Should you Quote before you start? | 59

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Transcript

Put your tool bag back in the van. Grab your calculator. We’re not starting.

Welcome to Simplified Sparky Marketing.

Today, I want to talk about why you should always quote upfront—no exceptions. This came up recently after a post I made on Instagram, which got a lot of traction and questions. So, I figured I’d dive deeper into it here.

Let me give you some context.

There was a lady I did a lot of work for in her apartment—probably two or three jobs over the years. She ended up referring me to her father. He called up and spoke to the receptionist, who took down the job details and requested photos. But he said, "Ah, don’t worry about the photos—just come out and do the work."

Straight away, I thought, No. I’m not f**ing doing that.* I knew this could easily go sideways.

The receptionist emailed me saying that he just wanted us to come out and do the work, no quote needed. But I stuck to my guns. I looked over the scope of work, which was basic stuff—replacing a few power points and a smoke alarm. I already had bundle pricing set up for these things, so I cranked out the quote in just a few minutes and sent it across.

He replied back: "Don’t worry about it. You’re far too expensive."

And I knew this would happen. It’s always the people who say, "Just come out and do it," who kick off about the price later. They don’t see the business overheads, the cost of operations, wages, GST, tax—none of it. They just think, "It’s a power point. It’ll take two minutes. What’s the big deal?"

So I stuck to my guns, didn’t take the job, and thought that was the end of it.

But two months later, he called back and asked if we could still do the job. The receptionist checked with me, and I was hesitant. I really didn’t want to deal with him after he’d already said no. But since the quote was already in place, I agreed to go ahead.

When I got there, I knew it was going to be one of those jobs. He’d already set up a ladder and had a battery ready for the smoke alarm, like he was trying to cut costs wherever possible. He was just standoffish and odd—you know the type, where you can just feel the tension in the air.

At one point, he wanted to replace a power point for a range hood that had obviously been gone for a while, probably damaged by cooking heat. I had a power point ready to go, but he said, "Would it be cheaper to just blank that off?"

I knew it would actually take me more time to put a blank plate on because I’d have to go back to the truck, grab it, and get the connectors. It would have been quicker and easier to just put the power point on. But he was so focused on cutting costs that it just wasn’t worth arguing.

This experience was a perfect reminder of why I always quote upfront, even if it’s an existing client.

There’s one exception I’ll make, though. If you’ve got bundle pricing in place and it’s clear on the invoice, and a client asks to add something—like a couple more downlights—you can just add the extra cost without a new quote. As long as it’s transparent, there’s no issue.

But as a general rule, always quote upfront. It eliminates arguments, prevents sticker shock, and makes it clear what the cost will be. You’re not stuck arguing with clients who think it’s just a quick, cheap job.

So if you’re not quoting upfront, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. Even if it seems like a small job, always quote and protect yourself.

If you want more insights like this to help your electrical business, check the links in the description. You’re leaving money on the table if you’re not making use of these resources.

Catch you next time.