# Bidding High on Purpose



## PlowOrDie (Oct 26, 2007)

Hi All...

I was just wondering if some of you bid high on a property just because you do not necessarily need it in the route...

I just quoted 2 resi's @ $700+ just because they are approx. 30 mins from my garage and I really don't need them... I quoted 700+ because if they bite, then I WOULD make the 30 min drive...

sound reasonable?

what are your thoughts. Id love to know. thanks


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## mmplowing (Sep 20, 2007)

Been there, done that, got the job. The thing to make sure of is that you are prepared to win the bid. One thing I have learned in this business is that if you want it to happen it doesnt...and if you dont want it to happen it will.


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## YardMedic (Nov 29, 2006)

Exactly like what's written above! You overbid the crappy jobs to the point that you don't mind doing the work. You can also make the contracts worded to favor you as much as you want (ie not shoveling, not dealing with cars/toys/trashcans etc). You can make every PITA customer pay handsomely for every nitpicky return visit or extra service they're looking for. They'll either pay & like it, or find someone else (so you basically win either way).


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

I use to do that too
The thing is everyone else may be doing the samething bidding high on PITA accounts.

What if you still get it? 
Will your price really be enough?

Now,I just pass on them.
Thanks, but no thanks.
See ya:waving:


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## PlowOrDie (Oct 26, 2007)

SnoFarmer;440509 said:


> What if you still get it?
> Will your price really be enough?


Last year I bid really low on this a long driveway that led to a 4 car garage...

in fact it was a 4 unit apartment house...

I think i quoted the guy 350 for the rest of the season, and it was mid february.

The guy happily wrote me a check...

I plowed the driveway after he wrote the check, and decided that 350 was not worth it to me.

THEN, i told the guy i need $400 more.

He wrote the check for 400 more, and still, was happy.

i plowed him 3 more times after that...

it sounds scammish of me, but the guy did not seem to mind at all....

bottom line is, i didnt want to do it.


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## YardMedic (Nov 29, 2006)

PlowOrDie;440540 said:


> it sounds scammish of me, but the guy did not seem to mind at all....


So what you're saying is you're a freakin hack. This is the kind of crap that gets you voted off the island here, skippy. I hope you've smartened up.


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

PlowOrDie;440540 said:


> Last year I bid really low on this a long driveway that led to a 4 car garage...
> 
> in fact it was a 4 unit apartment house...
> 
> ...


Wow - Did someone hold a gun to your head while you wrote that or did you do it willingly? You're the type of person that gives legitimate snow removal professionals a bad name.

I seriously hope you're exaggerating that whole scenario.


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## bribrius (May 5, 2007)

Camden;440681 said:


> Wow - Did someone hold a gun to your head while you wrote that or did you do it willingly? You're the type of person that gives legitimate snow removal professionals a bad name.
> 
> I seriously hope you're exaggerating that whole scenario.


more than doubled the price? sounds good to me. as long he didnt charge him a fuel surcharge. fuel surcharge is where i draw the line.


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## big acres (Nov 8, 2007)

I wouldn't brag about that one either! Guess your customer ain't too bright cause most people would tell you to go..... yourself. were you able to look the guy in the eye when you asked?


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## powerjoke (Nov 13, 2004)

wow it sounds to me you need to read up on HOW TO BID

surely you just wanted the attention that this thread would provide and you really did'nt do that right?

did you get the bid this year or did the guy tell you to pee up a rope


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## PlowOrDie (Oct 26, 2007)

believe it or not my fellow tough guy snowplowers...

i did that last year...

i have done a lot of reading up on this site and many business books since then...

i am now a reformed business person, and have a licensed company with insurance...

this is a website of stories... so why not tell them how they happen?

after this post, you will now know of a story of an ex snow plower who changed his ways and now runs a legitimate business...

(im sure like most of you, except I managed to make the sale of a lifetime)

the good thing about last year, i didnt have a name behind me.

can't wait to hear what you all have to say!

ultimately though...


LET IT SNOW


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## cod8825 (Feb 8, 2007)

PlowOrDie,

I will be the first to congradulate you on turning the corner as to speak and doing things the right way. I will also agree that we always have to be concisous of our actions and that they reflect us as a company and as a business in whole. 

I spend more time working with my workers during a year training them in that regard than they actual lawn work. Your business should only grow as a result and have happier customers.

GOOD JOB.


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## KINNCO (Jan 19, 2007)

*where do you draw the line

little on the high side (if they really want you)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
low baller (if you really want it)

powerjoke where can get that book at payup

I personally don't see anything wrong with pricing a job a little high if you "really" don't need it. It's the customers responsibility to call and get estimates and references if they wish. Are we doing this for fun or to make money?......well mabe some of both for me*


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## QuadPlower (Jan 4, 2007)

I hate coming into a thread late, All the good stuff is said. I guess I should quit working so hard and spend more time on-line on Plowsite.

I go high if I can still do the work, but don't need the work.

This year, I am booked up and when people call I tell them that instead of giving them a crazy high number. Hopeing next year they will call back and want a quote. Because this year if they took it, I would not be able to handle it and if they didn't, next year they won't call because I was crazy high.


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## powerjoke (Nov 13, 2004)

Killer;442171 said:


> *
> 
> powerjoke where can get that book at payup
> 
> ...


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## JeffNY (Dec 19, 2005)

One guy wanted me to plow a drive going into his orchard, and around a house infront of it, probably a half mile of plowing, on uneven stone. This is also a snowmobile trail we use, so I told him $45. Reasonable. He tells me xxxxxx can do it for $15, so I says, "give him a call" and drove away. Forget em.


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## Jbowe (Mar 22, 2006)

*Bidding High*

I bid a job this year high mainly because of Location. The reason I bid it in the first place was because it was just off the main highway on my way to a major account. In the past week we have had high winds here, gusts to 110 with sustained winds of 60mph. Yesterday this client called and asked me if I would go out and sand the hill up to his house because they couldn't drive up. Sanding was not in my contract with him but I went out anyway. Had to get two men out at 3:30 on Sundays ( time and a half) as we had to spread the sand by hand. Took us about 45 minutes. It was so iced that my truck slid down the hill, what a ride. I made out the bill at 1.5 hrs for my normal truck charge and the price of the sand. This morning, I got a phone call from him and he was livid because I charged him to sand. Said he thought it was included. I told him to read the contract as sanding was above the normal snow plowing fee. We went back and forth for 20 minutes and he told me to go ahead and charge it to his credit card which I had already done. After he hung up I reversed the charge then faxed him a copy of the reversal with an invoice showing it was a freebee. I figured for the sake of customer relations I was better off giving him the money back rather then keeping it. What makes this so maddening is he never called back to say thank you but you can bet your buns I will not sand him again. And the reason he called me in the first place was because he didn't want to be out there in 60 to 70 mph winds with a wind chill of about -15 degrees trying to sand it. I know and he knows he knew that sanding was an extra. This is one of those clients now that I could have charged double what I did and it still wouldn't have been enough.


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