Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Deep Cleaning Solutions on June 16, 2010, 09:44:29 pm
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I've been going about 6 months now and loving it.
The thing is recently,i have had loads of calls to clean one carpet.
I'd say i would normally get about 80% of jobs converted from calls,
but i seem to lose most one carpet jobs.
What would you say is the best way to approach a one carpet job.
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Do you have a minimum order price? Depending on size and state of the 1 room onlys, you could be pricing too high.
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You will always lose more of the single room jobs than any other because people often think it will cost them peanuts. if thet do let them hire the local monkey
firstly ask the potential customer where they are you never know you maybe going nearby in the next few days or even you maybe round the corner. if you are and is possible pop over give them a quote you may even make the job larger this way. and a lot of people like to see someone. and only takes a few minutes between jobs or after work. some will just want a price but to be honest i try to make that the last thi i want to talk about. CC is half cleaning carpets and half being a good sales person and every call is good practice and every on site quote is experience gained.
stick to a minimum charge whatever that maybe for your business ( wouldnt ask what a minimum charge is on here will confuse you further)
a lot dont want to bother with single room jobs but its all work and income and adds another potential repeat client or they may reco you to firends family or place of work.
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My minimum charge is £50.00,is that to much,
and should i mention my minimum charge to customers,
that want one carpet cleaned!
When i mention £50.00 or minimum charge of £50.00,
theres always a deathly silence followed by,........
........ohh i'll just discuss it with my husband and get back to you.
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why should i pay you £50, i can rent a rug doctor for £25 and do it myself?
well?
and if i aint got time, i can try a few others and get the cheapest, all carpet cleaners are the same arent they? (i mean it only takes 15 mins to train a monkey to clean a carpet dunt it)
well?
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My minimum charge is £50.00,is that to much,
and should i mention my minimum charge to customers,
that want one carpet cleaned!
When i mention £50.00 or minimum charge of £50.00,
theres always a deathly silence followed by,........
........ohh i'll just discuss it with my husband and get back to you.
Drop it to £40, get your foot in the door 'then' use your minimum charge :-X
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I agree with Colin on this one
MArk
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You just have to be comfortable with your minimum charge, and think of reasons to justify it. These can include experience, training, convinience to the customer, insurance.
If they stil think a rug doctor is the answer, then consider an introductory price drop, but remember that you are trying to make a living.
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I had a call yesterday from a lady asking for a price for one room. She told me the exact size and the type of carpet. I'd got a job not far from there today so thought I'd give her a keen price and fit it in on the way back. I cheerfully said that I could do it for £40.00. Silence. "Oh right, I'll leave it then". I then said that she sounded like the price was more than she was expecting and asked what she thought the job was worth (picking up from a post on here last week). Any guesses what she said?
£15.00. ???
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Always find out where they live FIRST then adjust your minimum
price accordingly.
For 5 minute drive jobs I only charge minimum of £35 - £40
depending on the address I get.
I got an enquiry last night for a living room told her £40 and explained why.
She then said is that £40 per room then, told her no and explained how
once I'm set up any extra rooms are cheaper if done at same time.
Doing the job on Wednesday and the ticket is now £100.
All over the phone as well.
Let them know it's x amount for the first room but after that it's £y per
room dependant on size.
Some people just assume that the minimum applies to each room.
John
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My minimum charge is £60.
Not worth getting set up for less.....
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My minimum charge is £60.
Not worth getting set up for less.....
Don't take much setting up with the Alltec Triple Vac left in the van mate ;)
I like the avatar ;D
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My minimum charge is £60.
Not worth getting set up for less.....
Don't take much setting up with the Alltec Triple Vac left in the van mate ;)
I like the avatar ;D
I sometimes leave it in the van but I find problems with that.
1. You gotta keep running in and out switching off, dumping & re-filling.
2. In winter custy don't like her doors left open.
Saying that, if I can get away with it, I'll leave it in cos it's much quicker.
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U never know what a "£35?" minimum job charge might lead to... is it really just a pooty job not worth setting up for? or an open door opportunity to the rest of their house, not to mention their family, freinds - and possibly other properties they may own or that big lucrative office where they are the purchasing manager ...
Since being prowlered up I will admit to lowering my min ticket and trimming my prices a tad - it def seems to have eased that initial "I will phone u back" reaction...
Stu
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£49.00 or £51.00 would be better ;)
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Since being prowlered up I will admit to lowering my min ticket and trimming my prices a tad - it def seems to have eased that initial "I will phone u back" reaction...
Stu
So Stu, you move up from a porty, invest a few thousand more on a Prowler, then lower your prices.
Is that what you saying.
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Had a call for a single room a couple of weeks ago,quite a big room and a fair distance away,said £65 min and for that explained what you get,all sounded fine,then she asked what process it was i use,explained steam extraction cleaning.Oh i won`t bother then,i have a steamer,explained there was a little bit more too my machine than a household steamer,still said no !!
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Since being prowlered up I will admit to lowering my min ticket and trimming my prices a tad - it def seems to have eased that initial "I will phone u back" reaction...
Stu
So Stu, you move up from a porty, invest a few thousand more on a Prowler, then lower your prices.
Is that what you saying.
Joe Maybe his lil trimming test has opened the door to some really good jobs..........?
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Thats why I was interested in what he says.
What interest in what circumstances etc
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with investment in better machinery, tools, staff and gadgets, my cleaning gets faster, but more importantly, my results get better. and the quicker i can do the job, the cheaper i can be. food for thought.
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with investment in better machinery, tools, staff and gadgets, my cleaning gets faster, but more importantly, my results get better. and the quicker i can do the job, the cheaper i can be. food for thought.
I've got to agree, not wanting to sound like a "Splash and Dash" merchant, I work so much more efficiently now than I did 12 months ago.
I did a job the other day and picked £150 up for it, I felt like I was robbing them where as a year ago, I'd have felt like a busy fool because the job would have taken 2-3 times as long to do.... :o
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Yeah I have revised my prices, some gone up most gone down especially min job charge - much less setting up time with truckmount and much faster cleaning so why not and when you get the higher priced jobs its all the sweeter. Been doing a lot of commercial lately mainly Rotary but even with prowler been below the £1 per square metre!!!!!! oooohhhh misssuusss - not that scary really depends how you approach it mentally. I dont do many £35 jobs tho I will do 1 lounge or one staircase for that price within a reasonable radius to my base - I am getting far more repeat / referral / recommendations and a typical recent £35 custy recd me to their posh relative. In the same breath I have cleaned two very nice large lounges in the last 6 weeks for £120 and £135 each.
The truth of the matter is I am finally getting to grips with this "running a business" and leaving behind my day rate job boyo frame of mind...
Anyone can clean a carpet - its makin the bloody fone ring thats the hard thing! lol, not...
All the best chaps
Stu
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Now these are the comments of people who have a " Business Head " on their shoulders and are NOT afraid of hard work..............they will be successful.
For the past couple of years the forum's been full of Cowboys / Con Merchants who only want to work for one maybe two jobs a day so that they can " enjoy their leisure time " achieved by ripping people off with unbelievable charges.
They try to convince everyone that THEY are the TRUE BUSINESSMEN and everyone else would be better stacking shelves.
Good comments from Colin, Derek and Stu
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Well said Derek West and Robert Meldrum