There are the quick and the dead.
Although the phrase was originally seen in The Bible and “the quick” meant the living, its more modern meaning is apt in business. Act quickly, or your business will die.
An example is Geoff, who rang Michael the tiler. Would he be interested in quoting for a job? Michael was keen and asked for contact details to be emailed, which Geoff did.
Then the phone rang.
“How about 3.30 this afternoon to look at the job?” Michael asked.
When Michael had finished inspecting the site, he asked about Geoff's requirements and told Geoff what he needed to do before he started, then he sat in his vehicle for a while writing notes.
The next morning the quote arrived. Michael worked out how much time he would probably need and the number of visits to do the job. The cost appeared to be fair. It was about $1400 and fully detailed, so Geoff accepted.
Why would Geoff bother getting another quote? He might get a slightly lower price and he might get a lousy job. Michael had already proved his efficiency.
Our message to you: Be very quick with your quotes and give the appearance of efficiency. Not everyone gets multiple quotes and even when they do, half the time they never hear again from the tradesman. Yours could be the only quote, but if it’s not, you might be the only one who follows up on it. Money loves speed.
Footnote
Geoff and the tiler fell out. The tiler decided he didn’t want the job. Geoff then sought a fresh quote and got a satisfactory job for $600 less!