Three salespeople, three prices
A prospect asks two of your sites for quotes on a six-person office. One salesperson quotes the list price with a discount for a twelve-month term. Another quotes a lower price with a month free. The prospect's office manager compares them and asks which is right.
Meanwhile, the sales manager discovers that an office quoted last month at a heavy discount was actually due to become available later than the quote said, because nobody checked the current member's notice date.
Why quotes are inconsistent
- Prices sit in a spreadsheet that is updated occasionally.
- Discounts for longer terms or larger offices are applied by judgement.
- Incentives, such as a free month or extra credits, are offered without a record.
- Office availability dates are not checked against notice given by current members.
- Quotes are written in a document template and retyped into the agreement.
- Nobody sees the discount given across all deals.
Pricing is your commercial decision. The problem is applying it consistently, and knowing what was actually offered.
Extras cause their own drift. Parking, storage lockers, phone lines and additional meeting room credits are each priced somewhere, and a salesperson in a hurry either leaves them off the quote or throws them in free. Months later, the member is surprised to be charged for something they thought was included.
What inconsistent quotes cost
Discounts creep upward because each deal is negotiated from scratch. Prospects who compare quotes lose trust. Quotes promise offices on dates they are not free. Agreements differ from quotes because they are retyped. And you cannot see the real price you are achieving per desk across sites.
There is a speed cost too. A prospect who asks for a quote on Monday and receives it on Thursday, because the salesperson had to check prices and availability by hand, may already have signed elsewhere.
The quoting tool we build
- Your office inventory is read from your membership platform: size, desks, features, current occupant and their end date.
- Pricing rules are recorded: base price per office or per desk, term discounts, start date adjustments, and extras such as parking, storage and additional credits.
- The salesperson picks the office, term and start date, and the tool shows only offices genuinely available by that date.
- The quote is calculated from the rules. Discounts within the salesperson's limit are applied directly; anything beyond goes to a manager for approval with the reason.
- Incentives are chosen from an approved list and recorded with the quote.
- The quote is produced in your branded template and sent. When accepted, the membership agreement is generated from the same data and sent for signature.
- Reports show quoted and achieved prices, discounts and incentives by site and salesperson.
| Quote element | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Price list and judgement | Rules applied |
| Availability | Assumed | Checked against current notice |
| Discounts | Case by case | Within limits, with approval above |
| Incentives | Offered by email | Chosen from a list and recorded |
| Agreement | Retyped from quote | Generated from the quote |
How selling changes
Quotes go out quickly and consistently, and every salesperson gives the same price for the same office. Discounts beyond the norm are deliberate decisions. Offices are only offered when they are free. Agreements match quotes. And the leadership team can see the prices really being achieved.
Salespeople often like it more than they expect. They spend less time on spreadsheets and more time with prospects, and they are not left defending a price a colleague undercut.
Is this how you quote?
- Different salespeople quote different prices for the same office.
- Discounts are decided deal by deal.
- Offices have been quoted with the wrong availability date.
- Agreements are retyped from quotes.
- You cannot see average achieved price per desk.