I know this diatribe comes a bit out of the blue, but it started as a comment in a different thread. Since it would have hijacked that thread, I've relocated it and expanded it here. That said:
It has been said several times in the past that someone should not even bother bid on a job because their price, speed, equipment put them at a significant disadvantage. I could not disagree more. IMHO, barring a lack of skill to do the job properly you should NEVER pass on an opportunity because you feel that your situation makes puts you at a significant disadvantage.
Investigate your situation closely, see how you can improve it, work on your sales technique, and then TAKE ACTION based on what you can do now. With 3hp cold machine and a wand you may only be able to run 500ft/hr. Fine, bid $0.12/ft. You'll get a few jobs, lose many, and gather some money and experience along the way. When you can afford a 5.5gpm upgrade and then you can do 1500/hr. Now bid $0.05/ft and win more bids and make more money.
Bottom line, take action. If you can't do better than $0.25/sqft and make a profit then bid $0.25/ft. If it will take you 2 months, then tell the customer you can do the work and do an excellent job but it will take two months. Worst case, you lose the bid. That's still better than not bidding at all, because at least you experienced and learned from the process one more time.
I know this diatribe comes a bit out of the blue, but it started as a comment in a different thread. Since it would have hijacked that thread, I've relocated it and expanded it here. That said:
It has been said several times in the past that someone should not even bother bid on a job because their price, speed, equipment put them at a significant disadvantage. I could not disagree more. IMHO, barring a lack of skill to do the job properly you should NEVER pass on an opportunity because you feel that your situation makes puts you at a significant disadvantage.
Investigate your situation closely, see how you can improve it, work on your sales technique, and then TAKE ACTION based on what you can do now. With 3hp cold machine and a wand you may only be able to run 500ft/hr. Fine, bid $0.12/ft. You'll get a few jobs, lose many, and gather some money and experience along the way. When you can afford a 5.5gpm upgrade and then you can do 1500/hr. Now bid $0.05/ft and win more bids and make more money.
Bottom line, take action. If you can't do better than $0.25/sqft and make a profit then bid $0.25/ft. If it will take you 2 months, then tell the customer you can do the work and do an excellent job but it will take two months. Worst case, you lose the bid. That's still better than not bidding at all, because at least you experienced and learned from the process one more time.
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