7 estimating mistakes that quietly kill your margin

The margin you lose is invisible

A bad price is visible — a forgotten line is not. It just turns a profitable day into a break-even one, and you blame "a hard job".

The 7 leaks

1. The forgotten small items. Fittings, sealant, fasteners, blades. Individually trivial, they add up to 3–8 % of a job. Fix: a "consumables" line or a small percentage built into labor.

2. Unpriced travel. Two trips to the supplier and 40 minutes of driving are working time. Fix: a standing call-out/travel line on every estimate.

3. Estimating from memory at night. You price what you remember, not what you saw. Fix: capture the estimate on site — dictating it while looking at the job is the most reliable defense.

4. Verbal extras. "While you're here, could you also…" — done, never billed. Fix: every extra becomes a line or a change order the moment it's requested.

5. Copying an old estimate without checking prices. Material prices moved 20 % in two years. Fix: templates are for structure; prices must come from your current catalog.

6. No validity date. A client signs your January price in June. Fix: 30-day validity, printed.

7. Underpricing out of fear. The most expensive one. If you are always the cheapest, you are not competitive — you are underpaid. Track your average rate per task and respect your own history (how to set your hourly rate).

Let the tool catch what you miss

Pro Speak Artisan builds a catalog from every estimate you make and flags any line priced below your own historical average before you send. Dictate on site, review, send — the leaks close themselves.