks for calling XYZ Landscaping, this is John. Fred: Hi John, this is Fred Smith, and I m enquiring about some landscaping and a new BBQ area John: Hi Fred, thanks for calling, just so I can help you best, would it be OK if I Fred: Sure asked you a few questions? John: Exactly what do you want done? Fred: We want to renovate the backyard and add a BBQ area for entertaining John: Thanks Fred, and can I just ask why do you want to renovate? Fred: Sure. We ve lived here now for 5 years and it s time to finish the backyard. John: And when do you want it done? Fred: In the next few months John: And Fred, have you got plans drawn up yet? Fred: Answer John: And have your plans been lodged with Council? Is your DA approved yet? Are you using a private certifier? I ll need to get a copy of the plans. Fred: Answer. John: And Fred, are you talking with other Landscapers? How many? Fred: Answer John: And Fred can you give me just a rough idea of your budget, so that I can assess if we re the right people for you to be talking to? Fred: Answer (sometimes they don t want to give it out, so you will have to give them a little more information as to why you need to understand even what the ballpark is, SO you don t potentially waste their time AND yours) John: Do you have any finance lined up yet? Fred: Answer ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 14

15 John: Fred, based on what you ve told me I think I can help you. The next step would be for us to arrange a site visit so I can get a look at your house and yard and find out in more detail what you re after. Do you have your diary with you? (OR. Fred, from what you ve told me I don t think we re the guys for you. If you like I can give you the names of a few people I think would be more appropriate.) (Book a day and time that suits both of you.) John: And Fred, will your wife / husband / partner be involved in the process? Fred: Yes, my wife will be involved John: Great, we better make a time that suits you both, don t want to leave her out. (Ensure the time booked means all decision makers will be there.) John: Fred, thanks for your time and I m looking forward to meeting you on July 7. So that you know a little more about us before we meet I d like to send you some information. What s your best address? Fred: Answer John: Thanks, I ll send that later today and see you shortly. APPENDIX 1.2 RETURNING THEIR INQUIRY SCRIPT FROM HI PAGES, WEBSITE, OTHER This is a suggested script to use when returning the first call from a domestic prospect. John: Hi Fred, this is John from XYZ Landscaping, have I caught you at a good time? Fred: Yes John: Great, you made an enquiry via our website / HI Pages / recently. Fred: Yes Is that right? John: Good, well thanks for the enquiry, just so I can help you best, would it be OK if I asked you a couple of questions? (From there you use the same script as above, ask all your questions to find out if this is something you want to pursue, or it s not for you.) ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 15

16 APPENDIX 1.3: NEW PROSPECT CHECKLIST How did you find us: Date: Name: Address: Phone Number: Start Date: Decision Maker/s: Quote Needed by: Work to be Done: Why: DA lodged: Status of Plans: When/What: Budget: Finance lined Up: Have built before: Other Builders Quoting: Action: Sending Plans: Site Visit: Preliminary Budget price: ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 16

17 APPENDIX 1.4 INFORMATION TO SEND After the first phone conversation you need to now send the prospect some information about you and your work. If you have a website, and they ve had a look at it already, excellent. I still suggest you include the link as after the conversation with you they may look at it a different way, or have another look at something you may have discussed. The information is probably best sent via , it s sure to be received instantly that way, and contain links to your website, LInkedIn, Facebook etc. I suggest something like this : Hi Fred, Thanks for your time on the phone today, great to discuss what you need done to the backyard. Confirming that we ll be meeting at 10AM Tuesday July 7 at your place to discuss your project further. Just so you know a little more about us before we meet here s a link to our website and Facebook page. Please have a look at some of the work we ve completed. They may give you some ideas. Regards Website link Facebook link Linkedin link If you don t have a website you must create a 1 pager that tells a prospect all about you and have testimonials from happy customers and a few photos of completed work. Send them the as above BUT attach the testimonials, page about you and a few photos. APPENDIX 2.1 SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR SITE VISIT List of questions to ask at the visit. Examples of Rapport building questions How long have you lived here? What do you like most about your yard now? ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 17

