We lost a bat job today to a company that could do it the next day. ( They can't be real busy ) We hate to lose the job but we would have hated it a lot more if we hadn't charged anything to quote it!

Aint that the truth! No sure things, except the service call, death and taxes!

Had one today that balked at 89 for an inspection for bats. Even after I explained he was getting someone local and a reduced local rate. He had a quote in hand from someone else that he thought was to high and said he'd wait until he got a free inspection from another company before he called me back.
That's the kind of customer I don't want.

I figure if they squeal about a 75$ inspection fee
There really Gunna squeal when they hear the bid!!

Atleast you didn't loose after you have bought all the chalk and drove 1 1/2 hours one way and was all rolled out ready to rock . To a repellent spraying guy that will spray for just under your bid and fill there heads they need a contractor to replace there trim on there log home . What trim . What the trim around the windows and that's about the only spots the bats weren't get in . What lady you couldn't call and say hey I changed my mind I've decided to spray away my bats . Heck I would spray some repellent after I hung the doors and chalked the 50.000 gaps lady . Them guys spraying that gimmick stuff are going to get people killed

Lets get the troops really fired up.

I have been doing free bat inspections since June 1st. I originally was going to go back to my $130-200 inspection fee after August 15th but decided to keep doing them for free because of the great response. I tell them as soon as they say they are calling for bats that we will come out for free. We write up the estimate on the spot and in most cases they are on the calendar before we leave. A few call back to schedule and a few never call again.

I know I wasn't the company Paul is talking about since I haven't had a call for bats in a few days and because I haven't done any bats in Milwaukee.

I am closing out 90% of these free inspections. I just did a quick check and I have only had 6 estimates that didn't end in the job. Not bad since we have done 32 bat exclusions since August 15th. I also am charging 2 to 3 times more than my local competition for exclusions. I know most of my local competition is charging $400-$600 and I start at $750 and average around $1500 for an exclusion.

I am one of the first ones to have a fit about doing things for free but a fellow member on this site and Wisconsonite showed me the light. I ONLY do free inspections for bats and everything else pays like normal.

No way am I gonna charge $130-200 and risk losing $750 to $5000 over an hour of my day. Squirrels, skunks, woodchucks, and the rest are a different story. Plus those don't really require an inspection, you know what you are getting into with them.

Nate, most of my bat jobs are a dozen in a vent. A couple screens and half a tube of caulk gets most of them done. I ain't driving anywhere for less than 89 for a 400 job. We also have a very large ethnic population that has no compunction to not abuse the word free.
I drove two and half hours one way yesterday to look at one and if I used your logic I'd have done so for free since this may turn into a five figure job.

I charge them an inspection fee and if they take
The bid it comes off the total! Usually!!

David I don't travel that far. What works for me this year might not work next year. I am not trying to say what I do is right for anyone else. Right now this is working and I am gonna ride it until it ends. When it no longer is profitable I will switch.


I have changed fees, price structure, service areas numerous times to get the most bang for my buck and will keep changing as needed to be competitive in a saturated market until I close up shop.

I charge $75 inspection fee which applies to the total if I get the job. Like Kasey said if they squeal about that they probably won't be interested in a $1000 bat job.

Nate, can't argue with prosperity. Whatever you might lose in service calls, you more than make up in price. Bat Specialists got our job. We used to give them all our bat jobs when I was a one man show. If I remember right, they even thanked me once! Glad that they have enough time on their hands to take our job. Sounds like you're getting a lot of work that they used to get as well.

I actually stumbled across them in Williams Bay not long ago. After they left I knocked on the door and after talking to the owner a few minutes I secured the clean out. Bats were actually removed last year and they were just doing a courtesy check.

I will happily follow them around and take the clean outs.

My mother is the executive director of five public housing apartment sites in georgia and she had a company charge 750.00 for the inspection on a 1200 sq foot apartment attic. The exclusion and clean oit was 2000.00 plus. I ask her if the inspection cost was taken out of the job cost and she said not sure. Wished I could charge 750 for inspection. Just dont understand how anyone could charge this on an inspection. To bad its a conflict of interest for my company to work at her sites. Guess I have the wrong last name.

In this case with this species, I'm with Nate. I'm also with him that the second it doesn't pay off for me, I'll change.
Right now I go look for free at bats for two reasons, one we are trying to be the best bat conservationists we can
be and going for free means at least I educate the folks and try to get them to not hire or DIY the bats to death.

