Quotes Are Your Secret Weapon: How to Streamline and Win More Deals
In the ever-changing world of “make-to-order” and “install-to-order” businesses, every project brings a new challenge and the opportunity to deliver a unique solution. If you’re good at what you do, you bring design to life, pushing boundaries and exceeding customer expectations. But let’s face it, the thrill of creating something extraordinary can quickly fade when quoting becomes a frustrating bottleneck.
Silent Killers Of Success.
Inaccurate and slow turnaround quotes are the silent killers of success. They eat away at your bottom line, erode client trust, and can ultimately cost you valuable deals. Here’s how a ineffective quoting can hold you back:
- Lost Sales Opportunities: Imagine a potential client needing a custom solution you excel at. But your lengthy quoting process pushes them towards a competitor with a faster turnaround time. You may be tempted to rush the quote out to secure business, but this could mean you overprice and lose the order, or underprice and risk making a loss. Missed opportunities like these can significantly impact your revenue.
- Unhappy Clients: Inaccurate quotes lead to budget overruns, delays, and frustration. Imagine quoting a project at £10,000, only to discover during installation that it actually costs £12,000. You are then left with the difficult choice of absorbing these costs yourself, or going back to the customer and asking for more money. Neither are ideal.
- Wasted Resources: Creating inaccurate or inefficient quotes wastes valuable time and money. Your sales team should be focused on closing deals, not wrestling with complex spreadsheets or software that makes everything more complicated.
The good news is, these frustrations don’t have to be your reality. By streamlining your quoting process, you can achieve:
- Faster Turnarounds: Get accurate quotes out the door quicker, allowing you to capitalise on opportunities and respond to client inquiries promptly.
- Improved Accuracy: Eliminate the risk of human error associated with manual calculations and spreadsheets.
- Increased Win Rates: Accurate and efficient quotes create a positive first impression. When clients understand your pricing structure and can rely on your estimates, they’re more likely to choose you for the project.
Taming the Quoting Beast: Strategies for Streamlining (with a Dose of Reality)
Let’s be honest, completely eliminating the need for human expertise in quoting for complex projects is unrealistic. Your technical experts are crucial for understanding client needs and creating viable technical specifications. However, there are steps you can take to improve efficiency and accuracy:
- Standardise Where Possible: While your projects may be unique, there are likely common elements across different offerings. Identify these commonalities and develop standardised pricing structures or component lists. This can save time when crafting quotes without sacrificing customisation. Examples here include:
- Identifying common parts that are common in multiple projects e.g. sub-assemblies, kits, or bundles.
- Deciding on an agreed calculation method for working out labour or operation costs, to avoid working it out each time.
- Deciding which sundry items will always get included for certain jobs.
- Systemise the Process: Define clear steps for your quoting process. This might involve creating templates for data collection, outlining the approval workflow, and establishing communication protocols with clients. While some level of customisation will always be needed, a systemised approach helps ensure consistency and reduces time spent reinventing the wheel.
- Delegate Repetitive Tasks: Don’t waste the valuable time of your technical staff on repetitive tasks like formatting documents or compiling basic information. Delegate these tasks to other team members who can leverage the standardised elements you’ve established.
It’s Important to Note: Systemising and delegating have their limitations. Overly rigid systems can stifle innovation, and relying solely on non-experts for quote assembly can lead to inaccuracies. The key is to find a balance – leverage standardisation and delegation to streamline the process, but empower your technical team to step in when necessary for accurate and customised solutions.
Software That Balances Efficiency With Flexibility?
This balance is where Quotis shines. Our software automates repetitive tasks and calculations, freeing up your SMEs to focus on the complexities of your projects. Quotis also provides a flexible framework for incorporating your standardised elements while allowing for customisation.
Imagine a quoting process that’s as exciting as the projects you create. Quotis empowers you to do just that. By transforming quoting from a time-consuming chore into a seamless workflow, you can focus on what truly matters – delivering exceptional solutions and winning more deals.
Ready to unlock the hidden power of accurate quotes? Talk to us about how Quotis can streamline your quoting process and fuel your business growth.
