Understanding estimates is key to wise spending
By Tom Dwyer
Giving estimates for the cost of a job is one of the hardest things to do in any business. A client, understandably, wants to have at least SOME idea what they can expect to pay, but the service provider is being asked to predict an uncertain future and then stand by that prediction. One Portland automotive icon, Harold Dick, would banish clients who asked for an estimate. His feeling was that you were asking him to care for your car, so you should trust him to charge appropriately and be prepared to pay whatever it took to do it. Most businesses are a little more accommodating, though, and will give some estimate of what their work will cost. Estimates can be deceptive, either through intent or by accident. I hate to lose work to an incomplete or deceptive estimate provided by another business.
