Well I dont know where everyone is from and the rules of your local area
but when I go into a ___________ they dont show me profit and overhead
chevy dealer
pizza place
mickey dees
barber
tv repairman
costco, anything
car repair shop
grocery store
bar
attorney
yard maintance guy
cabinet shop
exotic dancer ( havent been in 30+ years)
doctor at a clinic
vetranarian
my roofing sub
my plumber
my drywaller
none of those people show me their profit and overhead on a bill
so whay should a contrctor show anyone
yet with banks and tons of homeowers, its expected
and it gives them a place to chew you down
yet I jsut got a rebuilt distirbutor installed in my truck, did I see how much he made
no way ( not meaning to pick on mechanics), was I happy about it , no, did I need my truck right now, yes
but how did we get to this point of a contractor having to prove him/her-self
shucks there are tons of quacks out there in medicine, tons of shade tree mechanics
ok , I see , maybe thats how we got there, all the fly by nights
, the slackers who rip off old or gulliable people
you know what I think, ( who cares)
I learned this in the auto industry, ( other then thers an asp born for every seat) if it is a neccessity such as a house or a car , people complain
if the airconditioner or stero in the car is acting up, fix it now
a brake job, wait a second how much is that
if its a luxuray, such as their tv or boat or hot tub. …………doesnt matter 50cent fuse, sure no problem Ill pay you 500 dollars, got to see the tv tonght, gotta soak with my babe
anyway, can you guess……….some homeowner asked me a few minutes ago
so how much are you making on this
Replies
That's proprietary information which you are not at liberty to divulge . . .
A homeowner who's concerned with what you're making is looking at the wrong things. If their interest isn't what you're going to do for them, how you're going to solve something, do something they can't, etc. politely saunter down the road.
Only time I think it's "expected" is when you enter into a cost plus agreement. At that point, you've agreed to share it as a part of the contract. So if you consent, there's no gripe.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
Tell them, you don't "make" anything on this, you are an entity that will provide services for dividends that THEY will reap...they win.
Change the focus, they are "making"..you, have a job to do, and it would require a small army of accountants to ascertain the benefit to cost ratio.
Or just say, the truth.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Why look here?
I like Micheal Stone's approach.
Ask them why they need to know? At the worst you deflect the question. At best you have another opportunity to remind them once again the level of service that you offer and how stable your company is, which benefits them when they contract with you.
So did you tell them?
Jon Blakemore
You are exactly right. The only reason they know is because the common practice is that the contractor tells them.
Try going into a body shop or auto mechanics shop and asking about the cost of parts and how much the shop pays the body man, painter or mechanic.
Ask your barber how much his overhead is on your next cut...............
hope you like your new hairstyle.
But what's really wrong with it?
I'm not going to hire anyone just based on price anyway.
Some people do, though and they do it on everything. Not just remodeling and home repairs.
"Tell me again, Mr. Ledbetter. What's a Mississippi Flush and how's it beat this hand?
It's a small revolver and any five cards."