Quoting before you talk: the calculator that filters customers
Giving an estimate inside the quiz does not scare off customers — it scares off the ones who were never going to pay your rate, which is the point. The practical rules: a range instead of an exact figure (±30 % is honest), visible factors for what pushes it up or down, and the word «indicative» in front. If the estimate depends on a number — square metres, units, distance — ask for it with a slider and calculate from that. Store the calculated figure with the lead: it tells you what price the person is expecting before you pick up the phone.
«If I publish prices, customers will go to a competitor.» Almost every service business we have worked with has said it. And yes — some will leave. The interesting question is which ones.
What actually happens when you give a range?
Two kinds of people walk away. First, the one who had a third of your rate in mind: that conversation was going to end the same way regardless, only after a site visit, a measurement and a formal quote. Second, the one hunting for the cheapest option on the market, who will keep hunting. Neither was your customer.
Who stays is the person who sees a figure their budget can live with and now wants to discuss specifics. They also arrive with calibrated expectations — you will not spend the call explaining why it does not cost 800 euros.
A range, not an exact figure
A single closed number forces you either to lie or to defend it. A range informs without committing you. Three rules that work:
- Give the range with the word «indicative» attached, and make it honest: if your jobs run from 4,000 to 9,000, do not advertise «from 2,900».
- Explain in one line what pushes the price up: starting condition, material quality, tight deadlines, awkward access.
- Say what is included. Half of all price arguments in local services are really arguments about what was included.
When the estimate has to be a calculation
If your price depends on a quantity — square metres, number of windows, kilometres to site, units to install — you do not need a rate card: ask for that one number and multiply. A slider for square metres beats a list of brackets: it is answered in one gesture, it does not force someone with 62 m² to pick «between 50 and 100», and it hands you a clean number to compute with.
The output does not need to be a quote. It can simply read: «for 62 m² with standard finishes, most of our projects land between 7,400 and 9,600 euros». That already does the job — it frames the conversation.
The three mistakes that genuinely drive people away
- The impossible «from». An entry price that never applies to anybody destroys trust in the first minute of the call.
- Asking for ten inputs to calculate. Every extra question costs you people: two or three give a good enough estimate — we measured it in how many questions a quiz should have.
- Showing the figure and not asking for contact details. If the visitor leaves with their estimate and without giving you a number, you did the work for free, for your competitor.
The right order of screens
Two or three qualifying questions first, then the numeric input, then the estimate on screen, then contact details immediately after: «we will send you the breakdown on WhatsApp». The figure is the reason the person hands over their phone number, not a parting gift.
Store the calculated number alongside the lead and you gain something no form gives you: you know what price each person is expecting before you dial. A lead who saw 9,600 and is still interested is a different call from one expecting 3,000.
How to build it in Quizanta
There is a calculator step that takes either the quiz score or the value of a numeric field — a slider included — and shows the result with a prefix, suffix, minimum and maximum. The contact step sits right after it, and the lead reaches WhatsApp with both the answers and the estimate the visitor saw. Together with the scoring we covered in which questions predict a sale, you get the two things that order your day: what they expect to pay, and how well they fit.