18 That s a nice, where did you get it? What s the best aspect / which way is north? Examples of emotional questions What are you looking to change now? And why is that? What makes you want to make this change? And how are you going to use it? And who will be using it? What are you going to do with your new? And when did you want it finished by? Technical questions All the questions you ve been already asking now And you told me that your budget is around $, is that right? APPENDIX 2.2 SCRIPT FOR QUOTING ON THE SPOT For those that can quote on the spot, here is a script that closes and gives you the best chance to get a Yes right now. It is assumed that : All decision makers are present You can quote accurately for the job You have put the quote together either using a software package, your Quote book or something else There are no others following you to quote John: Fred, thanks again for giving us the opportunity to quote on this work for you. Due to the size and nature of it, I m able to give you the quote right now. Based on what you ve told me, I ve allowed for : Material Stone ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 18

19 We can start in 3 days It will only take us days You ll be enjoying your new very shortly John: Have I got that all correct? Fred: Excellent. John: We can do that for an investment of $7,800. Fred, how does that fit with what you had in mind? (Now you MUST wait for their response, they MUST be the next to speak. You have no idea what s going on in their head) You get the go ahead something like this : Fred: Looks good to me. Yes, that sounds about right John: Excellent Fred. Can I now explain what we need to do to get things moving? Fill out the paperwork, if any Agree dates Take the deposit by saying something like Fred, in accordance with our standard practice we need to take a 10% deposit. How do you normally pay these sort of things? You get an objection (or stall): Listen carefully to what they say, don t think halfway through them talking you know what it is. The sort of things you might hear are: That s a little higher than we were thinking We ve got a cheaper quote I d like to think it over We have 2 more quotes being prepared and I don t want to make a decision until we get them all in There is a guide as to how to handle objections in Appendix 4.4. See Appendix 4.4 ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 19

20 APPENDIX 2.3 SCRIPT FOR SENDING QUOTE TO THEM Here is a suggested short script to use to position your prospect with what happens next. John: Fred, thanks for your time today, great to meet you and see what you want done first hand. I can see you re going to enjoy your new when it s complete. What I m going to do is go away and put the quote together, it will take me about days / weeks so I make sure I do a thorough job for you. If it s OK with you I ll give you a call when it s ready and I ll deliver it and go through it with you just to make sure you understand everything. Is that all right with you? Fred: Yes John: Thanks for your time and I ll see you soon. Oh, by the way, is it OK if I call you Fred: Sure. should I need to clarify anything? John: Thanks, bye for now. APPENDIX 3.1 COVERING LETTER Here s an example of a covering that would go in front of the details of the job. This is one of the most important items in this guide. Dear Mr & Mrs Smith Thanks for your time last Thursday, it was great to meet you both and see your beautiful home. Thanks also for allowing us to give you a plan for renewing your backyard and the investment required. I ve put together the quote for your new extension. Based on what you told me when we met we have made sure we have included : BBQ area with gazebo New retaining walls to separate the levels Crushed stone for the path (Whatever else you noted that they said was important to them) ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 20

21 Confirming also we will be : Able to start on the 17th of the month We will keep the disruption to you to a minimum We should be finished within 4 weeks subject to weather (Whatever else you think they should be aware of) Your investment will be $117,500. This is a fixed price, except for the items marked PC, such as certain fittings that you are yet to decide upon, and will only change if you make changes. Mr & Mrs Smith, once again, thanks for this opportunity, we know how much you are going to enjoy your new yard and BBQ area when it s complete. I can picture you and your friends standing around the BBQ area enjoying a cold drink. All we need to make a start is for you to authorise the duplicate copy and send back to us, however, I ll give you a call in a few days to answer any questions you may have. Yours sincerely, John North XYZ Landscaping APPENDIX 4.1 FOLLOW UP SCRIPT Here s a sample script for a follow up for a smaller job that doesn t require another visit. John: Hi Fred, it s John North here, how are you? Fred: Great thanks John: Fred, I m just calling to confirm that you received the quote I ed you yesterday. Have you got it? Fred: Yes, I have John: Excellent, what I also wanted to do Fred, is just run you through a few items just to make sure that you understand everything that s in it and that we ve included everything you wanted, is that OK? Fred: Sure ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 21

