Hot take: The client who yelled at me about my estimate was actually right

A homeowner in Nashville tore into me for padding my materials line by 15% and it forced me to actually track every screw and board. After three jobs with real numbers I realized I was way overcharging and losing bids because of it. Has anyone else had a rude customer who ended up improving your business?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_nelson20d agoTop Commenter

Same thing happened to me @milessmith - customer calling me out saved my whole pricing system.

davis.ruby20d ago

That 15% padding is a prime example of how easy it is to just throw a number on there and call it a day until someone calls your bluff. I've noticed the customers who push back the hardest usually force you to look at your process from their side, which is never a bad thing in the long run. Your mileage may vary, but I think a little bit of that honest friction is what keeps us from getting lazy with our numbers.

milessmith20d ago

That Nashville homeowner probably saved you a lot of future headache even if it stung at the time. Real respect for actually tracking the numbers and adjusting.