Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Klean07 on January 05, 2014, 01:05:23 pm

Title: Pricing help.
Post by: Klean07 on January 05, 2014, 01:05:23 pm
I'm thinking of putting my prices up next month but although I've done this many times before I'm not sure how much to put on my £25 plus ones. Any ideas?
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Klean07 on January 05, 2014, 04:38:55 pm
Oh dear
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: 8weekly on January 05, 2014, 04:42:46 pm
It depends when you last put them up. Have a figure in mind for each property (assuming they are not ridiculously underpriced) and have several notes/rehearsed speeches about first increase in x years and it is 5%/7.5%/10% as appropriate.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: kempy on January 05, 2014, 04:45:35 pm
If there well priced - do you need to
If not put them up recently then easily add a quid .
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: 8weekly on January 05, 2014, 04:48:02 pm
If there well priced - do you need to
If not put them up recently then easily add a quid .
Yes, because if he doesn't put them up they won't stay well priced.
A "quid" on a £25+ house?  ::)roll
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Klean07 on January 05, 2014, 06:50:18 pm
Okey dokey thanks.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: dazmond on January 08, 2014, 08:42:15 am
on £20 plus jobs i add £2.i have a fair few well priced houses that ive never put up in 5 years.ill be putting them up this year though.

lots of monthly estate bread and butter work will be going up a quid each account,some £2.

i have some commercial that will be going up a fiver.not many though.

at the end of the day we cant give you any advice on pricing as its individual to each business.

we all do what we want.

i put mine up in april.


regards


dazmond
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: mike1986 on January 08, 2014, 08:45:34 am
How often do you tend to raise your prices? I do mine about every 4 years, i would worry that people would get fed up if it went up slightly every year
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: H20cleaning on January 08, 2014, 12:14:17 pm
Can you afford to loose a couple of £25.00?
Im just thinking, you could put 10, £25.00 houses up £1.00 a month but then you could loose one or 2 so wouldnt be worth it.
Just a thought mate
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Pure Shine on January 08, 2014, 01:51:21 pm
I find that a quud is suitable on all jobs every 2 years not had a problem yet lol .
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: 8weekly on January 08, 2014, 03:39:17 pm
I find that a quud is suitable on all jobs every 2 years not had a problem yet lol .
on a £10-£15 job that seems ok. On a £30 job though you would effectively be cutting the price if you added £1 every 2 years.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 08, 2014, 04:27:32 pm
If your happy with the price of £25 then dont change it! I have priced 80 percent of my business £10 for fronts, i wont need to change those for anytime soon in the next 10 odd years and even then ill only need to put them up to £12 any new work gained ill i keep it as £10 front.
As for the whole houses i do which are mainly £12 £15 and £20 i will be putting them up a pound every few years to stay well priced.
My average price is only £12 which is low compared to many which is due to all the front only cleans i have however i have never had it so good and easy. 25 daily fronts takes me 4-5 hours to clean.
Pricing right at the start is the key i have found, if i underpriced all my work at £5 fronts then it would take a good 5/10 years to get them upto £10 by which will be year 2024 where prices then should be £12/15 making them always underpriced.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: dazmond on January 09, 2014, 08:09:45 am
£10 for fronts is very good mick.how many windows is that?is it work on main roads?

 if i got a row of them i reckon i could clean 8 an hour at £7 a pop(£56 an hour).im on about the terraced houses with big ground floor bay windows and awkward upper windows(if your a ladder man).
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 09, 2014, 08:20:41 am
However many windows there are on the house, yes many on main roads, some are 1 up or 1 down flats with a window and a door and some are detatched houses with 15 windows. I do any front for £10 which most take a matter of minutes but price accordinly for the whole house, terrace £12 semi £15 detatched or house with a connie £20 plus.
My £10 front rule is a winner for me as even the biggest of houses only take 10 mins to clean.
Another plus is i can do them with the backpack so no trailing hose in and out for each job unless i have 4 or more from one stop where i use the vanmount.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: gary999 on January 09, 2014, 10:31:25 am
ideal domestic round...rows of fronts with no front gardens or drives

My average front price is £7,since Sir Michael of Kent put a post
up in the summer(i think) about fronts only,i have ried to concentrate
more on getting the victorian style house with poor access to the back

i do about 5/6 an hour where i have a few in a row,i reckon i could
do more but im not interested in working to hard ;D
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 09, 2014, 11:54:56 am
Good on you gary, fronts is defo the best way to go for an easy short working day after day after day etc etc instead of the stressy long days to earn the same trailing hoses in and out of everywhere and everything getting the hump climbing over gates and gardens of dog poo.. No thank you. ;D
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: 8weekly on January 09, 2014, 04:21:14 pm
If your happy with the price of £25 then dont change it! I have priced 80 percent of my business £10 for fronts, i wont need to change those for anytime soon in the next 10 odd years and even then ill only need to put them up to £12 any new work gained ill i keep it as £10 front.



Let's hope none of your staff expect a pay rise over that period.

