Cutting Northwoods’ quote-to-book time from 18 hours to 5 minutes
Sarah,
After our walkthrough of how quotes move through Northwoods today, I am convinced the single biggest unlock for you is shipping quotes the same hour the call comes in. Here is the project I would build to get you there in five weeks, what it costs, and how the trade shakes out.
Some reasons why
A few observations from our conversations and the work we have already done together.
- You run a tight ship. Your dispatch is calmer than most operators twice your size.
- Your service mix is differentiated. The drain side is a real moat, not a commodity.
- You promote from within. Three of your four senior techs started as helpers. That kind of culture compounds.
- Your quotes still go out by hand, on Wednesday nights at the kitchen table. Same with weekend pricing review. That is the bottleneck.
With that out of the way, let me get specific. I will start with what I believe you want, then the problems getting in the way, then how we fix them, then how we work together.
Your goals
Here is what I believe you want from Northwoods Plumbing & Drain that you have yet to fully achieve.
- Quote-to-book conversion above 50% on competitive bids (you are at ~22% today).
- $4M to $6M annual revenue without adding a quote desk or another office hire.
- Wednesday nights back. No more after-dinner quote-writing.
- A standardized pricing model that no longer lives only in your head.
- Faster, more confident upsells from your senior techs in the field.
- A clean, documented system you can hand to a future operator if you ever step back.
I have based the above on our conversations. If I am off on any of it, please tell me and we will recalibrate.
Problem factors
Three problems all trace back to the same root: your pricing logic and quote-building lives in your head. Until that gets out of your head and into a system, the rest cannot scale.
If we do nothing, your top line stays around $3.5M and you keep writing quotes after dinner. The team capability you have built — strong dispatch, good drain ops, promoting from within — sits underused because the quote desk is the wall.
Proposed solutions
Four phases over five weeks. We pull your pricing logic out of your head, build the quote engine on top of it, wire it to your existing dispatch, and hand it back to you with documentation. Then 2 weeks of post-launch support to settle it in.
My pitch
I want to build this once, hand it back to you, and walk away with a clean handoff.
This is a one-time project, not an ongoing engagement. The deliverable is a system you own end-to-end. I do not want to be in your business forever — I want to remove the bottleneck so your existing operation can compound.
If at the end of the 2-week maintenance window you want me out, I am out. If you want me to keep optimizing and tuning, that is a separate (optional) ongoing arrangement we can decide on then.
Terms
One-time project fee. Half on signing to lock the build, half on launch. Two weeks of post-launch maintenance built into the price. After that, you decide if you want ongoing support or to take it from here.
What is included in maintenance
Bug fixes, threshold and pricing tier tuning, prompt adjustments based on real call recordings, daily check-ins for week 1 and weekly for week 2, plus an end-of-window handoff call. Anything outside scope (new features, additional integrations) is quoted separately.
I price the build at what it costs me to do it well, not what it could be billed at on a recurring contract. You pay once, you own the system, and you decide where to go from there.
After maintenance ends — optional ongoing
If you want me to keep tuning, monitoring, and adding features after the maintenance window — month-to-month, no commitment — here is the option.
Optional. You can decline at the end of the maintenance window with no further obligation.
My guarantee
In closing,
Northwoods has the team and the operation to be a $6M business in the next 24 months. The quote desk is the wall. I would like to take that wall down for you in five weeks. If this is a fit, sign below and we begin Phase 1 next week.
Acceptance
By signing below, both parties agree to proceed with the engagement, terms, and guarantee outlined above.
Sarah Chen
Jayden Mai
Sign below
Draw your signature with your mouse or trackpad
Legal terms
Scope. The Service Provider will deliver the project described above for Northwoods Plumbing & Drain. Any work beyond the defined scope requires a written change order before work begins.
Payment. Project fee $24,500 payable in milestones: On signing — 50% ($12,250) on signing, On launch — 50% ($12,250) on launch and handoff. Invoices payable within 5 business days of issuance.
Maintenance. 14 days post-launch of post-launch maintenance is included at no additional charge. Optional ongoing engagement available at $1,500/mo starting after the maintenance window — month-to-month, 30 days notice to cancel.
IP & confidentiality. Custom work product transfers to the Client upon receipt of full payment. Service Provider retains rights to general methodologies. Both parties keep proprietary information confidential (survives 2 years).
Termination & disputes. Either party may terminate with 7 days written notice during build phases. Disputes resolved by good faith negotiation, then binding arbitration.