Ok so i've been thinking, when I've been contracted to companies and they have given quotes to people they have done so from a standard form they fill out.... to me this seems nothing if not annoying, if i received a form saying this much money i'd be annoyed, it had no explanation of what would be done.
so i set out as a freelancer to approach each quote on its own merits, sure it takes a little longer to get the quote out the door, but more people say yes to your quote and the client understands what work you would be doing.
what do you do?
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Exactly the same mainly because I find each client is different and has different needs. I do have a standard form that asks them what they are looking for as a "getting to know you" exercise.
Sure I have package prices on my site but they are more of a guidance than anything - I have debated with myself for hours whether to leave them on or take them off - but that's nothing unusual!!
We have sections which are copied and pasted from previous quoatations across them all, as a lot of sites have similar problems and there is no point wasting my time rewriting the same text again and again.
However each proposal has all of the information relevent to the specific site I am working on. I then work out how long it is going to take to fix and price accordingly
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Thanks ,
Nathan
0161 883 0214 | SEO UK
When we give a quote it's normally a fairly standard front page bullet pointing prices, with up to 10 additional pages covering the finer details of placements, issues and recommendations, all are bespoke as in this trade, every company has a different requirement... Something else - I never give customers a quotation, I always give them a draft proposal.. Same document, different title, but after some very good advice a few years ago, the subtle change in success rates is noticeable.
Also much the same for us (with website development). Quotes (Proposals) cover all the areas with reasonable detail, and usually based on and accompanying an initial brief. The ones I've seen here are around a dozen or so pages.
When we give a quote it's normally a fairly standard front page bullet pointing prices, with up to 10 additional pages covering the finer details of placements, issues and recommendations, all are bespoke as in this trade, every company has a different requirement... Something else - I never give customers a quotation, I always give them a draft proposal.. Same document, different title, but after some very good advice a few years ago, the subtle change in success rates is noticeable.
Good advice Paul, something to bare in mind and we issue a lot of these per day :-)
My quoting is similar to UKSEO in that some of it is standard because its the same stuff included, and then parts are edited to detail the customers requirements, usually the first page, and of course the costs and completion dates, etc.
I had wondered if I included too much detailed information, however I figured that my customers are left in no doubt about what they have ordered and what they will receive and how, so you cant ask for more and you shouldn't really expect any less if you are a careful buyer.
If someone gives me a very brief para of needs, I usually can offer a ballpark figure by email which, if i's in their budget, allows them to think more about the specification of what they really want so I can be accurate with a cost.
Likewise if someone says their budget is for example £1k, I say what I can do for that. Oddly enough, i'm a bugger for giving over and above when using that method, than when pricing to an exact spec. It's like the butcher. When you ask for £10 of steak, they shove a lump on worth £10.85 and then call it a tenner! It always works!!
The only thing I would add, is that you will often be taking part in a procurement exercise - even with smaller customers. So remember that when its comes to pricing. Often it's to get you to the next stage, rather than a firm order.
yes, I know they try to get you to do their homework in some cases (not all of course!). Now if its easy and straightforward that's fine, I don't mind doing it, but as well as you spending hours thrashing out and typing up a solution in a proposal, they also are abstaining from taking any sort of responsibility. And that for me is the important bit; a buyer must take ownership of their purchase requirements by ensuring they are making an informed decision based on what's been presented to them, at any stage of the process.
If I want new blinds or new paving, the seller will still fetch brochures and expect me to choose after presenting options. They wont decide for you unless you really force them too! I dont think most businesses differ too much.
Now bearing in mind my customers need their website to run their business in many cases, if they have no clue what they need it to do or achieve, what chance has their business of succeeding?
