Why do slow quotes lose made-to-measure jobs?

When a customer books a measure, you are almost never the only one. They are collecting two or three quotes. The first professional quote does two things. It sets the reference price every other quote gets compared against, and it makes you look like the most organised company of the three. Organisation matters in this trade, because the customer cannot judge your sewing or your fitting yet. The quote is the first piece of your work they hold in their hands.

The wider sales research says the same thing. A study published by Harvard Business Review in 2011 found that companies contacting a new enquiry within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify it than those that waited longer. Follow-up studies since have found that between a third and half of sales simply go to whoever responds first. Curtains and blinds are not software leads, but the pattern holds. Interest is highest on the day of the measure. Every day after that, it cools.

There is a second cost of a slow quote that nobody counts. While the quote sits half-finished on your desk, the customer calls to ask where it is. Now you are apologising before you have even asked for the order.

We are arranging workshops and 1-on-1 calls with the retailers who are looking to move to our system and automate hteir workflows and the old way they were working. also the ones that are looking forward to selling made-to-measure blinds and curtains online.

PM