Convert 50% MORE quotes to boost your PROFIT

Andy
Ah, and this topic is epic because quotes are the lifeblood of every trade business. Quotes equals money. Money equals profit, and a profit equals a healthy trade business.

Ange
Yeah. That’s just business basics, right?

Andy
And you know what? When you’re turning over an awesome profit and your quotes are being approved, left, right, and center, it means that big boys toys, boats, dirt bikes, jet skis, you name it, you can buy it. And geez, I tell you what, in these times there’s so many tradies out there going nuts, buying this stuff, ah, right now.

Ange
Or maybe you wanna invest in property or shares, you know? How about a bit of wealth creation in general? Do something productive with your money. No matter what you spend your money on, whether it’s this fun stuff you talk about, Andy, or wealth creation. If you don’t nail your quotes, you can’t have any of it. And that’s why we own our own trade business, right? So that we can make awesome profit and live the lifestyle we want.

Andy
A hundred percent. So if your business is struggling with inconsistent workflow, poor cash flow, and you feel like you’re constantly flying by the seat of your pants or living from one job to the next, then listen up.

Ange
Yeah. We’ve taught thousands of trade businesses how to nail their quotes and make awesome profit, and we’ve watched them implement our strategies into their business and see real life change. So guess what? We know this stuff works.

Andy
Spot on. Now, it doesn’t matter if you’re a low average dollar sale business doing maintenance like us, where we work on upselling and cross-selling on site, doing multiple jobs in a day.

Ange
Or you’re a high average dollar sale business doing projects like a builder or a landscaper who do multiple jobs in a month or maybe in a year. Jobs like 50K up to even half a million plus.

Andy
No matter what industry the size of your business, where you are located or how you operate, all trade business owners rely on quotes to survive.

Ange
Yes. So today we are sharing our tried and tested strategies on how you can land more profitable quotes plus, How to get a great system in place so that you can convert more quotes from customers with ease. We’ve actually added in the show notes or even just checked out lifestyletradie.com.au/podcast, and you’ll actually find two epic quoting guides that will help you nail this process every time.

Andy
And you know what? It’s not just about winning quotes. It’s about winning quotes that are highly profitable for your business.

Ange
Yeah, these two guides will actually help you convert your profitable quotes almost every time. It’s using a streamlined system that has little or no involvement from you. Cool. Right?

Andy
Yeah. I get it. Most of us hate wasting time doing quotes that lead nowhere. It feels like it’s just more paperwork we don’t have time for.

Ange
Yeah. So you need to make sure you’re doing quotes for customers that are true potential profitable work. And the question we always get asked is, How can you make sure that when you are quoting that your conversion rate is at an all time high?

Andy
Well, I think the question is how do I stop wasting my time on shit kicker customers?

Ange
Yeah.

Andy
Who just want a bunch of quotes and never actually say yes going ahead.

Ange
Yeah, I think the kids call these guys, Karen’s, maybe not shit kickers anymore. , you know. Sorry, any of you guys who were at Karen out there? In fact, one of my best mates, yes, is Karen.

Andy
That’s right.

Ange
And she was telling me a story the other day about when she goes out to a restaurant that she actually never uses her own name anymore.

Andy
Why? What does she call herself?

Ange
Well, I think she uses Kylie. Well, actually I don’t even know, but I know she said, I never ever use my own name.

Andy
Kylie’s the same thing as Karen, isn’t it?

Ange
Totally.

Andy
So how we’ve dealt with this in the past in our plumbing business, we were never the cheapest plumber in Sydney and if people are going to get a heap of quotes, there was a very, very good chance they were gonna find someone cheaper than us.

Ange
Yeah. And that’s why you charge for quoting because it helps to weed out those time wasters. You know those people who are getting a million quotes, basically hunting for the cheapest price.

Andy
That’s right. And look, I’m not saying everyone has to charge for quoting. I’m just saying that in my experience, it’s a good first barrier to ensure that you are not wasting your time.

Ange
Yes. Do you remember that email? I remember you telling me a story about that lady hunting for a price for that black super basic job, do you remember that?

Andy
Yeah. I definitely do. I received an email, it was actually quite a while ago now, and she’d tagged in at 50 other plumbing companies and she said something along the words of, I’ve got a kitchen sink mixer that I want to have installed. I’m looking for someone that’s reliable, but I am looking for the cheapest price. And it was absolutely hilarious looking at some of these responses that the plumbers gave. But I think the biggest one was, why don’t you go and eat up brick? I bet bricks. Brick. I said, yeah.

Ange
Hey, every trade business owner, I should stay away from customers that literally hunt for the cheapest price cuz at the end of the day, no one’s a winner in this situation.

