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Went from quoting jobs on napkins to using Google Forms last month
I used to scribble estimates on whatever paper was handy, usually a napkin from Flying Star on Central. Then a client laughed at my handwriting and said it looked like a ransom note. Now I use a Google Form template with line items, and I save about 20 minutes per quote. Anyone else switch from chaos to a system like that?
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viola_garcia569d ago
Why would you want to make things more complicated with a form when paper and a pen work just fine? I've been using the same spiral notebook for estimates for 10 years and never lost a job because of it. People put way too much faith in technology crashing or getting hacked, or their phone dying right when they need it. A napkin or a scrap of paper doesn't need a battery or wifi, and it's right in your pocket. Plus, that handwritten mess shows you're a real person who gets stuff done, not some corporate robot hiding behind a template. Sometimes looking a little rough around the edges builds trust with clients who are tired of slick, impersonal quotes.
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charlieh741mo ago
Hey @blairm77, did you hear about my buddy who used a napkin estimate and lost a $3,000 job because the ink smeared?
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william_craig71mo ago
Man, I read something similar on a contractor forum the other day where a guy lost a big deck build because his handwritten quote got coffee spilled on it. It's wild people still trust paper for anything important in 2024. A free template on Google Docs would've saved that dude three grand easy.
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