They Want To Get Three Estimates Or Bids (What To Do?)

Prefer To Watch: Here’s The Video

Understanding the “Three Estimates” Objection in Home Sales

A very common thing that happens when you do in home sales or sell home improvements is you get the dreaded I need to get 3 estimates or I never buy anything without getting 3 estimates.

Different Meanings Behind “I Need to Get Three Estimates”

The issue that may make this confusing is that it could mean different things depending on the customer and therefore has different causes and different ways to handle it.

Some you can handle when you hear it and in other cases the root cause is something you did before you got to that point.  “I want to get three estimates” is usually one of three different things. Please read about all three different meanings and how to handle them.

When “Three Estimates” Is Just a Polite No

 The first thing is that it's just a blow off.

Recognizing the Blow-Off: What Customers Really Mean

It's just a nice way of them saying no to you. Translation they're not sold and this is their polite way of telling you they are not buying and good bye.  One thing you may have noticed if you sell home improvements or sell anything in the home that is that very rarely do people actually come out and say no to you. Think about that.

When is the last time somebody just came out and said you’re overpriced, I hate your product and/or I don’t believe or like you and I’m never doing it.

Do you think that’s not possible that this ever happens? The reality is you know that's the case sometimes but they're usually polite and give you gentle excuses like I’ll get back to you, I have to talk to my mother or I always get three estimates. They rarely just come out and say no. They’re trying to be nice and don’t want you pressuring them into something they don’t really want. What makes this business challenging is that not only do they not come out and tell you no to your offer but because of this you don’t know why they’re really not buying so you can improve your sales presentation for the future.

How to Improve Your Sales Presentation

I would actually appreciate a honest no and why so at least I knew where I stood and how to improve. If this is the reason for the “I always get three estimates” the real issue is your sales presentation.

The “Three Estimates” Objection as a Smoke Screen

The 2nd and more common way of looking at “I have to get three estimates” is that it’s just the initial smoke screen that people always give you at the beginning of the closing process.

Uncovering the Real Objection: It’s Usually About Money

It’s almost like the first “I need to think about it” that you hear when you first deliver the price. How many times have you sold people where the first thing they said when you give them the price was that they needed to think about it?  In most cases it means the close is just starting. You then need to get past that and get to the real objection which if you have done your sales presentation correctly is going to be the money.   

People always ask me how I do I handle objection “I need to get three estimates “ but to me it’s not really an objection.

Again it’s a smoke screen like when someone says I need to think about it. Do you really know why they aren’t doing it? How can you handle something if you don’t know what it is. Look at it like this . If you asked someone to marry you and they said “I have to think about it” or “ I have to always get in 3 relationships before I can commit to marrying  would you think that was a valid objection or would you just think it was a fancy way of them saying no to you Do you actually know what real objection is? Is she not in love with you? Already married? Or just not sure yet?  Same thing here you don’t really know what’s going on. 

How to Address the “Three Estimates” Objection Effectively

In most cases getting 3 estimates doesn't tell you the real reason they aren’t doing it.

So in order to solve the problem you need to know what the real objection is. If you've done your sales presentation correctly which means they want your product and think it’s worth it the real objection is usually the money.  What you need to do is learn to turn that smoke screen into the objection which is the money. That’s why you often hear trainers tell you that you need to bring it to the money. There are many ways and styles to do that but here is an example of how I handle it.

“So other than getting estimates do you have any other concerns?… no.. Do you mind to if I  give you a suggestion or something you can think about after I leave? …ok. Well getting estimates really doesn't apply to home improvements see when you go buy gas you always get estimates because if you see three gas stations and one station has gas for $3 the other one is 4 the other is $5 a gallon you're going to get the $3 gas right?.. That's because all the gas is the same but every time you buy home improvements or you're buying a new windows you're getting different construction techniques you're getting a different company and you're getting different materials..from what I’ve shown you is this the window construction the materials and the installation that you want?… yes Well we're the only ones who do it that way…. here's another thought if these windows weren't 15,000 but they were $8000 would you still be getting other estimates or would you hire us… oh well at  $8000 I'd hire you So it really has nothing to do with you getting estimates that come down to the money like it always does right?.. well yes So other than the money are these the windows you want? “😊

One thing to keep in mind if you’re dealing with “I want to get three estimates” is that you have to handle it relatively quickly.

That’s because the more you fumble around it the more it causes them to dig in the wrong way. For example they say.. 

“ I Appreciate your time but I always get 3 estimates before I do anything… Well why do you have to get 3 estimates ….because I've always gotten 3 estimates… so do you mean every single thing you bought in your life you’ve  always gotten 3 estimates?.....yes …. Well don't you like the product? yeah but like I told you I always get 3 estimates…. Well what if I could save you some more money ?  well like I told you I always get 3 estimates it’s the way I was raised”.

See every time you do that it forces them to recommit their stand in the wrong direction. You keep getting them to say “I always get three estimates over and over. If you keep doing that you could tell them it was a dollar and they still won’t do it because they’d almost be loosing face to backtrack on something you made them say so many times was the rule of their life 😊

Dealing with Stubborn Buyers Who Insist on Three Estimates

The third thing about three estimates  that I hate to admit it but there are some people that are very stubborn and it may actually be something that is their life code and they abide by.

Identifying When It’s a Genuine Rule for the Customer

No exaggeration I’ve actually had people tell me it was part of their religion 😊

It could be something their parents told them to do but more likely it’s because they were burned before and it made them so bitter that they “made this personal promise to themselves.” 

These are people that I actually think that even if it was a dollar still wouldn’t do. I am hesitant to bring this up because then weaker sales people will use it as a crutch to not accept responsibility for their results.

To be fair I usually allow 1 out of 100 people who say that to actually fall into that category. I don’t want  someone saying I am being unreasonable. 😊

Don’t Use This as an Excuse: Taking Responsibility for Sales Outcomes

The other 99% when they say “I need to get three estimates are just not sold or you need to peel back the layers to get what the real objection is. If your sales presentation is done right that should just be about bringing  the objection to the money.

Pro Tip: Why “Three Estimates” Can Be a Buying Sign

See the link below for another blog post I have on bringing it to the money and how I handle that.

Think about this. Even if you were planning on getting 3 estimates on something you were going to buy and the first person you talked to you honestly believed had something you knew would solve your problems and did everything you wanted, you honestly believe it was a fair price and that you 100% believed you were getting a great deal. Would you still be looking around or just make the purchase?  I think you know the answer. The key here is that you believed!

Separate Pro tip:  A lot of  times when I first get there and they tell me that they definitely aren’t going to buy anything that night and that they are getting 3 estimates it actually is a big time buying sign.