Andy
That is so true. And if you work with these low end customers, you’ll never make the money. You need to value what your time is worth, and don’t lower your rates to match someone else’s expectations.

Ange
What’s that saying? Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those that refuse to raise theirs.

Andy
Oh, that’s a bit deep, isn’t it? But that’s true. It’s very true. That’s where so many new business owners go wrong. You know, when tradies first start their trade business, they’re super hungry for work, and they just quote anything and try to give the most competitive price. Not the price that will actually make them the profit they need in business.

Ange
Yeah. Right. And it’s not just new business owners who make basic mistakes when quoting, either. Quotes take valuable time out of your day and it actually costs you money.

Andy
Exactly.

Ange
Even if you charge for quotes, you actually still need to recoup the effort.

Andy
So we need to chase these quotes super hard as we can then win them to make back the time we’ve already spent.

Ange
Yeah, if you are one of those, oh, I just can’t be bothered, or I’m just too busy. Or they’ll ring me when they’re interested. Then why did you even go to their house in the first place? You’re literally wasting your own time.

Andy
This is where so many of us fall down, even when you’ve been in business for a while. We just put in the quote, we move on to the next job. We don’t put any time and effort into making sure the quote actually sticks.

Ange
Hey, let me take you back to when you first started your trade business. Think about this. Were you super casual about providing and then chasing a quote back then?

Andy
No way.

Ange
I bet you weren’t.

Andy
No.

Ange
Why? Because you desperately wanted or needed to make money and every quote counted.

Andy
I was super, super hungry. But now, five or 10 years into business, you take the process of sending out quotes a little bit for granted. For you, it’s like, here we go again. Here’s another time waster or something that’s just sucking my time.

Ange
But for the customer, this is super exciting. Like maybe they finally can afford that new deck. They’ve always dreamt about.

Andy
And you are so laid back that you take two or three days, maybe a week, maybe a month, to send the quote back and you think it’s okay.

Ange
It’s not okay.

Andy
It’s not okay. It’s absolutely ridiculous. But we’re all guilty of doing it, aren’t we? I’ve worked with a lot of trade business owners that were winning maybe 20 to 30% of their quotes, and with our quote converter and teachings, I’ve helped them turn their business right around to be winning 50% plus of their quotes. Now, if I could do that in your business, what kind of difference would that make for you? It’s absolutely massive.

Ange
When you know what to do, it’s super easy to convert your quotes to paying customers. It’s all about getting the right structure to follow up on quotes that will change your business forever. I really do suggest that you check out our quote converter guide, cuz it’ll show you our nine easy steps to convert almost every quote every time.

Andy
That’s it. And the second quote, flow system guide has five easy cheat sheet flow charts. The hard worker of figuring this stuff out has already been done for you. Both are available in the show notes or at lifestyletradie.com.au/podcast.

Ange
Yeah. One of the most important things we teach is asking for the sale on the spot.

Andy
It does start with being able to quote on the spot. And in our trade, 90% of most of our jobs under 20K can easily be quoted at the customer’s home. Because there’s no better time to ask for the sale than when you’re standing in front of the customer.

Ange
Yeah, that’s a really important point. It is, Andy. Catch them while they’re hot, catch them while they’re still thinking about the job. And don’t just leave. If you can’t land the job on the spot, you need a watertight follow-up system in place.

Andy
And if you don’t have a follow up system, then you are leaving money on the table.

Ange
Yeah. Okay, Andy, so let me ask you this. What should our trade business owners be doing for follow up?

Andy
There are a few steps. For starters, do the quote on the spot and ask for the sale. And if they respond, I need to speak with my partner. Your reply is great. Have a chat with them tonight and I’ll call you at eight o’clock tomorrow morning to run through any questions you may have and then we can book the job in.

Ange
Right. So it gives them a sense of urgency because they know that you’re gonna call them tomorrow. Yes. Right. Okay, then, so I’ve got another question for you. What happens if you can’t quote on the spot? Maybe the job’s too big.

Andy
Well, time is of the essence, then, you know, you should really be trying to send that quote out in an email within at least 24 hours. We’ll get it out as soon as possible. Then follow up with a text message immediately saying, hi, Mr. Or Mrs. Jones, I trust you, you received my email today with regard to your new deck. Do you have any questions?

Ange
Right. So now they’ll go hunting for the quote. Plus they know you’ve been diligent enough to contact them where I’d say most of the other tradies who quoted the same job didn’t.

Andy
Exactly. Then you’ve gotta make sure you call within 24 hours after sending the quote. Mm. You know? Do you have any questions? Let’s book in the job, is next Wednesday or Friday better for you?

