I had a bit of a disheartening day today.
About 2 weeks ago I received a referral as a result of some concentrated marketing activities I've been undertaking over the last little while. Once I received the referral I spoke with the prospective client, gave him a brief rundown on who we are, what we do etc etc...and he sounded really interested, and likewise, I was interested in his job.
His plans were awesome! Fantastic new home in a beautiful area surrounded by million dollar homes right on the bay. Double storey, pool, double garage, 4 bedrooms, study...nice....something they can really grow into.
So, I sent him our portfolio to review and we ended up making our appointment to meet today.
Now, before I agree to tender any job I always insist on meeting the prospective clients so they can get a feel for me and I can get a feel for them; afterall, they're about to potentially enter into a 12-plus month relationship with me so they need to be comfortable and I need to like them.
I spent 2 hours with them discussing every little thing about their new home from what sort of tiles they want to their appliances to their landscaping to the type of toilet the architect has designed into their plans, and of course, I'm diligently taking it all down to incorporate into my tender.
So, toward the end of the meeting I decide to give it a go....ask the unaskable (and rarely truthfully answered) question..."what's your budget"?
And...silence.
I continue, "I know you're thinking right now that you don't want to tell me your budget because you think I'll just squeeze my tender into your price so you'll not really get a true quote, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm about to invest 4 weeks of my time to do your tender, and if in the first week or so it looks as though your budget will be blown, I'll call you and discuss it with you, so it is important that I know so I don't waste your time and I don't waste my time".
This must have made sense to them because the husband says "if I can get the whole job done, including the pool (!!), basic landscaping, the driveway and the front fence for between $500 and $600,000 I'll be happy".
WHAT???
My heart sank.
Now here's the part that I can never work out...is he telling the truth or trying it on?
The house is 253sqm, and every single job I've done/am doing over the last 2 years has come in at between $3,000 and $3,500 per square metre...so, we're looking at $759,000 to $885,000 plus GST.
He claims he received a quotation for around $1,500 per square metre to lock up, which prompts me to wonder exactly what sort of corners will be cut and what sort of building the poor client will end up with, and then, what must the client think it's going to cost to fix out the home?
But, honestly, do people really think you can get a decent home built for this sort of money?
So now I have the awful job of telling this person that I won't be tendering his job unless he either re-adjusts his price expectations or comes clean with the truth about his real budget.
It was a cracker of a job, so it's really disappointing for me.
I just wish people would get a better grip of reality. I think I have to change my MO and only deal with architects from now on rather than the clients directly; at least architects may have a bit more realistic point of view that they can impart to their clients.
Till next time...
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