The "surveys" I've done to this point have been more along the lines of being 'inspections.' For example, an established customer will want to move to a new location, and wants to know what will be needed before they move. They've been done at full rate, and there's usually some other work that develops.
I find myself almost always doing some sort of survey 'on the sly' on the TI (tenant improvement) jobs I do. Even if I'm just asked to, say, add a receptacle .... by the time the project is done, I've wound up tracing most of the circuits, etc., anyway. Doing it up front, at the start, has saved me a lot of grief. The notes also come in handy on future calls to that property.
On another forum, I had an exchange with a factory operator who was concerned about his light bill. I suggested that he first determine just which circuits were using all the power; perhaps it wasn't his lights. He didn't want to hear that - but two months later admitted that wherever his power was going, it wasn't into the lighting. Only now is he beginning to get systematic about it.
I'd like to be able to document the electrical of a building .... identify every circuit, every receptacle, and also know what uses how much power. For my regular customers, over the course of time, I've already done a lot of this.
Yet, in a few months my partner will be retiring, and I will have to go solo. The direction of the firm will change a bit; some customers will stay, others I'll cut loose. To counter these losses, I'll need to find additional customers. That's what led to my starting this thread: the idea that such a survey would help start a relationship. Something easy, low risk - and giving me an opportunity to show what I can offer them.
By 'loss leader' I did not mean 'free.' I did mean charging a lot less for it than my actual 'working' shop rate. I think we've been over the 'free estimate' topic a few times!
Nor do I intend something 'shotgun;' that is, sent out in every direction. Rather, I'd like to aim it at particular parties whom I've already vetted, and think I might have a reasonable chance of being useful.
I guess I see the "survey" as the electrician's version of what the infantry calls 'reconnaissance.' As the army says, time spent on recon is seldom wasted!
