Do you give discounts?

[Bluebell]

Just been to see a potential client and it's an entire house I'm quoting for.

Living room - window with curtains, swags and tie backs, plus french doors to garden with swags only (vertical blinds in place already).
Kitchen - roman or roller blind with bottom trim.
Staircase window - single voile curtain with leading edge trim and tieback.
Master bedroom - full length curtains and tiebacks.
En suite - roman blind or roller blind.
Daughter's room - sill length curtains and tiebacks.
Spare room - sill lenght curtains and tiebacks.

Would you offer a discount if they ordered everything?

[Schuhby]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Hi Bluebell

Before offering discounts I would suggest you offer a few goodwill gestures to tempt them into ordering - Offer them free cushion covers and tiebacks but build the cost of the fabric into the quote, that way it only costs you time. If you have to offer them a financial incentive I'd suggest you build that into your initial quote also. Only offer them something if you need to use it as a tool to close the order - J Lewis wouldn't give them a discount.. Nothings free in this World...

I once offered discounted tracks to a client I'd quoted for, the quote was high so I offered up-graded tracks as an incentive for them to buy.. Initially she wanted numerous items totally several thousand pounds, I offered the better track system and she came back to me and said she would like to start with one roman blind with the track upgrade... No way! I told her that wasn't going to happen and that the tracks were offered based on the whole order. She wasn't to pleased and I never heard from here again.

Philip

[Barcoded]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Fraid so! It would show willing. You could add a bit on and take it off again!

[Bluebell]

Re: Do you give discounts?

I've suggested that before she orders absolutely everything mentioned above, she gets me to do one of the smaller jobs (ie a blind) first so that she can test the quality of my work. That way she's not making a huge committment right away but can think about it (and at worse I at least get one item to make my consultation time worthwhile!).

So perhaps I could build into the quote a clause that states if the rest of the order goes ahead (that is, ALL items) then I'll discount the cost of this blind off. So she gets her first blind free. However, as suggested below, I'd have covered my costs in the quote so I don't actually end up out of pocket. Smart suggestions everyone. Thanks!

[Penny]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Hello Bluebell

I do offer discounts but at my discretion, as Phillip says its usually by throwing in some scatter cushions, but I have also made tiebacks foc as well.
I will sometimes offer a couple of pounds off of the RRP if I think it will swing the customer.
Just out of interest how long were you with the customer to measure up that many rooms, discuss the style they wanted and for them to chose their fabrics? I would imagine that it was quite a long time. I would include a small charge for each room to cover some of my time.

[Schuhby]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Bluebell

Has she asked for a discount? If she orders one blind and is happy enough to come back for the rest, then I doubt you'll need to offer any incentive other than a quality service. Have confidence in your ability... You never know, she might just be happy with your quote without discounts.

Philip

[Bluebell]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Maybe you're right and I should just go for it. All I can do is quote and see what happens. I was only there a couple of hours to talk to her and measure - pretty simple and quick as it's a brand new house and the windows have just small venetian blinds fitted right now - they moved in 4 months ago and just put them up quickly to get privacy. Now she's looking for something sumptuous in the living/dining room and more practical items elsewhere, to work with the wooden venetians they have in place upstairs. There are no poles or tracks in the house yet - this was just the first consultation and I'll need to remeasure all the lengths once the poles are fitted, if she goes with me. Now all I've got to do is work out my prices!

[Mairi]

Re: Do you give discounts?

I no longer do whole house quotes on first consultation as I find valuable time has been lost. People often don't have any idea how much MTM curtains etc. cost & get a shock when they see a large amount. I offer to come & quote one room & if they find price agreeable I will then quote the rest of the house. If I get the first room they usually come back for the rest ...that way I am not wasting valuable hours quoting for time wasters

And ...no I don't give discounts

[Schuhby]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Mairi

That is fantastic advice, and I very much agree with your comments. Another way to weed out time wasters is to charge a consultation fee refundable against a confirmed order.

Philip

[Tam]

Re: Do you give discounts?

I do give estimates for whole houses and alot of my work is based on whole houses too. I find that clients need the advice and the time in one visit. Some other companies in my area only quote for a single room and go from there. I find people havent got alot of time for second or third consultations and neither do I.

It does state in my T&C's that estimates are based on whole orders and not in part. If it is a whole booking, I do offer discounts on goods should the client request, but discount is only given when deposits are confirmed as a whole and account balance discounts are incorporated in the final bill. . Freebies are included and incorporated too

Where do we draw this line do we all then proceed to offer price matching our competitors prices too?? I suppose you have to put a price on what you think your services are worth. Only you know what the price of that is. It depends on whether you can afford to offer discounts on estimates , or if you incorporate freeby costings into estimates, whether it will get you the booking or make the estimate too expensive for your client by doing so.

I personally wouldnt charge a consultation fee in my local area,simply because not one of my competiors charge either and I would never get a call out otherwise, however I would if it were further afield.

Thats what makes us all different, what works for one doesnt necessarily work for another.

[Penny]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Tam
That was so brilliantly put, here here!
Thats what makes this forum so special we all have diiferent ways of looking at things.

[Karen C]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Morning All,

I do whole house Consultations, however I would ask what the clients priority rooms are and explain that I only like to work on a couple of rooms at a time. This way rather than going from having nothing to everything the client gets two rooms finished at a time and you get paid for doing the two rooms. I find this way it keeps money coming in and the client happy at the same time.

I find doing it this way you can deliver a couple of items and whilst you are there confirm the next couple. Saying this it does depend on how far away the client is and how busy they and I am.

I personally don't offer discount, the only thing I would perhaps do if the client confirmed the whole order at once is offer free hanging. But to do this it would have to be fairly simple hanging - not like swags and tails that can take hours and hours and hours.

The other thing I do for very good clients that spend a lot and keep coming back is buy them a bottle of something at Christmas, they seem to remember you for this.

As for charging to go out, I know one of my competitors does charges £25, which is refundable against an order. I have never done this and don't think its the right thing to do I think you could frighten alot of people off this way. I just build it into the final cost.

[Tam]

Re: Do you give discounts?

I totally agree with you Karen.

Where discounts apply is based on such as free fitting , also its far cheaper for my track fitter to do all the fitting in one go, so he offers me discount as a whole which is passed onto the customer. It leaves me with tracks fitted , track fitters final measurements to finish goods which saves me alot of running around, resulting in time saved and discount for the client~ =everyone is happy

[thecurtainmaker]

Re: Do you give discounts?

Very good comments, and I think everyone has to find what works for them. If I'm doing a whole house, I like to measure it all in one go - it saves on repeat visit time. I do sometimes offer a discount on fabrics purchased from me if I make them up but not otherwise. I never give discounts on my time costs, because they are paying for my expertise!!
Regards
Pen

[Jules]

Re: Do you give discounts?

What a good, thought provoking question and so much to get ones head around too, with all the different replies with many and varied views!

I, like a fool, do offer discounts too....to people I like! Most unprofessional, I know and something I must get out of the habit of doing. I will be re-reading your informative posts again and again and, hopefully, be able to take on board the wise words and get my act into gear. As Philip said early on, it's really a confidence thing. We all endeavor to provide 'a high quality service' but don't always have the belief in ourselves to charge what we're worth.....