The aim is to come and see the job within 4 days of the initial contact phone call or email. It doesn’t make sense to leave it any longer. Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, it must be disheartening to call someone only to be told they will try and fit you in some time. It can’t make you feel too important.

Rather than ask an open-ended, When would it be convenient to call by?I try and suggest 2 dates / times and from there it is easier to work out a convenient time for both parties. And once agreed, turn up!.

If I am going to be late, I call in good time, so as not to inconvenience anyone. The scenario where customers wait and wait with no phone call, or worse, wait and never see the contractor again- that should never happen.

The aim is to prepare and email an itemised, no obligation quote within 3 working days of the site meeting – or within 7 days, if the quote has to go out by post.

The quote should cover everything that needs doing, and is presented so it is obvious what is being done, and where the money goes into achieving a high quality finish. There should be no (intentional) hidden extras, and ordinarily, no charge for quotes, or advice.

Nobody knows everything, and I think the mark of a good professional is to know their limitations – and have a circle of trusted contacts who can fill in the gaps, so that the customer gets consistently reliable input.

For instance, I have a lot of experience in the construction trade, and know how properties and the services inside them work, but, I’m geared up as a painter! So I have no qualms calling on Steve Evans for his expertise on “structural” kitchen, joinery, and plumbing issues.

I also have a fairly good eye for colour, but when a textile designer or experienced interior designer talks hues and shades, they bring a lot more depth and understanding to the table. So for a flat rate fee of £75 per room, I call on Ingrid. It is money well spent on peace of mind, for all parties.

Wherever possible, the aim is to give fixed price quotes.

Almost without exception, what is quoted at the start should be what customer pays at the end.

An exception
Occasionally, there can be some aspect of a job that is difficult to estimate accurately

eg. In an effort to save money, some customers want to go DIY and strip the old wallpaper themselves. That is fine with me, here is how to do it with a smile on your face!, but be warned, DIY “intervention” can cause me the sort of problems which could cancel out any of the anticipated savings from doing it yourself.

For instance, if you leave a lot of scraps on the wall, or the walls are gouged, it has to be dealt with… Rather than give a firm price on a very difficult thing to predict, in this sort of case, I’d mark the item on the quote as a provisional sum eg

For me to strip wallpaper -£120

For you to strip wallpaper – allow £60 for my labour plus materials to check over surfaces prior to decoration. This is a provisional sum and may be more or less, depending on the standard of your preparation work.

Ordinarily, the aim is to complete a job on time, and on budget. If left to their own devices, the only change a contractor should make to the original quoted price would be if the customer asks them to do extra work while working there.

I treat extras, just like provisional sums. If you want an extra few doors painted, I would give an estimate – not a quote- based on an hourly rate plus materials. If the extras are mounting, I might ask customers to sign an “Extras docket” just so that we are all clear about what is and isn’t part of the original deal.

There are more formalised contractual procedures for dealing with extras on larger scale jobs.

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There are many variables to consider when booking work in, but I find that the simplest is to book customers on a first come-first-serve basis.

In practical terms, if you accepted my quote, I would aim to fix a start date to suit both parties and book it in firm. Under current law, once you have given the go-ahead, you would have 7 days to cancel, after which time, apparently the law makes it difficult for you to just phone up and say you have changed your mind! (In 25 years, though my experience so far is: my customers and I have worked things out without ever needing a lawyer!)

The definition of a good deal is when both parties are happy with the arrangement.

For my part, I do not ask for money up front and I deliver as promised – preferably quicker or better than expected. In return for my commitment, I ask to be paid – and given a nice cup of tea once in a while!

My policy is to undertake one project at a time. Once a job has been started, see it through to the end.

I work at least 36 hours a week (up to 50 hours) until the job has been completed to the customer’s satisfaction. It is not in my (or my customers’) interest to leave a job half finished for any length of time and go start another one.

I don’t think it is sustainable to be the cheapest quoter on every job. Neither is it easy to win every job as the most expensive for general decorating work. But what is feasible is to offer excellent value.

If you put a lot of “unseen” work into a job, and go the extra mile to ensure a brilliant finish, in the long run the steady walk to a good reputation will pay dividends and put you in the position you want to be in.

After a while, nobody remembers the price or the speed, they remember the quality of the work. And customers don’t need a photographic memory, because your work usually stares them in the face every day!

Occasionally things do go wrong! At the start of a job, I would suggest telling the customer that if they see something they don’t like while work is in progress, please tell someone who can do something about it. That is the best approach to getting a solution there and then.

If wallpaper is lifting, or new paint is falling off, because of shoddy workmanship, it is the company’s responsibility to put it right, and should be done without any fuss. (If you put yourself in the shoes of the customer, the path to take becomes more obvious.)

Very often, as the last tradesmen on the job, painters are held responsible for the quality of previous construction work! It’s OK, we are used to making everyone else’s work look good!

Wherever possible in my quotes, I point out the areas that may have potential for causing future disappointment. The overall look of the best decorating job can be spoilt by A.N. Other’s bad plastering, crooked tiles.. I offer to put customers in touch with a reliable tradesman who can rectify those non-decorating problems right before work starts.