<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16608" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#008000 size=4>Paul,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#008000 size=4></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#008000 size=4>Educational exchange for me, thanks.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#008000 size=4>My colorful (limited) responses below:  double your  ;-]</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#008000 size=4>SNIP</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV id=AOLMsgPart_2_a31f6678-1433-48b1-a175-bd913bc29a0f> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(0,0,0) 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV id=AOLMsgPart_2_bb5cd21a-5286-4c51-b074-a1008500f25b> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2><BR><B>We do neither. We give an estimate (proposal) for a rebuild and the cost stands. Over time, we may have made extra on a job (man, I wish I could remember when that was!), and we certainly have lost some money on a job. But they balance out over time. </B><BR></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2></FONT><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2></FONT> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#000080 size=4>I just prefer not to depend upon the "balancing out" act.  Just charge for everything, give back an overage.<BR><BR><FONT color=#ff0000>See my response to David Love about this. The balancing out is so miniscule against the overall cost. </FONT><BR></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2></FONT> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2><FONT color=#000080 size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#008000 size=4>Yes, that is what I'm coming to realize of my own work as well.  The deviations are rather small.  Point taken.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#000080 size=4></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#008000 size=4>SNIP</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2><B> We have done what we do for over 30 years, and the losses balance the gains, but the real gains are in 1) client trust and referral, and 2) our increased savvy at estimating and costing, what we consider good business practices.</B><BR></DIV></FONT> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#000080 size=4>Hard to argue with success.  I do think 1) and 2) above can be achieved with other methods.<BR><BR><FONT color=#ff0000>Better methods? Or other methods? I'm open to "better"! :-)</FONT>  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" color=#008000 size=4>Just "other," I'm afraid.  I've nothing magic to offer</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2></FONT> </DIV><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2><FONT color=#000080 size=4> <DIV><BR><FONT color=#ff0000>I would venture that you're closing in on a "mature" business where the teeter-totter you're standing on (the fulcrum is your client) is always moving but more in balance. </FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#008000>Perhaps.  My world has changed dramatically in the past few years, and it still seems pretty fresh and new for me.  It's been balanced pretty well, I think, but sometimes it seems more like it just happend to work out rather than some "mature" master plan coming to fruition.  I'll keep working on it.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV></FONT></FONT><FONT face="Bookman Old Style" size=2><FONT color=#000080 size=4> <DIV><BR><FONT color=#ff0000>Perhaps not fully, but it all goes into the stew, goulash, paella, whatever, it's tasty, smells good, and lasts for a long time in the fridge. :-)<BR><BR>Paul<BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000><FONT color=#008000>Borscht, for me, but close enough.  ;-]</FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000><FONT color=#008000></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000><FONT color=#008000>William R. Monroe</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>