Quotation marks

Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Too many builders across the country are producing too many quotes which are yielding little return, according to HBXL

In the present economic climate it seems in order to keep their business going, builders are getting as many estimates out there as possible hoping that the law of averages will pull in a steady number of new jobs.

There’s no doubting the importance of being busy.  However running around quoting for every potential price of business can not only be counter productive but uses up an inordinate amount of time.

There is also evidence that many builders are lowering their prices to try and win the work, but means margins that are already tight are being squeezed even more.
It’s something Anthony Botibol, marketing manager at HBXL, is fully aware of and believes many builders should access how they go about quoting and winning new work.

He said. “By lowering their prices means builders are going to make a smaller profit, or perhaps even having to go back with revisions half way through the job.  The quality of the quotes is therefore vital.

“That’s why we advocate using our EstimatorXpress software which not only produces a professionally laid out quote but can do so very quickly.  And because it lists precisely where all the money is going means users can explain to their customers exactly why a job costs what it does and do not have to lower their prices.

“One of our users told me that on one job he was £20,000 more expensive than his competitors and although he knew this he still didn’t lower his price because he knew he would be making a loss.  But because he could justify the cost he still won the contract.
For builder and EstimatorXPress user Nick Orchard, the policy of producing quality estimates is exactly how he approaches quoting for new business across the greater Bristol area.  Having launched his business, England’s Finest, in June 2008, he offers primarily kitchen and bathroom installation services but also general build to his clients.

The reason for Nick’s success is the way he uses EstimatorXpress Software which allows him to prepare a detailed quote in less than an hour.  Once complete he prints out the estimate which details precisely every single item for the job.

Nick said: “It’s pointless spending huge amounts of time preparing and producing estimates in the hope that they will bring in the business.  The only way to become more competitive is to use this sort of estimating software.
“It not only speeds up the whole process but enables me to produce quality quotes, which, more often than not, wins the work.  Being able to demonstrate to the customer exactly where their money is being spent goes a long way to securing their trust and ultimately their business.

The result for Nick means he now had two full time employees and is just about to take on an apprentice and considering he launched his business in the depths of recession that’s a great achievement.