What to say when a customer asks "roughly how much?"

Give them a range for their own wall, say what moves it up or down, and say it's subject to the survey. Ask for the width and the finish first if you don't have them. Then ask one question back: is that about what they expected? It takes two minutes on the phone or one message, and it tells you both whether the survey is worth booking.

Why not just say "it depends until I've seen it"?

Because it's true, and it doesn't help them. Someone asking "roughly how much?" usually wants to know whether they're in the right area before they clear a Saturday morning for a survey. If the only answer is a visit, some will book one to find out the price, and some will ask someone who gives them a number.

I'd rather a fitter gave a wide range than none at all. You know far more than I do about how jobs change once you're in the room, though, so tell me if you think I've got that wrong.

What do you need from them before you answer?

Not much. For a fitted wardrobe, three things get you most of the way:

• The rough width of the wall. Paced out is fine.
• The finish they have in mind, even if it's "white, nothing fancy" or "painted".
• Anything odd about the space: a sloped ceiling, a chimney breast, a door or window in the way.

A postcode tells you whether it's in your area at all. A photo or two saves a lot of guessing.

What can you say on the phone?

Something like this, in your own words and with your own figures. These are worked out from GuidePrice's example rates:

"For a wall about 2.4 metres wide, hinged doors in a plain white board, I'd expect somewhere between two thousand and two and a half thousand, fitted, subject to a survey. Painted doors would put it higher. I can't be exact until I've measured, because walls and ceilings are never quite what anyone expects. Is that roughly what you had in mind?"

That answer has the range, the two or three things that move it, the reason it isn't fixed, and a question that lets them say no early. If they say "that's more than I thought", you've saved a drive. If they say "that's about right", the survey has a much better chance.

What do you send back to a message?

The message arrives at 9pm and says "how much for fitted wardrobes?" with no sizes. Ask for the sizes, and give them something to go on while they find a tape measure:

"Thanks for getting in touch. It mostly comes down to the width of the wall and the finish. As a rough guide, a 2.4 m wall in plain board is usually somewhere in the low two thousands, fitted, and painted doors are more. If you send me the width, a photo of the wall and your postcode, I'll give you a closer range. Everything's subject to a survey before I quote."

Keep it to one message. A long reply with every option listed tends to get no reply at all.

What if they want one figure?

Give them the range again and say why it's a range. "Somewhere in this range, and I'll give you a fixed quote after I've measured" is a fair answer. One figure on the phone is the one they'll remember when the quote comes in.

For the numbers, it helps to see a range worked out properly. On GuidePrice's example rates, a 2.4 m wide set of hinged wardrobes comes out at £2,050 – £2,550 in MFC and £2,750 – £3,450 in painted MDF, fitted, subject to survey. Those are example rates, not any firm's prices. You can try other widths and finishes in the fitted wardrobe cost calculator.

I'm not a solicitor, so I can't tell you what a customer could hold you to. What you can control is what you said: a range, never one figure, with "subject to survey" in the same sentence.

What if the range puts them off?

Then it's done its job, and you can end it kindly. "That's fair. If you want it cheaper, a plainer finish or fewer drawers would bring it down, and I'm happy to price that instead." Or, if it's simply not your kind of job: "Flat-pack might suit that budget better. If you ever want something made to fit, let me know."

Neither tells them their budget is wrong, and both leave the door open.

I'm not on the tools, so I'd like to hear yours. What do you say when someone asks "roughly how much?"

Where does GuidePrice come in?

It's the estimator I'm building for your website. The customer enters their wall width and picks the furniture, finish and extras, and sees a range worked out from your own rates, with your subject-to-survey line beside it. Every estimator also has its own page you can send in a reply or put in your Instagram bio, so the answer to a 9pm message can be a link.

The enquiry reaches you with the sizes, the choices and the price they saw, so your first call can start from their numbers. It won't answer every question a customer has, and I won't pretend it will. Free accounts open on Tue 24 Nov.