How to say No?

trianglehomedeck

New member
My company is fairly young, but fortunately I have gotten to the point where I have steady work. My biggest challenge now is maximizing my time and not wasting important hours. For example:

- Person calls from 50 mins away with a 10x12 deck and really wants you to come take a look at it because "we want you to see it and just figure out how much this will cost."
- Someone calls with a painted deck and you realize a couple of seconds into the conversation they are not going to pay $2,750 for it to be restored properly, but they are very nice and want to meet you to go over their project.

I know there are many things an unprofessional contractor would do here, but as a professional who lives off a good reputation and honest communication, how do you handle these situations, and how do you graciously say no?

I have heard guys tell me they have received bad reviews for not returning calls or declining to go do estimates. So just trying to figure this out. Thanks,

Richard
 
These are good questions. I just try to give a phone estimate, usually high to be on the safe side, then I say "If that's in your budget I'd be happy to send my estimator by to get you a firm price and discuss details. If it's not in the budget we'll kindly decline the trip out since I'm fairly sure it won't be much lower than that price." If I'm pretty confident in my price I tell them they can discuss any details with the cleaning technicians when they arrive to do the job.
 
It is important to set a geographical area so that when someone asks for an estimate you can say whether or not you serve that area. If there is a "gray" area then you can always ask what needs to be done and tell people you will possibly make an exception. When it comes to the work you do you should set minimums and ask that during the initial call so you don't waste your time. Also, we have had people give us bad reviews for not calling back. Mistakes can be made and sometimes things can fall through the cracks. We had someone in our office who was having issues and realized some calls were not being made so we caught it pretty quick. One person went on Angie's List and blasted us for not returning their call. If they would have taken the time to make a second call it would have been shorter than their response online. At the end of the day it was our fault so you have to accept it but seems rough these days when you do not even talk to someone nor do work for them and get a bad review. I always find honesty and being up front from the beginning with a customer goes a long way. Another option might be to know a "handyman" who may take on smaller jobs that you could partner up with for referrals, just a thought!
 
If its a geographical issue, just be polite and refuse, or i just give them my competitors name in that area, and they, my competition, does the same. For me though 50 minutes, 50 miles, is not far. I live in a very rural area. Today most people can take 5 or six pictures on their phone and send them real quick.
 
Thanks for the responses. I guess I am a little hesitant to go the route of asking for pictures of the deck and quoting from that, even though I really think it would be helpful sometimes. A lot of times there are many things that do not come across in pictures (and thus you can get burned once you get the job), and I am not sure if asking for pictures is what a professional company should do. But something has got to give so I agree with the advice. Thanks
 
Nothing wrong with asking for pictures but I personally will not do a job regarding restoration that we have not physically seen with in our geographic boundaries. I have given estimates based off of pictures and dimensions that were outside of our geographic boundaries but the language in the proposal covers our butts if there is an issue.
 
Find out what your average job was during you busy time of year last year. Last years average is this years minimum. Works the first few years. If you add workers have different internal minimums, it's more to have you show up than the other crew.

It weeds out a lot of calls also.

my 2 cents

Good Luck
 
Charge them for your time to go look at it, and if they choose to accept your bid, that charge is credited on the bid.

Also please fill out your signature.

https://www.cleanandgreensolutions.com

I have done that before and it worked out well for both of us. I think it was $150.00 I brought a small machine and two pump ups with hydroxide and oxalic. .
 
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Thanks for the responses. I guess I am a little hesitant to go the route of asking for pictures of the deck and quoting from that, even though I really think it would be helpful sometimes. A lot of times there are many things that do not come across in pictures (and thus you can get burned once you get the job), and I am not sure if asking for pictures is what a professional company should do. But something has got to give so I agree with the advice. Thanks

I don't sweat the picture thing, I have had many people ask me if it was easier if they send some.
 
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