The thing buyers should be wary of with any type of quote, is that if you get, say for example a web designer to produce your spec for you, you then send that spec (which you appear to be happy with because it sounds ok) and then send it on to a few others for quotes. Now how do you know the other web company wasn't ever going to mention SEO-friendly or aftercare maintenance issues, and the likes. Likewise, it could be missing stuff and only the good agencies will pick up on it and add it into their proposal, where as some will often just quote like-4-like and you are none the wiser.
I suspect I'm going to pretty much repeat what other folks have said, I think.
Our quotes are bespoke. Each one is individual, and generally contains a description of our interpretation of the 'problem to be solved' (or the job in hand), as well as an itemised schedule of works (this depends on the job, to some extent - e.g. if it's a standard service, this will be a very short schedule!).
We try to explain what needs doing, why, and therefore how much it costs where appropriate - because we are not one of the "£50 for 10 web pages" development companies (and also because we do a lot of application work and fixed price software projects) - we often have to give more justification to customers who can be a bit cynical at times.
If we know the customer is on a tight budget and they have asked for elements to be omitted (or we have found gaps in their assessment of their requirements), this will be described afterwards, and optional costings given - along with any appropriate warnings, e.g. "XXX should be addressed - to prevent YYY in the future..".
If people ask for our 'price list' then that's what they get. If it goes beyond that and they want a proposal, then I do have a template but obviously the recommendations change every time, as some people need different things to others.
We're doing 3-5 proposals on Social Media Marketing at the moment and I actually enjoy the 'this is why you should do this' part of it more than getting the work in some cases!
If people ask for our 'price list' then that's what they get. If it goes beyond that and they want a proposal, then I do have a template but obviously the recommendations change every time, as some people need different things to others.
My business offers services and not specific products which has a specific cost X. Each client as you say, Nikki, has a specific requirement to which we offer solutions.
Live Assistant Business Solutions has standard prices for each package or service however, we recommend the service which would fit the budget and requirement of every client.
I'm going to rant about the worst part of quoting now... having had one of these land on my desk this morning... A local government who already in with a supplier, who know full well they're going to use that supplier, but still have to get three proposals. You can tell them a mile off, because they nearly always request stuff you don't regularly sell, which is obviously going to push the price up due to not having the buying power with certain manufacturers.
A conversation with one a year ago:
hi, we need a quote for three Sharp XYZ-123's please
Sorry, I don't deal with Sharp, but can offer Casio's equivalent on a like for like basis
Please source the price for the Sharps for me and get back to us
We don't deal with Sharp, so I can't provide that quote, I'd have to source the equipment through another dealer.
Well, do that - I only need the quote...
I used to get web companies come onto our web design supplier list in a previous job. They would be sent their first couple of clients and then send us the quotes and we would choose and approve the successful one of the 3...but they were on the list and all had an equal chance.
Except you get 1 or 2 of these web designers joining the supplier list seeing the words 'government funding' and slap in quotes in excess of of £3k and even £5k for something that everyone else was quoting under £2k for. It really was ridiculous how they would have a pop. Then they would query why they weren't getting any jobs!
I wouldn't mind, but we'd already stated in the supplier terms that we didn't approve anything over £2k otherwise we had to use a higher level tender board that had tighter criteria to be on their list, not least because the projects were of a higher calibre. But we never did go over simply because the requirements of the spec weren't that high for the start ups we were dealing with.
I will give a bespoke proposal for those that need it, but if a potential client has just asked 'what do you charge?' I'll tell them. I have different 'Service packs' available for clients that want to test the water and for those that know what they want and how they want it, a proposal comes across really well.
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Emma Crabtree Virtual Assistant & Chief Organiser at Red Box Virtual Office
I work on the basis that if a client wants to work with me then we can try things out and I'll be fair with them on pricing - they don't lose out and I get the freedom to change things if I need to. I give them an idea of cost and a promise that I won't exceed that without talking to them first.
If on the other hand a client just wants a price to compare with others then I tell them, wish them luck and hope I never hear from them again!!!
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When you give a quote...is it?
from Sarah
When you give a quote...is it?
