While many clients only look at cost as the bottom line, for many potential customers, a clear and professional-looking estimate can make all the difference in helping them decide whether to choose a businesses' services. If you are operating your own humidor repair business, you will need to offer your potential clients an estimate for your services. When writing an estimate for humidor repair, be sure to include all of the necessary information in a way that is informative and easy to understand.
Instructions
Formatting Your Estimate
1. Format your estimate on official company watermarked paper if possible. If this is not possible, try to include your humidor repair company logo somewhere on the top of the page. Either way, you need to have the name of the company, the company location and contact information on the top of the page.
2. Include a space for the name of the person writing the humidor estimate. This will add accountability to the person who is writing the estimate, so the client can be assured their estimate is supported. Because of the range of ways a humidor can malfunction, from the hygrometer to cigar beetle infestation, it is important to write who first gave the estimate.
3. Add the date that the estimate was given. If this estimate is only good for a certain time period, be sure to include the date in which the estimate given expires. This is good for offering customers an incentive to choose your company. Also, humidor lids can warp over time due to improper maintenance, so having a date that the estimate was given can reaffirm that the estimate you are giving is appropriate to the date the humidor was examined. This is useful in the case that time passes in between the estimate was given and the services were performed.
4. Format your pricing information in the form of a table. Include a column for item description (such as mahogany or Spanish cedar), unit, unit price, quantity needed and cost.
5. Fill in your estimate line by line. For example, item description could be "Spanish cedar" or "propylene glycol." In the unit column, detail how these items are sold (each, in cases of four, etc.). In the unit price column, include how much these items cost per unit. In the quantity column, write how many of these units you need. And in cost, multiply unit price by quantity needed.
6. Include "labor" as one of your item descriptions. After all, you are being paid to do the work to fix the humidor as well as purchase the necessary parts. Humidors and their parts can be expensive, depending on the level of quality your customer desires. It is important not to downplay the importance of being paid for your labor, so you can actually make a profit on the service you are providing and not get over your budget in part costs. For units, measure your time by the hour.
7. The final row of your table should always be the total cost, including tax. The previous rows in your column should simply act as the breakdown for helping your customers see how you came to that price. Though humidors are often made with organic materials, they are still taxable. In fact, material cost from state to state may vary due to tobacco product laws and taxes.
8. Include any "fine print." That is, include any information that may nullify the terms of the estimate, or any room for change. You need to include your policy should any further service be needed (for example, should the lid warp further or the humidor be placed in the wrong climate). Make this easy to read and understand as well.
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