REJECTION!!!

Scenario- Put in an estimate on a job, Cleaning a football. You bid a buck. Your going to soap that football down and scrub the heck out of it. Get it all nice and clean. Then your going to dry it with your high tech football drier that dries the football at a rate that it causes minimal trauma to the leather. Then your going to rub the football down and massage some penetrating leather protector and softener. In other words, your going to do a heck of a good job cleaning that football. You hand that estimate to the football owner and he says he will look over the estimate and give you a call. He calls the next day, but has bad news. Another estimate came in lower than yours. You know your competitors, and you know they will not use the high tech equipment, and not do half the job you will on that football. What do you do when he calls with the bad news?

p.s. I dont know where i came up with the football idea, but it works all the same.

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Craig Knight
Power Wash Unlimited
www.powerwashunlimited.com

i had a run in with that football owners brother, he too took the low bid cleaning price. i reassured him that i would still be around if he needed anything. lo and behold he called me one month later telling me that his football just didnt look or feel right since bubbas football shine did the job. i went out and he was right "a fubared football". i calmed him down and let him know that i could fix it but it would take extra work for me to cover(fix) their mistakes. he let me fix the ball and he has never called anyone else to do any work other than me and has refered me out many times. he really likes his clean balls. the moral of the story is "DO YOUR STYLE WORK FOR YOUR PRICE" if they want a low bid ball job thats what they will get. to much work out there to sqwable over one ball.

Hey Craig,

Randy is right, Regardless of their intentions, it all came down to money with them. I agree with him also about staying very professional about it.

Because when they finally had enough with the companies that do terrible work, and work for fast food employment wages with no insurance, they will remember you.

Some people feel the contractors in general can work for 20 bucks an hour. For some reason they don't realize that we are running a business. The costs are high, with our time and the money it takes to support a business.

We all know what they are.

1. Lights
2. Rents
3. Computers, software,office supplies,phone,cell phone,pager printers,this list could be a mile long.
4. Insurance,several policies.
5. Wages,uniforms,safety equipment,
6. Machines,massive supplies,fuel,trucks,repairs,maintenance and on and on
7. Chemicals,chemical training and equipment,application and restoration training and so on
8. Material for the jobs.
9. Equipment to apply chemicals,stains and sealers
10. You know I can go on and on
11. Don't forget slow season when the bills are the same but the money isn't, and we have to pay are self a living and have money left over to put back into the business.
12. Maybe 75 to 100 per hr depending on the contractors situation, can we run a fare profitable business.
    
    
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    Unfortunatly both the customer and our industry gets hurt from this process. Look what it has done to the Home Improvements business.
    
    
    
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    Dan Flynn
    Flynn Service Pro www.powerwash.net
    708 715-4205
    
    
    
    [This message has been edited by Dan Flynn (edited February 22, 2000).]

I to had a run in with the "FOOTBALL" to
EXCEPT: i came out ahead of the game .This guy kept pestering my contracts on fleet trks.saying he could do it better and cheaper .well i almost lost the contract UNTILL I brought out the fact that i have insurance and that my work speaks for it's self they agreed on how dependable i am and how great the trks. look. so i got tired of this and went to his contract across the road ,i gave them a price told them i would do 3 tks. for free and show them the quality of my work.WOW i got HIS contract and it worked out even better. and they are paying more for the service.I hated to do business like that but it back fired on him .now with both contracts going it's great.I realy dont know what this has to do w/the Football story but i guess you can see that if you do a great job your name will speak for it's self..
DONT MESS WITH MY TRUCKS!! LOL

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have a great day and GOD bless!!!!!

For only your competitors now what there worth. cant really worry about losing work, just lost a 10,000 a month football,the other guys are cleaning it for 2700.00. just like some of the other guys said they will pay now or later. I have had customer go and come back so many times in 17yrs I cant count,welcome to the industry. Lets try to change this by educating our customers.Find a way to make them understand that so many companies dont clean. Ask them to compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges.Quarantee you will get all the gum and tell them to ask the same of all others giving them a bid. They will then find out you prices are competitive or possibly lower.Good luck,this is one i'm affraid you will have to get used too.

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I had the same run in with that football too.
My company and another one i work with alot put in a bid for a apartment complex. We gave are bid to do the job right so i drove by there one day and there was a company doing the job. I stop by and talk to the guy to see where he was from and he was from N.C. So i found what kind of job they had done when they were standing on the ground with a zero degree tip spraying the third story. He didn't even get all the mold off so i guess you get what you pay for ??

[This message has been edited by knoefel (edited February 23, 2000).]

I think we have all been there. I have lost many bids to weekenders and guys who will do the job for 3/4 of my price. Meanwhile they have no insurance, little or no experiance, and a "Home Depot" special machine for $300.00. I don't mean to offend anyone by that comment but the point is YOU always get what you pay for!!!!! Jaime

I call the other guys "Home Depot Joes"

In our area over the last year we have had to contend with what I personally call "weekend warriors". These are the guys that will do fleet washing for 1/3 the price, or a deck for .50 sq ft. This past year we lost 14 customers to these guys. But as I have read in prior postings(and I totally agree with) it is good business to educate your customer, and by all means please have insurance. I am happy to say that 11 of the 14 have now returned as customers.

Hey Guy's,

This football must have bounced all the way here to the UK, as only this week, I've just lost out to a new guy who is undercutting everyone in our area by 40 - 50%. It's a resteraunt contract that I've had for about 12 months, and the owner phoned yesterday to say that someone else had offered to do the job a lot cheaper. He even told me the price that the other guy was going to charge in a hope that I would match it, But! I tried to tell him that you only gets what you pays for. and that I couldn't match or come down anywhere near the new price, I lost that one but know he'll be back in a few more months when this other guy stiffs him by hiking his prices.


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Dave Stones
Care-Clean
http://www.careclean.inuk.com

Dave,

You did the right thing. If you fall into that trap it will hurt everyone. If your good at what you do, and your truly a professional you should stick to your guns. If we don't we all will be low ballers, which will kill our industry. Everyone will do fast crappy work. He will come back.

This guy will either do a very crappy job or be out of business in know time. That is why if we help each other out, we will eliminate the low baller. Some low ballers have good intentions and think they are charging a good price, because it is double what they were making working for someone else.

Then they find out that there is a whole lot more to running a business than they thought. TOO LATE there gone. If he does not come back, it's only because he is embarrassed to ask you back. You should keep in touch monthly. Stay professional and short. Hi this is Dave from Care Clean. We use to do the steam cleaning of your sidewalks. I just thought I would call and see how things are going. If you ever need anything please feel free to call. Then take it from there

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Dan Flynn
Flynn Service Pro
www.powerwash.net
708 715-4205

In dealing with the price objection you must tht many people will automatically say the price is to high, whether they feel that way or not . This is a method many people use because they think by using it they'll be able to negotiate a better price .
Objection : "the price is kinda high "You : Mr prospect, our company had to make a choice by building our service as cheaply as possible and providing a just get by service , or building a quality service using the best equipment, personel, and products for your long lasting enjoyment and value. With the decision facing us we tried to put ourselves in your shoes . We felt you would preferto deal with a company that puts everything possible into its service to make it the best, rather than a company that uses cheap materials and cheap labor to turn out a get by service. Most people , Mr. Prospect and I'll bet that includes you , clearly understand that good things are not cheap and cheap things are seldom good . You do want a company you can depend on for good service over the long haul, don't you, Mr prospect.

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Shane Clardy