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sign quotes and invoicing software
Hi All
I am looking for a good software for sign quotes and invoicing. Any recommendations please.
thanks
Gino -
21 Replies
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hi Gino
there are a couple of good topics posted just recently on this, one being from myself looking for help. do a search on estimate and clarity on this site and you should find them.
i downloaded the estimate software trial and allow i haven’t decided it is a very good software… well from what i can see so far. i haven’t had the time ide like to spend on researching it… 😕 -
will take a look, thanks Robert
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quote Gino:Hi AllI am looking for a good software for sign quotes and invoicing. Any recommendations please.
thanks
Ginohttp://www.estimatesoftware.com/
here ya go.
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Shane have you tried the estimate software?
Thanks Mike -
quote michael potter:Shane have you tried the estimate software?
Thanks MikeYes mike, I use Estimate, probably for the last 6 months or so.
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What’s your opinion of it Shane?
I’ve been taking a look at it on their website, playing the mini video clip, and to be honest, it looks ok.
Has it helped you?
Neil
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quote Neil Davey:What’s your opinion of it Shane?
I’ve been taking a look at it on their website, playing the mini video clip, and to be honest, it looks ok.
Has it helped you?
Neil
Price wise here in Oz, its probably hard to justify the expense in the early stages, but I purchased when our $au was really low, now the dollar is stronger its probably better value. 😉
That said, it has made me much more disciplined in the way I do any of my quotes. I’m actually making a profit on some jobs that I would have charged a lot less for, before I started using it, but now realise I was probably only breaking even at best on those jobs.
My accountant has confirmed that in the last 6 months, my profit margins have got better, and he didn’t know what had changed. I didn’t tell him that I had changed over to Estimate, so I think the ‘proof is in the pudding’ so to speak.
The only thing is, you have to use it 100% or not use it at all. The initial set up is a bit tricky, trying to work out your labour rate, but they supply a little freebie that lets you work out what you must earn an hour to make a living. Then you answer these ‘scenarios’ in regards to doing a job they ‘set up’. I found it a little bit hit and miss when I first played with it, but now, after a bit of tweaking, I’m confident the rate is pretty true to my situation.
I ran the program side by side with my old quoting system (the one in my head 🙄 ) for the 1st month or so, before I went ‘live’ on Jan 1 07. I found on the ‘basic’ quotes I was within a dollar or two of the Estimate quote. The difference I really noticed was on jobs with a lot of variables. In my head, I tended to ‘guestimate’ a few things, because I didn’t have the time to confirm ‘this and that’ at the time. Estimate made me more consistent in that regard, because you have the option of putting in contracted prices, qty discounts, and such. Also when supplier prices go up, its easier to increase/reduce your margins, or update prices so as they are always current.
I use the Estimate invoice system, but you can plug it into quickbooks as well. I personally feel the QB plug-in is probably a little expensive, but then, it works well if you have QB as your main accounting system already.
The invoice system is very basic, does not do credits (easily), but you can email the invoice and/or print it out to post or send with the job, instantly. The job manifest is also good, so you have a typed job card that can be used as a reminder of anything outstanding, or as a jobs to-do list.
You can even make notes that are not printed on the invoice, but are printed on the manifest. I use these for fitting instructions, and I give them to my contract fitter as a work order. No prices are printed on the manifest, just address, materials used, and the ‘private notes’ (these can be withheld from the manifest too, if they are truly private notes).
I think its ideal as a stand alone for a one man band like mine, and it can be networked easily. The QB option would be a better situation for a larger shop though.
In short, yes I think it has helped me in the long run. I have certainly not regretted buying the software, but in the early days I was not that confident that I could get some of the prices the system came up with on some larger jobs. But, I realized very quickly that unless I started getting the prices that the software was calculating, I was not going to make much money. It easily let me substitute other products in the equation, thus letting me tweak my prices using other suppliers materials.
Based on the closure rates it works out on the reports, I am still getting roughly the same % of quotes I was going for before I got the software, but my margins are better which equates to better business. 🙂
Another bonus is the printed quotes look very professional, and I now have my ‘conditions’ printed on each and every quote too. My old quotes were just plain emails, or in my hand writing, and they were often a bit untidy, now I can produce a professional looking quote each time, and I have the option of giving various discounts to my customers based on variables that I feel are deserving of a discount.
I’ve had a few clients comment on my professional documentation, which, end of the day, is worth whatever money I paid in the first place…. 😉
Hope that is of some help Neil.
