got the call yesterday, been waiting for the December onslaught. They need an ALTA on an apartment complex, hafta close by EOY, so they need a survey by 12/24. I looked everything over, estimated hours, did the calcs, added a slight bump for rush (which she acknowledged was a rush) sent her a proposal for 16K. Might be a TAD high, but well within reason.
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get this back just now:?ÿ
??Thank you again for your bid.?ÿ After discussion with my team and review of several competitive bids, we have chosen to go with another surveyor who??s bid came in at $8,750.00 and who will be able to have our draft survey available by 12/21/18.??
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Original surveyor aint doing it- he??s retired years ago. So somebody is doing some nice charity work this holiday season...
Jeebus, the next surveyor I hear complain about how hard it is to make ends meet...?ÿ
brokers make 2-3% easy on every deal with like zero liability at stake. Getting cut in half on half a percent at best...
but- it??s been a great year. I may just take the next three weeks off. ?ÿHappy holidays!
Draft Survey by 12/21 with a "Hafta Close" by end of year! Good luck with that!
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And just now another- ALTA on a c-store delivered in a week for 2k! (I said 5.)
I tell you, that pisses me off.?ÿ I hope they told you that you'd be bidding on it.?ÿ
I've gotten these desperate calls, and you stay late and work up a number, and then while you're thinking about how you're going to rearrange the work schedule, they tell you that someone else underbid you!?ÿ Had I known that they were shopping around, I'd have passed.
uh...?ÿ i reckon i figure it's usually a bidding situation on calls like this.?ÿ and i assume i'm usually not the cheapest.?ÿ and i still get enough of the work to keep me busy.?ÿ but when i get told somebody is doing it for roundabout half of my estimate... that's just stupid.?ÿ i've bought jobs to get clients before, so maybe it's that.?ÿ twice.?ÿ but i doubt it, since neither is likely to be a repeat client to anyone.?ÿ?ÿ
maybe just a weird day.?ÿ i'll chalk it up to that for now.?ÿ really, though, i've been in business 28 weeks yesterday.?ÿ have plenty to do for the next 4.?ÿ glad to be doing what i do.
I try to avoid responding to price shoppers.
I thank the caller for contacting us and ask who referred them to our firm. If they don't mention someone then I state "If you are looking for the lowest quoted price, we probably aren't your best option. You might want to try... (then I give them the name of the lowballer - let the lowballer drown in underpriced work)."
Many people don't want to get the cheapest - they just don't know how to evaluate your offer. Why would they pay 16k for something (that they think is the exact same thing) that they can get for $8750? I wouldn't pay more for the same thing.
Telling them we aren't the lowest priced invites discussion about the actual scope of work, quality, and the services you provide - you can talk about the quality you provide WITHOUT saying ANYTHING BAD about any other firm.
Then you can follow up with... "We reliably provide deliverables that meet your project objectives. This means that we have all of the necessary qualified staff, appropriate equipment, and we perform the quality control checks that some others might not budget for. We simply don't cut corners so I'd expect our quoted price to be 50 to 100% more than the lowest priced firms. We take the time to determine what's needed and just how much effort that will take. We don't give you an unrealistically low quote and we don't give you a quote that deliverables products that don't meet your needs. I can tell you that we have a client base that consists primarily of repeat clients - they get always appropriate deliverables at a fair price. If you are still interested in having us provide a proposal, I'd be happy to do so."
I never talk bad about competitors - I focus on the good things we do.
This approach reduces the number of hours I spend writing unsuccessful proposals - I'd rather not spend the time if the person doesn't have any ability to compare firms other than comparing prices. You've done yourself more good by spending 10 or 15 minutes educating them than spending that time writing an unsuccessful proposal.
This is valid for our market - yours may be different.
Well said. I sometimes catch myself pricing lower when work slows down. Then next thing you know we are covered up with work and many jobs are problem children and then remind myself I created this problem.
Today, I get an email from a Title Company assistant that wants me to lookup some 9mo old peoperty description and convert from WordPerfect to Word.
The file contains a dozen different versions of how we created and cut out swaps and created tracts for the client to sell a lakehouse and retain vacant land for them to created a place to park their family's gooseneck campers and assortment of travel and living quarters.
Anyway, any current version of most every word processing program has the capability to convert the various name software into their current name software installed on their computer.
like, do you want me to deliver coffee to your office today that is 45miles one way from my location.............gimme a break girl
I had a bid on an ALTA last year.?ÿ The potential client stated he would never pay so much for a survey.?ÿ It had shoreline apportionment, some odd Chapter 91 licenses to the the Federal Government, a Ch 91 license application for the property (built on fill seaward of historic MHW), a common boundary with the National Park with an ambiguous revision, full scan of a long sea wall for an engineering inspection, FEMA application for a LOMA and a timetable that was very rapid.
He hired a mainlander whose number must have been substantially lower.
I subtly talked to the realtor about shoreline apportionment and ownership to Mean Low Water or 100 rods.?ÿ He was very interested...
Then last winter, the nor'easters devastated the property.?ÿ I am glad I did not go through a LOMA as the FIRM must have been little off in that area...
I wonder what that plan looks like now.
I've always had two problems with the concept of the ALTA survey standards:
1. They are nothing more than glorified contract specifications, and by being involved in the creation process ASCM, and now NSPS, are basically saying "our membership can't discuss survey needs with a client and come to a contractual understanding of the deliverable, without help from a national organization; and
2. By creating a "one size fits most" set of survey deliverable standards they have reduced a professional service into a?ÿfungible commodity in the eyes of person procuring the service (even though we all know it's not).
Don't you think that providing a list of optional items encourages negotiation to meet the client's specific needs??ÿ Some clients may not realize they need to define their job that well, but when presented with a list they can make the decisions.?ÿ That's not "one size fits most."
Don't you think that providing a list of optional items encourages negotiation to meet the client's specific needs??ÿ Some clients may not realize they need to define their job that well, but when presented with a list they can make the decisions.?ÿ That's not "one size fits most."
95% percent of the ALTA surveys I've done had the same optional items (more or less).
A "standard" ALTA request around here includes items 2,3,4, 6(a), 7(a)(b1)(c), 8,9,10,11,16, 17,18.?ÿ Even if the client doesn't ask for them, I put them in the proposal, because down the road, a lender's counsel is going to want them.?ÿ
And just now another- ALTA on a c-store delivered in a week for 2k! (I said 5.)
The change orders will teach the client a "lesson". On to the next one.
We're not contractors. Bidding just drives down cost and profit. Unless they are on ongoing client pretty much any random call for an ALTA is shopping for the lowest price without any interest in your business model.
