Ok, nervous

[cam_low]

Going to give my first quote tomorrow, very nervous and I dont want to make an idiot of myself.

The area I am quoting for is the bathroom shower. the bloke has plyed it and backerboarded it. I recommended flexi addy and grout (BAL)

Is there any questions I should be prepared for?

Is there any questions I should be asking him ?

HELP !

thanks

[enduro]

Turn up on time, look smart, take your shoes off when entering there house. Ask him what tiles he has, are they natural stone as theses will need sealing, is there a border, What colour grout does he want to match the tiles, if ivory you will need cream silicone...Good luck mate, you will be fine!!!

[Dave]

And most of all be POLITE.....and don't talk to much....this can put some peeps off.....if they are chatty then chat back.......always try to make the customer feel at ease with you......Trust works wonders...........and GOOD LUCK......

[monty]

As Enduro says, get there on time, take your shoes off....When i went to do my first estimate i put my work gear on and rubbed a bit of silicone on my brand new gear and told them I've just come straight from a job.
I've done a few estimates now and still sh*t myself..lol

Good luck mate..

[sWe]

As Enduro says, get there on time, take your shoes off....When i went to do my first estimate i put my work gear on and rubbed a bit of silicone on my brand new gear and told them I've just come straight from a job.
I've done a few estimates now and still sh*t myself..lol

Good luck mate..

ROFL!! I did something similar! Smeared a little WPC, primer and silicone here and there on my pants and shoes, and then I washed my pants after the grime had dried, and polished my shoes. That way, I figured I'd look busy but tidy Most of my tools were well used, so I didn't do anything about that

[monty]

ROFL!! I did something similar! Smeared a little WPC, primer and silicone here and there on my pants and shoes, and then I washed my pants after the grime had dried, and polished my shoes. That way, I figured I'd look busy but tidy Most of my tools were well used, so I didn't do anything about that

Hahahahaha....well it worked and i got the job....but my next worry was going to the house with the brand new wet cutter....so of i went to b&q and bought a box of the cheapest tiles and cut the lot up to make it look used..

[sWe]

Good one Monty

By the way, Boosha, here's a post you might find useful.

[Fekin]

Good luck

[wetdec]

Just be you m8 I'm sure you will be fine


tiler

[Dan]

You have to always remember that you're there to do the tiling work. The appearance and the way you come across are things more to do with you risking "blowing the job" (or at least that's why we do the things we do - becasue we THINK that) but to GET the job you need to prove with words that you're a worthy good tiler. And they can be new or old. So don't worry about it.

Prepare: go through the quote process with your Mrs in your kitchen or whatever. Get your pencil sharp, get your tape measure ready etc. Practise the going in the doorway with a positive attitude in your own dorrway. Get your mind and miscles used to the process so when you do it for real you're expecting yourself to feel or act a certain way.

(sorry: I've been reading up a lot on NLP - I'd recommend to anybody but definately somebody with a goal or two they're working on - and quoting your first job and GETTING IT is a goal in my opinion - so it needs to be treated with respect)

[Dan]

On another level.

Remember that if your business was huge and you had the best in each aspect of the business just running that bit. You would be the tiler and you'd have salesmen or confident people doing the quoting and searching for leads.

So when you go in there, on a certain level the customer is expecting a tiler to show up, which is why (without really thinking deep into it) we know that when we look at ourselves on the first quote we look too clean - so we 'dirty' our gear / clothes.

So concentrate more on 'tiling'. Find the few things you know you're confident with (using a level / applying the adhesive / mixing the tiles / whatever) and talk about that a lot at first "and Mrs Jones I'll make sure that the tiles are spot on level and plumb, there will be none of this (be thankful if you found something unlevel to put your level on) unlevelness (giving the customer things to think about - taking their mind and yours off the things you might be hesitant with your replies).

I bet the right person could get a job just talking about their sucess in tiling and nothing more - no quote, no tape measure, dirty clothes (perhaps standing at the door outside because of it and making a big thing about that) because if you're just pointing out all good things that the customer wants to hear then due to the fact humans store info they want to hear more so than not - providing the other tilers go in and each fall short on one or two of the things you've talked about that you're good at the customer will compare that way - as you've given them amo, yet only amo that doesn't work against you - as you stated you're good at those so it's unquestionable from then-on.

I know I waffle a bit when I write like this. But communication and getting across your points is really important in work and personal life I feel. I've always been positive and pro-active (though it's cost me - but it's all experience) and I can't pass on years of tiling experience etc.

But when I hear about tilers not getting jobs because they're new (and especially when I hear THE tiler saying it) I get annoyed a little.

There are positives to having a new tiler. And I'd like to think knowing so many I could find a good win:Win situation when I need my bathroom doing (hint hint).

I wont go into it. But I'm sure you can point out a few of your own.

Don't worry about the quote process. Go in the room and tile it with your mind, even mutter the odd word as you're doing it, make the customer wait in silence next to you even while you look around the rad or loo or whatever. Then stand up, look satisfied, say "I WILL make sure that your cuts here are not like what they are now, YOU WILL be impressed to see them, think about having this here Mrs Jones" and you'll find you'll not need to concentrate on not farting and worrying about things you've read about other tilers.

Good luck.

[wetdec]

[cam_low]

Thank you very much for the advice.

As the customer has done the boarding themselves and it is a shower area, will i need to waterproof/tank the area?

If so, will a homelux kit be fine ?

[plumbersmate]

the others have given you such great advice, boosha, i'm sure you'll be fine. good luck, hope the jobs roll in for you!

[wetdec]

Thank you very much for the advice.

As the customer has done the boarding themselves and it is a shower area, will i need to waterproof/tank the area?

If so, will a homelux kit be fine ?

email me and I will sort you out m8


tiler

..

[cam_low]

Well I think I funked that one up good and proper!

Simple job consisting of tiling 4.2m2 in a self built shower enclosure currently having backerboard applied. I reckon he's a skilled DIYer or ex trade. Should this not be waterproofed if he is going to all this trouble?



Tiling a queer sized tile, 19cmx31cm, insistent on it being perfect which I think should be an easy job.

Any who, I mentioned, oops, the drunken arse bandit I was working with last, I had only done a handful of jobs and I basically couldn't get out there quick enough, oh yes, only after telling him that he had to prime the backerboard, as a certain tile shop told me that with BAL single part flexible I have to! He disagreed and I felt so stupid so I said I'd drop a quote off over the next few days and told him I couldn't do it til the start of the month anyway!

He also got me with the how long have you been tiling for!!! I stuttered into a couple of year and 7 jobs on me own since leaving drunken arse bandit! Now I feel like the bandit. Never mind, onwards and upwards. Best of it is, I know I can do a perfect job on it ! ha.

So its around 4.2 m2 and has 3 holes to cut (porcelanso tiles, hybrids are they ?)


and cut around this


What should I ask for labour ? I reckoned around £250 but not too sure !

thanks

[cam_low]

anyone?

[Fekin]

Sounds ok to me mate