The Smartest Contractor in the Room
Three contractors were called in to submit estimates for replacing a huge stretch of fencing around a sprawling country estate.
The estate manager gathered them together in the yard to hear their bids.
The first contractor pulled out a tape measure, carefully walked the length of the fence, scribbled notes, tapped his pencil on his pad, and after a bit of math said:
“Including materials and labor, I can do it for $900.”
The second contractor did the same—measured, calculated, double-checked his numbers. After some thought, he looked up and said:
“My estimate comes to $800, all in.”
The estate manager then turned to the third contractor, who hadn’t so much as bent down to measure a single post. Calmly, he said:
“$2,800.”
The manager blinked. “Two thousand eight hundred dollars? You didn’t even measure anything. How did you figure that out?”
The third man put a hand on the manager’s arm, led him a few steps away from the others, and whispered:
“That’s $1,000 for me… $1,000 for you… and we get the second guy to do the work.”
The manager paused, glanced back at the other contractors, then nodded slowly.
“Done.”
