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Role · Roofing, siding & remodeling

Sales estimator

A sales estimator is the person who measures, scopes and prices a home service job on the free-estimate visit, and in most home service companies closes it too.

The title causes confusion. Government wage data has a 'cost estimator' as well, but that's a technical bidding job done mostly from plans. If your estimator sits at the kitchen table and asks for the order, you're hiring a salesperson, and you should pay and screen like it.

Hire sales estimatorsPay & KPIs

Also called

The same job under other titles.

Roofing & siding

  • Estimator
  • Sales Estimator

Remodeling

  • Remodeling Estimator
  • Estimator

In a 2017 sample of contractors, the split between Sales Representative, Project Manager and Estimator titles was 80% / 7% / 3%. Owners pick softer titles because of what they called a 'stigma attached to the title' of salesperson.

Trades that hire sales estimators

A day in the job

A day of free estimates

The visit is booked as a free estimate. What happens at it decides which job you've hired for. An illustrative day:

  1. Before the visit

    Pulls what's known: satellite measurements for a roof, photos the homeowner sent of a kitchen, the notes from the call.

  2. On site

    Measures, inspects and scopes: what's there, what's failed, what the job actually needs. Notes access, tear-off and permits.

  3. Pricing

    Prices the job from the price book or job costing, to the company's margin target.

  4. Presenting

    Walks the homeowner through the scope and the options. In a closing role, asks for the order on the same visit.

  5. After

    If it didn't close, follows up. If it did, hands production a scope they can build from without calling back.

Scorecard

Two scorecards in one job

Score an estimator on the pricing side and the sales side, then weight them by the job you actually need.

  • Close-rate history on estimates run

    Only applies if they close. Ask how many estimates they ran and how many signed.

    Verified by Level

  • Pay history

    Commission statements or W-2s. A salaried pricer and a commission closer will look very different.

    Verified by Level

  • Estimate accuracy

    Final job cost against the estimate. Ask your production team after the first jobs.

    You check

  • Margin sold

    Gross margin on signed jobs, against your target.

    You check

  • Estimates run per week

    Capacity matters if they also price jobs for other closers.

    You check

  • Change orders

    How often a signed scope had to change once the crew arrived.

    You check

Level verifies close-rate history and pay history (commission statements or W-2s), and runs reference checks, before you meet a candidate. Everything marked “You check” is yours to ask about.

Pay models

Pay the job, not the title

An estimator who closes should be paid like a closer. One who only prices should be paid like a technical specialist.

  • Commission, for a closing estimator

    Percent of sale or of gross profit, like any in-home rep. Home improvement commission typically runs 6-12% of the sale (2018 data).

  • Salary, for a pricing-only estimator

    If someone else closes, pay a salary and consider a bonus on estimate accuracy. That job sits closer to the BLS cost estimator.

  • Base plus commission

    A middle ground for estimators who price every job and close some of them.

Work it through

How it compares

Sales estimator vs cost estimator (BLS 13-1051)

Two different jobs share the word. Use the cost estimator numbers only to see the difference, never as a benchmark for a sales estimator.
Compared onSales estimator (home services)Cost estimator (BLS 13-1051)
What they doMeasure, scope, price and usually close in the homeQuantity takeoffs and bid pricing, mostly from plans
Asks for the orderUsuallyNo
Paid onCommission, or salary if pricing onlySalary
BLS median, specialty trade contractors$72,800 (counted with sales reps)$80,330
Employed, specialty trade contractors93,810 (all sales reps)75,560

Nationally, cost estimators earn a median $78,740. For the in-home sales side, read estimator vs sales rep.

Our view

Our first question on every estimator search

Does this person close, or only price? The answer changes who we look for and what they should be paid, so we settle it before the search starts.

  • Most estimators sell

    In most home service companies the estimator inspects or measures, prices the job and asks for the sale. That's a sales job, and it should be paid like one.

  • The title can be a softer word

    Some companies say estimator because 'sales rep' puts homeowners on guard. That works on the truck. In the job ad, make the commission clear so closers apply.

  • Pricing-only estimators exist

    A smaller number of companies have estimators who only measure and price while someone else closes. That's a technical, salaried role, and outside what we recruit for.

Our judgment from headhunting for this role.

How Level vets

For closing estimators, we check three things.

  1. 01

    Close-rate history on the estimates they ran, so you know whether 'estimator' on their resume meant closer or pricer.

  2. 02

    Pay history from commission statements or W-2s. Commission on their statements is the clearest sign they closed.

  3. 03

    Reference checks. We confirm the history and track record a candidate gives us with their references, before you meet them.

Estimate accuracy is yours to test. Hand them a past job's photos and measurements in the interview.

How it worksInterview tips

Yours to run

  • The interview
  • A ride-along
  • A role-play

Level doesn’t run these. The tips further down are what we’d look for.

Candidate pools

Where good sales estimators come from

Look for people who already measure and price their own jobs, whatever their title says.

