[turneylogan]

Had a blank day Wednesday so was glad of an enquiry Tues night.

'How much to clean my carpets?' 'Can I pop out to see them to give you an accurate price?' No I just want price'. So I gave him a price erring on the side of caution. 'If you do it for £xxx you've got job.' Having nothing do do the next day I reluctantly said 'Yes.'What's your name?' 'Raz.' 'Surname?' 'Just Raz'. Here we go I thought. 'Address?' His English wasn't too good and after 2 spelling attempts I gave up and got his post code and house number. 'Oh, can you get me a tin of polish for my floor I pay you for it.'

'I'll see you at 9.30 tomorrow then.' Make it 10,' he said. Call on mobile at 9.50. 'Where are you - you said you be here at 10.'

Got there, tiny house, new 7-series and BMW 4x4 outside - private number plates with RAZ in them.

Got inside. 'Where's my polish'. 'I'm afraid I couldn't get any.' Family in bed. No furniture moved as requested. 'Very light bed' was a 2-man lift. Everyone got out of bed and went in bathrooms/kitchen. Stood over every process includung vacuuming. Kept having to ask him to move out of the way of hoses. Family walking over treated areas.

Got downstairs - 'Can you you just give this (hall runner) and this (rug) a quick go please?' Stupidly I thought, maybe I'll get a tip.

'Give me some cards I have 4 care homes'. Gave him bundle of cards. 'Where are your care homes?' '2 in Glasgow and 2 in Manchester.' Great I'm in Hertfordshire.

All the time I was thinking that if I was fully booked I wouldn't even have negotiated a price never mind put up with the rest. I know what you are thinking but I was happy to have something that day rather than nothing.

Got home. Picked up cat which had been at the vets for an ultrasound and bill For £602!!!!!

There, got it of my chest.

Happy days!

[klinger (spa clean)]

Trouble is mate its gonna be difficult to get replies back from this thread without people sounding very un-PC,  we,ve all been there chap, just have to put it down to a bad day at the office.

[prodry]

I am on the cheap side of the carpet cleaning market and I cover East London as one of my areas.

I have two-three of these types of days every week of my life. I am very busy and do turn a good profit. But getting feed up with the rubish jobs. I dont think of myself as 'splash and dash' as I do a really good job with a truckmount and years of experience.

Most of my work comes from websites which I have a price list on and from leaflets.

I am thinking of removing the prices from my site and leaflets quoting each and every job on its merits. My local competition is either half what I charge or 4 times + what I charge.

My only worry is the work I have coming in steadily will dry up and existing clients and recomendations will want my old prices.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Michael

I did that type of work years ago but would'nt touch it now.

Some of the prices you charge are very cheap and you will always be working hard at those prices.

Look what happens on the Adwords, you quote cheap and along come others just as cheap.

I quote much higher , still get  a lot of work and don't have to put up with the rubbish jobs.

Does it really matter if you don't keep the cheap customers, once youve gone more expensive you won't miss them.

Cheers

Doug

[lands]

I am on the cheap side of the carpet cleaning market and I cover East London as one of my areas.

I have two-three of these types of days every week of my life. I am very busy and do turn a good profit. But getting feed up with the rubish jobs. I dont think of myself as 'splash and dash' as I do a really good job with a truckmount and years of experience.

Most of my work comes from websites which I have a price list on and from leaflets.

I am thinking of removing the prices from my site and leaflets quoting each and every job on its merits. My local competition is either half what I charge or 4 times + what I charge.

My only worry is the work I have coming in steadily will dry up and existing clients and recomendations will want my old prices.

Hi Michael

Why don't you up prices for new custy and bring current ones up slowly and bit by bit.

My session will be covering this at CCDO and will help you quote higher to the right people. You probably know as anyone that there are times when you could have quoted double and got job. Some peoplle are reassured by higher prices.

