Quotes built by copying the last one
Last job's mistakes travel into the next quote.
A new quote starts as a copy of an old one, and whatever was wrong in the old one comes along.
Not every business has this problem, and some should leave it alone.
Most of these can be handled better. Whether it's worth doing is a separate question. What follows is one common form of the problem, described in general terms, because your version will differ. These are possible challenges, not a description of your business, and some should be left exactly as they are. If it sounds like your week, that's worth a conversation.
Sound familiar?
- Quotes start by opening a similar old quote and editing it.
- A line from a previous job turns up on a new customer's quote.
- Only one or two people can put a quote together.
- Each quote looks a little different from the last.
What it looks like
A request comes in. Somebody finds a past quote for a similar job, saves a copy, and edits it: new customer, new quantities, a few lines added or removed, prices checked if there is time.
It is fast and it mostly works. But the old quote carries everything that was in it: old prices, a line that only applied to that job, a note meant for someone else.
What it costs
Old prices go out on new quotes. If a cost has changed and nobody updated the source quote, the new one inherits the old figure.
Leftovers reach the customer. A line or a note from a previous job is missed in the edit.
The skill stays with a few people. Knowing which old quote to start from, and what to change, is knowledge that does not transfer easily.
Where it goes wrong
- There is no current starting point. Every quote is built from whichever old one is nearest.
- Prices are checked when there is time. Under pressure, they are not.
- Edits are by eye. Nothing compares the new quote to what it was copied from.
- Each person has their own favorites. Two people quoting the same job may start from different places.
What a better version looks like
Quotes start from a maintained set of standard items with current costs, not from old quotes. The person quoting picks the items, adjusts for the job, and the prices come from the latest list. Anything priced by hand stands out for a second look.
The judgment about the job stays with the person. The copying and the stale prices go.
What still needs a person
A person reads the job, decides what it needs, and sets the price. A person decides when a job is unusual enough that the standard items do not fit.
Questions worth asking about your own operation
- Where does a new quote start?
- When a cost changes, what gets updated?
- Who can put a quote together, and who cannot?
- Have you ever sent a line meant for a different customer?
If this sounds familiar
Bring me the version you actually have. I'll learn how the process really works before I suggest anything. If it isn't worth changing, or isn't a fit for me, I'll say so. Talk through a problem