[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

Darren its not just a case of putting your prices up over night.

Its customer perception, you have to get the right type of customer that fits your service and price point.
Some areas of the country are very hard to get the higher end prices regularly were as some are very easy. Remember its not just price point, its image, professionalism and above all service and bsing able to deliver a top job.

yep your bang on there but it can be done but just takes time

[Shaun_Ashmore]

It's all about the presentation you put before the customer, you may well clean the same as you did yesterday but today you want 50% more so you speak in a different way or may be dress in a different way but you are now selling the 'sizzle' of the steak the bit they think they'll like - as for thr the steak? well that just taste the same as yesterday!

Shaun

[Mark Roberts]

Bang on Shaun, there are some very average cleaners out there charging top money, the actual clean matters less if the customer knows no different or is super impressed with the level of service or sizzle as you say.

[John Kelly]

A lot of Chem Dry's can't be bothered with carpet cleaning as Fire & Flood is the mainstay of their business. They price high partly because of this but also due to the high chemical overhead they have.
However they do have to place YP adverts as part of their franchise agreement.
Homeserve are gradually spreading their tentacles buying up some of the large franchises and operating them with directly paid staff. The franchises which are left will come to rely more and more on the carpet side.

[Darren O]

When i say iam putting my prices up iam talking about 20% if i were to start charging £200 for a suite  i wouldnt be doing much work in my neck of the woods.

[garyj]

It's all about presentation and marketing. The customer has no idea what the machines are and cares even less about what chemicals you use.

Personality wins every time over hype and bull.

[mark shannon]

Are the higher prices some of you guys charge including VAT?.  I charge 150 for a standard suite + vat

[john thomas]

including vat here Mark

[Jeff Lydon/Greenie]

Furniture takes more time and is basically more work than carpet, to be perfectly honest you owe it to your back to charge twice per hour for furniture than you would carpet...end of story.

And I can clean a lot of carpet in 2 hours, so that Suite had better pay good or I'm off to clean some more carpet cause it's easier.

Until you have 20% of your customers flinching at your quote, you are simply not charging enough.

[Kev Loomes]

It's all about the presentation you put before the customer, you may well clean the same as you did yesterday but today you want 50% more so you speak in a different way or may be dress in a different way but you are now selling the 'sizzle' of the steak the bit they think they'll like - as for thr the steak? well that just taste the same as yesterday!

Shaun

Cant say I agree with charging different prices for different people - or am I reading this right? I couldnt do it, my conscience wouldnt allow it! What if they spoke to a custy friend of theirs who live down market and they told each other the cost and found out there was a huge difference. Er big trouble.

Am I actually reading this right? Sorry Shaun if I'm wrong - can you expand?

Kev

[Mike Osbourne]

I will probably get slaughtered for saying this, but I charge according to how I size up the job and the probablity of getting the job after sizing up the client's likely budget.

To me it's like bidding for a commercial job. If they are happy with the price then they are happy. I've had people referred to me and I've charged a lot more.

Now, the thing I would say is look at it from the other angle. Custy rings up says they want job done asap you ask and they say just want it done and not getting other quotes. You charge your standard rate.

An identical job crops up down the road, they have had four quotes and the day they want it done you havn't got a job. Do you quote the same or give them a discount to win the business?

I would say though, the better the price I get the more time I spend and the more 'value' I will add in ie free spotter, 1 free stain removal etc.

They also tend to have more expensive stuff that you could knock over, are more fussy etc etc but my main point is it cuts both ways and the acid test is are they happy with the result for the price they paid.

[Mike Halliday]

I pay more for my private health insurance than my wife does. she pays more her her haircuts. I pay more for my house insurance than my neighbour.

people & homes are different & no 2 jobs are the same,  that's why you should charge them different.

 I charge affluent homes more because my liability within them homes is higher, and usually these clients have higher expectations so need time.

Mike

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Kev you read it wrong.

Shaun

[Kev Loomes]

Fair enough then

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Kev sorry for my short answer my tea was ready, but I was refereing to those who want to put their prices up over night not to those who want to charge different prices for different customers.

Shaun

[David_Annable]

Hi

If you charge by the sq ft then customers in bigger houses pay more, whilst actually paying the same.

Dave

[Mike Halliday]

if you go into a home and they have 50m2 of £1.99/m cord carpet  will you clean it for the same price as if they had 50m2 of £300/m wool Axminster

if I had 2 different cars one a £250 banger the other a £40,000 BMW would an insurance company charge me the same premium for both of them because I'm the same and I want the same coverage.

our price cannot just be dictated by size.

mike

[David_Annable]

Hi

Arn't we talking about package prices, you can have say £20, £40 & £60 per room, but each level is different.

So everybody pays the same whills everybody gets something different.

Dave

[carpet guy]

Should never be size alone, or you will be spending twice as long on some jobs, but for the same money. As long as you qualify the price to the client.

[Joe H]

Thats interesting Mike.

Agreed that an insurance company is bound to charge more for a high value car then an old banger - bigger payout if an accident they have to pay on.

So then, the value of perhaps not only the carpet but also the value of other objects which remain in the room we clean needs to be taken into account too.
The higher the perceived price of these means a higher payout if damage.

Therefore that highlights a benefit of going to quote rather then telephone quotes (albeit estimates).

Am I thinking right?