  • Roofing and siding sales teams

    Reps who measure and price their own jobs are estimators in all but name.

  • Our read

    Production and project managers

    A PM who knows costs can learn to present. Test the close before you change their pay.

  • Our read

    Insurance-restoration estimators

    People who write claim estimates know scope cold. Check they can sell retail work, where nobody else is paying.

  • Kitchen and bath designers

    For remodeling estimators, designers already scope and price. Some want commission upside.

“Our read” marks our own judgment from the market, not sourced data.

Level starts where the track records are. The best reps are usually employed and doing well, so they aren’t scrolling job boards. We headhunt top performers at the strongest companies in your trade and market, and show them why your seat is a better move. The other pools are worth knowing if you’re hiring yourself.

Interview tips

Interviewing an estimator

Start by finding out which job they've actually done. For closers, close-rate history, pay history and references are already checked.
  1. 01

    Ask which job they did

    Did they close, or hand off to someone who did? It's the same first question we ask, and the answer decides what you pay and what you test.

  2. 02

    Give them a scope

    Hand them photos and measurements of a real past job. Ask for a price and the three things they'd want to check on site.

  3. 03

    Test the close separately

    Role-play the presentation of that same job. A strong pricer who can't ask for the order is a different hire.

  4. 04

    Ride along on a full estimate

    Measure, price, present. Watch how long each part takes them.

This is our advice for your own hiring process. Level doesn’t run interviews, ride-alongs or role-plays.

A real track record, or a good interview?

Salespeople are good at interviews. It’s part of the job. Here’s how we’d tell the difference in your seat.

Specifics, not adjectives

A closing estimator talks about last month in numbers: estimates run, jobs signed, the average job and the margin they sold at. Someone who mainly interviews well talks about their experience in general terms.

Listen for

  • Whether they closed the jobs, or handed them to someone who did.
  • How they handle 'we're getting two more estimates'.
  • Whether they talk about the homeowner's job, or only the takeoff.

Red flags

  • A close rate with no count of estimates behind it.
  • 'Estimator' on the resume with no commission in their pay. We check pay history for you, and it shows whether they closed.
  • They can't say how close their estimates came to final job cost.
  • Frequent change orders on signed jobs, brushed off.
  • Four jobs in two years, with a story for each one that blames the company.

When a candidate quotes a close rate

Close rate has no agreed definition in home improvement (No standard, per Pro Remodeler), so the same number can mean very different things. Five questions make it comparable:

  1. 01Closed out of what: leads issued, appointments run, or demos given?
  2. 02What kind of leads: tech-generated, marketed, self-generated or storm?
  3. 03Over what period, and how many appointments is that?
  4. 04What was the cancel rate on those sales?
  5. 05What was the average ticket?

Job description

Sales Estimator job description, short version.

A starting point for your posting. Edit the lead sources, territory and pay plan to match your seat.

Sales Estimator

We're hiring a sales estimator to run free-estimate visits: measure, scope and price the job, present it to the homeowner and close it. Commission-based, with company leads.

What you’ll do

  • Run free-estimate appointments in homeowners' homes
  • Measure, inspect and scope each job accurately
  • Price jobs to the company's margin targets
  • Present options and financing, and ask for the order
  • Hand production a complete scope
  • Track estimates, closes and change orders

What we’re looking for

  • Experience measuring and pricing home service work
  • In-home sales experience, with close-rate and pay history you can show
  • Comfortable on ladders, roofs or job sites as the trade requires
  • Valid driver's license

FAQ

Questions about hiring sales estimators.

  • Is an estimator a sales job?

    In most home service companies, yes. The estimator measures, prices and presents the job on the free-estimate visit and usually closes it. If they only price and someone else closes, it's a technical role.

  • What's the difference between an estimator and a cost estimator?

    A home service estimator works in the homeowner's house and usually sells the job. A BLS cost estimator (13-1051) does quantity takeoffs and bid pricing, mostly from plans. They're different jobs, so don't compare their pay.

  • How should I pay an estimator who also closes?

    Like a closer: commission on the sale or on gross profit, with or without a base. Home improvement commission typically runs 6-12% of the sale (2018 data). See roofing commission and home improvement commission.

  • Should I call the job estimator or sales rep?

    Call it what it is. If they close and earn commission, put 'sales' in the title so in-home sellers apply and pricing specialists don't. 'Sales estimator' covers both halves.

  • Does Level recruit estimators?

    Yes, estimators who sell. We verify close-rate history and pay history and check references before you meet them. A pricing-only estimator isn't a sales role, so it's outside what we recruit for.

Hire estimators who price it right and close it.

Tell us the seat. We headhunt proven closers who already sell in your trade and check their close rate, pay history and references before you meet them. You pay only when you hire.

Get repsSee how it works
  • Only home service sales roles
  • Close rate, pay history and references checked
  • You pay only when you hire
  • Free replacement if they don’t perform in 60 days
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