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I have hit many repair jobs in the suburbs of Cleveland (urban sprawl)on houses that are 2 to 5 years old. Very poor workmanship, lots of leaks and poor installations. I want to diplomatically start charging T&M Plus.I think I would be able to weed out a lot of people on the phone and would not have to drive all over to look at small 3 to 4 hour jobs. I would like to find a way to do this, maybe send them some references along with my company brochure when they call and then if they are interested then maybe they will call back? I think many people have the notion that they will get ripped off? Anyone had any success with this method?
Thanks cc
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I have been working in the Washington D.C. area for many years now. Of course a good reputation helps. I find that once I do a job for a client, they tend to call me for all matters concerning their house, business, or other property. For them I charge T + M for small items. No questions asked. For new clients I tell them I don't bid small jobs, because as you know, it is not cost effective for anyone involved.I usually can tell them a ballpark estimate for the work, this comes from years of tracking costs.
You should always figure out your costs and profit on a job, even if it is painfull to find out, the knowledge learned can halp you avoid problems in the future. also it will make you more confident when selling the next job. Confidence (not cockiness) sells.
Remember that small jobs often lead to bigger jobs from the same client. By the same token you need to learn to read clients to keep from having your time wasted.
I offer design/ build services, billing separately for each phase. No I don't give a credit for the design if I am chosen for the build phase. Costs are costs. I have never advertised and have never run out of work in 17 years.
My biggest advice is to do your best to find out what the customer envisions and try to deliver it.
Also, about 10 years ago I was at a dinner party bragging that I got 90% of my bids, someone told me that I must not be charging enough. I took that to heart and started really tracking my costs and raising prices. sure I lose some bids but not many and charge in the higher end of the spectrum.
I guess this was kind of long and round about. yes definately charge T+M when dealing with some of this new construction. I tend to work primarily on historic structures. To sum up. for those small jobs, If the client is difficult don't bother, its not worth your time. Chances are that no one of quality will deal with them either. Stay home and play with your kids or do something else.
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I have hit many repair jobs in the suburbs of Cleveland (urban sprawl)on houses that are 2 to 5 years old. Very poor workmanship, lots of leaks and poor installations. I want to diplomatically start charging T&M Plus.I think I would be able to weed out a lot of people on the phone and would not have to drive all over to look at small 3 to 4 hour jobs. I would like to find a way to do this, maybe send them some references along with my company brochure when they call and then if they are interested then maybe they will call back? I think many people have the notion that they will get ripped off? Anyone had any success with this method?
Thanks cc