Another thing, They will let you pay the software off in payments over 4 months, and get the software immediately. Its not something they make public, but is pretty common when selling to places with a weak dollar. It may be worth asking when you consider buying.
I initially struggled to justify the initial purchase, but when they let me pay it off in installments, I decided to get it done. As I said, never really regretted it since….
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Thanks for the insight Shane.
It’s something I’m going to look at, at Sign UK, see if I can get a deal on it.
Sounds pretty good though and I personally would like to get some consistency with my quoting, even tho I’m in my 20 year of self employment.
Never to late to try something new.
Thanks Shane
Neil
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Well after reading Shane’s reply & realizing that quoting is absolutely my Achilles heel I bit the bullet and spent some money we didn’t really have. I have spent the day tweaking the tweaks and I can see why Shane was impressed. A couple of jobs I thought I had done really well on turned out to be priced right and jobs with my usual price turned out to be gifts to the client.
I can see why we lost money last year. I guess I new why really but didn’t know what to do, as I felt I was ripping people off. Now I know the person ripped off the most was me.
What hurts nearly as much is realizing that I was responsible for low balling quite a few jobs when that was never my intention.
We may not win the same % of quotes as before but at least this time instead of giving my money to strangers to let me do work for them, I can take the wife to the pictures and still be better of.
I wonder why it takes some of us years to stop being a dill and start to look after ourselves first. Rhetorical question really.
regards
Mike -
I’m the same mike. Quoting has always been my Achilles heal too…
Sometimes I think these cowboys that go in so cheap may just be ignorant of the quoting process. I’m starting to view quoting software as just another tool in any sign shop. Just as useful as the cutter and the design software. Each has its place.
Like me, I think you’ll find the investment will pay for itself in a matter of months.
Only today, I had a client want me to go in with a sharper pencil. Before the program I probably would have shaved a bit more off. Now though, I can look at the margins I’m making in real time, and decide if its really worth doing for any less money. I may still shave something off, but I’m way more in control now, than before.
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Hi Shane
Just had a good look around the web site and watched the 12 min video, I must say it looks brilliant but you are right about the price.
As someone starting out a very basic simple starting point is about $680 and could be a difficult amount to swallow.
I am actually very excited about the prospect of being in control and having a tool that is so powerful. I do all the wrong things just as you and they mentioned, guestimating basically and I do beleive this is where you lose all your profit, we all want to be nice guys and give discounts and drop prices but now we can see if it is actually worth it or not.
I for one will be trying my best to buy this software in the next month or 2.
Thanks for the link and info Shane
Much appreciated.
Warren
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Warren
when you do get the software I would love to hear your opinion if you are willing to share.
regards Mike 😀 -
I sure will Mike
We are all here to share 😀
will keep you posted
Warren
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Just looked at the demo. Downloading the trial right now.
Quoting seems to be our major problem as well.
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Drew do you know how to set the program to metric?
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quote jxuereb:Drew do you know how to set the program to metric?
That was going to be one of my questions before I purchased,
also I presume you can change the VAT % amout
Warren
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Hi to set the program to metric when you down load the program you get to choose the English or Metric version. I chose the metric which means only the measurements etc are in metric.
Regards Mike -
Warren
There is a field marked sales tax (or something similar)in the initial interview stage in the program setup you just enter what you want to call it and at what % in our case we called it GST set to 10%. you can also change the word estimate to quote which is better suited to our clientel.
Hope this helps even if I’m not Shane, it’s just that I spent most of yesterday setting mine up
cheers Mike -
As Mike says, you can change everything just about. You must download the metric version though, as it will not change imperial to metric or visa versa once it is installed.
On another note, spent an hour or so with Mike and his lovely wife Gloria this afternoon.. Very hospitable, and very talented..
Thanks for the coffee friends. Got stuck in a HUUGGE traffic jam coming back tho…. a parking lot from the gateway all the way home 🙁 🙁
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hi Shane thanks for the nice comments.
Sorry to hear about the mobile parking lot just think it’s only another 7 years or so before the second bride opens and by then it will still be a parking lot.
It was a pleasure to have you here and something I had been looking forward to.
Cheers Mike -
quote michael potter:something I had been looking forward to.
Cheers Mikecrikey mike… hope I didn’t disappoint you 😳 Of course, I’m better looking in the flesh don’t you think? Your German Shepherd dog Clancy liked me at least… probably thought I was dinner 😮
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