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Permalink Reply by phil smith yewtreelandscapes.com on April 3, 2012 at 20:31

when i do my quotations all on headed paper, i either take them around as soon as i have done them if the job is local or email them, never try to contact the customer for an answer (looks as tho you are desperate for work)

usually go to look at protential jobs either after work through the week or saturday mornings, i allways have saturday afternoons and sundays off

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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Dan Frazer Gardening on April 3, 2012 at 21:09

I will quote within the few working days after contact is made. I generally quote while out doing the rounds and wait until I am passing the site to cut down on mileage. Once I have visited I tend to send an email or written quote which will include a potential start date for the work. I leave this with the client to make their own mind up.

Some quote requests I won't do such as messy garden clearances. I also try to find out some specifics while the client is on the phone or with an email or two just so I know exactly what their intentions are, how often they want a visit, why they want a gardener (has a previous gardener been sacked etc). I use these bits of information to decide if I can offer a service or not.

Many clients are not home when I quote, and as I work largely for younger, working family type people, communication is often done by email and payment done online. I have clients I have never met before but this is not a problem.

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Permalink Reply by Jez Wardman on April 3, 2012 at 21:49

I think it is important to contact the client as soon as possible after you pick up their message and then arrange a convenient time in the next few days. If possible I will go as soon as convenient but not always just depends where it is and when I will be nearby. Last week I was able to do one quote within about ten minutes of receiving the message as was literally driving past the end of his street at the time and had everything signed up straight away. I use A4 NCR quote pads so can always give a written quote on the spot even if means sitting in the van for ten minutes to write it out this gives us both a comets written record and has all the terms and conditions listed on the reverse. Every single quote goes in writing even small extra jobs for regulars partly because my memory is so bad and also from experience can guarantee the one not in writing will cause problems later. I never do absent quotes when the client is not there unless can contact th on the phone while I am on site I find leaving a quote without talking to the client a complete waste of time as they very rarely get accepted

I don't tend to follow up quotes and can usually tell if they are going to be accepted at the time. As soon as you hear the words " I will just check with my husband/ wife and get back to you" I know it is a wate of time and I will never hear from them again. I do get annoyed when I take time and trouble to give a quote and.they're too rude to even give you an answer. 

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Permalink Reply by Thermo on April 3, 2012 at 22:02

i try to get back to a client within the day if they phone with an initial contact, and then get to them as soon as i can, but as most of the work we do is larger landscape jobs itcan be anything up to a week before i can actually get to them, especially at this time of year. most clients are fine with that. I try to turn around the written quote as soon as possible and tend to rely more on email than royal mail. I never give  a quote on the spot even when asked. all quotes are in writing with all the terms and conditions. I tend not to bother customers once theyve got the quote, i normally follow up with an email after a month for any feedback. SOme people can take an inordinate amount of time to make up their minds. Ive learnt to be patient and leave it to them to come back to me.

 It really does annoy me when people dont have the manners to give a reply. It annoys me even more when they use someone else, and you see the work, and theyve quoted on something completly different, so its not a level playing field

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Permalink Reply by David Benson on April 3, 2012 at 22:53

i try and get back to people as soon as i receive the message and arrange a convenient time for both  to meet and try and get a written estimate to them within a week. if i do not hear from them i do not chase it up. on a couple of times i have had people come back to me after nearly a year but i tell them i will have to re quote as the price of materials have gone up

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Permalink Reply by Simon Smith on April 3, 2012 at 23:04

Likewise a lot of my work is larger landscaping jobs which are a bit more involved. I try to phone people back at lunch or that evening to arrange a time to call sometime in that week. I then endevour to get a quote with site plan, price t&c's etc to them within the week. I always hand deliver them and never chase them up. I had one recently where they came back to me 5 months later. 

For small garden tidy up type jobs time is of the essence more so. I had one recently where a lady rang on a wednesday and said go have a look at the house we rent out tenants didn't keep the garden so it needs a good tidy up etc, i said i'm really busy so won't be able to look at it til saturday morning. She replied no problem its no hurry new tenants aren't in for 3 weeks. Looked at it sat morning it had obviously been done so I rang to discuss, she replied quite angrily oh we got it done by someone else and hung up?

Some people are bonkers.

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Brewster on April 4, 2012 at 13:45

It's the same old thing why are people happy to wait for a builder sometimes a year but when it comes to the garden it has to be done in the next three hours. They look at you gone out if there is a waiting time of any longer than a week let alone months like many of us are.

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Permalink Reply by Thermo on April 4, 2012 at 19:35

ahh the big yellow ball thing in the sky...ahh daffodils, quick must get the garden done for the summer....what do you mean youre already booked up 3 months in advance, how can you run a business like that!

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