Halfway through a church lot, Ray's crew finds a soft section of base failure that isn't in the scope. The pastor says, "Just take care of it." What should Ray do before the crew touches it?

Write a change order with the work, price and schedule change, and get it signed or approved in writing

Fix it and add it to the final invoice

Seal over it to stay on schedule

Fix it for free so the customer stays happy

A homeowner's driveway was sealed two years ago and still looks good, but a few cracks have opened. What's the honest recommendation?

A full sealcoat, since it's been two years

Decline the job until it needs sealing

Lena measures a lot from aerial imagery. What should happen before anyone signs?

Someone checks the measurements on site

Which line belongs in a written sealcoating scope?

The number of sealcoat coats and the areas included

A competitor's price for the same lot

"Standard prep" with no details

Which follow-up plan matches the lesson?

Set dates when you send it, like a call in 2 days, an email in a week and a last check in 3 weeks

Send the estimate and wait for the customer to call

Tell them the price goes up tomorrow

Tomas's crew striped a stall line in the wrong spot on a store lot. What should the owner do?

Call the customer first, fix it, and note what changes next time

Wait and see whether the store notices

Offer a discount on next year's work instead of fixing it

Lesson B201.5 · Business Finance 201: Grow Without Breaking

Estimates that win honest work

4-minute read · No dated figures

The short answer

You win more honest work by answering fast, measuring carefully and writing the full scope so the customer can see exactly what they're buying. Then follow up on a schedule you set when you send the estimate. Once the job starts, put every change in writing before the crew does it. Track your close rate so you know whether any of it is working.

What goes in the estimate

Respond fast. Answer the same day or the next business day. Slow replies lose jobs before price ever comes up.

Measure for real. Measure on site, or from aerial imagery that you check on site before anyone signs. Imagery can miss a new addition, and parked cars can hide cracks.

Write the scope. A customer comparing three estimates needs to see what each one includes:

Prep: cleaning, oil spot treatment, edging
Crack work: which cracks, how they're cleaned, what material, and about how many linear feet
Sealcoat: number of coats, how it's applied, areas included and excluded
Layout: restripe the existing layout or a new one, and the stall count
Schedule: start date, closure plan, dry time from the product's data sheet, and your weather policy
Terms: deposit, payment due date and what your guarantee covers

Be honest about quantities and treatments. Bid the real area and recommend what the pavement needs. If a driveway sealed two years ago still looks good, say so: fill the cracks now and look at sealing again next year.

Offer clear options. Good, better and best options, each written out, let the customer choose without guessing. For example: crack repair and restriping; crack repair, two coats and restriping; or all of that plus a maintenance agreement with spring inspections.

Follow up on a schedule and track your close rate

Set the follow-up dates when you send the estimate, and keep them. One schedule that works: a call in 2 days to answer questions, an email in a week with photos of similar work, and a last check in 3 weeks. If the answer is no, ask what decided it.

Close rate = estimates signed ÷ estimates sent.

Example (made-up numbers): Ray sent 40 estimates last spring and signed 14. That's 14 ÷ 40 = 35%. This spring he used a written follow-up schedule on every estimate. He sent 42 and signed 19: 19 ÷ 42 = about 45%. Same crew, same price floor. The difference was answering questions before a competitor did.

Change orders, guarantees and owning mistakes

Change orders go in writing, every time. If it isn't in the signed scope, write down what changes, the price change and the schedule change, and get the customer's signature or written approval before the crew does the work. Example: halfway through a church lot, Ray's crew finds a soft section of base failure by the dumpster pad. Sealing over it won't hold. He stops, takes photos, and sends a change order to cut and patch it, or to leave it out of the job in writing.

Promise only what you'll honor. Put the guarantee terms on the estimate: what's covered, for how long and what isn't. Then honor them without an argument.

Own a mistake fast. If the crew puts a stall line in the wrong spot, call the customer before they call you, fix it, and note what you'll do differently next time.

Your Move

Do this week

Take your next estimate and check it against the scope list above.
Write three follow-up dates on it before you send it.
Put the dates in your calendar and keep them.
Start counting: estimates sent and estimates signed, for your close rate.

Log it: Estimate sent with a follow-up schedule.

Common questions

What should a sealcoating estimate include?

The measured area, prep, crack work, number of coats, striping layout, schedule and closure plan, payment terms and what your guarantee covers.

How long should I wait to follow up on an estimate?

Set the dates when you send it, then keep them. A call in 2 days, an email in a week and a last check in 3 weeks is one schedule that works.

Do I need a change order for small extras?

Yes. If it isn't in the signed scope, write it down and get approval before the crew does it. Small extras cause the biggest arguments when nobody wrote them down.

Watch out for

Measuring from imagery and never checking the lot.
Low quantities to win the bid, then "finding" extras later.
Verbal go-aheads with no written record.
Promising dry times or results the product's data sheet doesn't support.

Free help

America's SBDC: Find Your SBDC for free business consulting
SCORE: Free business mentoring

Free practice

Lesson check

5 questions on this lesson, one at a time, with the answer and the reason after each. Pass with 4 right, including every must-know question.

This is general education, not tax, legal, investment or insurance advice. Rules change and every situation is different. Check the sources below, and talk to a qualified professional before you act on it.

Sources

America's SBDC: Find Your SBDC
SCORE: Free Business Mentoring, Workshops & Resources

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