I sometimes visit a prospect's facility to understand their operations before proposing an audit. For a manufacturing client in Albuquerque I drove 45 minutes to tour the plant, looked at the electrical panels, checked the meter configurations, and spent about 2 hours on-site. The prospect decided not to proceed. I spent half a day and got nothing. Should I be charging for site visits?
Charging for the initial site visit — or is that part of the sales process?
I never charge for the initial site visit. It's part of my sales process and it's where I build the relationship. But I keep the visit focused and short — 60-90 minutes maximum. I also use the visit to gather intelligence that informs my proposal. If I see 4 meters and the client thought they had 2, that tells me there's probably something to find. The visit investment pays for itself in higher close rates because the client sees my professionalism in person. That said, if a prospect wants multiple visits before committing, I set a limit.
Ed's approach is standard. The initial site visit is a business development cost, not a billable service. Treat it as an investment in the relationship. What you learn on-site often helps you identify audit opportunities you wouldn't see from bills alone. However, if the prospect is far away and the travel cost is significant, it's reasonable to qualify the opportunity more thoroughly by phone before committing to an in-person visit. Don't drive 3 hours for a $500/month account.