Honestly, that is seriously flawed advice.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 09, 2014, 04:42:56 pm
If your happy with the price of £25 then dont change it! I have priced 80 percent of my business £10 for fronts, i wont need to change those for anytime soon in the next 10 odd years and even then ill only need to put them up to £12 any new work gained ill i keep it as £10 front.




Let's hope none of your staff expect a pay rise over that period.

Honestly, that is seriously flawed advice.
Depends how you look at it and what you want from your business and life, if like me you want to earn maximum money for minimum effort and minimum time meaning spending more time with family and doing the things i want instead of slogging away working all the hours under the sun then how i do it is spot on.
Most would charge £5-6 fronts which by putting them up 50p a year or a pound every few years would take 10 years to get to £10 fronts so pricing an amount a customer is willing to pay via selling the service correct in the first place is the iceing on a cake for a sucsessful window cleaning business. I have in my eyes the ultimate business for myself that i know will give me an easy and stress free life.
As for if staff wanting a pay rise, i pay on percentage so there is no problem.

with a name like 8 weekly you have your own ways of doing things which are totally different to mine prob by charging 25-50 percent more a clean but still needing double the customers to have a full round which i can never realy understand but i would never tell you the way you do it is flawed as that is damn right rude!.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Soupy on January 09, 2014, 04:51:13 pm
All that is well and good but to not put your price up in 10 YEARS is ludicrous!

EVERYTHING has gone up since 2004. EVERYTHING!!!

Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: ronnie paton on January 09, 2014, 04:52:05 pm
houses prices
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Soupy on January 09, 2014, 04:53:55 pm
Quote from: ronnie paton
houses prices

House prices have DOUBLED round here since 2003!

I bought my first flat in 2003. Sold it last year for almost exactly double.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: PoleKing on January 09, 2014, 04:59:17 pm
All that is well and good but to not put your price up in 10 YEARS is ludicrous!

EVERYTHING has gone up since 2004. EVERYTHING!!!



I've got a few places that I've not put up in 11 years.
Im still more expensive than if someone else would quote now (I know this, not guessing)
Everything has gone up since 04 yes but if you're still pulling in £30, £40, £50, £60 p/h what's the problem.
It's each to their own
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Soupy on January 09, 2014, 05:04:27 pm
Quote from: DirtyDarren
Im still more expensive than if someone else would quote now (I know this, not guessing)
Everything has gone up since 04 yes but if you're still pulling in £30, £40, £50, £60 p/h what's the problem.
It's each to their own

If you were getting £X per hour in 2003 and you haven't turned that into £X+inflation you have effectively given yourself a pay cut.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 09, 2014, 05:18:14 pm
Soupy you of all people id have thought would understand!

The average window cleaner would charge for front only cleans is say £5 on houses where if customer is home the whole house would be £10 or in scotland maybe £3 front amd £6 whole house.
My business plan was to mainly target houses with no rear access on busy roads with double yellow lines and parking restrictions as i worked out £60 ph min every hour wouldnt matter if i got 1 or even 2 tickets a day however luckily in the last year i have only had 1. anyway getting back on subject i targeted houses i wanted and charged £10 a pop for a front and can do 6-8 of them an hour sometimes upto 12 depending how many on a certain patch so £60 per hour min each hour i work! Put that against doing everyday houses at £10 for a full house doing only 3-5 an hour with the grief of trailing hose everywhere, climbing gates, through garages through houses even etc etc then for the 10 years of someone putting there prices up 50p a year in 10 years my prices for the fronts will still be top earners compared to f+b fronts and id still earn more than if i was doing houses at £20 front that id charge in 2024.

8 fronts only properties an hour £80 what i built up
4 houses an hour £40 how i used to do it.

I simply have no need to up any of my front only prices,
For the front and back jobs i do i will be putting the prices up which i do every few years.
Fact being though compared to how i used to have my business to how i have rebuilt it the last 2.5 years im top of the game(my game). So defo not flawed advice just out of the ordinary that has and will work out for me for many years to come.



Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on January 09, 2014, 05:22:34 pm
hi kev you ok
depends when you did a last increase iwould say £2 a year. taking in consideration of tools and petrol costs.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Soupy on January 09, 2014, 05:32:14 pm
To assume that your hourly rate will still be OK for 10 YEARS makes no sense. No matter what that hourly rate might be.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 09, 2014, 05:36:17 pm
Soupy whats your average price you clean in scotland for a average sized terraced house??
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 09, 2014, 05:43:47 pm
To assume that your hourly rate will still be OK for 10 YEARS makes no sense. No matter what that hourly rate might be.

Of course it will be ok. If not id put them up but do the maths 50p a year or a quid every 2 years for a £5 front would be in 10 years time £10 would it not??.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: 8weekly on January 09, 2014, 07:06:14 pm
To assume that your hourly rate will still be OK for 10 YEARS makes no sense. No matter what that hourly rate might be.

Of course it will be ok. If not id put them up but do the maths 50p a year or a quid every 2 years for a £5 front would be in 10 years time £10 would it not??.


