ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Negotiating

If it's a bid job that is it a bid.
If you are discussing a job with a customer, it is ok to haggle a little just know your costs and do not give anything away that cannot be made up later.
For those jerks that want to play games and ripp you off after the work is done see them in court. Also get to know your states lien laws. I always file liens on slow pay and those who argue about price. Also make sure that the final payment is due upon final electrical inspection not completion of job. Some owners/Gcs use there punch lists to demand extra work and as an excuse not to pay on time.

hi,
on your proposal or contract put a space for a name of the person or persons authorized to make changes.

i remember one time the formeman on the job did not know his name was the only person authorized to make a change..he agreed with the owner to do some extra work...the foremans company was P.O.'ed because they forgot they wrote his name in...the foreman never told the boss about the changes..they tried to balk but my lawyer convinced them to pay as agreed...

get it in writng my friend..at least you will have that..a businessman always gets it in writing..

mustang

I don't negotiate with individual customers. I had a customer who I gave an estimate for a 200A upgrade try to beat me down. He called me a pirate and a thief among other things and tore up my estimate. I didn't budge. He called me back at the end of the week after getting 3 more estimates and said he had decided I wasn't so out of line after all. I told him I was sorry but I just wouldn't be comfortable working for someone who would deal with a pirate and a thief. I do negotiate with a GC I do a lot of work for. I do some new homes for him but mostly commercial new construction. I cut my price on a new house for him this summer by 15% if he paid 80% of the total job up front. Having the extra cash up front allowed me to buy 3/4 EMT for his next commercial job before it went up 22%. I didn't have to use my creditline, pay any interest on borrowed money, and I saved more on the early conduit purchase than I gave him on the house discount. Borrowing &10,000.00 for 90 days would cost me $300.00 in interest and fees. I will negotiate with a GC by giving discounts for cash up front if I can recover it and then some by operating on his money. We do this a lot on large jobs like churches and other commercial buildings. So does his plumber and HVAC guy. Money up front allows you to buy materials in quantity and when the fluctuating pipe and wire market is down a little. I am fortunate to have a place to warehouse the materials. He wins because he can hold his price over 4-8 months when other GCs have to build in cost increases from their subs on materials. He called me early last spring when 12-2 went down to $105.00 per 1000' and offered to advace me $2500.00 for romex if I would give him a good price on 3 houses this summer. Can't beat that!

"I average about 70 calls a month from a particular yellow pages market and it costs me $245.00/month."

CJS...If you don't mind, what size/type add does the $245 get you? (I'm currently researching yellow book adds myself....)

BUMP.

Is that allowed here? Sorry; I'm new.

... You'd think after 3 years of owning my own business,I'd learn a thing or two...I can thank God tho',business is great,but I do get the occasional haggling customer,and reduce my invoice totals.They try (and sometimes succeed) to tug at your heart-strings by telling you all of their financial woes and tribulations..I give breaks here and there,because I usually get subsequent referral work from them,and as I don't advertise,this work keeps me afloat.
What I may lose on one job,I make up on the next..it usually evens out for me... still, tho',..I wish I could show more assertiveness,and to quote Nancy Reagan, ..."Just Say No"...
Russ