22 John: Thanks, so you see on page 2 that we ve made sure and we ve included the and we ll only take 10 days. And Fred, you would have seen that your investment will be only $7,250. So, could I just ask Fred, have we covered everything? Fred: I think so John: Good, so when would you like us to make a start? APPENDIX 4.2 ANOTHER VISIT Here is a suggested script for booking in another visit with your prospect, generally for larger jobs. John: Hi Fred, it s John North here, just wanted to let you know that the quote for your new backyard is ready to send to you, and I d like to book in a time that suits you guys to come around and run through it to make sure you understand what we ve done and confirm that we ve included everything that we discussed last time. I can come over either next Monday or Thursday. Which one suits you guys best? Agree the best time when all decision makers will be there. John: Excellent, see you on Thursday. Now I ll just send you the quote so you can go over it before we meet. APPENDIX 4.3 SCRIPT FOR VISIT Here is a suggested script for the discussing your quote with your prospect face to face After the pleasantries and small talk. (Which continues to build the relationship) John: Fred, first off, have you guys had time to have a look at the quote yet? Fred: Yes John: And what questions do you have at this stage? (Answer them) John: Is it OK if I just explain a few things about the quote? Fred: Yes ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 22

23 John: Thanks. As you ll see we quoted on a. It s going to be and. From what you told us we ve made sure we ve included and, and as you ve seen we have plenty of experience with this type of work. John: Does that all make sense to you? Fred: Yes John: Do you have any more questions Fred? Fred: No Or Fred: Yes, have you allowed for? You then explain John: Good, we must ve covered everything then. You ll see that your investment will be $. So, Fred, does that all fit what you want to do then? Fred: Yes, (Your best closing line here) John: Great, so when would you like us to start? / Shall I explain what happens now? APPENDIX 4.4 OBJECTIONS / STALLS If a prospect is not interested in your quote, or you, they won t generally say much other than Thanks, we ll get back to you. When they say something like the list below, that generally means they are interested, BUT, there s something missing. They need something clarified or more information about something. In other words, you haven t given them everything they need to say YES. Now, when that happens, you just need to find out what it is that they need to know to make their decision. Your key objective here is to use all that rapport you ve built and try to have a person to person conversation. A word of caution : NEVER assume you know what their problem is. Ask them questions around what they ve said and LISTEN carefully to the answers. Build a conversation around them. What they say might surprise you. ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 23

24 List of Objections You Might Hear The price is too high We can t afford that We have others to see We re not ready to go ahead We d like to think about it We have a cheaper price The Price is Too High Yes, I can understand that might seem a bit high to you. About how much too high is it? We Can t Afford That (You should have some idea of their budget before you put the quote together, if for no other reason that if it is not something they can afford, you have wasted your time.) Yes, I can understand that. Building what you ve told me you want to the quality that you want isn t cheap. About how much over your budget is it? We Have Others To See Again you should not be in this position. It should have come out in previous discussions that several people were quoting and at the time of booking this meeting you should have ensured that you go last. John: That s fine, I know you have others quoting as well. Could I ask when are you seeing them? Fred: Tomorrow. John: Good, and could I ask have we covered everything such that you understand what we ve priced and why? Fred: Yes, I think so John: Good, Fred, could I just ask one more thing. As all quotes will vary in content, layout etc could I ask you to have a conversation with me after you ve got all the quotes in before you make your decision? ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 24

25 We d Like To Think About It This is the kiss of death, and is generally a polite way of saying no thanks. In all my years of experience I have never worked with anyone who said this. They actually have objections or questions that are unanswered but are not going to go there for some reason. The best way to handle this situation is to get them to open up on what they want to think about, after all, what better chance to answer their questions than right here and right now. They will not call you to ask. So, Fred, I assume you re not saying that just to get rid of me. Could I ask what it is that you d like to think over? Is it the size, the colour, the, or could it be the price? They should then tell you it s one of those, often it will be the price. We Have A Cheaper Price I m sure you have. Remember that we told you we won t be the cheapest price. You see in my experience it s pretty hard to get the best quality, the best service and cheapest price. Would it be OK with you if we have a look at the 2 quotes together and see where and why they are different? APPENDIX 5.1 SCRIPT TO ASK FOR REFERRALS First Ask Mrs Smith, I m glad you re happy with your new deck. We re always on the lookout for great customers like yourself to serve. Can I just ask you, who else do you know that might want some landscaping work done as well? (Off the top of their head, they ll probably say something like no-one comes to mind. That s OK, could I ask you to put the thinking cap on over the next few days and have a think about your friends, family, Mothers group, tennis group, etc (whatever they do that you know of). ALL THAT TIME SPENT QUOTING 25