By signcraft
Posted on Monday, March 31st, 2025
A reader wants to know:
“How do you price an installation when there are ‘what-ifs’ involved? Sometimes you can’t tell what you’ll run into during an installation, so you can’t accurately estimate the time that might be involved.”
Some sign installations—like a 4×8 on two posts—are easy to price. But how do you handle it when the customer wants a price for installation, yet there are potential issues that could take time that you can’t easily estimate, such as removing their old stud-mounted letters or taking vinyl graphics off a truck door?
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I always separate any repair or removal as its own line item on the “Estimate”. I almost never use the word “Quote”. I also explain to the customer that a removal such as vinyl can take 10 minutes or 3+ hours depending on several factors and for that reason I can only estimate not quote them a price. Often, to put the customer at ease I will put a “not to exceed” price based on my experience this is usually more than I expect it to take for my protection.