I spoke to a Prospect today who seemed surprised with one of the basic operational tenets of
our Center. He is trying to get a small business off the ground and wants printed materials for advertising and operations. He wanted five different items and specified the quantities and quality for each. He then asked whether we offer mailing services (yep). That’s when I shared our tenet: we will get it right from the start by providing a firm Estimate from which we will not deviate unless our Client seeks a change.
We have adhered to this operating principle regardless of the challenges we have faced. This has been particularly the case at our
Dunwoody - Sandy Springs Center. In that team, some had experience in the visual-communications industry. Regardless, we were all new to
AlphaGraphics’s systems and some of us (myself included) had come from other professions. Of course, there were several quotes that significantly underpriced our services and products. A certain project involving menus comes to mind. No matter what, we never went back to the Clients with revised quotes.
I told our Client today that I would send him a firm Estimate for the printed items. However, depending on the direction in which he wanted to go with the mailing services (e.g., targeted, personalized list vs. generic neighborhood), this item’s quote would not be final right away. I explained that the rest of the Estimate would be firm. He thanked me for letting him know about our policy on quotes. As a small business trying to get off the ground, few things are certain. A firm quote from us provides a small amount of confidence, allowing him to budget for other expenses necessary to open and be successful.