The Problem With Quoting Like Everything Goes Right
Every job I priced was based on the best-case scenario. I had all the tools, all the materials, everything going in clean. In reality, it never goes like that.
Ben Rayner· TappaThe most common quoting mistake isn't charging too little per hour — it's pricing the perfect version of the job. The one where you have the exact fitting, the pipe runs where you expect, and nothing takes longer than it should. That version of the job almost never happens, but it's what most quotes are built on.
What a job actually costs that your quote doesn't include
The friction that eats into margin isn't the big stuff — it's the accumulation of small stuff that doesn't make it into the quote. Drive time and parking. Moving tools in and out. The extra trip to the ute. The fitting you don't have that requires a detour. The thing you couldn't see when you quoted — the screw in the wrong spot, the pipe that doesn't run where it should, the waste connection buried behind a wall. Each one adds fifteen minutes. Three of them add an hour.
A "three-hour job" that runs to four-and-a-half hours doesn't just cost you ninety minutes — it pushes the next job, kills the afternoon, and leaves you explaining to a customer why you're late. That compounding effect is what best-case quoting actually costs you.
The pressure that builds when you're behind before you start
When you've quoted three hours and the job hits a complication at ninety minutes, the pressure starts. You've already told the customer how long it'll take. The next customer is booked for this afternoon. Now you're rushing the work you're currently doing to stay on a schedule that was built on assumptions that haven't held up. Rushed work produces callbacks. Callbacks cost you the profit you were trying to save by keeping the quote competitive.
How to quote for the actual job, not the ideal one
The shift isn't about padding every quote by 20% — it's about being honest with yourself about what you're actually allowing for. Ask: what's the realistic version of this job, not the best-case version? Is there access I can't fully assess? Are there connections I'll need to adapt? If something's concealed, allow time to uncover it. If you'll need to make two supply runs on a big job, allow for one.
Good quoting isn't about being expensive — it's about being accurate enough that the job doesn't cost you more than you're paid for it. A quote that reflects reality wins fewer jobs than a wishful one, but the jobs it wins are profitable. That's the only kind worth having.
Practical note
When you finish a job that went over time, note why before you pack up. After ten jobs, you'll see the same three or four things turning up every time. Quote for those things.