Quoting a job is like playing a game of chess. It is played by a highly defined set of rules and although anyone can play, the salesperson that knows the rules will usually win. So read the following short scenario and see if you can identify at least 7 common quoting mistakes. Next try to answer the 10 skill testing questions.

Scenario
You're meeting with Jack, the purchasing agent at a new account. After giving him your company brochure and telling him about your capabilities, Jack reaches into his desk and hands you a sample and spec sheet.

Jack: "We're attending a trade show in 60 days, so how soon can you get me a quote for 15M of these brochures?"
Salesperson: "Jack, as I mentioned we pride ourselves in offering our customers excellent quality and fast service so I'll make sure that you have the quote first thing tomorrow morning."
Jack: "That's great. Thanks for dropping by and I look forward to seeing your quote".

As promised early the next morning you email Jack a cover letter to thank him for the opportunity and attach a very competitively priced quote. A week later you follow up and Jack says "Thanks for your quote but you were $300 too high so we gave the job to someone else."

Skill testing questions
1. Prospects are always raising price objections so how would you close the sale, without giving a discount, when your prospect says:
"I can get the same job elsewhere for less"
"This job costs more than I thought"
"This is $800 too expensive" or
"We don't have the budget"

2. When dealing with a price shopper you should not submit a quote because he'll shop it around until he finds an even lower price. How can you close the price shopper without submitting a quote?

3. Submitting a quote at the wrong time can be a fatal mistake. Should you be the first or last to present a quote?

4. About 7% of decision makers are looking for the lowest quote. What are the other 93% looking for? (Hint, it's not fast delivery or better quality.)

5. What are purchasing agents and print buyers looking for in a quote? (Hint, it's not low price.)

6. Showing the prospect how to improve the job is a great way to gain a competitive edge. How can you prevent the prospect from stealing your new ideas?

7. An effective way to impress the prospect is to quote the job 2 different ways where column "A" shows the prospect's exact specs and column "B" shows ways to improve the job or save money. Why is quoting the job two ways a costly mistake?

8. At the end of a strong presentation you say "Mr. Prospect, the price for these brochures is only $1,200." What 3 quoting mistakes did you just make when you gave the price?

9. How can you make any job seem inexpensive and easy to afford?

10. If you try to win the account by submitting the lowest price you will lose more often than win. What easy to implement quoting technique will eliminate price competition?

Winning a job has nothing to do with price
Winning at the quoting game has nothing to do with price and everything to do with skill. In other words, if you're losing jobs to lower quotes or finding it difficult to compete against printers that are heavily discounting, it's not because your prices are too high but rather because you're making some costly quoting mistakes. Join the How to Eliminate the Price Driven Sale Webinar and you'll discover how to eliminate price competition and consistently land the job even when yours is the highest quote.

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