Client told me my bids were too vague back in 2018, changed everything

I got a call from a commercial client back in 2018 who said my tree service bids looked like I just guessed the price. They said I needed to break down labor, equipment, and disposal costs line by line. I was doing small residential jobs before that and nobody ever complained. I spent a weekend redoing my estimate template and started itemizing every single charge. Now I send bids that are three pages long and my close rate went up 30 percent. Has anyone else had to completely redo their pricing approach after one piece of feedback?

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leo_harris3mo ago

Man that's rough but honestly kind of a gift, getting that kind of direct feedback early on. Did it take you long to get comfortable with the longer format?

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diana3143mo ago

Ha, yeah maybe. But was it really a gift though? I mean getting told your whole approach is wrong before you even start, that can mess with your head just as much as it helps. How did you figure out when to stop overthinking that advice and just find your own rhythm?

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