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Lowball bid got me the job and cost me my profit margin
Put in a bid 15% under my normal rate on a deck rebuild in Tacoma. Won the job easy, then hit rot in three joists that added two extra days. My $1,200 profit turned into about $300 once I paid my helper overtime. Has anyone else learned the hard way that being the cheapest bid just means you eat every surprise?
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the_jason1mo ago
Exactly why I stopped bidding low, cheap bids attract the worst luck and the tightest timelines.
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taraw1628d ago
gotta disagree with you there, man. low bids are how you break into a market when you don't have a rep yet. if you deliver solid work fast, they remember you for the next job and you can raise your prices then. yeah you'll get some trash clients, but you just gotta vet them harder upfront. i've had way more luck with cheap bids turning into long term deals than i ever did chasing big budgets. the tight timeline crap is just part of the game, you learn to say no to the crazy ones and quote double for the risky stuff. honestly, i think the whole "cheap attracts bad luck" thing is just a way to justify not hustling enough.
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