Written by: Konstantin Kleiner
The inspiration for this blog came to me last time I did a quote. To protect the identity of my source I will use an alias, Doug, and I will be Kon.
As I came to Doug’s 3 bedroom house he was there with 2 dogs starting to pack for next month’s move. This was off to a great start since a prepared person always has a smoother move.
We did the walk around and saw his full 3 bedroom home. He had 3 bedrooms with 1 king and 2 queen beds plus various pieces upstairs.
Downstairs had a baby grand piano, 2 separate couch sets, a dining set, and various shelving full of books and mementos.
Doug told me he had been in the home for the last 13 years and is now downsizing to a 2 bedroom apartment. I quickly added up the volume of stuff and told him it would easily be a full day depending on some factors such as elevators parking and etc.
Doug looked at me surprised.
Doug: “Really?? It took me 3 hours to move in here.”
Kon: “Ohh, you mean unloading the truck on this side?”
Doug: “No, for the full move!”
Now it was my turn to be surprised!
Kon: “Wow all this stuff in 3 hours? From 2 locations? How many movers?”
Doug: “Two movers and 1 truck!”
Kon: “Wow that’s amazing!”
Doug: “Ohh, and I also had 7 friends helping and we moved a bunch of stuff in our own vehicles.”
Kon: “Ahhh, I see, okay that makes sense. Will your friends be coming to help you again?”
Doug: “No, that was 13 years ago, I can’t ask them for that again. Plus, it was a really hard day.”
Kon: “No problem, we can definitely help you here. It will be a full day of work with 3 guys and a 5 ton truck.”
Doug: “So it will take longer then 3 hours?”
Kon: “Yes, it will be a full day especially with an elevator on the other side and a piano here. If you’re well packed your move will go much smoother.”
Doug: “Could I keep my budget under a certain amount?”
Kon: “If you’re packed and only want to take the heavier items we would be happy to accommodate, otherwise you quote stays the same.
This is a quick glimpse of erroneous expectations. Moving is a big job not just in the physical aspects but in the organization, time management and communication.
Our job is to prepare our clients for the smoothest move possible. We do that by doing a full walk around, asking our clients about their moving history. We consider the best access and any possible challenges our clients faced with their last move. After the walk around, we give our clients all the tips and suggestions, which may make a big difference on moving day.
Most important is staying hydrated and have snacks around during moving day. The day goes by quickly and most clients will forget to eat something. No “h-angry” customers please, keep those blood sugars and energy levels up! Also communication with the movers throughout the day about any special requests!