Customer Says They're Getting Other Quotes? Here's What to Do (Contractor Guide)

You walk the job, you talk it through, and right as you're wrapping up the customer says it: "We're getting a couple other quotes too."

Most contractors hear that and deflate a little. Feels like the door just half closed. It didn't. A customer telling you they're shopping around is being honest with you, and honest customers are the ones who actually buy. The guy who's already decided to ghost you doesn't bother warning you about the competition.

Here's how to handle it so you're the one who gets the call back.

What "getting other quotes" actually means

Nine times out of ten it means one of three things, and none of them are "go away":

• They want to feel like they did their homework before spending real money.
• They genuinely don't know what this kind of work should cost, and three numbers gives them a range.
• Someone told them to "always get three quotes," so they are, out of habit, not distrust.

What it almost never means is "you're too expensive." Price comparison is part of the process, not a verdict on you. So don't react like you've already lost. React like a pro who's been here a hundred times, because the calm one looks like the safe choice.

What to say in the moment

Don't flinch, and definitely don't badmouth the other guys. Say something like:

"Smart — you should. It's a real chunk of money and you want to get it right. While you're comparing, just make sure everyone's quoting the same scope, because that's usually where the gap is. Happy to walk through mine line by line so you've got something to measure the others against."

That does three things. You agree with them, so you're not defensive. You quietly arm them to spot a lowball that's missing half the work. And you make your quote the yardstick everyone else gets measured by. That's a strong position.

The follow-up is where you actually win

Here's the part nobody does. The customer is going to collect two or three quotes over a week or two, and then most contractors just... wait. The one who follows up while the decision is still warm is the one who closes.

Send a friendly check-in a few days out:

"Hey [name], no rush at all — just wanted to make sure you had everything you need from me to compare. Any questions on the quote or the timeline?"

You're not pestering. You're being available at the exact moment they're sitting at the kitchen table deciding. Being present beats being cheapest more often than you'd think. If you've ever lost a bid to a cheaper contractor, it was usually a silence problem, not a price problem.

And if they try to use the other numbers to squeeze you, that's a different conversation — handle it the way you'd handle any price-is-too-high pushback. Hold your number, explain your value, don't panic-discount.

Don't compete on price, compete on certainty

When a customer is staring at three quotes, they're not really buying a roof or a deck or a panel upgrade. They're buying the feeling that this won't turn into a nightmare. The contractor who replies fast, answers questions plainly, and follows up like a grown-up feels safer than the one who's $300 cheaper and went quiet.

That's good news, because you can't always be the cheapest, but you can always be the most responsive. There's a whole playbook on winning more jobs without lowering your price — and it all leans on the same thing: showing up when the other guys disappear.

Let the follow-up run itself

The catch is that "follow up while they're comparing" only works if you actually do it, every time, across every open quote — not just the one job you happen to remember. That's why I built QuoteChaser. You send the quote, and it runs the check-ins by text and email automatically, in your voice, so the customer hears from you at the exact moment they're choosing. When they reply "you're hired," your phone lights up.

It's built for one-to-ten-person shops — the guys who don't have an office manager chasing every bid.

Join the QuoteChaser waitlist and be first in when we open spots.

"Getting other quotes" isn't a loss. It's a horse race, and the contractor who stays in front wins it. Stay in front.