Answering the "How long will it take?" question...

[Neil_Asheville 114]

I'm curious if anyone's noticed a correlation of not closing a particular sale when the question is asked by the customer during the estimate "how long will the job take"? About 1 out of 5 I get this question before the commitment as I'm selling the service...More significant. More often it comes after the commitment as it relates to scheduling a convenient time for the cleaning...less significant.

I'd like to know how others handle this question? If I figure the job at no more than 3 hrs and the question is asked, I would give them a range of 3-5 hours and mention a few variables related to that job or their property. I sell on quality of completed work, attention to detail, and in the instances where I know what other PW'ers have quoted or charged for the same property my rates are at or slightly above market.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

We get that from time to time. However long you tell them, make sure you tell them how many people will be doing the work as well.

Example:

3 hours to wash + 3 hours to seal x 2 men = 12 labor hours, plus travel time and time to load and unload the vehicles.

It's not just the 6 hours they see your crew there over 2 visits. Employees are on the clock during this entire period. If homeowners are considering doing this themselves we let them know that if they were as seasoned as we are, one person would take 12 hours by themselves, given that labor tasks are divided among the crew. We then illustrate that someone inexperiences may take up to 4 times longer, and we have seen homeowners work for weeks ( plural) on the same deck. that usually does the trick. ;)

Beth

[PressurePros 249]

I tell them one day. If there is a seal I tell them we come back on a second day. I think most people want to see how long you are going to be on their property.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I find that many of the clients who ask how long it will take are also under the impression that they may have to be around while the work is being done and need to schedule time off in order to accomplish it. I find it common of people with decks that have no stairs that pose this question.

I always let them know that we work autonomously without any need to enter their home and to leave the gates unlocked and the water to the faucets in the front and rear turned on so that we may conduct the work without delay to them or us.

If they wish to be present during the processes, they will need to schedule each day as it becomes apparent for us as the week approaches. (most are scheduling 4-6 weeks ahead and this may be pushed back as weather dictates.)

More often than not, they will continue about there plans without trying to be there.

If they are asking about the number of hours involved, I will ball park it because of the unpredictability of the weather and the conditions that may arise especially in building configurations that are condusive to vortices and wind tunnel effects that make our job take longer.

There are so many variables associated with this question that I cant possibly name them all here but I think I have made a good dent...

Beth's reply is a good one considering that it is usually posed after the client has seen the totals and starts to try to figure out costing on their own to justify the expense.

Many just dont know or understand the world of contracting.

Rod~

[GymRat 14]

Just last week I gave an estimate, and when the home owner asked how long it will take me to do the job and I quoted him 3 to 4 hours for the house wash, he told me right then that I had the job. He had received a quote the previous day that was $100 less than mine, but had been told the job would only take approximately 1 to 1/2 hours. The home owner said there is know way the other guy could do a very good job in that amount of time. I have heard this numerous times where the customer uses this theory.

[CCPC 26]

Just last week I gave an estimate, and when the home owner asked how long it will take me to do the job and I quoted him 3 to 4 hours for the house wash, he told me right then that I had the job. He had received a quote the previous day that was $100 less than mine, but had been told the job would only take approximately 1 to 1/2 hours. The home owner said there is know way the other guy could do a very good job in that amount of time. I have heard this numerous times where the customer uses this theory.

Nine times out of ten this is the exact reason most ask how long it will take. That, or they are trying to find out how much you are charging per hour.

[CLASSICPW 14]

I had a job just a few days ago that the guy asked me when I was starting how long would it take. I said 2-3 hrs. The guy looked at me in horror and said the last time he did it himself and it took 2 8hr days. I asked him what he does for a living, he said welding. I explained that it would probably take me 4 hrs to figure out how to weld together 2 I beams and asked him how long it would take for him to do it and he said 5 min. 2 hrs later he was praising my skills because his deck looked phenominal.

[Jim Carroll 14]

I normally ask how quick they want it done. This way if they want it done quicker than I could do then I know I could call in backup. I do mostly commercial construction cleaning. Time normally is not an issue with construction cleaning, it is more scheduling subs around each other.