The second reason is that so far, doing this whether it is 5 minutes away or 60, means we land the jobs. We
have had this thread before about just free inspection versus charging for each and another aspect is salesmanship.

If I get in front of a client I am far more likely to get the job based on talking it through with them and gaining their
trust.

Could I charge an inspection fee? Yes I could. Would I get as many jobs? Maybe, maybe not, but right now this works
for me, and again only on bats, I learned the hard way on pigeons, too many tire kickers just looking to find out what
it takes, so now, they pay unless I feel very very good about the discussion over the phone, and my gut is nearly 100%
accurate on who to go do free pigeon exclusion estimates for.

I think if it suits your business model do it, if it doesn't, don't. The discussion about "valuing my time" can't be won
if I charge $125.00 and don't get to go out to inspect because they turn me down on a job valued at $2,000 or higher,
am I valuing my time right?

I believe, do you and I'll do me and just as in other aspects of life sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I never go
out to look at any other wildlife issue for free, mostly because the tire kickers abound and it is easier to quote other
control projects over the phone and see if you get a "yay," or a "click."

Justin

I charge $85 to $95 (which comes off the price of the work). If a homeowner won't spring for that to get a professional, on-roof and -ladder, up-close inspection, diagnosis and consultation (which takes a good hour, or more)...he's not serious about solving the problem. And he's NOT gonna spring for a four-figure R & E.

I bet you can sell it without taking it off the top. The alternative is the guy with a truck, ladder and spray foam gun.

Customers who accept a high inspection fee without blinking, do not tend to quibble about the cost of the job.

This kind of customer is not stupid. You have to be on top of your game.

Roll out the "smoke and Mirrors"..........

Wash and detail your truck regularly,,including the back,,,,
If you have a Nice Cargo trailer,,,, drag it along
Learn business card 101
Publish a dvd that the potential customer can view while you are doing the inspection,,, (gets them out of your way)
Provide them with Local health department information
Remove your shoes
Bring your lap top into the kitchen and view inspection results without disclosing to much information,,,,
Never refuse baked goods or coffee if asked

To charge or not to charge, that is the question.

My immediate answer would be to charge. My rate for a basic bat inspection is $179 plus tax and $279 plus tax for a bat risk assessment (meaning 6 - 14 page written information containing color photographs, inspection details, recommendations, w/ proposal). I do this for several reasons.

First off, I use the fee as a qualifier for the prospect. If they baulk at $179 they aren't going to take my $2,000 - $10,000 proposal. Instead, they are looking for the cheapest service they can find and will do nothing but complain about it once it is done. Second, I'm covering my expenses for performing services. If I didn't charge for an inspection then I have to pay for those expenses out of other services. That means charging higher rates either to them or to others to cover costs. Third, I use it as a sales tool. Yes we charge for inspections; however, we then deduct that amount from any accepted proposal amounts when hired. The majority of prospects out there expect to pay for a professionals time and opinion. Again, those that don’t want to pay usually end up being more of a pain than any regular paying customer you’ll have.

The only time I break this rule is when I'm working for a business or municipality and the reason for them is that it is such a hassle to get approval and payment for an inspection it isn't worth either of our time. In those cases, I'm spending more time on the phone to qualify them and their needs or less time on site than with a residential customer where I'm getting paid regardless.

Do you get more business from not charging than from charging? The problem with that question is you'll never know. When told that there is no fee, individuals who would happily pay for an inspection never bring up the subject so it is impossible to know how effective a sales tool it really is, especially if you are good at sales. What I do know is that I get less than 2% refusal on inspection fees credited to future work and I have a close rate on maternity colony conflict jobs of 98+ percent. On my "free" inspections I have a close rate closer to 20%.

So for me it isn't the question to charge or not to charge, rather the question is how much.

Wow, what good viewpoints. Vinke, those are some of the most valuable tips I've seen in a while. I like the one about refusing baked goods/drinks. To some people, that is refusing their hospitality and is taken as an insult. When people give me water/drink, I always thank them for their hospitality as I leave, and know they'll probably be good customers.
As for the "guy with a truck, ladder and foam gun"...I've personally seen two "competitors" give bat bids and didn't even have a ladder with them! Oh, well, I'll get the job next year when the bats return. Happens all the time.