Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Richard
I'm not responding to pump my company but I can say from my own experience that simply keeping up with quotes for potential jobs is a part time job in itself.
Scheduling jobs and completing them correctly and in time is the easy part. Making time to sit down and carve out a fair price for labor and materials is what I'm finding to be an area I need to improve on. Does this mean I am not a quality vendor? No. It means that I need to change certain structures within the company so I can respond efficiently to the more complex quotes while still maintaining a healthy balance with the personal side of things.
Right now, I owe 2 phone calls to 2 forum members as I am months behind on responding to them after our respective meetings. I say this because it's a reality that I face as a result of having a schedule that's flush with work.
In addition to my statements above, the trusted individuals I use for certain jobs present their own challenges with regards to scheduling their help to line up with my calendar. It's not easy to get these things to line up.
That all said, I cannot and do not speak for any other business whatsoever and simply wanted to offer a glimpse of perspective based on what I've experienced on my own.
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I hear you PR but being two months behind on responding to folks is only okay if (1) you quickly made it clear to them - at your initial meeting - that it would take you two months to respond and (2) when that two months expires, you actually respond. If weeks are going by where you are just busy and you don't get around to it, then you're stringing them along. Being flush with work isn't a good excuse. In these cases, just say 'thank you but I'm too busy'. People will appreciate your honesty since that quality can be so difficult to find these days.
I'm glad you recognize that you need to make a change. Too many contractors either don't recognize their problems or they don't care.