Hey everyone, I'm Isaiah and I have a few questions about pricing and low balling what am I supposed to do if I charge my client one price for tree cutting and she brings it down way lower than what you offered?
I do not negotiate my prices and I do not explain why the price is what it is. Its not up for discussion. Materials cost what they cost, and my professional work costs money to get it done, if they say they can get it done cheaper then I will politely let them o ow that I understand and thats that. I usually will tell everyone as Im there looking at the job to give them a price that I encourage you to get a couple more estimates, but I do stress to them to be sure tho that they get the same estimates. That is one issue that I have seen people think that they are getting estimates from three different people. For the same work, but one person may be including certain things that the other two are not etc. so just getting multiple estimates is not the stopping point they need to be sure that they are getting the exact same work price on top of that the main reason I do not flinch or budge from my quote is that I know the quality of work that I bring and most of the time the people that are wanting me to give them a price know it as well. So they only use my estimate as a way to just see if they can afford it(entirely as a way to know how much it will cost them not to try and use it to get a cheaper quote from others
I've found that when I say in a friendly manner, " I can always do it for more" usually flips the script. Emphasis on FRIENDLY MANNER WITH A SMILE.
And only do estimates when it’s convenient for you !! Don’t stop making money to potentially waste your time swing by after a job or why ya go on lunch/break or to go get supplies anyone with simple communication skills gonna negotiate the price with ya I normally always shoot 100$ over per 1k to let them talk ya done ohh I’ll do that job for 1400$ realistic I would do it for 1250-1300$ or yeah your looking at 2800$ when I’d do it for 2500-2600$ all day any day always give yourself a little cushion you go buy something used and pay full price no you always try to talk them down
Don’t waste your time ! I come I look a give a via email or text estimate if they schedule then I go sign the contract or send it to them to sign simple as that I only show up twice once to look and once to do the job
Don’t panic or immediately lower your price. Explain the value behind your quote… insurance, equipment, cleanup, safety, experience, and your time all cost money.
If they still want a lower price, you have two options: Reduce the scope of work to match their budge or politely walk away.
Not every customer is your customer. The cheapest jobs are usually the ones that become the biggest headaches. Respect your pricing and don’t work for free just to stay busy.
Charge for your job estimates!
I like how you think. Raise the bar of entry.
I’ve realized there are really only two ways to see a lowball: either we failed to explain the value, or the person is just a price shopper.
I’m moving away from justifying my prices altogether. I think when you spend too much time justifying your rate, it actually takes away your power and makes it look like the price is up for negotiation. If a client tells me they can get it done cheaper elsewhere, I like to flip the question and ask: 'Why do you think that competitor is cheaper?' Often, they’ll end up explaining the difference in quality or service to themselves.
I focus on establishing authority in my field and providing lasting results. My prices are higher because the value is higher. By lowering your price just because they asked, you're immediately reducing the value of your service in their eyes.
I'm in a different industry (painting) , but when I have clients ask for a cheaper (low ball) price after I've submitted a bid proposal to them. I simple pull out the bid and say of coarse we can do it cheaper, which services on the bid would you like to take off.
We’re in the cleaning industry, so it’s a little different, but the concept is the same. When a client tries to lower the price, we explain what we can do within their budget, while also reinforcing the value of the original quote.
For example, if someone requests a deep clean but only wants to spend around $300, we let them know we can work within that budget, but the level of cleaning won’t be as thorough as a full deep clean. We explain that a proper deep clean involves detailed work, using the right tools to reach areas that haven’t been touched in a while, and that doing it right the first time can actually lead to more affordable maintenance cleans in the future.
The key is to clearly communicate your value and be transparent about what would be scaled back at a lower price. Don’t undersell yourself. Most clients simply don’t understand what goes into the work, so breaking it down in simple terms helps them see why your pricing is what it is.
A long time ago I learned to simply remove aspects of the job to reduce the price and not to reduce the price overall. This says your work is valuable and your price is fair so if they want a lower price they need to accept a lower scope of work.
in your case maybe this is clean up or debris removal which gives them the option to work with you and put some of the work in to offset the cost. If that’s not something they want to do then let them work with the other company. I do like the “that’s a great price” comment and move on.
