Set yourself apart from other contractors in your market with an appealing and informative proposal with every project. That can be the difference between winning the job and losing it. It can also mean the difference of money in your pocket in the form of being able to charge more for a project than your competition simply because you are able to effectively communicate the value that you can provide your client.
Landscaping Proposals
An appealing and informative landscaping project proposal can help to sell your services beyond your communication and consultations with your client. It can be something that is systematized so that you do not have to type it out every time. That is why we developed the How to Hardscape Headquarters Software for project-based construction companies. It allows users to quote a project and automatically generate a proposal that includes the scope of work for every work area that is informative and sets you apart from the competition.
It amazes me how many contractors do not provide their clients with a descriptive breakdown of what they are getting for their hard-earned money and how the project will be installed. It is an easy way to prove to your client how much more valuable you are as a contractor and, even more importantly, a good communicator which sets the stage for the entirety of the construction process.
I have personally asked every client of mine why they decided to hire me as opposed to other contractors that may have quoted the project. Regardless of whether or not they had other contractors quote the project, an overwhelming majority of clients have said that it was because of how detailed I was with the proposal. I explained exactly what they were getting and how I was going to install it along with linked materials so they knew what material they were getting and linked videos to every step of the process so that they see how it will be installed.
You are leaving easy money on the table by not putting together a detailed and appealing proposal to your client. I am never the least expensive contractor when pricing a project and my clients tell me that. Think of it this way, if you received two proposals from a contractor which one would you proceed with:
Proposal 1:
Your patio with two steps and a seat wall will cost $20,000.
Proposal 2:
A detailed breakdown of every work area, linked products, and step-by-step descriptions of how we install their project with linked videos for each of those steps with me in front of the camera discussing each step. Your project will cost $22,000.
More than likely, the client will proceed with Proposal 2 even though it is 10% more. The contractor that prepared Proposal 1 may even be just as good as the contractor that prepared Proposal 2, but the communication expectation is set right from the start before the project even began that they are a better communicator which will be a major factor throughout the construction process. That communication in the form of a proposal is worth money to any consumer unless money is the key motivator to them and likely that is not a client that you want in the first place. The contractor that prepared Proposal 2 just made $2,000 more dollars than the contractor that prepared Proposal 1 would have and it was made solely because of a simple proposal that can be automated not taking any more time than preparing Proposal 1. Not to mention, the contractor that prepared Proposal 2 now has a project on the books and the other contractor still needs to find another project.
What to Include in a Proposal
There is simple information that needs to be included in every project proposal. Client information, business information including tax or registration numbers, pricing, taxes, and a contract. These are items that need to be in every proposal. We like to add even more to our proposals so that they stand out and provide value to our client so that they know how we will install their project and what materials that will be installed on their project.
We like to separate our project proposals by work area. That means if we are pricing a patio and a wall, we will not group those together on the estimate. We would separate those for the client to see each area of the project. This allows us to separate information out and organize it for the client to see rather than having a mess of words all jumbled together that can become overwhelming upon first glance.
In this example, we have priced a Patio and a Wall as two separate work areas:
Underneath each work area, we describe each step of the process in installing that work area so the client knows exactly how we install that work area and they can compare it to other contractors or their own research if they choose to do so. We also have videos covering each of these steps in great detail. This allows the client to click on the videos, see my face, and see me explaining the process. In addition, it helps that we have gathered a following on YouTube which assures them that we are a trusted resource online.
Finally, we like to include the product that we are installing for them. We can list out every material if we want here, but I choose to only include the product that they will see. For example, the patio only lists the pavers and the wall only lists the wall material. We do not include the aggregate, geotextile, jointing compound, etc. The client really only cares about seeing what they will see in the end product. We also hyperlink those materials to webpages that feature that product. Usually the manufacturer’s website, but we could also create a landing page for them featuring projects we have installed using that same product. That way the client can click in on the product and see it for themselves. Rather than just telling the client we will install this product, you can show them exactly what you are installing regardless of whether or not they have seen it already.
One thing we never do is provide pricing for each individual material that we list on the proposal.
What Not to Include in a Proposal
We do not ever provide line item pricing for materials and labor. Additionally, clients looking for line item pricing for everything are not our ideal type of client. Clients looking for this line item pricing are already showing signs that they are going to be nitpicking every step of the way starting with the pricing and will be a headache to deal with. Granted, not every client that asks for line item pricing will be like that throughout the entire build process, but it is a sign. They may just be ill-informed or received this advice from someone online and thought it was a good idea. Regardless, we do not want to take that chance.
Put it this way. When you go to a burger shop, you do not ask them to breakdown how much the bun, patty, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, and pickle cost individually and the labor involved in putting that burger together along with the profit that the business will make on that burger. You can get pricing on the fries and drink separately, but those are upsells just like adding a feature wall or lighting would be in an outdoor living space. We would be happy to let them know what lighting would cost as a whole separately from the project should they want to not move forward with it. But we are not willing to let them know the cost of each individual light and labor that we are charging for the install.
What we charge for materials, labor, overhead, and profit in our business is proprietary information and we do not disclose that to anyone.
How to Systematize Construction Bid Proposals
The most difficult part of creating a proposal is inputting the information into it time and time again which is likely why many contractors are discouraged from making detailed proposals. We developed a software to help with this along with many other features that support project-based businesses including budgeting, estimating, job costing, scheduling, time tracking, chat groups, courses, employee management, CRM, and so much more.
The software allows you to price projects based on your company or divisional budget incorporating indirect and direct costs to your project. In doing so, you can create work areas and assign time to that work area. When you create a work area you, the system then automatically pulls in data from the labor you assigned to include the work scope. That way you never need to type anything again and fill in your proposal including the client information, company information, contract, materials, and scope of work for every project. This saves time, lands you more projects, and makes you more money.
Landscaping Estimate Template
If you are looking for an example of how we organize our Proposals, here is a template that you can work from and get ideas for your next proposal.