A client's one-line note changed how I bid every job since

Last fall I bid a kitchen remodel in Austin and lost it. The homeowner wrote back saying my quote felt like I was padding hours for things I hadn't even scoped yet. That stung because they were right, I had thrown in extra for unknowns without listing them. Now I break out every line item with a short note explaining why it's there. Since then I've won 3 of 5 bids and the losing ones at least got polite 'thanks for the detail' replies. Has anyone else had a rejection that actually improved their process this much?

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johnb954d agoTop Commenter

Did you ever find yourself writing out a bid and thinking "eh, they'll never question this"? I used to toss in mystery line items like "miscellaneous coordination" and hope nobody asked, which is basically charging someone for a unicorn I hadn't even lassoed yet. Now I list every single hour, and honestly, my quotes look like a grocery receipt for a very anxious person, but at least the clients know exactly what they're buying.