“To us, this is a double-edged sword. We have tried both ways; we decided to trust the relationships with our customers and put all our cards on the table. First-time buyers and individuals get package prices, and if we play our cards right, we get a chance to go over our quotes in detail and close the deal.”
“By knowing our customers and their buying habits, we adjust our quotes. On new accounts, we provide only a bottom line number.”
“If it is a long-standing, loyal customer, I don’t mind giving them itemized, detailed quotes with pricing because they see the value in what I do for them. If it is a homeowner that wants to be his/her own contractor, or a contractor that shops all over the place, I turn off quantities and individual pricing for the initial quote to see if he/she actually wants to do business with us, is kicking the tires, or if I am just keeping somebody else honest. The last thing I want is for them to take my hard work to the next building materials supplier or box store so they can undercut my pricing. Turning off the quantities also helps prevent the competition from just running my material list at their pricing.”
“I attempt to foster a relationship with my customer forged in service, friendship and transparency. Price cherry picking is always a concern and I look at it as a necessary evil in the quoting process. I will often treat my customers differently based on our historic relationship; our most loyal customers will get the full quote package while new and/or less-than-loyal ones will get a limited package price.”
“I have typically found that omitting the quantities will anger a customer much more than not providing the individual prices. It’s trickier with customers that I am trying to win more of their business, as I will use the complete price quote as a carrot attempting to win trust. I believe this issue remains a double-edged sword with no concrete answer. I have revised my approach over the last 25 years and continue to do so.”
“Once ‘cherry picking’ is discovered, that particular contractor is red-flagged in our store and quotes start becoming less detailed. After a second time of doing that, no quotes are created without the contractor providing his own material list. If said contractor continues to piecemeal packages together, we politely send them on their way to find another supplier.”