How customers choose

Customers see up to three quotes from the builders who've visited and quoted. They compare side by side in their dashboard, often with a planner walking them through the differences. The article describes the comparison.

What the customer sees

For each quote:

• Headline number.
• Scope — line items the builder has included.
• Materials approach — what's quoted as part of the build vs what the customer is buying directly.
• Programme — phases and timing.
• Provisional sums — flagged separately from firm prices.
• Your covering note — anything you added to the quote at submission.
• Your profile — Builder Level, star rating, time-to-quote, photos, reviews, accreditations.

How the conversation runs

Most customers ask their Beams planner for a quote review. The planner walks the customer through the differences in scope, flags anything that looks thinly scoped or vague, and answers questions about what each quote covers.

Beams doesn't recommend a specific builder. The customer makes the decision; the planner helps them understand what they're looking at.

Why customers don't pick the lowest

The majority of customers don't pick the lowest quote. The reasons we see:

• Scope thinness — the lowest quote has missed something the customer can see.
• Trust — the customer felt more comfortable with a different builder during the visit.
• Programme fit — a slightly higher quote that fits the customer's timeline beats a lower one that doesn't.
• Communication style — clarity and responsiveness during the conversation.

What this means for you

Don't compete on price alone. Compete on the things the customer is comparing alongside price: scope clarity, conversation quality, and the trust signals on your profile. The platform structures the comparison; the customer decides.

Related articles

• How quoting works on Beams
• Using the quoting tool
• What happens when you're selected