Mike Andes, speaking in a YouTube video, describes a sales tactic he used as a solo operator: he would tell customers he was the estimator (not the owner) to avoid direct price negotiations. He'd then call to schedule the job, say he would do the work himself, and 'slot' the customer in—preserving authority and reducing negotiation pressure.
Now, when I was a solo operator and I was doing the work out in the field, I never told the customer that I was the owner. I just told them that I was the estimator. That way, if they ever had question about price, I didn't have to get in a negotiation with them, because when I called the customer, I could simply say that, hey, Mr. Jones, I'm going to do this job myself. So next Tuesday, give me a call back. I want to get this job on the schedule. I'm going to go ahead and slot you in. I'm going to save your spot, but I'm going to go ahead and do the job myself because I really want to serve you well. And you're like, I kind of do all the jobs myself. That's fine. They think you're the estimator.
