Bidding Advice.

[rsanchez1203]

Morning! This is a simple, "should i judge a book by its cover" question. I am going to go to a Dr's office this week to give an estimate. The office isnt in a great part of town, but not bad either. It looks like the company before didnt take care of it all to well. I do not want to loose this because it is on a fairly busy street, to where i can show off my work. Question is....should i fall into the trap into thinking because it is a doctors office, he shouldnt have a problem with my bid, or try and aim lower due to area and by what i have seen from the previous company?

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Lawn care business tips

I would bid it the same as always.

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[Steve]

should i fall into the trap into thinking because it is a doctors office, he shouldnt have a problem with my bid, or try and aim lower due to area and by what i have seen from the previous company?

Give me your insight as to why you should handle this any differently from any other bid you would give? what are the pros or cons to doing anything but what you would normally do?

[rsanchez1203]

I guess the reason i ask is because i do residential, or have done, residential only. And in my head, i think that commercial/ office business, the bid would be raised a bit. But from the way it looks now, i would say either A the company before me doesnt do a good job, and/or B, this Dr doesnt like to pay well.

[brian'slawncare]

what if he only wants the bare minimum service? He may not necessarily care if the ground of his office look tip-top...

[rsanchez1203]

True! I guess, starting off, i just dont want to loose the business, at the same time, i dont want to low ball it either.

[Lawn Cop]

I would first find out what type of service they want (bare bones or full blown) and give a bid on that. I gave a low ball bid once (yeah I know) just to get a job on a busy street, so I could get more business. It WORKED!! My phone rang off the hook for about a week. I would go out and give a bid and I would be asked "Why so high. I talked to Mr. XXXX and he said he is only paying XXXX for full service". So, after all the advice I have read on this site about low balling I went against it and it bit me in the butt. My advice is to always bid your true price and not a price just to get a job that you hope will bring you more business. If you do good work at a fair price than the business will come.

[rsanchez1203]

I appreciate the advice! I did not low ball or go higher than I normally do and with a little sales techniques I was able to get the office and possibly his house. Thanks everyone for theqadvice!

[Steve]

That is great news! Will you be able to do any marketing through the property? Yard sign? Or maybe even be able to put business cards in the office?

[I Cut Grass LLC]

If it's in a bad area then why would you want to work there? Your equipment could be stolen or you could be held up/robbed. Doctors are notorious for wanting cheap services to keep their costs down. Dont quote on price, quote all of your contracts on service. Otherwise you are driving down industry pricing which hurts all of us. Futher, the cheaper accounts you have are only there until you replace them by a higher paying job. Would you rather have a bunch of cheap accounts or perhaps a few accounts that care about the relationship and value your bring to the table? Your business longevity will thrive on relationships not what it costs. Otherwise, you'll find yourself bidding the customer each year b/c he/she is looking for the cheapest price and doesnt care if you, your mother or your competition does the work.
Point out the fact that you are insured, if you aren't a member of the BBB or Angie's List become one as it shows business accountability, educate your client on what you do and how it best fits their needs- after you discuss their needs.