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graphikta

EstiMate opinions?

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hello,

i was looking into getting the EstiMate software and was wondering if many of you use it and if so, what are your opinions on it? does it quote pretty accurate, do you use it a lot, adjust your price up or down from it?

i am new to vinyl signs as a business, so i want to charge fair prices.

i was looking at the Quick Quoter version (the $199 one). i am VERY organized and can keep my records and quotes straight, so i dont think i need the more expensive versions with the archiving features.

any other input??

thanks a lot

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Hi , I don't have any experience with vinyl cutting estimate software , but I have with MANY other types of estimating stuff . I used to work in structual steel erection , inspection of that , excavating , septic systems etc & now am in the mobile home business . My opinion is the estimating software  ( books/manuals  back then ) is almost useless for a small company . WAY too much for some things... WAY too low for others . IF I had used the prices called for I would have never gotten most jobs & lost ALOT of money doing some jobs . ALL the estimating in the world isnt worth a hoot if the job isnt gotten . The savoir in vinyl cutting is the  biggest part in the price is labor , so that doesn't hurt as bad if underestimated as when materials are a bigger factor in the job cost/price . I think the realistic way to go is save the money you were going to spend on the estimating stuff ( unless you are a bigger company & even then your experience will be more accurate than what somebody else has decided ) & call around to find out what is being charged around you . Also call places like Office Depot , Kinko's etc . You propably can offer better service than those co's . but once the customer knows what they want , price is going to prevail .I think it is a given that a home based fledgling company/person can't get the prices of a well established business storefront co ( we don't have to because we can make more money at a lower price due to ALOT lower overhead )  the economy is tough right now & there are VERY few business's that have the lucrative money like in the past . Many business are saturated in areas . Vinyl cutting is soo cheap to get into ( thanks to US Cutter ) , not much of a gamble & VERY easy to re-coup all money spent getting set up ( just be carefull renting a storefront , that eats money every month , busy or not )

anyway , you asked  :huh:

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i called around for quotes on the first job i did. but i mean, can you really do that for every single job you are getting? chances are some of those business have been asked for a quote by your potential client as well. wouldn't they catch on and get pissed? i don't see how that can work all the time.

i see what you're saying and i appreciate the response, i am just wondering how that will work long term?

thanks

charles

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You won't need to do it long term . The amount of weeding will effect the labor charge alot more than most things ( if you don't understand that part ... You will ). The material cost is always available from suppliers . So you will know " what the market will bear " after a while . I would rather leave some profit on the table than loose a customer . I made decals for a commercial truck door ( 2 ) & charged $50 , I let the guy spend several minutes deciding on fonts size etc . The guy was happy & felt it was " his creation " also . He will come back & tell others . I made $47 profit in 30 minutes or less . If I had made $20 , still well worth doing , especially the way the economy is .

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Estimation software....some people use it on here, other's don't.  I am in the don't category.  I just started doing this stuff.....but I have a spreadsheet I have made for myself so I can figure out exactly what my materials cost is going to be to do any given job.  Armed with that information, at that point its what profit margin you want to make on your materials and the rest is labor.  I am getting better at estimating how long a job will take me, and when I am wrong and it takes me longer I just chalk it up to me paying time for experience.

Right now I take my materials cost, triple it and then try to average about 20-30 dollars an hour for labor.  I am pretty low, but working to get clients and learning as I go.  Estimation software would be great, but with my personality I will do better working it in my head and throwing out a quick quote.  To each their own!

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