Quoting countertops is a pain. Does it have to be?

Jun 27, 2018 | CounterGo

Let’s face it, making countertop estimates isn’t most people’s ideas of fun. If you’re the owner of a countertop shop, you’ve got years of experience quoting so you understand why it’s so important to get it right. And, if you’re a salesperson, you want to make sure that your estimates are fast, professional, and help communicate with the homeowner.

Don’t miss areas

If you make an estimate where you forgot a part of the job, you’re on the hook to make it right for the customer. Because modern kitchens are bigger than they ever were in the past, you’ve got to make sure that you included not just the kitchen perimeter, but also the island, the office area, the butler’s pantry, the raised bar… and all of the other important pieces that are so popular these days.

It’s possible to do that by just being diligent about your work, but most successful countertop fabricators also include a drawing with their quotes. That way, your customers can visualize what they’re getting, and make sure that nothing important is missing or wrong.

Consistency across salespeople

If your countertop shop has multiple salespeople, are you sure that you’d get the same price for a kitchen countertop from all of them? If the answer is “no” or “I don’t know,”  it means that you’re probably leaving money on the table.

Granite countertops are a luxury item, and you should be making sure that your salespeople aren’t playing fast and loose with your prices in order to close a deal. Most of the time pricing is inconsistent because there isn’t a great tool or process to make it standard in your countertop shop.

Your time is better spent on selling

If you find that you’re spending a ton of time on making quotes, and not the actual process of selling, you’re missing a huge opportunity. Lots of countertop fabricators get hung up on the “accuracy” of the quotes they’re making – as a craftsman, it’s tempting to try to account for every minute of your templating, installation, and fabrication time that went into a countertop.

But that’s not how you should be pricing your tops. If you think you’re in danger of losing a sale because of a hundred-dollar difference in price, you should be promoting the unique value of your company instead. Are you the fastest? The highest quality? Are your materials unique?

Is there a better way?

Producing a quick, professional countertop quote is incredibly important, and that’s why we made CounterGo. If you’re interested in making fast, consistent quotes and reducing mistakes – schedule a short live demo with us. Just click the button below!