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Field Estimates vs Office Estimates |
When should I do instant field estimates? With a laptop and portable printer, you can use Goldenseal estimating software to create on-the-spot field estimates for your customers or clients. However, there are some risks to estimating too quickly. For many projects, you may be better off to wait, and finish estimates at your office. When to Give Field Estimates Give field estimates in any of the following cases:
For very simple field estimates, you can use a simple Category breakdown (or no breakdown), and just use Goldenseal estimating software as a way to type up a simple project description, and then print it for the customer. For more complex field estimates, use an estimating template and an Items breakdown, and use unit costs to calculate and specify the project cost. NOTE-- You might want to make sure that your markup amounts are not visible to the client, if you don't want them to see it accidentally. When to Give Office Estimates Just because you can give quick, same-day field estimates doesn't mean that you should. Here are some cases when you'd be better off waiting, and preparing (or finishing) an estimate in your office:
It's often very helpful to have some quiet, uninterrupted time to work on estimates-- something you probably can't get if doing an estimate in the field. You may notice something, or think of something, that will save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Especially for larger projects, it can also be very useful to have a "courtship" where you get to know the clients better, before committing to doing a project for them. Spreading the estimating process out over a week or two helps you to learn more about the clients before you start a financial relationship with them. You'll have more chance to see their good side and/or bad side, which will give you a better idea of how the project will probably go. If communications don't work well during the estimating process, you may want to add a "difficult client" percentage, or skip the project altogether! Click here to return to estimating topics. Topics | Previous | Next | Getting Started Manual | Reference Manual | Site Map | Website |