Why glazing quotes stall, and what the enquiry should capture

Glazing has a particular problem. The job is easy for a homeowner to postpone, easy to shrink, and easy to compare on price alone. Quotes stall in the gap between the survey and the order, and the reasons are usually knowable in advance.

Scope drift is the main one

A homeowner enquires about 'windows'. At the survey it becomes 'the front three, and maybe the back door'. By the quote it is 'just the two upstairs for now'. Each shrink cuts your margin while your survey cost stays the same.

Capturing an opening count on the enquiry form does not stop a homeowner changing their mind, but it does tell you what they had in their head at the point they were motivated, which is the closest thing to a real scope you will get before a visit.

• Number of windows
• Number of doors, and which type
• Whether this is whole-house or part
• Current frame material and rough age
• Property type and number of storeys

The comparison problem

Glazing is one of the most heavily comparison-shopped trades. If the lead was shared, the homeowner has three other quotes and the conversation is about price before you have measured anything.

That is not a reason to compete on price; it is a reason to be the only quote. Where you are, the conversation is about what they actually want, and scope drift is much easier to manage because nobody is anchoring them to a cheaper, smaller job.

Two names, not one

Glazing is a joint decision more often than most trades, because it changes how the house looks. A survey with one partner present produces a quote that gets discussed without you in the room.

Ask on the enquiry form or on the first call. Book for a time both can attend, even if that means waiting three days.

Ask about finance early, not late

Where finance is available, a homeowner who intends to spread the cost behaves differently from one paying outright: the monthly figure matters more than the total, and the conversation should be built around it from the start rather than retrofitted when they baulk at the number.

What to ask your lead supplier

• Does the form capture opening counts, or just 'windows'?
• Is scope recorded as whole-house or part?
• Is there a timeframe field?
• Is the lead exclusive, so I am not the fourth quote?

Every one of those is a field or a term, and every one of them removes a reason your quotes stall. None of them costs anything to ask about before you buy.