Do you have a set process for capturing all the information and details on a sales call that you need to create an accurate proposal? If you have a dedicated sales person or team, do they have a set process they all follow? Or are you leaving it to memory and chance and hoping for the best?

At Grunder Landscaping Co., we’ve staked our business on our attention to detail and on exceeding client expectations. This requires us to be exceptionally organized, especially when it comes to bidding jobs and making sales.

But we didn’t always do this well. I don’t want to count the number of times we’ve gone into the red on a job because we missed a small detail that ended up costing us way more time and money than we budgeted.

So we developed a checklist to standardize the information we collect before drafting a design-build proposal, and to serve as a reminder to our salespeople of what they need to look out for and make note of on a client’s property.

The checklist, which we’ve included in The Grow Group Forms Kit, is simple but thorough. It keeps us from missing details that are easy to overlook but that can end up costing us later. It reminds us to notice everything we need to take into account for pricing and executing a job, from the locations of downspouts and the state of any concrete that needs to be removed, to the ease with which we’ll be able to bring in time-saving equipment like our Vermeer mini skid steers.

Our salespeople check items off and make notes as they tour a property and speak with the client. They then share those notes with the team when collaborating on designs and final proposals.

We still make mistakes—we’re not perfect!—but we’ve found that implementing processes like this checklist have improved our record considerably. If you’re finding yourself paying for costly mistakes that could have been avoided, zero in on your processes. What checklists do you need?

Have a great week!

$uper Sales Bootcamp

If you want to learn more ways your sales team can get organized, close sales, and exceed client expectations, join me in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 7 for my $uper Sales Bootcamp. I’ll take you on a deep dive into real-world tactics and tricks that work. View the full agenda and reserve your spot here.