But it is a £10 front now. Why plan for it to be a £10 front for the foreseeable future. Instead that £10 front will be £15 in a few years time and those that can afford £10 now will be able to afford £15 in 10 years because their income will have risen. However, if you do as you plan your income will have fallen.  ::)roll

Seriously Mick, I don't wish to be rude at all. I am just trying to point out to you that your thinking on this is not very wise in financial terms.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Soupy on January 09, 2014, 07:07:38 pm
Quote from: 🙀Mick🔞kent🙀
Soupy whats your average price you clean in scotland for a average sized terraced house??

How much I charge per house is irrelevant. We aim for x amount per hour. Ten years ago x was less, in ten years time x will be more.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Soupy on January 09, 2014, 07:23:43 pm
Quote from: 🙀Mick🔞kent🙀
Of course it will be ok. If not id put them up but do the maths 50p a year or a quid every 2 years for a £5 front would be in 10 years time £10 would it not??.

Not sure I follow that, I think what you are saying is that you are charging £10 for a job that should be £5? Fair enough, but like 8weekly said if that person sees £10 as an affordable price now, in 10 years time you could be charging more.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Don Kee on January 09, 2014, 07:39:27 pm
To assume that your hourly rate will still be OK for 10 YEARS makes no sense. No matter what that hourly rate might be.

Of course it will be ok. If not id put them up but do the maths 50p a year or a quid every 2 years for a £5 front would be in 10 years time £10 would it not??.


What they're saying mate is at the moment you're prices are great.
Ahead of the competition
But by keeping your prices the same for 10 years (if you wait that long) you'll no longer be ahead, you'll fall in line....
Then if you put your prices up you'll still be inline as they would be putting there prices up as they would have done for the previous 10 years...
In other words, if your pricing well now, then if you put your prices up they'll always be good prices....

I have to agree with them aswell to be honest, ita simple maths really
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Klean07 on January 09, 2014, 07:48:36 pm
hi kev you ok
depends when you did a last increase iwould say £2 a year. taking in consideration of tools and petrol costs.
Hi Jen,
Yes that sounds about right.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 09, 2014, 07:48:57 pm
If i want to up the prices i will but what im saying is if you price right at the start then the future will bliss. Im not saying i wont up my prices im saying that technically i wont need to.  Lets be honest guys who have been going over 10 years. In 2004 im guessing your prices werent much lower than they are today, prob a £3/4 difference.
When i first did commercial i could pretty much charge what i liked where as now it is so cut throat that im best off on my domestics. With the more and more new starters and the under charging that happens and the any house any size for £5 brigades i dont see prices shooting up that much to realy make much of a difference and if they do then i will be on it as i dont plan on ever being a busy fool. Made many many mistakes in this game that all imcan do now is build and learn from them.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Soupy on January 09, 2014, 07:53:05 pm
My average price is more than 50% more than it was 10 years ago.

In 2004 fuel was 80p a litre. Houses were affordable. Window cleaners were cheap.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: PoleKing on January 09, 2014, 10:04:42 pm
Quote from: DirtyDarren
Im still more expensive than if someone else would quote now (I know this, not guessing)
Everything has gone up since 04 yes but if you're still pulling in £30, £40, £50, £60 p/h what's the problem.
It's each to their own

If you were getting £X per hour in 2003 and you haven't turned that into £X+inflation you have effectively given yourself a pay cut.

You are 100% correct but 10 years ago I was happy at £50per hour. I still am today.
Yes, taking into account inflation, I have taken a pay cut.
Overall compared to 10 years ago I'm nigh on double what I was.
I'm genuinely happy (in life and with that)
For me, and I'm not advocating it for anyone else, I'm working 4 days a week, easier days than ever before. Making more money than all but 1 of my friends, enough to support my wife & kids and give them not only a good financial life but enough time with them too.
I could make more money but it would be to our collective detriment.
That's not to willy wave or advocate my lifestyle, just that I'm happy with the money I earn. An extra few quid on a job would have literally no effect on positive effect on my life.
It really is horses for courses when it comes to jobs IMO.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: Joey Eastwood on January 09, 2014, 10:21:56 pm
£10 for a one up one down terrace front, and £10 for a front with 15windows... So the people In the tiny house are
paying 7.5times per Window more than the people in the big posh house.. Ridiculous. Say what you like £10 a terrace front is extortion expecially because of the fact you charge a house 7times bigger the same.

Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: PoleKing on January 09, 2014, 10:33:05 pm
£10 for a one up one down terrace front, and £10 for a front with 15windows... So the people In the tiny house are
paying 7.5times more than the people in the big posh house.. Ridiculous. Say what you like £10 a terrace front is extortion expecially because of the fact you charge a house 7times bigger the same.



But Joey, what a lot of people are missing is the fact that customer pays.
They are free to cancel whenever they like.
If the 1 up 1 down isn't happy-they'd just bin mick.
Title: Re: Pricing help.
Post by: roundbuilder on January 09, 2014, 10:37:55 pm
Joey, as long as it takes less than 10 mins to clean then wether 1 window or 15 im happy to charge £10 if just a front.
I spend more time moving from front to back with climbing or going down alleyways etc than cleaning an extra few windows.
I learnt from this forum from ian giles a good 3/4 years ago to aim for £1 a minute and thats what i did.
Im not being extortionate at all as all my customers are happy. Everyone is a winner.