Successful Estimators & Successful Baseball Players... More Alike Than You Think

If you’re a major league hitter and you get three hits for every ten at bats, you are considered a big success, and most importantly your team’s success can be directly attributed to your performance. If you’re an estimator for a general contractor, and you’re awarded three jobs for every ten you bid, you are also considered a success, and like a .300 hitter, your company’s success can be directly attributed to your performance.

What do successful baseball players do to achieve that level of success? Afterall, it’s not an accident. One of the characteristics they share with other successful hitters is they are always reviewing their approach at the plate. They have a strategy before they ever step into the batter’s box. In fact, if they don’t have a strategy, you can often see it, they are guessing at the plate, taking weak swings, unsure of what changes they need to make to be successful. They also review their tools. The bat is the hitter’s tool. Is it the right tool? Is it the right weight and the right length? In the end, major leaguers know the difference between hitting .200 vs .300 could be the difference in whether or not the organization has a winning season.

So then, how can estimators’ bat .300 or even better? In a similar way, construction estimators like successful hitters, should also take a step back and review their approach.

Is their approach maximized for success. When bidding a project, does the estimating department have a strategy? Is there a well thought out plan for presenting an owner with alternatives on the project? Was there enough time to explore “value engineering” options? Does the estimator have the right tools? Are the bidding tools allowing the estimator to maximize productivity and minimize risk, or are they still using outdated technology, which limits their time to focus on the most important aspects of presenting an owner with a budget.

Ask yourself, is it time to take a step back and review your approach to bidding work? Remember, there’s a lot of .200 hitters out there, it’s probably time to up your game and set yourself apart from the competition.