I had an overdue estimate on my desk, and I just kept letting it sit there. Every morning for a week I glanced at it. During the day, I shuffled it around a little. Then, before going home, I would straighten up the notes and drawings, but I never put any pricing together to finish the quote.
The customer, Little Joe Construction, was anxious to see my numbers. He told me he was in a “mad hot rush” to get the material for the job on order.
It wasn't that I was lazy. The main reason I couldn't bring myself to finish off the estimate was because I had done business with Little Joe's father, Big Joe, and I could still remember the day a few years ago when he called looking for some pricing. Here's what happened:
“I'm in a mad hot rush,” he told me. “Can you come out to the jobsite today?”
“I can't today,” I told him. “How about tomorrow?”
“How about this morning?” he asked.
“I can't today.”
“This afternoon?”
“Today is out,” I said.
“Later today?”