Pete

[prodry]

Doug & Pete

You are both right. I think having done cheap for so long I have a mental block against going higher. I know from the type of work I mainly get (lots of end tenancy, soap dodgers, single mums) that I am getting the price sensitive side of the market.

The better end of the market are put off by lower prices or are really shocked when when I quote them low prices and do question my ability.

I have many really good existing clients many of whom leave me their house keys when they are away on holiday  and recommend me all the time. Just worried that i will isolate them and the people they recommend by putting up prices to high. may have to raise them slowly for them as you say.

Have been really busy of late and have reached a point were i have every tool under the sun and every chemical that I cant make the cleaning process any easier as well as getting worringly close to 30. I feel that i have reached a good level of skill and its about time that it was rewarded.

Recently i have been really down about carpet cleaning and have not bothered turning up for appointments, think it is about time for a change in my style.  I am a good salesperson and used to be an estate agent getting custys to instruct me to sell their homes charging them £1000's for the privillage but cant or wont use my selling skills to my own business avantage.

[Doug Holloway]

Recently i have been really down about carpet cleaning and have not bothered turning up for appointments, think it is about time for a change in my style. 

Hi Michael

I know this is true because some of them have come to me and I have cleaned them at probably 3 times what you quoted and they have been happy.

You can only ever be happy in any job if you feel adequately rewarded for your hard work.

Cheers

Doug

[John Kelly]

You have to mindfull that you are competing against some major franchises who charge up to £250 + vat to clean a suite. Some of them can't cope with the work and sub it out. There is good money to be made in carpet cleaning. Why kill yourself doing it. It is a mindset and once you get over it you wonder what the hell you were doing.

[gwrightson]

only this morning I cleaned a ladys, small lounge, h/s/ l ,agian small landing and hall,
job ticket  £110 

as I was cleaning posty delivered , and custy showed me a postcard she had just recieved, from
C.D.     special spring offer 

carpet cleaned, 3pc cleaned and set of curtains £295 
I was wondering do you think their would be a size limit on the carpet or curtains, because no limits were stated.
sorry seem to have gone of subject here, its just john mentioned £250 some franchises.

Geoff

ps  I actually got a referal yesterday from local CD. thankyou

[edward coller]

I can see where you are coming from   and we can all keep doing it because it is hard to change ... However its also easy to be busy fools... im looking to increase my prices particularly on upholstery which I hate,at the moment I charge £153.00 for a3pce aiming at 175 but i am finding it hard to justify it in my own mind and am a little scared of the reaction I might get from customers but thats all in my mind and I need to change it myself, I dont love this biz i thinks its hard work repetitive and requires continuous marketing to remain busy  why do I continue Because I am reasonable well paid and at an age where my ambition and drive aint what it was.... Still why not aim high sell well and earn what we can....Cheers simon

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

I am on the cheap side of the carpet cleaning market and I cover East London as one of my areas.

I have two-three of these types of days every week of my life. I am very busy and do turn a good profit. But getting feed up with the rubish jobs. I dont think of myself as 'splash and dash' as I do a really good job with a truckmount and years of experience.

Most of my work comes from websites which I have a price list on and from leaflets.

I am thinking of removing the prices from my site and leaflets quoting each and every job on its merits. My local competition is either half what I charge or 4 times + what I charge.

My only worry is the work I have coming in steadily will dry up and existing clients and recomendations will want my old prices.

well i for one can give you the low down for real on this , im quite  lucky as i have a good rental income comeing in each week from my 11 houses so it wasnt as much as camble as you need to take

last year i was in the same leguae as yourself and i got that sick i was near the line of packing in,  so when the t.m. came i put the prices up about 10%  and over this last year they have never stopped going up,  ive  gone from £35 pounds for a full suite to £60 pounds thats about 80%ish higher

now looking at last years figers we done about 48%ish less work but were have 60% more profit !!  we no longer clean in them dump holes and get to go on to better houses and when the new van is back with the new kit in there going up again

its not easy put the prices up and dont just get up one morning and double them i would lift them up higher every few months some will pay and some wont but you will get better work when the prices start going up trust me thats the truth

[Kinver_Clean]

In the last 12 months I have doubled my prices.
I no longer get the rubbish jobs.
I now get my pension so I thought I would work 3 days a week for the beer money.
I am making more in three days than I was before.
Wish I had done it a long time ago.
 

