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Electrical Estimating For Dummies (The Fortune is in the Follow-Up)

January 4, 2021 By John Kelsey

The title of this blog, should not be Electrical Estimating for Dummies but rather should be How to Effectively Follow- up to Win More Bids and Make More Money.

But in reality “The fortune is in the follow-up.”

                                                                   

In the sales world there is a saying that is so true.

“The fortune is in the follow-up.”

 

NEVER ASSUME anyone received ANYTHING from you. Emails end up in spam folders, snail mail gets lost at the post office, and faxes end up in the trash or in a big pile that goes to the wrong person or worse, into the black hole. 

                                                                  

Always follow-up with a phone call and ASSUME they did NOT receive what you sent until they confirm with you they receivedwhat your sent. It is most favorable to speak with a live person instead of leaving a voice message. But leaving a voice message is better than no follow-up at all. 

When you have to leave a voice message, ask them to confirm they received what you sent. If you do not hear back from them in what you consider a reasonable amount of time, call them again.

Here is how my conversation goes when I follow-up on a proposal I sent and I am forced to leave them a message.“Hi Bill, this is John Kay with Zapp Electric, I just emailed you my proposal for the Wendy’s restaurant project, would you please confirm with me that you received it? I just want to make sure it did not go into “the black hole”. Thanks, My number is ……….

Here are things to follow-up on.

1. Your Proposals – If your client does not receive your proposal you wasted your time bidding the job.

2. (RFI) Request for information to contractors, architects or engineers.

3. Material pricing requests from wholesale vendors, switch gear vendors or light fixture vendors.

4. Pricing requests from sub-contractors like fire alarm contractor, low voltage contractor, high voltage contractor or excavation sub-contractor.

Again the rule is:

Always follow-up with a phone call and never ASSUME people received what you sent.

Electrical Estimating for Dummies: The fortune is in the follow-up.  

Ask for confirmation that they received what you sent.

Become a master of follow-up and you increase efficiency to generate more profits.

NOW…GO MAKE MONEY!

PS. Click here to learn more about electrical estimating.

Try Red Rhino Electrical Estimating Software free for 30 days.
Many customers report they double their estimating speed or better.

Red Rhino Electrical Estimating Software offers a 30 day free trial.

Red Rhino Electrical Estimating Sofware | 30 Day Free Trial

Just click this link to sign up.
You will immediately get access to our online software.
Training videos will guide you step by step to learn how to navigate.

Call us if you have questions.

(714) 809-4446

Filed Under: Electrical Estimating Software Tagged With: Electrical Contractors, electrical estimating

Estimating Electrical Cost – Part 1

July 29, 2015 By John Kelsey

Red Rhino Estimating Software

How can you be more competitive and win more jobs? Do a job-walk.

When estimating electrical cost it is important to have all the details possible. The more details you have the more competitive you can be and the more jobs you can win and the more money you can make!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Electrical Estimating Software Tagged With: electrical contractor, Electrical Contractors, electrical estimating, Electrical Estimating Software, estimating electrical cost, estimating electrical costs

Still Electrical Estimating Manually?

July 23, 2015 By John Kelsey

Share This:

Are You Still doing Electrical Estimating Manually or Using Spread Sheets?

Never Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight

Wiktionary Definition – Never Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight: To enter into a confrontation or other challenging situation without being adequately equipped or prepared. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Electrical Estimating Software Tagged With: electrical contractor, Electrical Contractors, electrical estimating, Electrical Estimating Software, Red Rhino Electrical Estimating software

Electrical Estimating Win More Jobs

July 16, 2015 By John Kelsey

electrical estimating stacking the deck

How To Win More Jobs and Make More Money.

ELECTRICAL ESTIMATING STRATEGY #5 

Send your price to all general contractors bidding a job.

When bidding competitive jobs you need every advantage you can get.

You may be invited by your existing (GC) general contractor customer to bid a certain project. Sometimes 5 or 7 or more contractors compete for the same project.

Stack the deck in your favor: Send your price to all 5 (GC’s) general contractors bidding the job. Since the winning GC will have your price, if your price is the lowest, guess what? You win the job! Electrical estimating software helps streamline the process for this.

Get it? Got it? Good!

BUT – Don’t ever go to the prom with one date and leave with another.

If you were invited by your customer to bid a project you want to protect him, meaning, you want to give him the best price.

You will:

  1. Give your customer a slightly lower price.
  2. Mark up the price to all other GC’s slightly.

Do not keep it a secret from your customer that you are bidding to all contractors. Tell them you are going to give them the best price and you will mark up your price higher to the rest of the contractors.

Make it clear to your customer that they are my preferred customer and they get preferred pricing.

That satisfies your customer and still gives you a shot at winning the job even if your customer does not get the job.

Mark up your bids to the other contractors whatever you think is best. 2 %, 3 %, 5% whatever you feel comfortable doing.

Reality check: Bidding to multiple contractors at bid time can be a real scramble. There is a lot of work to do to send your price to all GC’s.

Electrical estimating software allows you to quickly adjust pricing for different contractors so you can get your bid out.

Do this in advance, not at the last minute.

  • Call each general contractor bidding the job.
  • Introduce yourself as a person/ company who wants to bid the job.
  • Get contact information of the person responsible for bidding that project.
  • Speak to that person and ask if it is OK for you to send them your price for that project.
  • Send your bid on time
  • Follow up with a phone call to confirm they received your number. Remember, The fortune is in the follow up!

Your purpose for bidding to all GC’s is two-fold.

  1. You want win the project and get the work.
  2. Even more important, you want to develop relationships with other general contractors so you can work with them on future projects.

When you bid to all contractors on a job you dramatically increase the odds of winning more work, plus it helps you develop new business relationships for future growth.


Try Red Rhino Electrical Estimating Software free for 30 days.
Many customers report they double their estimating speed or better.

Red Rhino Electrical Estimating Software offers a 30 day free trial.

Just click this link to sign up.
You will immediately get access to our online software.
Training videos will guide you step by step to learn how to navigate.

Red Rhino Electrical Estimating Sofware | 30 Day Free Trial

 

Call us if you have questions.

866-444-7411 X 1

Filed Under: Electrical Estimating Software Tagged With: electrical contractor, Electrical Contractors, electrical estimating, Electrical Estimating Software

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Hard Hat Industry Solutions, Inc.
P.O. Box 16309
Irvine, CA 92623
Phone number:
714-809-4446
Office Hours:
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