Ange
Great. Hey, that’s a really important point. I call that a yes and yes question. Mm-hmm. , what you actually asked us then is, is Wednesday or Friday better for you? And that way she’s left or he, uh, left thinking, Hmm, Wednesday or Friday, which one? What we didn’t do is we didn’t ask what day is best for you, because that way they’re left thinking, oh, Monday doesn’t work. Tuesday doesn’t either. They’re basically too many options, and hence the decision is hard.

Andy
Don’t mistake this for being pushy. It’s actually just good customer service. Hmm. It shows your enthusiasm about the job and that you are keen on the work.

Ange
But if you say you’re going to call them, then you have to call them.

Andy
Exactly. I remember saying that so many times. There’s so many girls. When I was a young bloke. Yeah. Yeah. I’ll call you tomorrow, I swear.

Ange
Yeah, righto. I remember you called me the next day, though. Hey, didn’t you?

Andy
Yeah, yeah. Well, I was batting way overs then, so I thought I better chase that one. But yes. Saying to a customer you’re gonna call and then following through shows them that you’re a reliable choice. Yes. It just seems crazy because it’s such a little thing, but that’s the point. The little things matter. Yes. So set a reminder in your phone or calendar to call that customer when you said you would.

Ange
Right. Because the purpose is all about setting and matching expectations.

Andy
Exactly. I was sitting in pub the other day with a few mates and one of ’em was banging on about this massive quote he’d put in, and he was saying to me, if I get this quote, I’m gonna go and I’m gonna make so much money, I’m gonna buy a new boat or a jet ski or a dirt bike. You know, just the typical tradie banter. Yeah. But then I asked him, so when did you send the quote off to the customer? And how long ago was that? And he looked at me and he said, well, I sent it about two weeks ago. What? What? Two weeks. And I said, what two weeks have gone past? So I said, have you actually called them or asked for the sale? What’s actually going on? And he just said to me, oh no, I don’t wanna be a pest.

Ange
Oh God, why does every tradie tell us that? They just don’t wanna be a pest.

Andy
This does my head in.

Ange
Totally.

Andy
Because customers ask us to do so much for them and mostly it’s free. You know what? It’s our God-given right to be a pest. You know? I’m sorry for the rep, but we all need a good kick up the ass.

Ange
Our backside, geez.

Andy
So you’ve given up your time, not just to go into their house, but now to provide the quote. It takes you anything from an hour, a day or maybe even a week, if it’s a big one and you think it’s okay just to send it in an email and then just wait?

Ange
Do you even know if they received the email?

Andy
And he goes, oh well I’ve sent it to them.

Ange
Yeah. But like, have they even responded? How do you know it’s not just sitting in the junk folder?

Andy
Exactly. And I started laughing and he said to me, what are you laughing about? I said, I’m just thinking that you’re boasting about winning this job. And he hasn’t even done the most basic thing and chased this quote up. You’ve gotta be kidding me.

Ange
Well, what kills me is the fact that the customer perhaps even really liked this guy as a tradie. And that email that you sent is sitting in the junk folder and they think, you haven’t even sent the quote. And guess what? They’re actually not too happy about you. And they’re thinking you’re just another slack tradie.

Andy
And you’re sitting here dreaming about how you’re gonna make a fortune. And, they might not have even seen this email. Guys, if you’re out there now and you are one of those guys who sends quotes and you never follow that up, then stop it. Stop sending an email and then just doing nothing.

Ange
Yeah. So for all you listeners, I have a question for you. I want you to think about the number of quotes you have outstanding right now. Do you know that number? Can you see it in your job management system right now?

Andy
I’d say on average, most people are sitting on probably about 15 quotes, which is a hell of a lot. Mm-hmm. You know, I want you to think about how much these quotes are worth you in total. You know, for some of you it might be worth 150K. For others it might be worth over a million dollars that’s just sitting there on the table.

Ange
And guess what? You don’t want to be considered a heist.

Andy
Crazy, crazy.

Ange
And you’ve left it now probably too long to follow up and you think the customer’s gone with someone else anyway.

Andy
So many tradies don’t even think about the reason why they’re not actually winning work. It isn’t because of their price, it’s just because they lack a refined quoting and follow up process. Like we say, you don’t know what you don’t know.

Ange
Alright, this has been a massive episode, but there’s so much to unpack when it comes to nailing your quotes cuz it is such a critical element to get right.

Andy
You can say that again, Ange, if you wanna go from landing 30% of your quotes to over 50%, Or if you’ve just got stacks of quotes sitting on the table and you need advice on the best way to follow up. Book in a strategy session with me and we can take a look at your current quoting process and find areas where we can improve.

Ange
Yeah, the strategy links in the show notes, or checkout lifestyletradie.com.au. So Andy, I think that’s us done for today, right?

Andy
It sure is. We’ll catch you next time, tradies.

Ange
See you guys.