5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Machine Shop Quoting

Quoting and estimating is a critical function in every job shop, especially in the competitive landscape of American manufacturing. The ability to secure jobs depends on the speed and accuracy of your quoting process. While winning more jobs is undoubtedly a key objective for job shops across the country, it’s essential to recognize the frequent misconceptions about machine shop quoting to ensure that your estimating team succeeds. 

Let’s explore the five most common mistakes your machine shop should avoid when quoting:

Mistake #1: Treating Every Quote The Same

One of the most frequent mistakes in machine shop quoting is the tendency to treat every quote with a one-size-fits-all approach. Each project is unique, with distinct requirements and considerations. Failing to tailor your quotes accordingly can lead to inaccurate pricing, misunderstandings, and, ultimately, lost opportunities. 

But, when evaluating an RFQ, it can be time-consuming and challenging to determine if investing time in quoting is justified. Why allocate time to a job you are unlikely to win if the RFQ hasn’t been thoroughly evaluated?

By determining the likelihood of winning the quote and gathering all the information you need upfront, you can avoid wasting time quoting every single job and focus on the quotes that matter. 

Mistake #2: Leaving Money On The Table

Many machine shops inadvertently leave money on the table by not optimizing their pricing strategies. With machine shop quoting, it’s crucial to assess the true value of your services and factor in all relevant costs. Ignoring overhead, material expenses, and labor costs can result in underpricing, limiting your profit margins. 

Buyers might not express their priorities or what they value most. While they may emphasize the importance of timely deliveries, the true value for them could lie in receiving the order a few days earlier. Some buyers might communicate a need for expedited orders but insist on maintaining the standard pricing. This creates an uncomfortable situation for shop owners who are hesitant to charge more in fear of losing the job.

Establishing expedited pricing standards and stating your expedited charges upfront can allow your shop to avoid this mistake. 

Mistake #3: Failing To Reference Past Quotes

A valuable resource often overlooked is the wealth of information in past quotes. Failing to reference previous quotes can lead to missed opportunities for improvement and more importantly, can draw out the quoting process. Analyzing historical data can reveal patterns, helping you refine your pricing strategies and win more projects. It can also significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to get a quote out the door. 

Archive past quotes, standardize your quoting method, and centralize your processes to avoid making this common quoting mistake.

Mistake #4: Wasting Time Quoting Low Dollar Value Jobs

Not all quotes are created equal, and not every project is worth pursuing. Spending excessive time on low-dollar value jobs can deflect resources from higher profit yielding opportunities. It’s crucial to prioritize quotes that align with your business objectives and contribute significantly to your bottom line.

This mistake can be avoided by understanding the profitability of your quoting time and having a concrete pricing method. Utilizing machine shop quoting software helps you capture and centralize data to make more informed decisions, allowing you to  prioritize the right jobs.

Mistake #5: Responding Too Slowly

In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, time is of the essence. Responding too slowly to quote requests can result in lost job opportunities. According to a recent Part Buyer Survey, 67% of buyers expect a quote response in less than 24 hours. This statistic should come as no surprise; with the world at our fingertips, we can easily buy any item with a press of a button. Additionally, efficient communication and prompt responses showcase professionalism and dedication—factors that can set your machine shop apart from the competition.

To avoid slow response times, gather all information necessary to complete a quote upfront, leverage information you already have, have an open line of communication, and build strong vendor relationships.

Avoiding Mistakes with Quoting Software for Machine Shops

Avoid these common mistakes and implement best practices with Paperless Parts’ quoting software for machine shops. Our features enable your shop to easily track and manage RFQs, streamline collaboration and workflows, and optimize pricing strategies to benefit your shop’s bottom line.

How to Avoid Treating Every Quote The Same: With Paperless Parts, you can drive efficiency, increase profitability, and position your machine shop for success. Our Smart RFQ form allows you to guide customers to fill out all the necessary information needed to determine if it’s worth quoting. And with all of your quoting data housed in one, centralized location, you can more easily access the context you need before starting to build out a quote. 

How to Avoid Leaving Money On The Table: With Paperless Parts, shops can provide dynamic lead time options to help capture higher margins.

How to Easily Reference Past Quotes: A cloud-based solution like Paperless Parts allows you to save data from quotes in one centralized place. You can easily store and share files securely without the need for other file storage tools.

How to Stop Wasting Time Quoting Low Dollar Value Jobs: Capture, centralize, and easily reference important customer quote data to make more informed decisions on which jobs to prioritize. 

How to Respond Faster: With the power of Paperless Parts’ machine shop quoting software, shops can turn around quotes up to 10x faster By automating rote tasks, eliminating bottlenecks, organizing your process, and driving  efficiency. 

Explore the power of Paperless Parts and improve your machine shop’s quoting process today.