Trevor

[Robert Watson]

Hi Michael,
Pricing is a frame of mind.
About 3 years ago at an NCCA course, a guy said his minimum charge was £65.
I though WOW, as mine was £30. Now I`m £55 to £65 depending on how the conversation is going.
And the best news, I know I can go higher. It depends on your area I suppose.

C/C is hard work, not just the actual cleaning, but keeping it all together when your busy.
We deserve a GOOD wage out of it.
Rab

[Shaun_Ashmore]

The problem is we think that customers shop around all of the time for prices, I can actually tell you 50% at least don't! some listen to what you have to say and will book you on the strngth of it or they go away and then come back when thy are ready to buy, some just go away because they just want a price and some just don't like what ou say or want it cheaper.

There's a lot of different reasons but on the whole when customers call/book if they ask for alot of work to be done in one sitting sometimes the accumulative price can put them off, a bit like buying a full central heating system or just replacing a radiator.

Shaun

[prodry]

Thanks Peps for all the positive replys. I raised my minimum charge last month to £65.00 and still getting 9 out out of 10 enquiries. I need to be higher with my average ticket price. Last month was c. £70.00. same as it was most of last year when my minimum charge was £45.00. So raising my minimum has not helped to raise my average ticket price.

I need to bite the bullet and raise my average ticket price and if I do fewer jobs I can use the time to concentrate on my other interests. Plus I will save on expenses such as diesel which is hurting at the moment.

Separted from wife last year and made myself Bankrupt in September. Got early discharge at the begining of this month so no longer have any debts (first time since I was 18) or a wife to spend every penny I earn on worthless cr@p. She's got the house I am living with a friend and trading from my fathers house so my personal running costs are nothing now. The differance between me earning £500 to £5000 only effects my own lifestyle. Therefore probably will never be a better time to make a wholesale change.

Once again thank you for your replies.

 

 

[mark_roberts]

Pricing is in the mind, your mind not the customer.  To stop yourself going insane sit down and make a proper business and lifestyle plan and then SET your prices so you know what you NEED to charge not what you think you can or should charge.

BTW get rid of your cat.  Its bleeding you dry.

Mark

[turneylogan]

Pricing is in the mind, your mind not the customer.  To stop yourself going insane sit down and make a proper business and lifestyle plan and then SET your prices so you know what you NEED to charge not what you think you can or should charge.

BTW get rid of your cat.  Its bleeding you dry.

Mark

Cat cost £150. Suggested throwing it away and buying a new one. Wife not happy.

[Jason Hedges]

Hi Turney,

We all have nightmare customers and days like this.

I've thought about chucking the towel in on a few occasions (not saying you're at that stage) after nightmare customers and bad days that is.

Its a bad state of affairs when you have to take work because you have to not because you want to. We've all been there and some of us still are.

I've only been trading for 4 years and some of our fellow cleaners on this forum about the same. Some longer, some less but we're all in the same boat.

Its a nightmare at the moment and a lot of established cleaners are feeling the pinch. Unfortunately carpet cleaning is a luxury amongst domestic customers. Not to all but a few.

If you fancy a chat my number is 07721 827163. Give me a bell over the weekend if you like, will be more than happy to talk.

All the best,
Jason.

[Mike Osbourne]

There are two worlds.

The one in your mind and the real world. Over time your inner world becomes your outer world. Do be careful what you dwell on and how you do it.

Think of a time when you had more work than time. Was it easier to ask for more?

Targeting, techniques all these things are important and become far easier when you take the handbrake off. 

[lands]

You been reading too much Douglas Adams again have'nt you Mike