Taking the motor to price work up.
Discussion
A lot of people say to me, and I can see sense in waht they are saying, don't take your car to price for work (M5), you'll lose work.
What would be the concensus amongst you lot, would you not let me price for work because I turned up in an M5?
I can't say that I have lost work because of it yet but it would be good to get some opinions.
What would be the concensus amongst you lot, would you not let me price for work because I turned up in an M5?
I can't say that I have lost work because of it yet but it would be good to get some opinions.
It depends on the value of the job (IMHO). If you are pricing up a small extension to someones house, turn up in the van or the L200. If you are tendering for a million quid job, leave the ratty transit at home and go in your sunday best.
A bit like your clothes, people do judge on appearances. I tend to tailor my apperance to suit the job / client.
A bit like your clothes, people do judge on appearances. I tend to tailor my apperance to suit the job / client.
Having an M5 should demonstrate to potential customers that you run a succesful business, which can normally only be achieved through quality work and therefore word of mouth, recommendations etc etc.
However, because of the weird 'success envy' mentioned above, it will make a lot of potential customers (read: idiots) think that you are some sort of con man/cowboy.
However, because of the weird 'success envy' mentioned above, it will make a lot of potential customers (read: idiots) think that you are some sort of con man/cowboy.
okgo said:
Its an m5, it looks like any other 5 series to most people, don't worry about it.
True - and those that do know what it is will probably raise an eyebrow out of respect / interest.Quite afew times the car I drive has been a talking point for clients in a positive way. (Two actually bought the same one on my recommendation)
Edited by Steamer on Saturday 31st October 17:08
I have to say, whenever I call someone to do some work my best impression is when they turn up in a van with their company logo or name on it.
The only tiem I had a block paver around in a really fancy car he said he would quote me later and never replied, i assume the job was too small for him - prob only 3k max.
The only tiem I had a block paver around in a really fancy car he said he would quote me later and never replied, i assume the job was too small for him - prob only 3k max.
groucho said:
But I don't charge too much. It's that I've worked hard for a long time.
I appreciate that and I wasn't accusing you of overcharging. However, the question is the perception of the customer who you've never met when you first turn up.For most people, if you have a nice car (and by that I don't mean an F430 etc. but just a car that the general public think is expensive to buy/maintain) then they think you must be charging too much. If you turn up in a bedraggled wreck then you don't get enough business to do ok so therefore you must be c**p at it. So, you need a "normal" vehicle which most people think is neither flash nor shabby when you go to price up the job. That's just the way many people view it. They don't sit and go, ah, I bet that fellow has been doing this for 20 years and has only now got enough cash together to buy a decent car and well done him.
Jasandjules said:
groucho said:
But I don't charge too much. It's that I've worked hard for a long time.
I appreciate that and I wasn't accusing you of overcharging. However, the question is the perception of the customer who you've never met when you first turn up.For most people, if you have a nice car (and by that I don't mean an F430 etc. but just a car that the general public think is expensive to buy/maintain) then they think you must be charging too much. If you turn up in a bedraggled wreck then you don't get enough business to do ok so therefore you must be c**p at it. So, you need a "normal" vehicle which most people think is neither flash nor shabby when you go to price up the job. That's just the way many people view it. They don't sit and go, ah, I bet that fellow has been doing this for 20 years and has only now got enough cash together to buy a decent car and well done him.
In SA there was a company in the same estate as us. Their part of the carpark had one SL55, brand new at the time and worth over a million rand, which was a lot of money. The owner of this car was the person who owned the company. It was there three or four times a week. No other car in that company's bays was interesting, expensive, or less than ten years old.
Rightly or wrongly, that left me with a few impressions of the company despite never doing business with them or even knowing what their business was:
1) They were financially successful.
2) The staff weren't getting much reward for their part in that success, whatever their part was. The owner, however, was raking it in.
That's the impression I got, and it may well have been completely wide of the mark, but even so, if I was considering giving them business for whatever reason, that impression would have been on the back of my mind and would be an obstacle that the company would have had to overcome to win the contract.
First impressions are very important, that's why salespeople tend to dress smart and have an inoffensive haircut, managers will often be well attired and will be conservatively dressed, and so on. If the car you arrive in is visible, this is just as important as what you're wearing. A current model Mondeo isn't going to bother anyone. An M5 might, but is still discreet.
Rightly or wrongly, that left me with a few impressions of the company despite never doing business with them or even knowing what their business was:
1) They were financially successful.
2) The staff weren't getting much reward for their part in that success, whatever their part was. The owner, however, was raking it in.
That's the impression I got, and it may well have been completely wide of the mark, but even so, if I was considering giving them business for whatever reason, that impression would have been on the back of my mind and would be an obstacle that the company would have had to overcome to win the contract.
First impressions are very important, that's why salespeople tend to dress smart and have an inoffensive haircut, managers will often be well attired and will be conservatively dressed, and so on. If the car you arrive in is visible, this is just as important as what you're wearing. A current model Mondeo isn't going to bother anyone. An M5 might, but is still discreet.
In my experience, if a vehicle is part of your 'shopfront', it cleanliness and condition make more of an impact than it's pound-note-value.
Not necessarily rational, but I'm also reassured when a vehicle which is owned by a business itself rather than the tradesperson's own transport is relatively young. If a courtesy car, commercial vehicle or the like is older than 5ish years old, it leaves a slightly different impression. At least in the sectors I know from the inside, businesses on a good financial footing tend to keep this sort of fleet 3 or less years old.
I'm always slightly put-off by commercial vehicles that are unliveried as well.
Tol
Not necessarily rational, but I'm also reassured when a vehicle which is owned by a business itself rather than the tradesperson's own transport is relatively young. If a courtesy car, commercial vehicle or the like is older than 5ish years old, it leaves a slightly different impression. At least in the sectors I know from the inside, businesses on a good financial footing tend to keep this sort of fleet 3 or less years old.
I'm always slightly put-off by commercial vehicles that are unliveried as well.
Tol
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