How did you quote jobs before the internet?
I'll be sharing detailed, project-specific, fact-based cost proposals with several leads here in the next couple of hours. Primarily focused on residential boundary surveys.
I've gotten the process down to about 15 to 30 minutes per lead, from intake, conversation/correspondence, to sent proposal. About 5 a day is all I have the bandwidth/ambition for.
This is only possible because most land records are easily accessible online in my area of practice. What did you do before you could review the subject deed, that of the abutters, and record plans, if any, from your desk? Did Surveyors used to visit the Town Hall/Courthouse/Registry for each proposal?
I know things moved slower in general, but I'm trying to learn if proposals were WAGs in the past and that's a reason for a perceived lack profitability, and that there are several surveyors in my area in there 80s and still practicing. Some truly love the work, but I glean that some of them need an income in their 70s and 80s...