Topic

Messages

Estimating

09:18am May 1, 2002 PST (#1 of 6)

I'd like to get some feedback on how others handle estimating.

Currently, some of our account execs use C&P for their estimates. Others use Excel and other non-C&P methods.

To enforce consistency, particularly in verbiage, I'd like to have everyone do them in C&P. However, we use automatic job numbering, and I don't like the prospect of either having big holes in our job sequence for estimates not accepted, or having to open new clients and a series of jobs that we might be estimating for new business, only to have to shut them all down if we don't get the business.

Granted, we could delete the client and jobs if they're not used, but that leaves gaps in the sequence which, if we're looking in the physical files, we don't know if they're unopened jobs or lost files.

I've also thought about opening a series of estimating jobs for each AE, probably using their initials as the "client". They would estimate under any of their jobs, then if the estimate is accepted the job can be cloned to a real job and the estimating job recycled for new estimates. It seems like this should work reasonably well, my main worry being that in recycling the estimating job #'s the sales tax checkboxes could wind up set up wrong, which would clone to the new job (for instance, if we estimated an out of state job all the tax checkboxes would have to be off, and might not get turned back on for the next estimate.)

Do others require all estimates to be done in C&P? How do you overcome these issues?

Thanks in advance.

Brent A. Byrd
Point Zero, Inc.

Hi Brent ..

We do all estimates in Clients & Profits, and have job numbers for each. We used to use lettercode job numbers (client code and then LTH for letterhead or something) then clone those to numbered jobs, if approved. But we also don't use the automatic job numbering.

Now we're logging job numbers, and just using the status code to organize. So status code 100 is for new client/new business and status code 150 is for current client/new business. If the job doesn't go, it just gets reset to code 50. And the estimates are all marked unbillable until they're approved.

So far this works pretty well for us ...

Jennifer Larsen Morrow
marketing being
Creative Company, Inc.

Instead of cloning, you might want to use the renumber utility to assign a new job number and client code to the estimating job.

Thanks,

Rebecca Cox
C&P Consultant/Trainer
rebecca@rebeccacox.com

Brent,

All of our estimates are quoted to the clients in Word. We have a template that we start with on each, then it is edited down. This helps with consistency. When the quote is accepted by the client it is loaded into C&P.

But, an advantage to doing all of the quotes in C&P is having the ability to track what was quoted to a client vs. what jobs were actually started for that client. You can look at time spent quoting to that client, etc. and gauge that against the profitability of the client overall.

Good luck!

Shannon Ellis
Business Manager

Brent:

I know aspects of what I've written were touched on by other responses, but I thought I'd tie it together for you with some additional information.

For tracking potential new business, you might try this:

Create a "New Business" client. When new business is recruited, add a new job ticket for the potential client. In the job ticket's title, you can indicate the potential client's name as well as the job name, if there is one. Enter the address for the potential client in the job ticket's Estimate Options window.

You mentioned multiple sales people. Because each job ticket tracks the AE/Team, you'd just put their initials in that area. Many reports in Clients & Profits are printed by AE/Team. Or, for each sales person, create a "new business" client. For example, if Margaret Smith and Dan Jones are your sales persons, you'd add clients NBMS and NBDJ to your client file. When they recruit new business, they add a new job ticket for their new business client. (I don't think this is necessary, however. The AE/Team tracking works very well.)

Regarding taxable vs. non-taxable new business, the job type Estimate Options area allows for tailoring of sales tax settings. Each job type can be set up to use the task table settings, be always completely taxable, or always completely non-taxable. You might add a few 'New Business' job types with the correct sales tax settings, like for out-of-state work with the option set to non-taxable. That way, providing the right job type was selected, the sales tax setting would be correct.

You would track communication between the potential client and your shop within the job diary. Be sure to include the potential client's name in the subject line of the diary entry. This action enables you to sort one potential client's diary entries together, highlight them and print them out, if needed.

If the potential client accepted the estimate and became a real client, you'd add them to the Client file as their own client. Once that is done, you could renumber the existing job ticket's job number and client to be under the new client. (Choose Setup > Utilities > Renumber. First choose to renumber the job number. Then choose to renumber one job's client to update the client from New Business to the newly-added client.) This way, there would be no gaps in job numbering.

If the work did not result in getting the client, you just close the job ticket. That way, you'll have a record of all the work that was done and any associated costs trying to get new clients that did not pan out. They would remain part of the 'new business' client. It is so important to know the time and energy you've spent pursuing new business, so keeping and analyzing failed new business pitches could help you become better at the process.

Any questions?

Mindy Williams
Clients & Profits Helpdesk/Trainer

Printing Specs On 1st Page Only

Simple question, I know... but it's something that's been bugging the heck out of me. When I print estimates that have a lot of task codes in them, and they go onto a second page the specs are reprinted on the second page making the document much longer and hard to read.

Is there a way to print the specs on only the first page?

Michelle Conceison
Project Director
Polese Clancy / Boston