Sometimes the potential client even over the phone will tell you that they are only intend to stay in the house a few years anyway, and want to sell it to move up to a better house. You could counter that by stating that a poorly done hardwood floor job will actually detract from the houses value. Having to later redo a poorly wearing floor finish simply for the resale, is the real waste of money. Some poorly done finishes (like the lacquer sealer and one coat poly) will only last as little as 6 months in heavily used areas. Houses more often than not will take longer than that to sell.
You may want to say (if they still baulk at your price) that if they are only looking for the cheapest job, your price won’t be it, and they should continue their search, thank you. Just say politely that you don’t like to waste anybody’s time doing a quote in person, when only price is the criteria. It is almost always true that you get what you pay for (notwithstanding fraudulent floor men). And seeing how you should not collect a cent from a resand job until the final coat of finish has dried several days, any fraud could not be done by your firm. Even for new floor installations you will have a large last payment held back by the customer, until they are satisfied that all that was said is now done. And any new floor will have all aspects warranted for a year at least. But have the customer read and understand just what conditions prefinished floor warranties are limited by, and whether or not your firm will act as an agent to remedy these warranties. Best to be honest about this now.
But when you have a receptive customer, and they want you to give them a quote in person, try to make the appointment within a few days. And try to have all decision makers at home when you do. It has been shown that women make 80 % of the household buying decisions, so having her there will be essential. I make most of my appointments after 7 PM when everybody involved is relaxed after dinner and settled in for the night. Don’t make people take time off from work to see you, they will be distracted I assure you.
You MUST show up 5-10 minutes early. NEVER come in late. You shouldn’t be dressed too well or they will assume you are not going to be involved in the work. But I try not to show up in dusty work clothes either. Just neat and tidy blue jeans and shirt. Sort of a “Norm Abrams” style. Have all your samples with you in a tidy package, and be prepared to write them out a quote right there and then. This is very important. If you have have left them with a positive impression, they will have a well written detailed quote to remember you by. A quote arriving by mail a week later, may not trigger such a memory. A written quotation on the spot makes you look decisive, and confident.